Book Overview
There’s nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that’s been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it’s a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they’d better figure out what’s going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum.
Book Overview
“You’ll love this engrossing novel.” —People
The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream—and the price required to make it come true.
People say Beartown is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever-encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Beartown believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.
Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected.
Beartown explores the hopes that bring a small community together, the secrets that tear it apart, and the courage it takes for an individual to go against the grain. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.
Book Overview
Stephanie Plum might not be the world’s greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she’s being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren’t adding up, and Stephanie can’t shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college—and it’s not just Zeta fraternity pranks.
As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard it’s good riddance, and the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about finding Linken’s killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve.
Book Overview
Something really strange is happening in the City by the Bay. People are dying, but their souls are not being collected. Someone—or something—is stealing them and no one knows where they are going, or why, but it has something to do with that big orange bridge. Death Merchant Charlie Asher is just as flummoxed as everyone else. He’s trapped in the body of a fourteen-inch-tall “meat puppet” waiting for his Buddhist nun girlfriend, Audrey, to find him a suitable new body to play host.
To get to the bottom of this abomination, a motley crew of heroes will band together: the seven-foot-tall death merchant Minty Fresh; retired policeman turned bookseller Alphonse Rivera; the Emperor of San Francisco and his dogs, Bummer and Lazarus; and Lily, the former Goth girl. Now if only they can get little Sophie to stop babbling about the coming battle for the very soul of humankind . . .
Book Overview
Creativity, Inc.
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace
From a co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios—the Academy Award–winning studio behind Coco, Inside Out, and Toy Story—comes an incisive book about creativity in business and leadership for readers of Daniel Pink, Tom Peters, and Chip and Dan Heath.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Huffington Post • Financial Times • Success • Inc. • Library Journal
Creativity, Inc. is a manual for anyone who strives for originality and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation—into the meetings, postmortems, and “Braintrust” sessions where some of the most successful films in history are made. It is, at heart, a book about creativity—but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, “an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.”
For nearly twenty years, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as the Toy Story trilogy, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, WALL-E, and Inside Out, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner thirty Academy Awards. The joyousness of the storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Here, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable.
As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, where many computer science pioneers got their start, and then forged a partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his co-founding Pixar in 1986. Nine years later, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. The essential ingredient in that movie’s success—and in the thirteen movies that followed—was the unique environment that Catmull and his colleagues built at Pixar, based on leadership and management philosophies that protect the creative process and defy convention, such as:
• Give a good idea to a mediocre team, and they will screw it up. But give a mediocre idea to a great team, and they will either fix it or come up with something better.
• If you don’t strive to uncover what is unseen and understand its nature, you will be ill prepared to lead.
• It’s not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It’s the manager’s job to make it safe for others to take them.
• The cost of preventing errors is often far greater than the cost of fixing them.
• A company’s communication structure should not mirror its organizational structure. Everybody should be able to talk to anybody.
In The Press
“Just might be the best business book ever written.”—Forbes
“Achieving enormous success while holding fast to the highest artistic standards is a nice trick—and Pixar, with its creative leadership and persistent commitment to innovation, has pulled it off. This book should be required reading for any manager.”—Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
“Steve Jobs—not a man inclined to hyperbole when asked about the qualities of others—once described Ed Catmull as ‘very wise,’ ‘very self-aware,’ ‘really thoughtful,’ ‘really, really smart,’ and possessing ‘quiet strength,’ all in a single interview. Any reader of Creativity, Inc., Catmull’s new book on the art of running creative companies, will have to agree. Catmull, president of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, has written what just might be the most thoughtful management book ever.”—Fast Company
“It’s one thing to be creative; it’s entirely another—and much more rare—to build a great and creative culture. Over more than thirty years, Ed Catmull has developed methods to root out and destroy the barriers to creativity, to marry creativity to the pursuit of excellence, and, most impressive, to sustain a culture of disciplined creativity during setbacks and success. Pixar’s unrivaled record, and the joy its films have added to our lives, gives his method the most important validation: It works.”—Jim Collins, co-author of Built to Last and author of Good to Great
“Too often, we seek to keep the status quo working. This is a book about breaking it.”—Seth Godin
“What is the secret to making more of the good stuff? Every so often Hollywood embraces a book that it senses might provide the answer. . . . Catmull’s book is quickly becoming the latest bible for the show business crowd.”—The New York Times
“The most practical and deep book ever written by a practitioner on the topic of innovation.”—Prof. Gary P. Pisano, Harvard Business School
“Business gurus love to tell stories about Pixar, but this is our first chance to hear the real story from someone who lived it and led it. Everyone interested in managing innovation—or just good managing—needs to read this book.”—Chip Heath, co-author of Switch and Decisive
“A fascinating story about how some very smart people built something that profoundly changed the animation business and, along the way, popular culture . . . [Creativity, Inc.] is a well-told tale, full of detail about an interesting, intricate business. For fans of Pixar films, it’s a must-read. For fans of management books, it belongs on the ‘value added’ shelf.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Pixar uses technology only as a means to an end; its films are rooted in human concerns, not computer wizardry. The same can be said of Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull’s endearingly thoughtful explanation of how the studio he co-founded generated hits such as the Toy Story trilogy, Up and Wall-E. . . . [Catmull] uses Pixar’s triumphs and near-disasters to outline a system for managing people in creative businesses—one in which candid criticism is delivered sensitively, while individuality and autonomy are not strangled by a robotic corporate culture.”—Financial Times
“A wonderful new book . . . Unlike most books written by founders, this isn’t some myth-heavy legacy project—it’s far closer to a blueprint. Catmull takes us inside the Pixar ecosystem and shows how they build and refine excellence, in revelatory detail. . . . If you do creative work, you should read it, now.”—Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code
“A superb debut intended for managers in all fields of endeavor . . . He takes readers inside candid discussions and retreats at which participants, assuming the early versions of movies are bad, explore ways to improve them. Unusually rich in ideas, insights and experiences, the book celebrates the benefits of an open, nurturing work environment. An immensely readable and rewarding book that will challenge and inspire readers to make their workplaces hotbeds of creativity.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Punctuated with surprising tales of how the company’s films were developed and the company’s financial struggles, Catmull shares insights about harnessing talent, creating teams, protecting the creative process, candid communications, organizational structures, alignment, and the importance of storytelling. . . . [Creativity, Inc.] will delight and inspire creative individuals and their managers, as well as anyone who wants to work ‘in an environment that fosters creativity and problem solving.’”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“For anyone managing anything, and particularly those trying to manage creative teams, Catmull is like a kind, smart godfather guiding us toward managing wisely, without losing our souls, and in a way that works toward greatness. Perhaps it’s all Up from there.”—The Christian Science Monitor
“Many have attempted to formulate and categorize inspiration and creativity. What Ed Catmull shares instead is his astute experience that creativity isn’t strictly a well of ideas, but an alchemy of people. In Creativity, Inc. Ed reveals, with commonsense specificity and honesty, examples of how not to get in your own way and how to realize a creative coalescence of art, business, and innovation.”—
Janet Evanovich is the hottest author in America, and her Stephanie Plum novels have taken the nation by storm!
#1 New York Times
#1 Wall Street Journal
#1 Los Angeles Times
#1 Entertainment Weekly
#1 Publishers Weekly
She’s accidentally destroyed a dozen cars. She’s a target for every psycho and miscreant this side of the Jersey Turnpike. Her mother’s convinced she’ll end up dead . . . or worse, without a man. She’s Stephanie Plum, and she kicks butt for a living (well, she thinks it sounds good to put it that way. . . .).
