Recommended Reads

Nochebuena. One Party. Nine Happily Ever Afters.

It’s Christmas Eve in New York City, when anything is possible. For these couples, it’s the season to find true love. From second chances, big leaps, missed connections, and reconnections, this charming collection celebrates the spirit of the holidays and delivers nine perfect HEAs.

From seven acclaimed and bestselling Latina authors—Zoey Castile, Alexis Daria, Adriana Herrera, Diana Muñoz Stewart, Priscilla Oliveras, Sabrina Sol, and Mia Sosa—comes a holiday romance collection like never before. 

Make the Yuletide Gay • Adriana Herrera

After a string of broken engagements, an international Latin Pop Star finds love in her sexy and constant manager. Days before her big live holiday special, Vivi wonders if the woman of her dreams could finally be hers.

Only Yours • Sabrina Sol

The Mayor of New York embarks on a Christmas Eve search to find the woman he loves before she gets away.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe • Priscilla Oliveras

Challenged by his friends to find a plus one to Nochebuena dinner or else, widower Hector Gutierrez isn’t sure he’s still got any good moves left. That is until he strikes the right chord with his son’s music teacher, Cristina.

All I Want for Nochebuena • Alexis Daria

When sparks fly between adult film stars Honey and Julie, Honey must work up the courage to invite Julie to her family’s holiday party or risk losing what she really wants for Nochebuena—a chance at true love.

Santa’s Eager Little Helper • Mia Sosa

Sarita’s plan to confess her crush on a coworker goes awry when she’s tasked with playing the Sexy Elf to his grumpy Santa. Will she seize the opportunity to make Carlos’s naughty list, or will she spend another Nochebuena alone?

The Nochebuena Dating Dare • Diana Muñoz Stewart

Eneida Lucero takes a second chance on love with the handsome musical director at her school—even if it means causing some Nochebuena drama with her ex-husband and familia.

Love in Spanglish • Zoey Castile

A heartbroken romance writer gets snowed in with a novel-worthy hero who may just make her believe in love again.

To Us, You Are Perfect • Alexis Daria & Adriana Herrera

Newlyweds Pasquale and Yamilette’s Christmas is just short of perfect. The missing piece is their best friend Marcelo, who has loved them from afar for years. This Nochebuena, they’ll finally complete their happily ever after.

The Great Holiday Escape • Zoey Castile

Gigi is always on the hustle, making sure her little sister has everything she needs including a big Christmas Eve fiesta with all their friends and family. That night, Gigi receives an all-expenses-paid trip to a luxe South Beach weekend where not one, but two beautiful strangers steal her heart.

Oy! to the world

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.

But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.

Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day...or are they?

One of the biggest wrestling superstars of the past 20 years, and one of the greatest champions of all time, Ric Flair has carved out a legacy for himself that will never be surpassed. Born Richard Fliehr in Minneapolis, he made his professional wrestling debut in 1972, quickly rising to the top of the Mid-Atlantic region where he won the regional and tag-team titles as well as the US title. In 1975 however his career almost ended when he suffered a broken back, ironically in a plane crash, not in the ring. Showing incredible resilience, Flair returned to the ring within six months. Teaming up with Gregory Valentine, he won the NWA Tag Team Title, later winning the NWA Title by defeating 'The American Dream', Dusty Rhoades. Subsequently he entered the WWF and beat Randy 'The Macho Man' Savage for hte WWF Heavyweight Title, only to return to the WCW with tremendous success. He is now back with WWE where he still competes at the same time as managing other stars, among them Triple H. Known as 'The Dirtiest Player in the Game', Ric Flair is one of the cagiest competitors ever to step into the ring. Outside the ring he is both flamboyant and outspoken, a personality who stands out even

When most people think of the celebrated greatness that is Coach Dan Gable, they think of an almost mythic intensity toward wrestling. Gable breathes and bleeds the sport, and faithfully applies lessons learned from both on and off the mat. Expanding upon Gable’s first collection of stories, A Wrestling Life 2 goes a little deeper into the mindset and life events that have shaped the man, the wrestler, and the coach.

Through stories funny, heartfelt, intense, and always engaging, Gable shares more about the life he has lead and what can be learned from those experiences. He goes on to detail what have come to be known as the Gable Trained principles that he follows to keep his life full of “wins,” the revelations about how to cultivate success at the highest levels, and the reasons behind these steps for living well.
 

Born without arms or legs below his elbows and knees, Kyle Maynard excels as a champion athlete, inspirational speaker, college student and male model. No Excuses is his inspirational autobiography that shows how a positive can-do attitude gives someone we might see as disadvantaged the advantage over life.

One of WWE's most unlikely champions of all time and also one of its most popular, Bryan has proved to the world and to all of WWE that looks can be deceiving. Just ask anyone who's ever underestimated him . . . right before he went out and whipped the WWE universe into a frenzy.

This is Bryan's behind-the-scenes story told for the first time ever by the "YES!" Man himself---from his beginnings as a child wanting to wrestle to his ten years circling the globe on the independent circuit and his remarkable climb to the upper ranks of WWE.

As the biggest week of his life unfolds, Aberdeen, Washington's bearded son reflects in full detail on his incredible path to the top and gives his take on the events that have shaped him. With his Bryan-ized blend of modesty and surprising candor, Daniel pulls no punches (or martial arts kicks) as he reveals his true thoughts on his evolution as a performer, his various roles in WWE versus the independent years, life on the road, at home, and much more.

And of course, get the untold story surrounding the "YES!" chant that evolved to full-fledged movement, skyrocketing his career. This book chronicles all the hard work, values, influences, unique life choices, and more, leading to his watershed week at WrestleMania 30. You won't want to miss it. Yes! We're sure about this.

The biggest pro wrestling bio since Bret Hart's Hitman legendary Rowdy Roddy Piper's unfinished autobiography, re-conceived and completed by his children, actress/musician Ariel Teal Toombs and wrestler Colt Baird Toombs.

In early 2015, Roderick Toombs, aka Rowdy Roddy Piper, began researching his own autobiography with a trip through Western Canada. He was re-discovering his youth, a part of his life he never discussed during his 61 years, many spent as one of the greatest talents in the history of pro wrestling. Following his death due to a heart attack that July, two of his children took on the job of telling Roddy's story, separating fact from fiction in the extraordinary life of their father.

Already an accomplished wrestler before Wrestlemania in 1985, Roddy Piper could infuriate a crowd like no "heel" before him. The principal antagonist to all-American champion Hulk Hogan, Piper used his quick wit, explosive ring style and fearless baiting of audiences to push pro wrestling to unprecedented success. Wrestling was suddenly pop culture's main event. An actor with over 50 screen credits, including the lead in John Carpenter's #1 cult classic, They Live, Piper knew how to keep fans hungry, just as he'd kept them wishing for a complete portrait of his most unusual life. He wanted to write this book for his family; now they have written it for him.

