My Name is Bryan


Stacy Lynn Carroll - 2014
    Moments later, as he lay on the beach, unable to move his arms or legs, two questions ran through his mind: Would he walk again? And would he ever have kids? Based on the incredible true story of life, love, and never giving up.

Badass: Ultimate Deathmatch: Skull-Crushing True Stories of the Most Hardcore Duels, Showdowns, Fistfights, Last Stands, Suicide Charges, and Military Engagements of All Time


Ben Thompson - 2013
    Moses the Black, and The Rani of Jhansi, as well as in-depth analyses of how they battled their way to victory.Featuring original artworks by top graphic artists and comic book illustrators, and Ben Thompson’s signature wry, side-splitting commentary, Badass: Ultimate Deathmatch is the history of badasses, the only way it should be written: covered in blood!

S.


John Updike - 1988
    is the story of Sarah P. Worth, a thoroughly modern spiritual seeker who has become enamored of a Hindu mystic called the Arhat. A native New Englander, she goes west to join his ashram in Arizona, and there struggles alongside fellow sannyasins (pilgrims) in the difficult attempt to subdue ego and achieve moksha (salvation, release from illusion). “S.” details her adventures in letters and tapes dispatched to her husband, her daughter, her brother, her dentist, her hairdresser, and her psychiatrist—messages cleverly designed to keep her old world in order while she is creating for herself a new one. This is Hester Prynne’s side of the triangle described by Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter; it is also a burlesque of the quest for enlightenment, and an affectionate meditation on American womanhood.

Embattled Christmas


J.M. Madden - 2014
    John Palmer dreads the holiday. For the past year he and Shannon have been getting along like gangbusters, but as the holiday creeps closer tension invades their relationship. He’s at a loss as to how to fix it. Until he makes a risky gamble. Chad doesn’t know why Mercy is having problems at school. Maybe with a little intervention from Santa they can get to the bottom of her situation. Duncan Wilde runs herd on his group, putting out fires as they come along. But maybe a special Christmas present from the group will make him look at life with fresh eyes.

Shifting Pride


Laura Diamond - 2012
    Receiving his watch in the mail is the first in a line of clues bringing her closer to discovering his whereabouts. But clues aren’t the only new thing in Nickie’s life. There’s the Memorial Banquet her mother insists she help prepare for, there’s the new kid/hottie, Xavian, and...well, the growth of whiskers and a tail!Filled with secrets and a new love of tuna fish, Nickie must partner up with Xavian (don’t you know he’s a shapeshifter too?) to rescue her dad before she loses him forever. Oh, and she needs to figure out how to be a cat, too.

The Chairman


Harry Kraus - 1999
    And police officerNathan McAllister is caught in the middle without a clue how he gotthere. He knows one thing for certain-his life will never be thesame. He no longer has a job. His wife Abby has become distant anduncaring. And his entire world now revolves around the one questionhe cannot answer: What really happened that fateful day in Fisher'sRetreat? The official police report states that a drug bust wentawry, but he doubts that is the truth.As Nathan's suspicions grow about that day in Fisher's Retreat,so does his need for the truth. But he has been warned to stopasking questions. Someone doesn't want him to learn what reallyhappened. But the greater mystery for Nathan is what happened tohis marriage.Can Abby love Nathan now? His body no longer works. He needs tobe cared for as an infant. Yet, as Abby learns to face Nathan'sphysical difficulties, she begins to see a side of Nathan thathadn't existed before. A new creation has been born in a brokenbody. But just when she feels the love rekindle, Nathan beginspushing her away, afraid. Is it too late for both of them?

Freddie and Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody


Mike Dawson - 2008
    For Mike Dawson it's always been Queen and Freddie Mercury. Not unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,†Freddie & Me takes readers on a rock-opera-like journey—from Mike’s childhood in the UK, through high school in New Jersey, and into the nineties, when grunge ruled the day and Queen was terminally uncool. As Mike works to navigate the trials and tribulations that accompany the road to adulthood (with Queen behind him every step of the way), he must grapple with the fears we all find ourselves facing: committing to one person for the rest of our lives, pursuing our dream job, coming to terms with our familial responsibilities, and even facing our own mortality. With humor, sensitivity, and some wonderfully imagined appearances by Freddie Mercury, Brian May, George Michael, and Andrew Ridgeley (among others), Freddie & Me is a touching reminder of how our favorite music is the soundtrack for so many of our most important memories and moments. And how one note can bring them all flooding back.

RELIGION: Ruining Everything Since 4004 BC


Zach Weinersmith - 2015
    Makes a lovely companion book to the other SMBC theme collection, “Science: Ruining Everything Since 1543.”