It begins as an innocent trip to the deli-mart, on a quest for nachos. But Stephanie Plum and her partner, Lula, are clearly in the wrong place at the wrong time. A robbery leads to an explosion, which leads to the destruction of yet another car. It would be just another day in the life of Stephanie Plum, except that she becomes the target of a gang—and of an even scarier, more dangerous force that comes to Trenton. With super bounty hunter Ranger acting more mysteriously than ever (and the tension with vice cop Joe Morelli getting hotter), she finds herself with a decision to make: how to protect herself and where to hide while on the hunt for a killer known as the Junkman. There’s only one safe place, and it has Ranger’s name all over it—if she can find it. And if the Junkman doesn’t find her first. With Lula riding shotgun and Grandma Mazur on the loose, Stephanie Plum is racing against the clock in her most suspenseful novel yet. Ten Big Ones is page-turning entertainment, and Janet Evanovich is the best there is.
Book Overview
Meg is Team Mom and Michael is coach of their twin sons’ youth baseball team, the Caerphilly Eagles. Meg tangles with Biff Brown, the petty, vindictive league head. On opening day, Biff’s lookalike brother is found dead in the porta-potty at the ball field. So many people think Biff’s scum that it would be easy to blame him, but he has an alibi–and Meg suspects he may actually have been the intended victim.
With Die Like an Eagle, readers can look forward to another zany Meg Langslow mystery–this one filled with the spirit of America’s pastime and Donna’s eagle eye.
Like Meg Langslow, the blacksmith heroine of her series, Donna Andrews was born and raised in Yorktown, Virginia. She introduced Meg to readers in her Malice Domestic Contest-winning first mystery, Murder with Peacocks, and readers are still laughing. This novel swept up the Agatha, Anthony, Barry, and a Romantic Times award for best first novel, and a Lefty for funniest mystery.
Book Overview
Book Overview
For four previous Christmases, New York Times bestselling author Donna Andrews has delighted readers with holiday mysteries, full of Christmas cheer and starring her quirky characters. Now she gives us another hilarious new adventure in her award-winning Meg Langslow series with Lark! The Herald Angels Sing.
It’s Christmastime in Caerphilly and Meg, full of holiday spirit, is helping out with the town’s festivities. While directing a nativity pageant and herding the children participating in it, she finds a surprise in the manger: a live baby.
A note from the mother, attached to the baby girl’s clothes, says that it’s time for her father to take care of her—and implicates Meg’s brother, Rob, as the father. And while a DNA test can reveal whether there’s any truth to the accusation, Rob’s afraid the mere suspicion could derail his plan to propose to the woman he loves. Meg quickly realizes it’s up to her to find the baby’s real identity.
She soon discovers that the baby—named Lark according to the fateful note—may be connected to something much bigger. Something that eventually puts a growing number of Meg’s friends and family in danger. And before long, Meg realizes she can’t fix things single-handedly. Meanwhile, a war is brewing between Caerphilly and its arch-rival Clay County—and it’s not a snowball fight. Can Meg bring everyone together in time for the holidays?
As in her previous Christmas mysteries, Andrews continues to write “firmly in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie’s Christmas books” (Toronto Globe and Mail) with a book that will put cozy lovers everywhere in a holly jolly mood.
Book Overview
Time of the Twins
Legends, Volume One
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Sequestered in the blackness of the dreaded Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas, surrounded by nameless creatures of evil, Raistlin Majere weaves a plan to conquer the darkness–to bring it under his control.
Crysania, a beautiful and devoted cleric of Paladine, tries to use her faith to lead Raistlin from the darkness. She is blind to his shadowed designs, and he draws her slowly into his neatly woven trap.
Made aware of Raistlin’s plan, a distraught Caramon travels back in time to the doomed city of Istar in the days before the Cataclysm. There, together with the ever-present kender Tasslehoff, Caramon will make his stand to save Raistlin’s soul.
Or so he believes.
About The Author
Margaret Weis is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, many of them co-written with Tracy Hickman, including the New York Times bestselling War of Souls trilogy. She is also the author of the Star of the Guardian novels and the designer of many Dragonlance roleplaying products.
& Tracy Hickman Sequestered in the blackness of the dreaded Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas, surrounded by nameless creatures of evil,
Raistlin Majere weaves a plan to conquer
the darkness--to bring it under his control. Crysania, a beautiful and devoted cleric of Paladine, tries to use her faith to lead Raistlin from the darkness.
She is blind to his shadowed designs,
and he draws her slowly into his neatly woven trap.
Book Overview
War of the Twins
Legends, Volume Two
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
One hundred years have passed since the fiery Cataclysm that changed the face of Krynn forever. For one hundred years, the people of Krynn have struggled to survive. But for some, those one hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Catapulted forward in time by Raistlin’s powerful magic, Caramon and Crysania find themselves aiding the mage’s unholy quest to master the Queen of Darkness. To his dismay, Raistlin discovers along the way that the annals of Time are not so easily bent to his will. Neither are the longings of his heart.
About The Author
Margaret Weis is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, many of them co-written with Tracy Hickman, including the New York Times bestselling War of Souls trilogy. She is also the author of the Star of the Guardian novels and the designer of many Dragonlance roleplaying products.
& Tracy Hickman One hundred years have passed since the fiery Cataclysm that changed the face of Krynn forever. For one hundred years, the people of Krynn have struggled to survive. Crysania and the twins arrive in the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas, about one hundred years after the Cataclysm. The Abyss has moved to the fortress of Zhaman, far to the south. Raistlin gains hope that history can be changed when Tasslehoff reappears, having escaped the Abyss.
Book Overview
Test of the Twins
Legends, Volume Three
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Defying the fate that claimed his evil predecessor, Raistlin opens the Portal to the Abyss and passes through. With Crysania at his side, he engages the Queen of Darkness in a battle for the ultimate prize–a seat among the gods.
At the same time, Caramon and Tasslehoff are transported to the future. There they come to understand the consequences of Raistlin’s quest–and Caramon at last realizes the painful sacrifice he must make to prevent his brother’s success. Old friends and strange allies come together to aid him, but Caramon must take the last, greatest step alone.
About The Author
Margaret Weis is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, many of them co-written with Tracy Hickman, including the New York Times bestselling War of Souls trilogy. She is also the author of the Star of the Guardian novels and the designer of many Dragonlance roleplaying products.
& Tracy Hickman Defying the fate that claimed his evil predecessor, Raistlin opens the Portal to the Abyss and passes through. With Crysania at his side, he engages the Queen of Darkness in a battle for the ultimate prize--a seat among the gods. Old friends and strange allies come together to aid him, but Caramon must take the last, greatest step alone.
Book Overview
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths
Lost Chronicles, Volume One
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Tanis Half-Elven… Flint Fireforge… Tasslehoff Burfoot… the classic Dragonlance characters are back!
Picking up where the first book of the classic Dragonlance Chronicles left off, this tale follows the Companions of the Lance on their adventures following the rescue of the refugees of Pax Tharkas. Flint and Tanis Half-Elven travel to the dwarven kingdom of Thorbardin, while the rest of the Companions confront challenges of their own.
About The Author
MARGARET WEIS and TRACY HICKMAN published their first novel in the Dragonlance Chronicles, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, in 1984. Over twenty years later they are going strong as partners — over thirty novels as collaborators — and alone or together with other co-authors have published over a hundred books, including novels, collections of short stories, role-playing games, and other game products. Hickman is also the inspiration for an upcoming “Tracy Hickman Presents” line of Dragonlance novels for Wizards of the Coast, while Weis is in the midst of her own Dark Disciple trilogy. Weis is also the President of Sovereign Press, which publishes Dragonlance game material as well as many other game products.