Every wrestler has a daily mat practice, but great wrestlers know that it's what you do outside of practice that gives you the edge. This book is a comprehensive guide to the in-season and off-season training habits necessary to succeed at the state or national level. First, find out exactly what kind of strength training and conditioning you should be doing, including how to get the most out of your time in the weight room and what type of workouts to do during the off-season. Then get the facts on eating right, making weight and evaluating supplements. Finally, learn how to successfully make the transition from high school to college wrestling, including an inside view of the recruiting process and a step-by-step plan for getting recognised by college coaches.

The Sheikh of Baghdad is the true story of one man's journey across two continents to find his place in the world. It is an unbelievable rags-to-riches-to-rags story with wrestling as a metaphor for life itself. Adnan Alkaissy, better known as professional wrestling's General Adnan, can finally, safely, tell his story now that Saddam Hussein-a childhood companion, powerful associate, then threat to Alkaissy and his family-is in custody awaiting trial. An odd juxtaposition of two very different worlds, this incomparable life story encompasses both the hilarious tales of what life was like in and out of the squared circle of professional wrestling and stories of heartache and despair from a man whose country is trying to find itself once again. It is also the story of a man's desire to achieve closure on a separate life lived many years ago. Finally, it is a story about a man, now in his midsixties, who wants nothing more than to go home to a free and democratic Iraq so that he can finally introduce his new family to his old one. The Sheikh of Baghdad is the story of an Iraqi American trying to make a difference in this post-9-11 world by telling his story to provide a small ray of hope for peace in the tumultuous Middle East. Book jacket.

Forget everything you thought you knew about the insane world of professional wrestling. The sixth son of legendary Canadian wrestling promoter Stu Hart, Bret Hart was born into wrestling royalty. From his early twenties until he retired at forty-three, Hart kept an audio diary, recording stories of the wrestling life: the relentless travel, the practical jokes, the sex and steroids and cocaine, and the real rivalries (as opposed to the staged ones that unfolded before the fans).

While Hart achieved superstardom in pink tights and won multiple wrestling belts in multiple territories (Stampede Wrestling, WWE, WCW to name a few), he also paid a severe price in betrayals and in tragic deaths, including the horrifying loss of his brother Owen, who died in a ring stunt gone wrong. Shortly thereafter, Bret suffered a massive stroke, likely resulting from a concussion he received in the ring, but with the spirit of a true champion, has battled his way back.

Widely considered by many of his peers as the greatest technician and worker of his generation, Hart is proud that in all his years in the sport, he never seriously hurt a single wrestler, yet did his best to deliver to his fans an experience as credible as it was exciting. No one has ever written about wrestling like Bret Hart because no one has ever lived a life like Bret Hart. These are the words of the Hitman.

Linda Hogan spent twenty-four years married to American wrestling icon Hulk Hogan. In Wrestling the Hulk, Linda shares her deeply personal stories about life with the WWF superstar—stories of abuse, infidelity, celebrity, her “life on the ropes,” and how the  former VH-1 reality TV star managed to step out of her marriage ring and make a fresh start.

Fantastic facts, incredible information, and uncanny trivia about everything in the WWE Universe.

Packed with fun facts, bizarre-but-true tales, and quirky insights into everyone's favorite sports entertainment stars, from memorable matches to signature moves and fan-favorite quotes, this book covers all the stars, managers, battles, team-ups, rivalries, and tournaments that form the WWE world. Learn the inside info on Superstars such as John Cena, Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte Flair. With strange and fascinating facts about the WWE Superstars, including popular competitors from RAW, SmackDown Live, and NXT, this unique book will surprise and delight new and die-hard sports entertainment fans.

A detailed account of wrestling in Iowa covering the period 1921 to 1980, from Gotch to Gable.

Great insight into Dan Gable's life and what made him a Champion of Champions. Writer John Irving, author of "The World According to Garp," wrote "When Dan Gable lays his hands on you, you are in touch with grace." Dan Gable is and forever shall be a Sports Legend.

Dan Gable redefined the term wrestling champion, setting a new standard of excellence for athletes and coaches. Now, in Coaching Wrestling Successfully, Gable presents the blueprint to becoming a wrestling champion. He covers every facet of his formula for success-a guiding philosophy, proven motivational tools, guidelines for proper nutrition and weight control, daily and year-round practice plans, effective instructional methods, correct wrestling technique, and winning match strategies.

In the 1950s, in Las Vegas, a businessmen's conglomerate dominating a $25 million-a-year sports industry hid their illegal practices from the U.S. Department of Justice until they were caught. The sport that privileged cold hard cash over honest competition was professional wrestling, and the conspirators were members of the famed National Wrestling Alliance. National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling examines the NWA promoters' overwhelming success, and the relationships to influential politicians and writers that protected their financial interests for over 50 years. Breaking the façade of sports production, it shows how promoters actually twisted arms to edge out their opponents. Hornbaker documents the life of the NWA, from its humble beginnings in the Midwest after World War II, to its worldwide expansion. He chronicles the Department of Justice's investigation, providing sports fans with a never-before-told side of wrestling's legacy. The most noteworthy exploits of the National Wrestling Alliance were behind locked doors. Now, the conspiracies of a century-old brand of entertainment will finally be revealed.

Harold Nichols was an American collegiate wrester and wrestling coach. As a coach, primarily at Iowa State, he won six NCAA Championships over 37 seasons.   Nichols' wrestlers won 38 NCAA individual championships and seven medals at the Olympics. His coaching career has few equals in collegiate sports history. It is a story of perseverance, discipline, a hard-work ethic, and one man's pursuit of excellence

Olympic gold medalist Lou Banach puts the reader in the practice room, on the mat and behind the scenes.

With more than 700 detailed photographs illustrating moves and countermoves, this book shows how to handle any opponent in virtually any situation. Winning Wrestling Moves provides high school and college wrestlers and their coaches with all the fundamentals and latest refinements in wrestling techniques. Never before have so many wrestling moves been described and illustrated in one volume. Three former All-Americans from the University of Iowa--Mark Mysnyk, Barry Davis, and Brooks Simpson--team up to share the techniques that made them champions:

- Proper stance, movement, penetration, and lifting technique
- Breakdowns, rides, and pins
- 200 takedowns featuring variations based on the opponent's reaction
- Escapes and reversals
- Valuable counter techniques
- Freestyle turns for freestyle and scholastic wrestling

Winning Wrestling Moves is a generously illustrated guide that shows wrestlers at the high school and college levels how to come out on top in every match.

