With grit, poetry, and humor, Peter Heller, acclaimed author of The Whale Warriors, recounts his remarkable journey of discovery-of surfing, an entirely new challenge; of the ocean's beauty and power; of the strange surf subculture; of love; and, most of all, of how to seek adventure while crafting a meaningful life. Having resolved to master a big-hollow wave-that is, to go from kook (surfese for beginner) to shredder-in a single year, Heller travels...

"Ron Fournier, bestselling author, editor of the National Journal, and former head of the Associated Press's Washington Bureau, writes movingly of the outsized and crushing expectations that come from parents and with parenting today, through the lens of his relationship with his son, Tyler, who has mild Asperger's."--

Eleven-year-old Nellie Lee Love records in her diary the events of 1919, when her family moves from Tennessee to Chicago, hoping to leave the racism and hatred of the South behind.

Head-over-heels in love, Lola Williams gave up everything to marry Randy, including a promising career in New York City. Now, after one year of marriage and one year of widowhood, Lola finds herself stranded in Sunshine, Colorado, reeling from the revelation that Randy had secrets she never could have imagined. She swears she's done with love forever but the matchmaking ladies of the Sunshine Valley Widows Club have different plans...Sheriff Drew...

"This beautiful full-color treasury of stories about gift book-giving celebrates the enduring power of literature: stories of significant books people have received and what those books mean to them. The Books They Gave Me collects 200 poignant, funny, and provocative stories that together comprise a love letter to literature and the physical book. Some of the stories are disastrous, some touching, but all are illuminating, revealing volumes about...

Sheri Speede always knew that she wanted to advocate for animals. But it was not until she was transporting a chimpanzee away from a biomedical facility in Cameroon that veterinarian Dr. Speede discovered her true calling. She went on to found a forested home for captive and orphaned chimpanzees. This compelling story of that journey reveals the profound resilience and emotional complexity of both the apes and the woman who loved them.

A self-styled intellectual rebel, William Deresiewicz never thought Jane Austen's novels had anything to offer him. But when he was assigned to read Emma as a Columbia graduate student, something extraordinary happened. Austen's devotion to the everyday and her belief in the value of ordinary lives ignited something in him. Viewing the world through her eyes and treating people as generously, his life suddenly acquired the fascination of a novel.

"In the ten years since its electrifying debut, Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat Pray Love" has become a worldwide phenomenon, empowering millions of readers to set out on paths they never thought possible, in search of their own best selves. Here, in this candid and captivating collection, nearly fifty of those readers-- people as diverse in their experiences as they are in age and background-- share their stories. The journeys they recount are transformative--...

As the actress currently starring in CBS's hit comedy 2 Broke Girls, Beth Behrs seems like she has it all figured out. But it wasn't until recently that Beth learned how to eat well, stay in shape, and be mindful of the way she was living. After reaching a nutritional low point in college, Beth was faced with medical issues related to over-snacking, excess stress, and not enough exercise. Slowly and surely, Beth turned her life around. In her new...