& Tracy Hickman Continues with the adventures of the Heroes of the Lance, after they free the slaves from Pax Tharkas. Set in the Dragonlance campaign setting it's the beginning of the Lost Chronicles trilogy, designed to fill in the gaps in the storyline between the books in the Chronicles trilogy. The events in the book take place between the events of Dragons of Autumn Twilight and Dragons of Winter Night. Parts of the book foreshadow some of the events to take place in the Dragonlance Legends trilogy.
Book Overview
Dragons of the Highlord Skies
Lost Chronicles, Volume Two
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
The Chronicles retold–from evil’s point of view.
The story starts in Neraka, where Kitiara uth Matar and Emperor Ariakas hatch a plan to retrieve a dragon orb and thereby destroy Solamnia and the Companions in one fell swoop. But the guardian of the dragon orb, Highlord Feal-Thas, disagrees with this plan. Kitiara must go to Ice Wall to force him to accept Ariakas’ will, but her journey does not end there. Thrown out of favor, she conceives a daring plan to enlist the aid of the most feared beings on Krynn–Lord Soth and the Dark Queen. Meanwhile, Laurana and the Companions retrieve the dragon orb and take it back to Solamnia–not knowing that they bring their allies’ doom with them.
The second volume of a new trilogy from celebrated authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, The Lost Chronicles details the famed War of the Lance from the perspective of the evil that menaces Krynn. The books are written in such a way that they will be marvelous complements to the original Chronicles, while at the same time accessible and exciting to new readers.
About The Author
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman published their first novel in the Chronicles series of Dragonlance, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, in 1984. Over twenty years later they are going strong as partners with over thirty novels as collaborators, and alone or together with other partners, over one hundred books, including novels, collections of short stories, role-playing games, and other game products. Tracy Hickman is also the editor of a new “Tracy Hickman Presents” line of Dragonlance novels for Wizards of the Coast, while Margaret Weis is in the midst of her own, popular, solo Dark Disciple trilogy for Wizards of he Coast.
& Tracy Hickman The story starts in Neraka, where Kitiara uth Matar and Emperor Ariakas hatch a plan to destroy Solamnia and the Companions in one fell swoop. But the guardian of the dragon orb, Highlord Feal-Thas, disagrees with this plan. Laurana and the Companions retrieve the dragon orb and take it back to Solamnia. Kitiara must go to Ice Wall to force him to accept Ariakas' will, but her journey does not end there. The Chronicles retold--from evil's point of view.
Book Overview
Dragons of the Hourglass Mage
Lost Chronicles, Volume Three
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Between Chronicles and Legends, what made Raistlin aspire to godhood?
Raistlin Majere has become a Black Robe wizard and travels to Neraka, the lord city of the Dark Queen, ostensibly to work for her, though in reality he means to further his own quest for power. But Takhisis finds out that the dragon orb has entered her city and sends her draconians to find and destroy the wizard who has it in his possession. Before her agents can strike, though, Raistlin finds out that Takhisis means to take control of all wizardly magic. She has ordered Kitiara to set a trap for the Gods of Magic on the Night of the Eye, when all the high-ranking wizards will be in Neraka to celebrate.
As the forces of light, with help from the good dragons, are turning the tide of battle, Raistlin is forced to flee, for his foes are closing in on him. As the Dragon Highlords vie for the Crown of Power in the Temple of the Dark Queen, Raistlin Majere wages his own desperate battle against Takhisis in the dungeons below and meets again the brother he betrayed. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
About The Author
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman published their first novel in the “Chronicles” series of Dragonlance, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, in 1984. Over twenty years later they are going strong as partners – over thirty novels as collaborators – and , alone or together with other partners, over one hundred books, including novels, collections of short stories, role playing games, and other game products. Hickman is also the editor of a new Tracy Hickman Presents line of Dragonlance novels for Wizards of the Coast, while Weis is in the midst of her own, popular, solo Dark Disciple series for Wizards. Weis is also the President of Margaret Weis Productions, which publishes Dragonlance game material as well as many other game products.
& Tracy Hickman Between Chronicles and Legends,
what made Raistlin aspire to godhood? Raistlin Majere has become a Black Robe wizard and travels to Neraka, the lord city of the Dark Queen, ostensibly to work for her, though in reality he means to further his own quest for power. But Takhisis finds out that the dragon orb has entered her city
and sends her draconians to find then destroy
the wizard who has it in his possession
Book Overview
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Chronicles, Volume One
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They speak of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, creatures of legend. They do not speak of their secrets. Not then. Not until a chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives and shaping the fate of the world.
No one expected them to be heroes.
Least of all, them.
Margaret Weis is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, many of them co-written with Tracy Hickman, including the New York Times bestselling War of Souls trilogy. She is also the author of the Star of the Guardian novels and the designer of many Dragonlance roleplaying products.
& Tracy Hickman Lifelong friends, they went their separate ways. Now they are together again, though each holds secrets from the others in his heart. They speak of a world shadowed with rumors of war. They tell of tales of strange monsters, creatures of myth, and of legend. A chance encounter with a beautiful, sorrowful woman, who bears a magical crystal staff, draws the companions deeper into the shadows, forever changing their lives
and shaping the fate of the world.
Book Overview
Dragons of Winter Night
Chronicles, Volume Two
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
Now the people know that the dragon minions of Takhisis, Queen of Dragons, have returned. The people of all nations prepare to fight to save their homes, their lives, and their freedom. But the races have long been divided by hatred and prejudice. Elven warriors and human knights fight among themselves. It seems the battle has been lost before it begins.
The companions are separated, torn apart by war. A full season will pass before they meet again–if they meet again. As the darkness deepens, a disgraced knight, a pampered elfmaiden, and a rattle-brained kender stand alone in the pale winter sunlight.
About The Author
Margaret Weis is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, many of them co-written with Tracy Hickman, including the New York Times bestselling War of Souls trilogy. She is also the author of the Star of the Guardian novels and the designer of many Dragonlance roleplaying products.
& Tracy Hickman Now the people know that the dragon minions of Takhisis, Queen of Dragons, have returned. Elven warriors and human knights fight among themselves. The companions are separated, torn apart by war. As the darkness deepens, a disgraced knight, a pampered elf maiden, and a scatterbrain kender stand alone
in the pale winter sunlight.
Book Overview
Dragons of Spring Dawning
Chronicles, Volume Three
by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
The war against the dragon minions of Queen Takhisis rages on. Armed with the mysterious, magical dragon orbs and the shining, silver dragonlance, the companions bring hope to the world. But now, in the dawn of a new day, the dark secrets that have long shadowed the hearts of the friends come to the light. Betrayal, treachery, frailty, and weakness will nearly destroy all that they have accomplished.
The greatest battle they have left to fight is within each of them.
Yet, in the end, they will be heroes.
About The Author
Margaret Weis is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, many of them co-written with Tracy Hickman, including the New York Times bestselling War of Souls trilogy. She is also the author of the Star of the Guardian novels and the designer of many Dragonlance roleplaying products.
& Tracy Hickman Dragons of Spring Dawning
Book Overview
The Ruins of Gorlan
Book 1
by John Flanagan
The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!
They have always scared him in the past—the Rangers, with their dark cloaksand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger’s apprentice. What he doesn’t yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied. . . .
Here is the fantasy adventure that launched the Ranger’s Apprentice series, an epic story of heroes and villains that has become an international phenomenon. Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire series.
In The Press
“The last few years have seen the publication of many fantasies, but few have the appeal of this original story. Rather than creating a host of strange creatures and magical powers, Flanigan concentrates on character, offering readers a young protagonist they will care about and relationships that develop believably over time.Readers will look forward to the next adventure in The Ruins of Gorlan series.” -Booklist, starred review
About The Author
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. John began writing Ranger’s Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series and its spinoff, Brotherband Chronicles. He currently lives in the suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
The Rangers have always scared him in the past with their dark cloak-sand shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills
of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles
before the battles reach the people.