From old timers like Gorgeous George and Bruno Sammartino to new hotshots like The Rock, Triple H, and Goldberg, from alliances and counter alliances such as DX and nWo, and babes like Chyna to bimbos like Kimberly, The Buzz on Professional Wrestling is readers' own private pay-per-view. 75 two-color illustrations.

Nothing in wrestling can match the excitement of the main event. It's the match that everyone wants to see, the match that will have fans talking the next day. Author Patrick Jones takes readers deep inside the world of pro wrestling and shows how its stars-and the wild characters they portray-have turned pro wrestling into a billion-dollar industry. Take a seat and gear up for the greatest show in wrestling-the main event!

From the creators of WWE 50 and the official WWE Encyclopedia, 30 Years of WrestleMania gives you an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the show of shows from its inception to the current day. Relive each exciting match with detailed information, exclusive interviews, never-before-seen shots, and much more!

• The history of each WrestleMania, from both sides of the curtain
• Special tributes to Undertaker's Streak, Mr. WrestleMania, records, stats & more
• Stories from influential figures, including Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart & others
• Behind the scenes photos and anecdotes
• Artifacts such as tickets, VIP passes, programs, promotional items and other unique surprises
• Coverage of all the definitive Superstars and celebrities
• Foreward by "Mr. WrestleMania" Shawn Michaels
• Exclusive Topps collectible trading card featuring the Undertaker
• One of five exclusive collectible bookmarks

Whether you've never missed a 'Mania or you are new to WWE, 30 Years of WrestleMania is guaranteed to enhance your fanhood and enrich your enjoyment of the WWE's annual worldwide phenomenon.

This how-to-book, illustrated with Les Anderson, shows the wrestling technique developed by Coach Douglas over a lifetime of wrestling competitively and coaching. 

Super Good Cookies for Kids features dozens of the gooiest and chewiest, crunchiest and munchiest, easiest-to-follow recipes ever. This hardcover book teaches young bakers how to make all kinds of delicious treats--from chocolaty s'mores to delicious rainbow meringue to a mind-blowing cookie salad! The cookies are all fun to bake, a thrill to decorate, and delicious every time.

With kid-friendly, step-by-step instructions; helpful kitchen-safe tips; and funny, fact-filled sidebars on everything from the best places to eat in New Orleans to the surprising facts about the history of cookies, this book will give kids of all ages the kitchen confidence to make crazy delicious cookies that everyone will love!

If a hungry little traveler shows up at your house, you might want to give him a cookie. If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim....

The consequences of giving a cookie to this energetic mouse run the young host ragged, but young readers will come away smiling at the antics that tumble like dominoes through the pages of this delightful picture book.

Daniel Tiger takes a fun trip to the bakery and learns to make Trolley Cookies with Baker Aker and Prince Wednesday! The last page of the book includes a fun cookie-decorating activity for little bakers!

 

It's Emma's turn to make a healthy snack for her class. But when the ingredients get mixed up in her favorite oatmeal spice cookie recipe, it falls to Dixie to woof in to the rescue!

Join the mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie as he bakes his own cookies in his little mouse house.

Alligator couple Mr. and Mrs. Green are back in a snack-filled adventure that finds Mr. Green investigating a “terrible” batch of cookies by eating every last one. Crunchity-crunch! Chewity-chew! 

On a rainy day, Lily wants to make cookies. But instead of paying attention to the recipe, she tells her dad she knows what she is doing. When Lily’s friends spit out her cookies, she wonders what went wrong!

 

How do dinosaurs make cookies? The only way they know how--with scratch-and-sniff cookie scents throughout

These classic, bestselling characters from Jane Yolen and Mark Teague are through eating dinner and they are ready for dessert

With cookie-themed scratch-and-sniff scents throughout, Jane Yolen and Mark Teague's deliciously funny dinosaurs are given a brand new sense, the sense of smell With the aromas of chocolate, cinnamon, strawberry, and more, this is definitely the sweetest treat for all dinosaur fans

Includes 2 Dino-Cookie Recipes:
- Cinnama-Saurus Rex (cinnamon oatmeal cookies)

- Fossilized Lemon Tracks (lemon sugar cookies)

In this unique and clever picture book, Gilbert Ford sheds a little light on everyone’s favorite sweet treat—the chocolate chip cookie—and reminds readers everywhere that just because a story is told doesn’t mean it’s true.

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies! But not everyone knows where they came from. Meet Ruth Wakefield, the talented chef and entrepreneur who started a restaurant, wrote a cookbook, and invented this delicious dessert. But just how did she do it, you ask? That’s where things get messy!

So sit back and grab a cookie to read a story—or three—about how this round, crispy, chocolatey piece of perfection came to be. Which tale is true? Well, what do you think?

Four friends. Three cookies. One problem.
Hippo, Croc, and the Squirrels are determined to have equal cookies for all! But how? There are only three cookies . . . and four of them! They need to act fast before nervous Hippo breaks all the cookies into crumbs!

When the clock strikes twelve, all the presents under the Christmas tree come to life and start a ruckus! Monkey speeds around in a red racing car, and Doll and Jack-in-the-Box fight over candy canes. Can Cookie Angel stop the toys from waking the children before Christmas morning?

This scrumptious follow-up to the bestselling Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons captures the spirit of the holiday season. From making the same kind of cookies at the same time each year (tradition) to decorating them with lots of sprinkles (celebrate), youngsters will gobble up vocabulary words and holiday lessons in this charming dictionary of sorts.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal's timeless morsels of wisdom paired with Jane Dyer's cozy illustrations are as irresistible as the aroma of cookies fresh from the oven. Go ahead, take another bite!

What if a brave Captain Cookie stood up to Santa? A fresh, funny story that sparkles with all the excitement of a pirate adventure — and all the magic of Christmas morning.

It’s Christmas Eve, and Jim and his mother are making pirate gingerbread men to leave for Santa. Jim’s favorite is Captain Cookie, who carries a gingerbread cutlass and has a toothpick peg leg. The captain is much too good to be eaten, so Jim keeps him close by his bed. But late that night, when Jim is fast asleep, Captain Cookie steptaps away on a daring adventure to find his pirate crew — and rescue them from that mysterious character he’s heard about: a cannibal named Santa Claus. At once contemporary and timeless, suspenseful and joyous, this masterfully illustrated tale is destined to be a new holiday classic.

The holidays are for giving thanks and nothing can stop this Gingerbread Man from delivering his to his favorite member of the community!

