Short Family

Stories and "True Facts" about growing up Southern in the good old days. More than a dozen southern authors contribute warm, nostalgic stories and fun trivia about "the era before shopping malls, Disney, and Wal-Mart." Includes the authors' favorite nostalgic recipes.

In one of her strongest works of fiction yet, Nicole Krauss plunges fearlessly into the struggle to understand what it is to be a man and what it is to be a woman, and the arising tensions that have existed from the very beginning of time. Set in our contemporary moment, and moving across the globe from Switzerland, Japan, and New York City to Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, and South America, the stories in To Be a Man feature male characters as fathers, lovers, friends, children, seducers, and even a lost husband who may never have been a husband at all.

I am wildly successful in my career. Everyone knows Graham Frazier, soccer club owner, is a winner. In my love life? Decidedly less so. But just because I'm divorced doesn't mean I can't throw my best friend the wedding party of the year. Even if marriage is a mistake. I hadn't expected the long hours with Lori to make me wonder. Wedding planning is Lori Connor's favorite thing, a vicarious escape from her life as a single mom. I doubt she's ever had a client fluster her like I seem to.

In 11 sharp, surprising stories, Neel Patel gives voice to our deeply held stereotypes and then slowly undermines them. His characters, almost all of who are first-generation Indian Americans, subvert our expectations that they will sit quietly by. We meet two brothers caught in an elaborate web of envy and loathing; a young gay man who becomes involved with an older man whose secret he could never guess; three women who throw off the pleasant agreeability society asks of them; and, in the final pair of linked stories, a young couple struggling against the force of community gossip.

When a giant panda named Stillwater moves into Michael, Addy, and Karl's neighborhood, he tells them the most amazing stories! To Addy, he tells a tale of a poor man who gives gifts to a robber. To Michael, he tells of a farmer who learns not to judge luck. And to Karl, he tells the tale of a monk who continues to carry the weight of a burden long past.

A little red sports car smashed to pieces by an oncoming train, and a song that echoes over and over like heartbeat. A man, fresh from prison, going back to his childhood home, not even knowing if he's welcome. An invalid who loved every African face she'd smuggled up to Canada and a song that survived her by over 100 years.... Enjoy these tear-jerking stories that will touch your heart.

The unstoppable, irreverent mother-daughter team presents a new collection of funny stories and true confessions that every woman can relate to. From identity theft to the hazards of bicycling to college reunions and eating on the beach, Lisa and Francesca tackle the quirks, absurdities, and wonders of everyday life with wit and warmth.

Ellen's life is turned upside down by the hilarious Mirror-Belle, a spirited princess who claims to be from somewhere mysterious and far away. She appears out of mirrors to tell Ellen magical stories and take her on exciting escapades. From exploring a hospital after Ellen falls off her bike to chasing after Mirror-Belle's magic ball, going to the seaside and joining the unusual pets club, you can always guarantee that wherever Mirror-Belle goes, trouble will follow.

Eva Gray has a secret. Eight years ago her sister entered the Brothers of Sin Motorcycle Club and never came back. Seven years ago she vowed revenge, even if she had to change everything about her life to do it - her look, her name, her face. Now she's stalking the Brothers and looking for weakness. She's close to achieving her goal, so close she can taste it. But a prominent federal judge is now in ICU, and Eva's the only one who can prove the club hired the hit.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his acclaimed novel about North Korea, The Orphan Master’s Son, Adam Johnson is one of America’s most provocative and powerful authors. Critics have compared him to Kurt Vonnegut, David Mitchell, and George Saunders, but Johnson’s new book will only further his reputation as one of our most original writers. Subtly surreal, darkly comic, both hilarious and heartbreaking, Fortune Smiles is a major collection of stories that gives voice to the perspectives we don’t often hear, while offering something rare in fiction: a new way of looking at the world.

I believe in rules to live by. It's how I built my reputation as Will Connor-the tough cop, and how I've survived being one. I give a hundred percent to the job, I care for my family, and I never, ever ignore my instincts. So when Paige turns my head, all my senses go on high alert. As the developmental director of a non-profit, Paige Lamonica meets a lot of people. That's how she got so good at reading them. But I enjoy surprising her at every turn. She keeps expecting a jerk. Maybe it's my confidence. Maybe it's my looks.

Sean Ferro is my addiction. I can't tell him no, no matter what he asks for, and I know there are so many dark questions behind those blue eyes, so many things he wants me to do with him. When I watch him go down on one knee, with his sexy body covered in sand, and hold up a glittering ring, I can barely stand. It looks like he's going to propose, and I know exactly what I'm going to say.

In this edition of the Montessori at Home Guide series, you'll find a wonderful parent or caregiver's guide to gently help your two- to six-year-old learn self-care. Written with the busy parent in mind, Rachel Peachey, a Montessori preschool teacher and parent, presents practical lessons that are easy enough for the very beginner, yet they will inspire the most seasoned of Montessori parents. This guide will help you jump-start your child's learning of proper hygiene, dressing, eating, safety, and manners.

When a doddering Harry Platt tumbles from the top of his stairs in a deadly fall, it looks like an unfortunate accident. But solicitor Tony Standish's suspicions are aroused when he meets the beneficiaries and discovers the immense size of the estate. Jack and Sarah investigate and find that nothing is what it seems when it comes to families - not when money and secrets are involved. Cherringham is a serial novel à la Charles Dickens, with a new audio episode released every two weeks.

Ma mère et les bêtes, écrite en 1922, est l'une des nouvelles de La maison de Claudine. En 1947, Colette en fait une lecture, et c'est par cet enregistrement que commence le livre audio. Sa voix porte les couleurs de sa terre, aux "r" voluptueusement roulés. Les nouvelles du recueil racontent le temps où, petite fille, elle goûtait "la condition d'être une enfant de son village et d'avoir une mère au rire aigu de jeune fille".

I was pretty happy with my life until the hot shot, all-state baller from my teen years moved back in next door. (I babysat him, yes, but I never changed his diapers. Just wanted to be clear about that.) Guess who’s now the assistant b-ball coach? Logic would say me–especially since I coached my entire first year holding the playbook upside down (it turned out to be an old football playbook from the ‘80s, so it’s not like it mattered which way I held it) but the accurate answer is Trey Haywood, my all-star neighbor.

The Peterkin Papers record the antics of the most memorably and hopelessly bumbling of respectable American families. Confronted by the endless challenges of daily life, the Peterkins rise to every occasion with misguided aplomb: they sit out in the sun for hours and fail to go for a ride because they've forgotten to unhitch the horse.

always wondered, How does she do it? Defying gravity is no easy trick. Neither is motherhood. Now that her mother is leaving New York for bigger skies in New Mexico, it’s a new stage in life for both of them in an ever-evolving relationship that reveals the true magic of being a mother.

When Avery learns Sean's dark secret, everything changes. His confession blindsides her. Sean has a shady past, she knew that from the beginning, but this is so much worse than she thought. There's a dangerous side to Sean. It's alluring and frightening at the same time. Avery has to decide if love can overcome anything or if she should protect her heart.

A young girl and her family accompany their housepainter father on a trip to collect his wages from a slow-paying customer and encounter surprising consequences. Winner of Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest 2007, Honorable Mention.