Book Overview
The Sorcerer of the North
Book Five
by John Flanagan
The international bestselling series with over 5 million copies sold in the U.S. alone!
Several years have passed since the apprentice and his master, Will and Halt, first met, and Will is finally a full-fledged Ranger with his own fief to look after. The fief seems sleepy?boring, even?until Lord Syron, master of a castle far in the north, is struck down by a mysterious illness. Joined by his friend Alyss, Will is suddenly thrown headfirst into an extraordinary adventure, investigating fears of sorcery and trying to determine who is loyal to Lord Syron. As Will battles growing hysteria, traitors, and most of all, time, Alyss is taken hostage, and Will is forced to make a desperate choice between his mission and his friend.
Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series, and George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.
In The Press
The last few years have seen the publication of many fantasies, but few have the appeal of this original story. –Booklist, starred review, for The Ruins of Gorlan
About The Author
John Flanagan grew up in Sydney, Australia, hoping to be a writer. John began writing Ranger’s Apprentice for his son, Michael, ten years ago, and is still hard at work on the series and its spinoff, Brotherband Chronicles. He currently lives in the suburb of Manly, Australia, with his wife. In addition to their son, they have two grown daughters and four grandsons.
Perfect for fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon series,
and George R. R. Martin’s
Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Book Overview
Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
Instant New York Times Bestseller
New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2018
TIME Top 10 Best YA and Children’s Books of 2018
NPR‘s Book Concierge 2018 Great Reads List
Bustle’s Top 25 Best Young Adults Books of 2018
2018 Kirkus Prize Finalist
Paste Magazine’s 30 Best YA Novels of 2018
Newsweek’s 61 Best Books from 2018
Boston Globe’s Best Children’s Books of 2018
Publishers Weekly Best YA Books of 2018
School Library Journal Best Books of 2018
With five starred reviews, Tomi Adeyemi’s West African-inspired fantasy debut, and instant #1 New York Times Bestseller, conjures a world of magic and danger, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
“A phenomenon.” —Entertainment Weekly
“The epic I’ve been waiting for.” —New York Times-bestselling author Marie Lu
“You will be changed. You will be ready to rise up and reclaim your own magic!” —New York Times-bestselling author Dhonielle Clayton
“The next big thing in literature and film.” —Ebony
“One of the biggest young adult fiction debut book deals of theyear.” —Teen Vogue
This title has Common Core connections.
#1 New York Times bestseller, March 14, 2018
In The Press
New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2018
Amazon Top 20 Best Young Adult Books of 2018
TIME Top 10 Best YA and Children’s Books of 2018
NPR‘s Book Concierge 2018 Great Reads List
Bustle’s Top 25 Best Young Adults Books of 2018
2018 Kirkus Prize Finalist
Paste Magazine’s 30 Best YA Novels of 2018
Newsweek’s 61 Best Books from 2018
Boston Globe’s Best Children’s Books of 2018
Publishers Weekly Best YA Books of 2018
School Library Journal Best Books of 2018
Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2018
New York Public Library Top Ten Showstopper Favorite of 2018 (Notable 100 Books for Kids)
“A magnificent, heartrending, earthshaking debut.” —New York Times-bestselling author Daniel José Older
“High stakes, a captivating fantasy landscape, and a brave heroine worth rooting for make Children of Blood and Bone unlike anything I’ve ever read.” —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Beautiful Creatures and author of The Lovely Reckless
“Powerful, captivating, and raw—Adeyemi is a talent to watch. Exceptional.” —Kirkus, Starred Review
“Adeyemi’s devastating debut is a brutal, beautiful tale of revolution, faith, and star-crossed love.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“… Adeyemi keeps it fresh with an all-black cast of characters, a meaningful emphasis on fighting for justice, a complex heroine saving her own people, and a brand of magic made more powerful by the strength of heritage and ancestry. Perfect for fans of the expansive fantasy worlds of Leigh Bardugo, Daniel Jose´ Older, and Sabaa Tahir.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“…A refreshing YA fantasy with an all–West African cast of characters that should be on every shelf.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
“This is an exceptional debut from the author and will have a huge audience desperately waiting for more. Children of Blood and Bone is perfect for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Nancy Farmer, and Angie Thomas.” —VOYA, Starred Review
“Nigerian culture and geography… give this fantasy a distinct flavor, further distinguished by the intensity of emotion.” —Horn Book
“Meet Tomi Adeyemi—the new J.K. Rowling. (Yep, she’s that good).” —Entertainment Weekly
“Poses thought-provoking questions about race, class and authority that hold up a warning mirror to our sharply divided society.” –The New York Times
“A fast-paced, excellently crafted hero’s journey…populated with compelling and nuanced black characters.” –NPR
“A debut novel that is nearly impossible to put down.”–USA Today
“Adeyemi’s writing is beautiful and immersive.” –Tor.com
“A miraculous achievement.” –The Guardian
About The Author
Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American writer and creative writing coach based in San Diego, California. After graduating Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she studied West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. She is the author of Children of Blood and Bone.
Children of Blood and Boneperfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves,
and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Book Overview
Brisingr
by Christopher Paolini
Don’t miss the latest book from the author of Eragon, The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Tales from Alagaësia, coming December 31, 2018!
Perfect for fans of Lord of the Rings, the New York Times bestselling Inheritance Cycle about the dragon rider Eragon has sold over 35 million copies and is an international fantasy sensation.
Oaths sworn . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.
Following the colossal battle against the Empire’s warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep.
First is Eragon’s oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran’s beloved, Katrina, from King Galbatorix’s clutches. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength—as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices— choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice.
Eragon is the greatest hope to rid the land of tyranny. Can this once-simple farm boy unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?
About The Author
Christopher Paolini’s abiding love of fantasy and science fiction inspired him to begin writing his debut novel, Eragon, when he graduated from high school at 15. He lives in Paradise Valley, Montana.
unite the rebel forces and defeat the king?
Book Overview
Blackbringer
by Laini Taylor
When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises to unmake the world, only one determined faerie stands in its way. However, Magpie Windwitch, granddaughter of the West Wind, is not like other faeries. While her kind live in seclusion deep in the forests of Dreamdark, she’s devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago. With her faithful gang of crows, she travels the world fighting where others would choose to flee. But when a devil escapes from a bottle sealed by the ancient Djinn King himself- the creator of the world- she may be in over her head. How can a single faerie, even with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer?At a time when fantasy readers have an embarrassment of riches in choosing new worlds to fall in love with, this first novel by a fresh, original voice is sure to stand out.
About The Author
Laini Taylor is a writer & artist living in Portland, Oregon. Her debut novel, Dreamdark: Blackbringer was published to much acclaim, including stars from Booklist, Bank Street College of Education, and KLIATT; it was a Book Sense Children’s Pick; winner of the Baker & Taylor/PYRG Teen Readers Sweepstakes; is on the Sequoyah Book Awards Master List; and has received glowing praise from such luminaries as Holly Black, Newbery Honor-winner Shannon Hale, and New York Times bestseller Brandon Mull. A Fuse #8 Production states, “If you read only one fantasy book this year, read this one.” The companion volume Dreamdark: Silksinger will be published in September 2009, followed in October by a short-story collection Lips Touch.
Laini Taylor is also the creator of Laini’s Ladies, a gift product line she began making by hand to sell at a local art fair, which has expended to seventeen product lines—from stationary to garden object to holiday ornaments to jewelry—that have retailed in over 5,000 gift and specialty stores throughout the United States and Canada.