Everyone in class is busy practicing songs and making goodies for their trip to town to thank community helpers, and the Gingerbread Man has made a card for someone extra sweet. But before he can deliver his gift, whipping wind and swirling snow come to town, too. Slushy sidewalks are no place for a cookie, but this Gingerbread Man won’t let a little bad weather stop him!

"The Duckling asks for a cookie-and gets one! Do you think the Pigeon is happy about that?" 

The Gingerbread Man ran into a crowd at 920, the biography section. Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, and Amelia Earhart tried to stop him.

"Stop! Stop, Gingerbread Man! You're a long way from home."

The Gingerbread Man sped around them. "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man! I ran away from the librarian, a Word Wizard, a giraffe, a robot, a paper bird, and a jokester, and I can run away from you, too."

Even Jesse Owens, a record-breaking Olympic runner, couldn't keep up.

It's easy to take a cookie out of the cookie jar: just reach in. But how does it get in there in the first place? It's more complicated than you might think. Someone has to milk the cow, grow the wheat, harvest the sugar cane—everyone has a special job to do to make that cookie possible.

 

Kanga wants to make cookies, but someone has eaten all the cookie dough. Who could it be? Join in the fun and find out! 
 

A happy cat lives a wonderful life in the back of a cookie store, where the bakers take loving care of him and he receives special visitors. Includes seven recipes for sweet treats.

As sweet and satisfying as holiday baking, here is a beautiful update of Monica Wellington's Mr. Cookie Baker. In this book, youngsters can follow the process of measuring, mixing, baking, decorating, and eating cookies. With six new full-color pages, a handsome new jacket, educational tie-ins, and more recipes, this is the perfect supplement to early math units on sequencing, sorting, measuring, and telling time. The simple, straightforward behind-the-scenes view of a bakery makes it a splendid addition to Monica Wellington's other nonfiction for the very young, such as Zinnia's Flower Garden. Yummy in any season!

A snowmelt has sent floodwaters down to the fields of the Red River Valley, dragging the body of an unidentified Native woman into the town of Ada. The only evidence the medical examiner recovers is a torn piece of paper inside her bra: a hymn written in English and Ojibwe.

Cash Blackbear, a 19-year-old, tough-as-nails Ojibwe woman, sometimes uses her special abilities to help Sheriff Wheaton, her guardian, with his investigations. When Cash sees the hymn, she knows her search for justice for this anonymous victim will lead her somewhere she hasn’t been in over a decade: the White Earth Reservation, a place she once called home.
 
When Cash happens upon two small graves in the yard of a rural, “speak-in-tongues kinda church,” she is pulled into the lives of the pastor and his wife while yet another Native woman turns up dead and her newborn is nowhere to be found.

Beautifully bound with a new cover featuring an engraving by Tony Drehfal, this edition includes a bookmark ribbon, a deckled edge, and five brilliantly colored illustrations by artist Nate Christopherson. In increasingly dark times, we honor the experience that more than 350,000 readers in North America have cherished about the book--gentle, simple, tactile, beautiful, even sacred--and offer an edition that will inspire readers to gift it again and again, spreading the word about scientific knowledge, indigenous wisdom, and the teachings of plants.

As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on "a journey that is every bit as mythic as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise" (Elizabeth Gilbert).

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, and as a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings--asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass--offer us gifts and lessons, even if we've forgotten how to hear their voices. In reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.

A nationally best-selling volume of wise, powerful poetry from the first Native American Poet Laureate of the United States.

In this stunning collection, Joy Harjo finds blessings in the abundance of her homeland and confronts the site where the Mvskoke people, including her own ancestors, were forcibly displaced. From her memory of her mother’s death, to her beginnings in the Native rights movement, to the fresh road with her beloved, Harjo’s personal life intertwines with tribal histories to create a space for renewed beginnings.

An unnamed narrator abandons his unfinished thesis and returns to northern Alberta in search of what eludes him: the shape of the novel he yearns to write, an autobiography of his rural hometown, the answers to existential questions about family, love, and happiness. What ensues is a series of conversations, connections, and disconnections that reveals the texture of life in a town literature has left unexplored, where the friction between possibility and constraint provides an insistent background score. Whether he's meeting with an auntie distraught over the imprisonment of her grandson, engaging in rez gossip with his cousin at a pow wow, or lingering in bed with a married man after a hotel room hookup, the narrator makes space for those in his orbit to divulge their private joys and miseries, testing the theory that storytelling can make us feel less lonely. Populated by characters as alive and vast as the boreal forest, and culminating in a breathtaking crescendo, A Minor Chorus is a novel about how deeply entangled the sayable and unsayable can become – and about how ordinary life, when pressed, can produce hauntingly beautiful music.

Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.

Based on the extraordinary life of National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C., this powerful novel explores themes of love and death with lightness and gravity and unfolds with the elegant prose, sly humor, and depth of feeling of a master craftsman.

Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”?

Since graduating high school, Pixie Paranteau has insisted that everyone call her Patrice. Unlike most of the girls on the reservation, Patrice, the class valedictorian, has no desire to wear herself down with a husband and kids. She makes jewel bearings at the plant, a job that barely pays her enough to support her mother and brother. Patrice’s shameful alcoholic father returns home sporadically to terrorize his wife and children and bully her for money. But Patrice needs every penny to follow her beloved older sister, Vera, who moved to the big city of Minneapolis. Vera may have disappeared; she hasn’t been in touch in months, and is rumored to have had a baby. Determined to find Vera and her child, Patrice makes a fateful trip to Minnesota that introduces her to unexpected forms of exploitation and violence, and endangers her life.

Thomas and Patrice live in this impoverished reservation community along with young Chippewa boxer Wood Mountain and his mother Juggie Blue, her niece and Patrice’s best friend Valentine, and Stack Barnes, the white high school math teacher and boxing coach who is hopelessly in love with Patrice.

In the Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich creates a fictional world populated with memorable characters who are forced to grapple with the worst and best impulses of human nature. Illuminating the loves and lives, the desires and ambitions of these characters with compassion, wit, and intelligence, The Night Watchman is a majestic work of fiction from this revered cultural treasure.

When Louise Wolfe’s first real boyfriend mocks and disrespects Native people in front of her, she breaks things off and dumps him over e-mail. It’s her senior year, anyway, and she’d rather spend her time with her family and friends and working on the school newspaper. The editors pair her up with Joey Kairouz, the ambitious new photojournalist, and in no time the paper’s staff find themselves with a major story to cover: the school musical director’s inclusive approach to casting The Wizard of Oz has been provoking backlash in their mostly white, middle-class Kansas town. From the newly formed Parents Against Revisionist Theater to anonymous threats, long-held prejudices are being laid bare and hostilities are spreading against teachers, parents, and students — especially the cast members at the center of the controversy, including Lou’s little brother, who’s playing the Tin Man. As tensions mount at school, so does a romance between Lou and Joey — but as she’s learned, “dating while Native” can be difficult. In trying to protect her own heart, will Lou break Joey’s?