The Lives of Ants


Laurent Keller - 2006
    With numerous black-and-white images and eight pages of color plates, The Lives of Ants provides a state-of-the-art look at what we now know about these fascinating creatures, portraying a world that is rich and full of surprises, one which, even after decades of observation, is still full of unsolved mysteries.The authors illuminate the world of the ant, shedding light on such topics as the ant's impressive abilities in direction finding and quite amazing ingenuity when it comes to building their nests, finding supplies, or exploiting other members of the animal kingdom. They show, too, that they are capable of aggression and violence, which can disturb the apparent peace of their colonies and embroil them in fratricidal or matricidal strife. Even their sexual arrangements are at times quite strange. In this area, as in many others, they display marked originality. Readers also discover that ants are walking bundles of secretory glands (they have about forty of them), which enable them to emit between ten and twenty different pheromones, each of which has its own "meaning." Some are produced by workers for recruiting their sisters or for alerting them to danger. Others are used for marking territory, for identifying members of their colony or conversely for detecting foreigners, and for indicating the location of food. In addition, ants can also emit sound signals, made of a high-pitched squeak, and they can even dance, though not as intricately or as well as bees.The Lives of Ants combines natural history with molecular biology, genetics, and even the latest developments in robotics, to explore the remarkable societies of ants, revealing the secrets of their mysterious lives.

Wild Wild West


Charlene Teglia - 2007
     There's Gabe, the hard-bodied rancher with a wicked imagination.  Chet, the rodeo cowboy who's charmed the pants off more than a few country girls and vows to remain a bachelor for life.  And Reuben, the former Army ranger with a taste for edgy sexual games.  As the couples embark on a scorching night of passion and play, they experience the most exquisite pleasure--and discover kinky new thrills they never dared to imagine.  Because when it comes to knocking boots, cowboys do it best…

The Artist in the Office: How to Creatively Survive and Thrive Seven Days a Week


Summer Pierre - 2010
    Based on the hit handmade 'zine, The Artist in the Office is an inspirational, interactive book for any artist living in the real world. It encourages small acts of creativity and a simple shift of perspective to help readers bring their artistic selves into the workplace and thrive in all aspects of their lives. Readers are prompted to undertake a wide range of liberating activities, from the mundane to the sublime, that won't put their 9-to- 5 job at risk, including: •Take lunchtime adventures to rouse your spirit: a bookstore, a flower shop, or a park •Pick one ordinary object each day and take pictures every time you see it: coffee mugs, shoes, office plants •Get up an hour early or stay up an hour later and devote the time to your creative work. Schedule it in like any other mandatory appointment or meeting •Collect doodles from Post-Its or notebooks and reassemble them in a sketchbook

The Stone Cold Truth


Steve Austin - 2003
    His quick wit and colorful use of language combined with his everyman character captured the hearts of fans worldwide and rewrote the dynamics of professional wrestling forever. Steve's ability inside the ring and his quick-witted responses lead to his becoming one of the most popular WWE© Superstars of all times. With the creation of the Stone Cold™ character, Steve's popularity expanded exponentially. It seemed nothing could stop the Texas Rattlesnake™, except himself. The Stone Cold Truth is an unvarnished take on his life, and you know it's the truth " 'cause Stone Cold says so!™"

Blood Secrets


Karen E. Taylor - 1994
    This first installment of Taylor's chilling vampire series introduces readers to Deirdre Griffin, a sophisticated New York City vampiress determined to find the ruthless vampire who is framing her for his crimes.

Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Health and Exercise


Gina Kolata - 2003
    From weight lifting for men and women in the early days, to jogging in the 1970s, cycling in the 1980s, aerobics in the 1990s, and now Spinning, Kolata explains the science of conditioning and the objective evidence behind commonly accepted prescriptions. Ultimate Fitness is also a book about the individuals who have challenged and influenced or failed to influence the industry, and the many of us who have participated in this multimillion-dollar corner of American culture.

Almost a Family


Stephanie Bancroft - 1997
    Then fate dealt them a cruel blow when their infant son was snatched in a grocery store. Their new marriage couldn’t withstand the strain and when it became clear their baby would not be found, they divorced, brokenhearted and griefstricken. Virginia went back to college and embarked on a successful corporate career; Bailey worked just enough to get by and still parties too much. They haven’t seen each other since their divorce was finalized. They’re both still single, but they’re very different people than when they were young, and still bear deep emotional scars. The story opens when word comes that their son has been found…alive. Can these three virtual strangers come together to make a family?