Laini Taylor lives with her husband, artist Jim Di Bartolo, and her elderly dog, Leroy, in a bright yellow house filled with lots of books and marionettes and robots. They spend their time drinking coffee and making stuff up, and are currently awaiting the birth of their first child.
Blackbringereven with the help of her friends, hope to defeat the impenetrable darkness of the Blackbringer?
When the ancient evil of the Blackbringer rises
to unmake the world,
only one determined faerie stands in its way.
She's devoted her life to tracking down and recapturing devils escaped from their ancient bottles, just as her hero, the legendary Bellatrix, did 25,000 years ago.
With her faithful gang of crows,
she travels the world fighting
where others would choose to flee.
Book Overview
Strange the Dreamer
by Laini Taylor
An instant New York Times bestseller and Michael L. Printz honor book!
Eleven best of lists including an NPR Best Book, a Goodreads Best YA Fantasy and Science Fiction Nominee, and more!
“Lovers of intricate worldbuilding and feverish romance will find this enthralling.”—Kirkus Reviews
About The Author
Strange the Dreamer
The dream chooses the dreamer,
not the other way around;
Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly
Fall into a mythical world of dread and wonder,
moths and nightmares, love and carnage.
And who is the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams?
The answers await in Weep.
Book Overview
Daughter of Smoke & Bone
by Laini Taylor
The first book in the New York Times bestselling epic fantasy trilogy by award-winning author Laini Taylor.
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When one of the strangers–beautiful, haunted Akiva–fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
In The Press
* “Taylor crafts both her world and her romance with meticulous care, building the first on a wealth of thought-provoking details and making the second equal parts tender and antagonistic…Fans of torturously star-crossed lovers a la those in Marr’s Wicked Lovely and Black’s Tithe will find much to enjoy here, but those who flock to innovative, character-driven fantasy with thematic depth will be equally enthralled.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred review
About The Author
Daughter of Smoke & Bone
The first book in theNew York Times bestselling epic fantasy trilogy by award-winning
author Laini Taylor.
In the tangled lanes of Prague,
a young art student is about to be caught up
in a brutal otherworldly war.
scorched there by winged strangers
who have crept through a slit in the sky.
Starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose
roots drink deep of a violent past. The doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold
the answers she has always sought.
Book Overview
Days of Blood & Starlight
by Laini Taylor
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.
In The Press
A Top Ten Amazon Best Book of the Year for Teens
About The Author
Days of Blood & Starlight
Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought.
It began with the breathtaking Daughter of Smoke & Bone... the story continues in the astounding, must-read sequel, Days Of Blood & Starlight.
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living; one without massacres and torn throats or bonfires of the fallen.
A life without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers' arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.
Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon's secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel - a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness. This was not that world.
Book Overview
What power can bruise the sky?
In The Press
New York Times Bestseller Series List
About The Author
Dreams of Gods & MonstersTwo worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera's rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance.
What power can bruise the sky? When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited; not in love, yet in tentative alliance against their common enemy.It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.
- Crazy Rich Asians
- China Rich Girlfriend
- Rich People Problems
is the outrageously funny 1st novel in a Trilogy by Kevin Kwan about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families.
Book Overview
“This 48-karat beach read is crazy fun.” —Entertainment WeeklyWhen New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor.On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.
In The Press
“A dizzily shopaholic comedy. . . . Wickedly delectable. . . . Offers refreshing nouveau voyeurism to readers who long ago burned out on American and English aspirational fantasies. . . . Hilarious.”
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“It’s impossible not to get sucked into this satirical novel about the jet-setting lives of an enormous busybody family and its infinite Louboutin collection.”
—Glamour
“There’s rich, there’s filthy rich, and then there’s crazy rich. . . . A Pride and Prejudice-like send-up.”
—People
“If this isn’t the funniest book so far this year, it’s up there. . . . Kwan, who grew up in Singapore, skewers his subjects deftly, stylishly, and completely—but with heart.”
—The Denver Post
“Deliciously decadent. . . . This 48-karat beach read is crazy fun. . . . [Read] Crazy Rich Asians, on an exotic beach in super-expensive sunglasses.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“An unputdownably funny, original, modern novel. . . . I actually couldn’t put this book down to eat or to watch Downton Abbey.”
—Plum Sykes, author of Bergdorf Blondes
“Rachel’s squeaky-clean naiveté is a clever foil to the intricate workings of the high-glamour Asian set around her. Chinese on the outside but all-American on the inside, she allows us to see the myriad nuances of intra-Asian culture that the novel goes to great lengths to show.”
—Tash Aw, NPR
“Rollicking. . . . A lively, generous story of shallow extravagance and human devotion.”
—The Boston Globe
“Original and fun, Crazy Rich Asians is quite a roller coaster trip. I loved it!”
—Jackie Collins, author of The Power Trip
“Delightfully soapy. . . . [Crazy Rich Asians] eats its chiffon cake and has it too, simultaneously tut-tutting many of its characters for their vapid materialism while reveling in the milieu’s sybaritic excess.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“As spicily adventurous and lusciously satisfying as the renowned Singaporean street food Kevin Kwan’s characters argue over; hot and sizzling, like the best satay, and dreamily transporting, like everyone’s favorite dessert—goreng pisang. Feast on this outrageously funny and insightful novel of modern manners, and enjoy!”
—Lisa See, author of Dreams of Joy and Shanghai Girls
“[An] instant favorite. . . . Opulence and zaniness reign.”
—O, The Oprah Magazine
“Like Dynasty on steroids with more private jets, bigger houses, and a lot more money.”
—VanityFair.com
About The Author
Kevin Kwan is the author of the international bestsellers Crazy Rich Asians, soon to be a major motion picture, and China Rich Girlfriend. Born in Singapore, he has called New York’s West Village home since 1995.
Kevin Kwan's 2nd novel in his Trilogy.
Enter a world where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.
Book Overview
From the bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians (Now a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE) comes a deliciously fun story of family, fortune, and fame in Mainland China.
Book Two of the Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy
It’s the eve of Rachel Chu’s wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless Asscher-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather, a man she never knew, won’t be there to walk her down the aisle.
Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren’t just crazy rich … they’re China rich.
In The Press
Advance praise for China Rich Girlfriend:
“Kevin Kwan’s brand of giddy wealth porn arrived in 2013 with Crazy Rich Asians, not a moment too soon… China Rich Girlfriend [is] the second volume in what has been projected as a gossipy, good-humored trilogy that will follow the richest old families of Singapore, Hong Kong and a few from mainland China. They join in a single shared pursuit: watching in horror as their youngest generations squander money in ways so staggering that Western show-offs look like pikers by comparison… Mr. Kwan has good aim with his fashion world- and ego-skewering shivs. And regardless of how reality-based these characters may be, he has his style references down cold… [Keeps] readers surprised and inquisitive… Snarky… Wicked… Funny.”
–Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“As the real China rich dig their nails into the world of the wealthy and wasteful, Kwan sharpens his with another acerbic yet affectionate examination of Asian uber-elite social mores, still largely invisible in Western popular culture… The novel is filled with jaw-dropping accounts of opulence… and showdowns worthy of an episode of “Gossip Girl.”… China Rich Girlfriend is a crazy parade through the lives of the aspirational elite. It’s also a rich portrait of Asia’s real obsession with consumerism and its economic rise, one whose trajectory, like Kwan’s, is not yet complete.”