This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!

Most of the world remembers Crazy Horse as a peerless warrior who brought the U.S. Army to its knees at the Battle of Little Bighorn. But to his fellow Lakota Indians, he was a dutiful son and humble fighting man who—with valor, spirit, respect, and unparalleled leadership—fought for his people’s land, livelihood, and honor. In this fascinating biography, Joseph M. Marshall, himself a Lakota Indian, creates a vibrant portrait of the man, his times, and his legacy.

Thanks to firsthand research and his culture’s rich oral tradition (rarely shared outside the Native American community), Marshall reveals many aspects of Crazy Horse’s life, including details of the powerful vision that convinced him of his duty to help preserve the Lakota homeland—a vision that changed the course of Crazy Horse’s life and spurred him confidently into battle time and time again.

The Journey of Crazy Horse is the true story of how one man’s fight for his people’s survival roused his true genius as a strategist, commander, and trusted leader. And it is an unforgettable portrayal of a revered human being and a profound celebration of a culture, a community, and an enduring way of life.

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She's always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories.

Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he's been cast from home. He's found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake.

Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on Earth, and a strange sickness that befalls Oli's best friend, will drive their worlds together in ways they haven't been in centuries.

And there are some who will kill to keep them apart.

Fred Sasakamoose, torn from his home at the age of seven, endured the horrors of residential school for a decade before becoming one of 120 players in the most elite hockey league in the world. He has been heralded as the first Indigenous player with Treaty status in the NHL, making his official debut as a 1954 Chicago Black Hawks player on Hockey Night in Canada and teaching Foster Hewitt how to pronounce his name. Sasakamoose played against such legends as Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, and Maurice Richard. After twelve games, he returned home.

When people tell Sasakamoose's story, this is usually where they end it. They say he left the NHL to return to the family and culture that the Canadian government had ripped away from him. That returning to his family and home was more important to him than an NHL career. But there was much more to his decision than that. Understanding Sasakamoose's choice means acknowledging the dislocation and treatment of generations of Indigenous peoples. It means considering how a man who spent his childhood as a ward of the government would hear those supposedly golden words: "You are Black Hawks property."

Sasakamoose's story was far from over once his NHL days concluded. He continued to play for another decade in leagues around Western Canada. He became a band councillor, served as Chief, and established athletic programs for kids. He paved a way for youth to find solace and meaning in sports for generations to come. Yet, threaded through these impressive accomplishments were periods of heartbreak and unimaginable tragedy--as well moments of passion and great joy.

This isn't just a hockey story; Sasakamoose's groundbreaking memoir sheds piercing light on Canadian history and Indigenous politics, and follows this extraordinary man's journey to reclaim pride in an identity and a heritage that had previously been used against him.

The received idea of Native American history—as promulgated by books like Dee Brown's mega-bestselling 1970 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee—has been that American Indian history essentially ended with the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee. Not only did one hundred fifty Sioux die at the hands of the U. S. Cavalry, the sense was, but Native civilization did as well.

Growing up Ojibwe on a reservation in Minnesota, training as an anthropologist, and researching Native life past and present for his nonfiction and novels, David Treuer has uncovered a different narrative. Because they did not disappear—and not despite but rather because of their intense struggles to preserve their language, their traditions, their families, and their very existence—the story of American Indians since the end of the nineteenth century to the present is one of unprecedented resourcefulness and reinvention.

In The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee, Treuer melds history with reportage and memoir. Tracing the tribes' distinctive cultures from first contact, he explores how the depredations of each era spawned new modes of survival. The devastating seizures of land gave rise to increasingly sophisticated legal and political maneuvering that put the lie to the myth that Indians don't know or care about property. The forced assimilation of their children at government-run boarding schools incubated a unifying Native identity. Conscription in the US military and the pull of urban life brought Indians into the mainstream and modern times, even as it steered the emerging shape of self-rule and spawned a new generation of resistance. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee is the essential, intimate story of a resilient people in a transformative era.

Cosmopolitan called The Things She's Seen one of the best YA books you'll be obsessed with in 2019. Now in paperback, with an updated, more commercial cover, this thriller is poised to break out to an even wider audience.

Nothing's been the same for Beth Teller since the day she died.

Her dad is drowning in grief. He's also the only one who has been able to see and hear her since the accident. But now they've got a mystery to solve, a mystery that will hopefully remind her detective father that he needs to reconnect with the living. The case takes them to a remote Australian town, where there's been a suspicious fire. All that remains are an unidentifiable body and an unreliable witness found wandering nearby. This witness speaks in riddles. Isobel Catching has a story to tell, and it's a tale to haunt your dreams--but does it even connect to the case at hand?

As Beth and her father unravel the mystery, they find a shocking and heartbreaking story lurking beneath the surface of a small town.

Among them is Jacquie Red Feather, newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind. Dene Oxendene, pulling his life together after his uncle’s death and working at the powwow to honor his memory. Fourteen-year-old Orvil, coming to perform traditional dance for the very first time. They converge and collide on one fateful day at the Big Oakland Powwow and together this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism.

Celebrate the lives, stories, and contributions of Indigenous artists, activists, scientists, athletes, and other changemakers in this beautifully illustrated collection. From luminaries of the past, like nineteenth-century sculptor Edmonia Lewis—the first Black and Native American female artist to achieve international fame—to contemporary figures like linguist jessie little doe baird, who revived the Wampanoag language, Notable Native People highlights the vital impact Indigenous dreamers and leaders have made on the world.

This powerful and informative collection also offers accessible primers on important Indigenous issues, from the legacy of colonialism and cultural appropriation to food sovereignty, land and water rights, and more. An indispensable read for people of all backgrounds seeking to learn about Native American heritage, histories, and cultures, Notable Native People will educate and inspire readers of all ages.

When Danielle Geller’s mother dies of alcohol withdrawal during an attempt to get sober, Geller returns to Florida and finds her mother’s life packed into eight suitcases. Most were filled with clothes, except for the last one, which contained diaries, photos, and letters, a few undeveloped disposable cameras, dried sage, jewelry, and the bandana her mother wore on days she skipped a hair wash.

Geller, an archivist and a writer, uses these pieces of her mother’s life to try and understand her mother’s relationship to home, and their shared need to leave it. Geller embarks on a journey where she confronts her family's history and the decisions that she herself had been forced to make while growing up, a journey that will end at her mother's home: the Navajo reservation.

Dog Flowers is an arresting, photo-lingual memoir that masterfully weaves together images and text to examine mothers and mothering, sisters and caretaking, and colonized bodies. Exploring loss and inheritance, beauty and balance, Danielle Geller pays homage to our pasts, traditions, and heritage, to the families we are given and the families we choose.

The American debut of an acclaimed young poet as she explores her identity as a twenty-first-century Indigenous woman. Poem by poem, Tibble carves out a bold new way of engaging history, of straddling modernity and ancestry, desire and exploitation.

Intimate, moving, virtuosic, and hilarious, Tayi Tibble is one of the most exciting new voices in poetry today. In Poūkahangatus (pronounced “Pocahontas”), her debut volume, Tibble challenges a dazzling array of mythologies—Greek, Māori, feminist, kiwi—peeling them apart, respinning them in modern terms. Her poems move from rhythmic discussions of the Kardashians, sugar daddies, and Twilight to exquisite renderings of the natural world and precise emotions (“The lump in her throat swelled like a sea that threatened to take him from her, and she had to swallow hard”). Tibble is also a master narrator of teenage womanhood, its exhilarating highs and devastating lows; her high-camp aesthetics correlate to the overflowing beauty, irony, and ruination of her surroundings.

These are warm, provocative, and profoundly original poems, written by a woman for whom diving into the wreck means taking on new assumptions—namely, that it is not radical to write from a world in which the effects of colonization, land, work, and gender are obviously connected. Along the way, Tibble scrutinizes perception and how she as a Māori woman fits into trends, stereotypes, and popular culture. With language that is at once colorful, passionate, and laugh-out-loud funny, Poūkahangatus is the work of one of our most daring new poets.

There is one every generation, a seer who keeps the stories.

Luz “Little Light” Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors’ origins, how her family flourished, and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion.

Written in Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s singular voice, the wildly entertaining and complex lives of the Lopez family fill the pages of this multigenerational western saga. Woman of Light is a transfixing novel about survival, family secrets, and love—filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, all of whom are just as special, memorable, and complicated as our beloved heroine, Luz.

The moving story of a Navajo high school basketball team, its members struggling with the everyday challenges of high school, adolescence, and family, and the great and unique obstacles facing Native Americans living on reservations.
 
Deep in the heart of northern Arizona, in a small and isolated patch of the vast 17.5-million-acre Navajo reservation, sits Chinle High School. Here, basketball is passion, passed from grandparent to parent to child. Rez Ball is a sport for winters where dark and cold descend fast and there is little else to do but roam mesa tops, work, and wonder what the future holds. The town has 4,500 residents and the high school arena seats 7,000. Fans drive thirty, fifty, even eighty miles to see the fast-paced and highly competitive matchups that are more than just games to players and fans.
 
Celebrated Times journalist Michael Powell brings us a narrative of triumph and hardship, a moving story about a basketball team on a Navajo reservation that shows how important sports can be to youths in struggling communities, and the transcendent magic and painful realities that confront Native Americans living on reservations. This book details his season-long immersion in the team, town, and culture, in which there were exhilarating wins, crushing losses, and conversations on long bus rides across the desert about dreams of  leaving home and the fear of the same.

When Mackenzie wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands, she panics. Only moments earlier she had been fending off masses of birds in a snow-covered forest. In bed, when she blinks, the head disappears.

Night after night, Mackenzie’s dreams return her to a memory from before her sister Sabrina’s untimely death: a weekend at the family’s lakefront campsite, long obscured by a fog of guilt. But when the waking world starts closing in, too—a murder of crows stalks her every move around the city, she wakes up from a dream of drowning throwing up water, and gets threatening text messages from someone claiming to be Sabrina—Mackenzie knows this is more than she can handle alone.

Traveling north to her rural hometown in Alberta, she finds her family still steeped in the same grief that she ran away to Vancouver to escape. They welcome her back, but their shaky reunion only seems to intensify her dreams—and make them more dangerous.

What really happened that night at the lake, and what did it have to do with Sabrina’s death? Only a bad Cree would put their family at risk, but what if whatever has been calling Mackenzie home was already inside?

Minecraft was originally designed to let other people modify it. Unlike the other successful gaming guides already on the market, this one is the first unofficial “hacker’s” guide specifically for adding mods (modifications) to your Minecraft game. Its hacks for Minecrafters are designed for players ages 7-12, but Minecrafters of every age will enjoy it and find it useful.

With adding mods, Minecrafters can make their own adventures within Minecraft. Mods add content to the game that can change gameplay. This gives the players more options for how they play in the world of Minecraft. This Minecraft mods book can guide readers to adding new mechanics, mobs, and quests to their games as well as entirely new dimensions to play in. The rules of your gaming world can be changed with each and every mod you add!

Create heroic characters for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.
 
The Player’s Handbook is the essential reference for every Dungeons & Dragons roleplayer. It contains rules for character creation and advancement, backgrounds and skills, exploration and combat, equipment, spells, and much more. Use this book to create characters from among the most iconic D&D races and classes.
 
 

Weave legendary stories in the world’s greatest roleplaying game.
 
All you need to run a Dungeons & Dragons game is your imagination, some dice, and this book. The Dungeon Master’s Guide teaches you how to how to run D&D adventures for your players— how to invent monsters for them to fight, mysteries for them to solve, and fantasy worlds for them to explore.
 

A blackjack player for more than a quarter century, T. J. Reynolds admits that he has never been a good loser. As he says, "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser!: Through years of study on strategy and untold hours at the tables in casinos around the world, he developed exceptional skills-becoming a proficient "21" player and a consistent winner. Reynolds does not try to entertain his readers in this book but instructs them in the intricacies of blackjack and gives them an advantage over the dealer. This book can be used by novices and sophisticated players alike because it carries them from beginner status to tournament-level skill. These pages reproduce numerous hands with charts of the right (and wrong) methods of play. Over the years the author has attended tables ranging from single-deck deals to the eight-deck shoes currently in vogue in many casinos. He analyzes the different game styles in U.S. casinos and those in Europe and Asia. He has played at tables where bets were as little as $2 and at some where $10,000 wagers were usual.If the reader follows the advice offered, he will note an immense improvement in his win-loss record

Beginners can become experts at craps with this guide. By learning how the game is played from a dealer's perspective, the reader increases his/her understanding of the game and the chances for success. Each lesson has large, detailed graphic illustrations, with a question and answer section.

The definitive, fully illustrated guide to survival in Minecraft is now completely revamped with 100% new information for the latest version of the game. Learn how to survive and thrive in Minecraft’s most popular mode!

Stock up your inventory, build a base and get ready to survive the night with Minecraft: Guide to Survival—the only book you’ll need to take your survival skills to the next level.