—Nicole Lee, Los Angeles Times
“In this year’s best beach reading, Jane Austen meets Singapore… There’s no timely cocktail I’d rather recommend than China Rich Girlfriend… As frothy as the egg whites on the sort of cocktail you should drink while reading Kwan’s books. But if you need to assuage your guilt about summer reading with a little intellectual patina, Kwan has you covered too; His peek into this rarified world is spiked with tart observations about old and new money, the nuances of racism and the way they all interact… A cheeky reminder that those who think they can’t make a romance or a comedy of manners work in an entirely non-white setting are not just lying or kidding themselves, but wasting the almost gluttonous opportunities available to storytellers who stretch beyond convention… Fizzy, highly entertaining.”
–Alyssa Rosenberg, The Washington Post
“The high jinks of China’s young and reckless 0.0001 percent… keep you turning the page… [A] black comedy… What I enjoyed most while reading China Rich Girlfriend were the moments of nihilistic glee at the self-absorption of the Chinese demimonde, the American Pyscho-like obsession with designer brands and desirable addresses. Kwan speaks of this culture with the authoritative tone of an insider… with anthropological analysis detailing the habits of various subspecies of ‘crazy rich Asians.’”
–Arthur Chu, The New York Times Book Review
“Take a Jane Austen novel, combine it with Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and set it in the glittering capitals of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. What have you got? This deliciously fun follow-up to Kwan’s bestselling Crazy Rich Asians…[a] field guide to Asia’s uberwealthy echelon and comic satire at its best.”
—People
“Last year Kevin Kwan introduced summer fun readers to a cast of characters entirely foreign but somehow familiar…In China Rich Girlfriend, he continues that story but throws into the mix the recently acquired fortunes of China that take to easy street like it’s a superhighway… They offer a taste of Asian opulence served with skewering humor. Delectable wretched excess.”
–New York Daily News
“Those Crazy Rich Asians are back as a mix of old and new characters in Kwan’s new novel, China Rich Girlfriend… The book brings the foibles of the wealthy into a new setting: China. It reflects the ascendance of a new elite — the product of the booming economy of mainland China. This fresh crop of billionaires form a new strata of Asia’s one percent, what Kwan likes to call the “China Rich.”… Kwan’s characters are powerful and attractive, living in the lap of luxury.”
–All Things Considered, NPR weekend
“The summer’s funniest beach read. When Crazy Rich Asians hit shelves in peak beach-read season two summers ago, readers ate up its unrestrained and uproarious fictional depictions of the opulent lives of Asia’s super elite. . . China Rich Girlfriend follow[s] the same multitentacled clan and their world-traveling, high-spending, and backstabbing antics.”
–Lauren Christensen, Vanity Fair
“The much-anticipated sequel to Crazy Rich Asians (a great summer read in its own right), China Rich Girlfriend continues the tale of Rachel Chu and her upcoming nuptials to Nicholas Young, heir to one of the greatest fortunes in Asia… With the same hilarity and scandalous narrative as the first novel, China Rich Girlfriend will not disappoint both fans and newcomers to the series.”
—Town and Country
“When you’re on a never-ending long-haul flight: China Rich Girlfriend, Kevin Kwan’s frothy sequel to his debut novel, Crazy Rich Asians, revisits the world of Hong Kong’s and Singapore’s super-super-elite. Kwan himself is from Singapore, and these sharply observed books have an insider’s authority. Girlfriend is also so diverting that it (almost) made me forget that my seatmate on a recent flight from New York to Dubai was muttering to himself nonstop.”
–Hanya Yanagihara, Conde Nast Traveler
“Lifestyles of the rich and famous, China-style. A follow to Kwan’s lively debut, Crazy Rich Asians, this new book delivers more over-the-top consumption in Asia’s most exclusive locale.”
–The Houston Chronicle
“Kevin Kwan has a new book coming out soon. It’s called China Rich Girlfriend, and if you don’t know why this is shriek-worthy news, allow me to introduce you to Kwan’s first novel, Crazy Rich Asians, [a] gloriously, irreverently fun and dishy novel.”
–Roxane Gay, NPR
“His first book was a riot of high-spending extremes, and in its sequel Kevin Kwan again revels in a world where Gulfstream jets come with their own koi ponds… The equivalent of a Bubble Tea concoction laced with Henry James extracts and Jackie Collins sprinkles—tracking a level of wealth that makes even Downton Abbey look more like Downton Arriviste… Unravelling the endless modes of snobbery is sport for Kwan, and the set pieces in China Rich Girlfriend are such that even Serena van der Woodsen might gasp… Ingenious… In the same way that Edith Wharton catalogued the Gilded Age via novels like The Age of Innocence, Kwan—in his novels—is doing his bit for a China that now has the second-highest number of millionaires in the world.”
—Shinan Govani, The Daily Beast
“Kwan returns with an equally good-natured, catty-as-hell sequel to his bestselling roman à clef about China’s new and old money dynasties. For those not cued in, Kwan’s tone is breakneck and utterly disarming—part Oscar Wilde, part Judith Krantz, part Arthur Frommer . . . Hilarious . . . Over-the-top and hard to stop.” –Kirkus
“China Rich Girlfriend is the most fun I’ve had reading a book in quite some time. The vibrantly drawn characters and equally vivid settings in and around Beijing make for a jam-packed, lively story… [and] a cast of characters who are wholly believable and human.”
–Amy Scribner, BookPage
“To be let loose into the decadent playground of the filthy rich offers the reader a heady taste of vicarious escapism…Yet to dismiss this book as merely a soulless lark would be a disservice to Kwan and his impeccable writing. Behind their dapper and chic exteriors, his caricatures have messy emotional lives and grapple with the same problems facing the rest of us not blessed with unfathomable wealth… Read China Rich Girlfriend for the exuberant spectacle of zippy vintage cars, gossipy matriarchs-who-lunch and reckless profligacy but read it also for its very engaging narrative about people like us.”
—Thuy On, The Sydney Morning Herald
“What happens when the young woman destined to marry Asia’s most eligible bachelor gets derailed by a shocking family secret? That’s what Kwan (Crazy Rich Asians) examines in this amusing, whirlwind novel about Rachel Chu, who discovers her long-lost father and falls headlong into a Shanghai — the fashion! the social climbing! the secrets! — wilder than her wildest dreams.”
—The Miami Herald
“I loved China Rich Girlfriend… Like Gossip Girl and Dynasty and the royal family of England all at the same time. Kwan’s characters behave hideously—and it’s hilarious.”
—Elaine Lui, Flare
“Kwan’s latest follows in the footsteps of his wildly imaginative Crazy Rich Asians but adds even more conspicuous consumption and over-the-top behavior… Resplendent with gorgeous description …. The dialog is always top-notch. There are many fascinating substories… A sprinkling of footnotes adds local expressions, insightful asides, and Kwan’s own snarky personal comments. Among the many laugh-out-loud incidents are examples of the extreme cheapness of some of these ultrawealthy people and tidbits about their staff… The conclusion offers up additional shocks and surprises that will have readers clamoring for more. Those who enjoy splendid writing and getting a glimpse at how the other half (probably much less than 50 percent) lives will delight in this book.”
—Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Very enjoyable… Just as funny as Crazy Rich Asians, this globe-spanning tale of excess includes enough snootiness and class snobbery to fill a multitude of designer handbags. It’s a modern-day comedy of manners that highlights what it means to be ‘China rich’ as well as the things that money can never buy.”
–Minneapolis Star Tribune
“China Rich Girlfriend is an engaging page-turner with a multi-layered, inventive narrative. Kwan has clearly taken a few lessons from one of America’s great social satirists – think Tom Wolfe set loose on the wealthiest enclaves of Confucian Asia… His sequel is not only dazzlingly creative (a private jet decorated to look like a Balinese resort? Take me there, please!) and rollicking good fun, but also ambitious in its scope and dimension. With China Rich Girlfriend, Kwan shows readers that to get rich is one thing, but to get crazy rich is glorious. He also proves his standing as one of the few authors talented, confident and savvy enough to engage an international readership and serve up the New Asia on a gleaming 24-karat gold platter.”
–South China Morning Post
“Singapore-based sensation Kevin Kwan follows up his smash success, Crazy Rich Asians, which is currently being made into a film, with another sure-to-be hit. As with his first novel, Kwan takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the lives—and nuptial preparations—of absurdly wealthy society folks in mainland China.”
—Readers Digest (Canada)
“China Rich Girlfriend, Kevin Kwan’s sequel to the bestselling Crazy Rich Asians, is perhaps even more delicious than the first… A frothy fiction focused on a multigenerational, intermarried, mega-rich clan… Kwan created a new hybrid universe—one where there’s a preoccupation with lineage and marrying off daughters into rich families—that is the realm of Jane Austen, combined with an obsession with social hierarchy and status signifiers straight out of Tom Wolfe… [This] delicious sequel… manages to be more nuanced (and savage) in its social deconstruction—and even more fun… Moments of human generosity and decency are peppered throughout. But that’s not the pleasure: This stems from tut-tutting the flagrant display of wealth while picking up insider tips and luxuriating in a voyeuristic glimpse into the original Dynasty.”
—Anne Kingston, Macleans
About The Author
Kevin Kwan is the author of Crazy Rich Asians, the international bestseller now being adapted into a major motion picture. Born and raised in Singapore, Kwan has called Manhattan home for the past two decades but still craves pineapple tarts and a decent plate of Hokkien mee.
The 3rd Novel in Kevin Kwan's Trilogy. Esquire Best Books of 2017 Kirkus Best Fictional Families of 2017
Book Overview
From the New York Times bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians(now a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE) and China Rich Girlfriend, here is the uproarious conclusion to the Crazy Rich Asians Series.
Esquire Best Books of 2017
Kirkus Best Fictional Families of 2017
Book Three of the Crazy Rich Asians Series
When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside—but he’s not alone. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim on their matriarch’s massive fortune. With each family member vying to inherit Tyersall Park—a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore—Nicholas’s childhood home turns into a hotbed of speculation and sabotage. As her relatives fight over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the center of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by her ex-husband—a man hell bent on destroying Astrid’s reputation and relationship. Meanwhile Kitty Pong, married to China’s second richest man, billionaire Jack Bing, still feels second best next to her new step-daughter, famous fashionista Colette Bing. A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a kidnapping at Hong Kong’s most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an Indian palace, caught on camera by the telephoto lenses of paparazzi, Kevin Kwan’s hilarious, gloriously wicked new novel reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia’s most privileged families and their rich people problems.
In The Press
“Flashy, funny… Delicious, the juicy stuff of classic high-society drama… Rich People Problems is a fun tabloid romp full of over-the-top shenanigans, like a society party brawl that ruins both a Ramon Orlina glass sculpture of the hostess’s breasts and ‘a special pig that had only eaten truffles its entire life and was flown in from Spain…’ A memorable, laugh-out-loud Asian glitz fest that’s a pure pleasure to read.” —Steph Cha, USA Today
“I gobbled all three volumes of Kevin Kwan’s gossipy, name-droppy and wickedly funny Crazy Rich Asians trilogy as if they were popcorn. (Really fresh, still-warm popcorn, with that good European butter… but I digress.) The novels, set among three intergenerational and ultrarich Chinese families and peppered with hilarious explanatory footnotes, are set mostly in Singapore but flit easily from one glamorous world city to another… Irresistible.” –Moira Macdonald, The Seattle Times
“Kevin Kwan has done it again. The mastermind behind the delicious Crazy Rich Asians series has drawn a cult-like following with his extravagant tales of Asia’s upper echelon. He’s back at with the series’s final installment, Rich People Problems (rest assured, it’s just as enthralling as the trilogy’s first two volumes).” –Isabel Jones, InStyle
“[A] hilarious family drama… This delightfully wicked family saga will have you laughing over your summer daiquiris at the long-buried secrets of Asia’s most privileged families and their rich people problems.” —Redbook Magazine, “20 Summer Beach Reads to Stock Up On Now”
“There are a lot of lines in Kevin Kwan’s forthcoming novel Rich People Problems that will make you both roll your eyes and chuckle at the pure absurdity of the characters… Pure entertainment. Think: Bravo’s ‘Housewives’ but with a lot more money and, as a result, a lot more drama.” —Taylor Bryant, Nylon
“Thank god for Kwan… In Rich People Problems—Kwan’s third installment in his Crazy Rich Asians series—even more insane family hijinks unfold when greed and jealousy get fortune-hungry schemers up in a wild tizzy. Catch up on the whole saga before the film’s release.” –W Magazine
About The Author
Kevin Kwan is the author of the international bestsellers Crazy Rich Asians, soon to be a major motion picture, and China Rich Girlfriend. Born in Singapore, he has called New York’s West Village home since 1995.
Book Overview
This is the ideal book if you want to understand key debates in photography and have a ready-made structure within which to discuss and explore these fascinating issues. It is accessible to students, from high school to university level, but will also be of interest to the general reader and to those photographers whose training and work is concerned with the practical aspects of photography.
Also includes invaluable glossary of terms and a substantial index that incorporates the classic texts, helping you to navigate your way through these un-indexed works. The book also contains useful information on photo-mechanical processes, explaining how a photograph can appear very differently, and as a result be interpreted in a range of ways, in a variety of books.
Book Overview
This new book, from Photoshop User magazine editor and bestselling author Scott Kelby, starts at the moment your digital camera photos come into Photoshop, and he shows you the Photoshop pros techniques for managing, correcting, retouching and outputting your photos to knock your client’s socks off, and turn you into a Photoshop production wizard. This book is absolutely ideal for traditional photographers who are making the jump to digital photography, and Scott’s casual, step-by-step, plain-English style makes even the most complex Photoshop techniques seem so easy and accessible. It’s the type of book that makes you smile and think “Ahhhh, so that’s how they do it” and then immediately you realize “Hey, I can do this!”
The entire book is graphically rich, in full color cover-to-cover, and best of all it’s packed with real-world project-based tutorials that will take you through the process of sizing your images with the proper resolution (and the secret to doing so without losing image quality), how to deal with High ISO noise, blue channel noise, and other common plagues introduced by digital cameras; you’ll learn how the pros color correct their photos for output on everything from inkjet printers to printing presses, and the secrets to getting perfect fleshtones no matter where it¿s output. You’ll learn the sharpening techniques today’s top digital photographers use, and how the leading retoucher’s perform “digital plastic surgery” in Photoshop, plus professional facial retouching techniques using Photoshop 7.0’s amazing new tools.
Plus, you’ll also learn how to manage your photos, “digital dodging and burning” tricks, dealing with common problems, making client presentations within Photoshop and on the Web, and the inside tips on how to work faster and more efficiently than you ever thought possible. If you’re serious about digital photography and Photoshop, this is book you’ve been waiting for.
About The Author
Scott Kelby is Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Photoshop User magazine, Editor-in-Chief of Nikon’s Capture User magazine, and Editor-in-Chief of Mac Design Magazine. He is President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), the trade association for Adobe® Photoshop® users, and he’s President of KW Media Group, Inc., a Florida-based software education and publishing firm.
Scott is author of the best-selling books Photoshop 7 Down & Dirty Tricks and Photoshop Photo-Retouching Secrets, and co-author of Photoshop 7 Killer Tips, all from New Riders Publishing. He’s a contributing author to the books Photoshop Effects Magic, also from New Riders; Maclopedia, the Ultimate Reference on Everything Macintosh from Hayden Books; and Adobe Web Design and Publishing Unleashed from Sams.net Publishing. Scott has authored two best-selling Macintosh books: Mac OS X Jaguar Killer Tips, and the award-winning Macintosh: The Naked Truth, both also from New Riders.