Discover how to find resources, craft equipment, protect yourself from hostile mobs and so much more. Also includes expert tips on how to survive in the Nether and the End.

This easy-to-read and oversized guide had been completely redesigned and reinvigorated and brings the original up-to-date by including greatly expanded sections on the trends that swept the poker world since its first publication: no-limit hold'em, tournament poker, championship events, televised games, and Internet poker. Warren has also greatly expanded the history of poker section and rewritten or expanded every section of the book to conform to the interests of today's market. Packed with charts, diagrams, and detailed, easy-to-read examples, sidebars and call-outs on all aspects of the game, players learn everything they need to know to play and win at the many different versions of cardroom and home poker.

Know when to hold’em.

With unprecedented media coverage, the game of poker has exploded—and Texas Hold’em is the poker game every new fan wants to learn. This book gives the legions of new players a head start in learning how to play—and how to win. Introducing the fundamental concepts and strategies, The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Texas Hold’em gives you the rules for playing and betting, quizzes, odds tables, Hold’em lingo, and tips to avoid beginner’s mistakes.

 

It’s an old-time playtime—nothing electronic, just games that have stood the test of time! They help children build skills like hand-eye coordination, problem solving, and simply learning how to be a good team player and work well with others. But most of all, they’re lots of fun. This collection of timeless games guarantees kids a great time—by themselves, with a group of friends, or with their family. And best of all, no batteries are required . . . and very little equipment, too.

There’s Hopscotch and Dodgeball, Four Square and Stoopball, Horse and One Old Cat (a ball game similar to baseball, but with only one base). All you need is your brain—and occasionally a paper and pen—to play games like Association, the Minister’s Cat, and Dumb Crambo (which is similar to Charades, but has a rhyming twist). A rainy day with no pals around would be just right to make Hand Shadows, walk on Can Stilts, or practice Jacks. Don’t forget card games like Crazy Eights and Rummy, Crab and Sack Races, and old favorites like Duck, Duck, Goose and Red Rover. And because no parent likes to hear the whine of "Are we there yet?" there’s a whole chapter of games for the car!

Black-and-white illustrations keep the old-timey feel while getting kids excited to play. Simple instructions explain how many people can play, what you need, the object of the game, and the basic rules. For extra entertainment, there are also lots of fun facts about the history of the games sprinkled throughout. This book is so packed with activities that kids will want to turn off their computers, shut down their PlayStations and Xboxes, and get playing the old-fashioned way!

Kids are competitive and they love to win - and any kid who has begun (or who wants to begin) playing this timeless game will cherish this clever follow-up to Winning Chess Piece By Piece. These brilliant tactics and techniques will hone young players' skills - while they are having a great time. They will learn; the chess masters' tricks of the trade; how to calculate moves in advance (with the help of proven examples); strategies used by World champions (inc. Gary Kasparov's discovered check); getting in the best position to strike end-game techniques Top British author - Ted Nottingham developed his revolutionary methods of teaching chess to children in a project developed in Lincolnshire schools. He currently works with the English national junior chess teams and leads the South African Chess in the Townships initiative.

So you're ready to drop from the Battle Bus?

Before you dive in, do you know what your survival strategy will be? Fortnite is a game that is constantly evolving, and even the most experienced player will need to stay agile and up-to-date if they want to remain the last person standing.

This brand-new Essential Guide covers all the basics and reveals the vital knowledge you need for victory. It will take you on a journey to improve your squad strategy, hone your battle techniques, build better, and make the best use of the weapons and items you can find on the island.

Whether you're a complete newbie or an old pro, Official Fortnite: The Essential Guide will help sharpen your skills and propel you on your way to a Victory Royale.

An anthology of 13 heist-themed adventures for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

Some jobs require more than simply wielding a sword or slinging a spell. Whether it’s procuring a well-guarded item or obtaining crucial information from an imprisoned contact, these tasks require careful planning and flawless execution. The secretive organization called the Golden Vault specializes in hiring crews for such jobs, and for the most daunting assignments—pursuing fabulous treasures and stopping dire threats—that crew is your characters.

Keys from the Golden Vault™ is a collection of 13 short, standalone Dungeons & Dragons adventures designed for characters levels 1–11. These adventures can be placed in any setting and you can run them as one-shot games or link them together into a campaign. This book also includes in-world maps to help players plan their heists, plus advice for running nontraditional games with high risks and huge rewards.

A careful explanation of the concepts, strategies, and betting odds of backgammon features simple diagrams and non-technical instructions designed for the beginning player

One of the principal functions of this book is to explain and clarify the rules of Monopoly, and show how to avoid some of the obstacles that get in the way of just playing the game. It also catalogs some of the many strategies that operate during a good game, but which most players seem unconscious of, even when they themselves are using the strategies to excellent advantage. Monopoly is not merely a game of chance. There are definite techniques by which you can improve your chances of winning.

In our age of digital addiction, many of us have lost our ability to be spontaneous. More parents are complaining that they no longer even remember how to play…with their children, their spouse, and even with their own friends. Don’t fret! In Well Played, expert Meredith Sinclair helps families relearn what used to come naturally and shows how to find happiness through play.

For children, playing comes naturally…or at least it used to. But today that kind of easy-going fun is harder to come by, for both kids and their parents. With hectic lifestyles and constant technology overload, families have simply forgotten how to play. The solution? Relearn how to integrate fun and creative play into our day-to-day lives.

Well Played will show you how to simplify your overscheduled lives with plenty of original and entertaining ideas, including: 

• Why a disco ball is an essential kitchen appliance
• Lip Sync Battle, family edition
• Parent-child slumber parties…don’t forget the popcorn!
• Party like it’s 1949 with old-school table games
• 12 dates that are way better than dinner and a movie
• Stop helicopter parenting yourself—find things that thrill and slightly alarm you all at the same time!
• Grown-up field trips to slap on your schedule

Packed with fun and engaging line drawings, entertaining DIY projects, and hundreds of lists and tips on capturing the game-changing joy of goofing off, Well Played is an indispensable guide for families to incorporate quality fun and playtime into our daily lives. 

This new edition of the rarest and most influential blackjack book in the history of the game brings together the most famous contributors in the game. Privately published in 1957 in an extremely limited quantity, this was the first book ever to print the correct winning strategies for the game of blackjack. This instant collector’s item includes a foreword by blackjack legend Edward O. Thorp, whose best-selling classic, Beat the Dealer (which relied on the original Playing Blackjack to Win), changed the public’s perception of 21 forever, plus an introduction and additional material from Arnold Snyder (Blackbelt in Blackjack, Big Book of Blackjack), along with new material from the authors.
 

Maybe you’ve never played poker before and you don’t even know what a full house is. Poker For Dummies covers the basics. Or perhaps you've played for years, but you just don’t know how to win. This handy guide will help you walk away from the poker table with winnings, not lint, in your pockets. If you’re a poker expert, you still can benefit – some of the suggestions may surprise you, and you can certainly learn from the anecdotes from professional players like T.J. Cloutier and Stu Unger.

Know what it takes to start winning hand after hand by exploring strategy; getting to know antes and betting structure; knowing your opponents, and understanding the odds.

It's Thanksgiving Day, and there's a lot to be done before turkey time! I Am Thankful follows a young boy through his busy holiday adventures, from running in the turkey trot to helping his family bake pies. Even though the weather might ruin the annual family football game, the jam-packed day proves there's never a shortage of things to be thankful for. In this first installment of the Positive Power series, kids will learn the affirmation “I am thankful” through a delightful story of food, family, and fun.

Perfect for Thanksgiving or any day of the year, this charming book of pictures is the colorful way to tell loved ones "thanks!" Featuring art from the World of Eric Carle, this joyful book follows The Very Hungry Caterpillar and celebrates all that makes us most thankful.

Peppa Pig and her brother, George, are out for a nature walk with Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. It's a beautiful fall day, and there are so many things to be thankful for--the blue sky above, the trees full of apples, the pumpkins, the fallen leaves that are so fun to play in. When a rainstorm catches Peppa and her family by surprise in the middle of their walk, Peppa doesn't feel quite so lucky. Will the rain ruin their perfect autumn day? Or will it leave a surprise that Peppa might be grateful for after all? Celebrate Thanksgiving with a Peppa story that little ones everywhere will appreciate, inspired by the award-winning animated TV series on Nick Jr.

Splat the Cat's trusty mouse friend, Seymour, needs cheering up, and Splat wants to help. He's been working on something special for Seymour—not just a thank-you card but a thank-you book!

Splat's book lists all the sweet and often hilarious reasons Splat is thankful for their friendship.

The funny adventures that Splat and Seymour have had together, complete with animated illustrations and a laugh-out-loud text from bestselling author and illustrator Rob Scotton, will leave Splat fans thankful to know this cat-and-mouse duo.

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and Mrs. Connor asks the class to think about what they are thankful for. Reza and his mama make a list together. He can’t wait to talk to his class about his family, his dog, his bike, and so much more! But then at school, everyone takes turns saying what they’re thankful for, and the other kids say the same things Reza wanted to say! Can Reza think of something else he’s thankful for before it’s his turn to speak?

When a surprise comes in the mail from Grandma, Sallie wants to text her right away: Thanks, Grandma!

But wait--how will Grandma know what Sallie is thanking her for and how it makes her feel? And every proper thank-you needs some swirlies, right? This calls for something special: a handwritten note.

The next day, Sallie hopes to get another package so she can write a second note. Nothing comes. But . . . she does get safely across the street on the way to school. Maybe that deserves a thank you!

With each new day, Sallie discovers more and more reasons to feel grateful. A warm and witty story about appreciating others, Sallie Bee Writes a Thank-You Note celebrates the simple kindness of saying “thank you.”

Red Robot and Blue Robot are back in the hilarious and heartwarming picture book companion to Even Robots Aren’t Perfect! in which our favorite robot friends learn how to be grateful for little things.

Red Robot and Blue Robot are best friends. And sometimes friends get scared. And sometimes friends get hurt feelings. And in those moments, even robots can be thankful to have a best friend! In three silly and sweet stories, our two favorite robot buddies learn that gratitude isn’t always easy, but best friends are something to be thankful for.

Ted's mom is always angry, so he successfully turns his mom into a unicorn. Ted and the unicorn instantly bonded - a fun day filled with snacks, sparkles, confetti and gold coins! But will mommy stay a unicorn forever? A highly relatable story with a valuable lesson of gratitude. This easy-to-read book inspires a grateful mindset in children. They will learn to appreciate what they have through a funny story line and hilarious scenes. 

Everyone knows that Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks—the question is, where to begin? From the turkey on the table to warm, cozy cuddles, life is full of small things and bigger pleasures. But what is most important is being able to share them with family!

Julie Markes reminds kids and adults alike about the little details that make each day enjoyable, while Doris Barrette's beautiful and striking illustrations bring her thoughtful words to life.

During the nineteenth century, Sarah Josepha Hale dedicated her life to making Thanksgiving a national holiday, all while raising a family and becoming a groundbreaking writer and women's magazine editor. Sarah Hale's inspiring story, accompanied by luscious watercolor illustrations, tells the tale of one woman who wouldn't take no for an answer.

In this exuberant Thanksgiving story, a little girl goes on a last-minute errand for her mother. Along the way, she gives thanks for all the familiar things she loves. Full color.

Follow two sweet friends as they zip around town talking to all their pals about the things they love. The pair may even have a plan cooking to show everyone their gratitude! With its themes of thankfulness and inclusion, this playfully illustrated story is the perfect read for Thanksgiving—or for any day of the year.

Pearl, a dog, and her best friend Squirrel live on the streets of the big city. Pearl loves to play in the park, and Squirrel loves to read and learn new things. Together, these friends roam the city looking for adventure. On Thanksgiving morning, the friends decide to look out for all the things they are thankful for. Pearl is thankful for fetch and for jump rope; Squirrel is thankful for a cuddly nap spot. But in the end, Pearl and Squirrel find out that what they are most thankful for is... their friendship.

With sweet, bouncing text and animated, vibrant illustrations, Pearl and Squirrel Give Thanks introduces an adorable friendship duo, and is the perfect pick for helping little ones remember all the things they are thankful for

It's autumn in Soggy Hollow, and the mice have a lot to be thankful for. But Bruce the bear is not so thankful for all the thanking.

Thanksgiving Day Thanks tells the story of Sam trying to figure out what he's thankful for. Sam also works on a special project to share at the Thanksgiving feast—his own version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

One tiny act of kindness can have a huge impact. And in this heartwarming, hopeful, absolutely true story, a simple letter does just that.

A true story that quickly went viral, this is now a timely, extraordinary picture book. Sincerely, Emerson follows eleven-year-old Emerson Weber as she writes a letter of thanks to her postal carrier, Doug, and creates a nationwide outpouring of love.

This is a story of gratitude, hope, and recognition: for all the essential helpers we see everyday, and all those who go unseen.

The Cherokee community is grateful for blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.
 

What does feeling thankful mean? This photographic essay is designed to give children an awareness of all they have to be thankful for -- a spiritual, nonreligious look at gratitude for kids.