Scott is Training Director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour and Conference Technical Chair for PhotoshopWorld (the twice-yearly convention for Adobe Photoshop users), and he is a speaker at graphics trade shows and events around the world. He is also featured in a series of Adobe Photoshop training videos and CD-ROMs and has been training Photoshop professionals since 1993. For more background info on Scott, visit www.scottkelby.com.
Book Overview
· What to look and listen for in a recording environment
· Straightforward advice on recording almost any instrument
· Essentials of digital audio workstations
· Essentials of recording gear: microphones, mixers, and speakers
· Fundamentals of understanding and applying EQ, compression, delay, and reverb
· Secrets to running creative recording sessions
· Practical application of digital editing, mixing, and masteringA special section identifies solutions to the most common challenges in the recording studio, and the book also features an addendum with essential tips and reference information including:
· How to walk into a commercial studio and be the engineer
· Researching and buying gear: Internet vs. brick and mortar
· Digital formats: A handy referenceAs a whole, The Art of Digital Audio Recording is an essential resource that gives recordists the tools they need to let technical understanding serve greater musical goals.
In The Press
“Steve Savage is the best – his mellow, positive personality makes him a pleasure to work with. I’m very happy with the two projects we’ve done together. He’s very together in the studio, and with Steve there are no technical problems to interrupt the flow of the music making. He’s a smart guy and his musical opinions are solid. I’m glad he wrote this book.”–Elvin Bishop, legendary recording artist
“Savage succinctly sums up the digital do’s and don’ts, ties the techniques and terminology back to their analog roots and relates it all to the needs of the music and musicians. Great book!”–Richard James Burgess Ph.D., author of The Art of Record Production and The Art of Music Production
“Steve Savage’s combination of industry and academic experience give this book the huge advantage of bringing together the rigor of his research and theoretical knowledge with his practical grounding in the technicalities, social dynamics, and psychology of how the recording process works. I loved it.”–Simon Zagorski-Thomas, Chairman of the Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production and Director of the Art of Record Production Conference
“Savage’s book reads like a conversation with an elder craftsman, providing a practical and thoroughly comprehensive introduction to the processes and considerations of today’s recording environments…It’s refreshing to find an author in the recording industry that continually keeps the focus on the major priorities and gives a solid presentation of how a student should begin developing their paradigm of audio recording. Any instructor of music production would be well advised to add The Art of Digital Audio Recording to their short list of essential texts to prepare their students for the technical choices, and creative opportunities, that await them.” –Journal on the Art of Record Production
About The Author
An active producer, recording engineer, and instructor, Steve Savage has been the primary engineer on seven Grammy-nominated CDs. He is the author of numerous books, including the forthcoming Bytes & Backbeats: Repurposing Audio in the Digital Age.
Book Overview
Book Overview
A Complete Guide
by Richard G. Hatton
Beginning with method and proportion, the author discusses the drawing of lines, contours, planes, masses, and rounded forms. Moving on to the individual parts of the body, simple principles of anatomy are applied to demonstrate techniques for sketching the head and neck, the trunk, the upper and lower limbs, and the digits. Expertly rendered figures are shown in various positions and movements, and from all angles, for the most thorough, concise instruction. Brimming with the basic elements necessary for creating quality works of art, Figure Drawing also includes guidance for drawing drapery, revealing the main points of support on the body and the proper way to sketch the folds and forms of garments. Immensely practical and highly readable, it is a manual that artists of every level will turn to again and again.
Book Overview
A Complete Guide
by Richard G. Hatton
Beginning with method and proportion, the author discusses the drawing of lines, contours, planes, masses, and rounded forms. Moving on to the individual parts of the body, simple principles of anatomy are applied to demonstrate techniques for sketching the head and neck, the trunk, the upper and lower limbs, and the digits. Expertly rendered figures are shown in various positions and movements, and from all angles, for the most thorough, concise instruction. Brimming with the basic elements necessary for creating quality works of art, Figure Drawing also includes guidance for drawing drapery, revealing the main points of support on the body and the proper way to sketch the folds and forms of garments. Immensely practical and highly readable, it is a manual that artists of every level will turn to again and again.
Book Overview
“This is the best book ever written on what it takes to build a creative organization. It is the best because Catmull’s wisdom, modesty, and self-awareness fill every page. He shows how Pixar’s greatness results from connecting the specific little things they do (mostly things that anyone can do in any organization) to the big goal that drives everyone in the company: making films that make them feel proud of one another.”—Robert I. Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No A**hole Rule and co-author of Scaling Up Excellence
From the Hardcover edition.
About The Author
Ed Catmull is co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. He has been honored with five Academy Awards, including the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for lifetime achievement in the field of computer graphics. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Utah. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and children.
Amy Wallace is a journalist whose work has appeared in GQ, The New Yorker, Wired, Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times Magazine. She currently serves as editor-at-large at Los Angeles Times magazine. Previously, she worked as a reporter and editor at the Los Angeles Times and wrote a monthly column for The New York Times Sunday Business section. She lives in Los Angeles.
Book Overview
Leonardo da Vinci
by Walter Isaacson
The #1 New York Times bestseller from Walter Isaacson brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this exciting new biography that is “a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it…Most important, it is a powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life” (The New Yorker).
Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson “deftly reveals an intimate Leonardo” (San Francisco Chronicle) in a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.
He produced the two most famous paintings in history, The Last Supperand the Mona Lisa. With a passion that sometimes became obsessive, he pursued innovative studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. He explored the math of optics, showed how light rays strike the cornea, and produced illusions of changing perspectives in The Last Supper. His ability to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, made iconic by his drawing of Vitruvian Man, made him history’s most creative genius.
In the “luminous” (Daily Beast) Leonardo da Vinci, Isaacson describes how Leonardo’s delight at combining diverse passions remains the ultimate recipe for creativity. So, too, does his ease at being a bit of a misfit: illegitimate, gay, vegetarian, left-handed, easily distracted, and at times heretical. His life should remind us of the importance to be imaginative and, like talented rebels in any era, to think different. Here, da Vinci “comes to life in all his remarkable brilliance and oddity in Walter Isaacson’s ambitious new biography…a vigorous, insightful portrait” (The Washington Post).
In The Press
“As always, [Isaacson] writes with a strongly synthesizing intelligence across a tremendous range; the result is a valuable introduction to a complex subject. . . . Beneath its diligent research, the book is a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it. . . . Most important, Isaacson tells a powerful story of an exhilarating mind and life.”
—The New Yorker
Book Overview
Leonardo da Vinci
A Memory of His Childhood
by Sigmund Freud
A reconstruction of Leonardo’s emotional life from his earliest years, it represents Freud’s first sustained venture into biography from a psychoanalytic perspective, and also his effort to trace one route that homosexual development can take.
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- Taylor and Francis; June 1999
- ISBN 9781134617586
- Read online, or download in secure PDF or secure EPUB format
- Title: Leonardo da Vinci
- Author: Sigmund Freud
- Imprint: Routledge
Leonardo da Vinci
A Memory of His Childhood
by Sigmund Freud
A reconstruction of Leonardo's emotional life from his earliest years, it represents Freud's first sustained venture into biography from a psychoanalytic perspective, and also his effort to trace one route that homosexual development can take.
by Mike W. Martin
Happiness and the Good Life
What is happiness? How is it related to morality and virtue? Does living with illusion promote or diminish happiness? Is it better to pursue happiness with a partner than alone? Philosopher Mike W. Martin addresses these and other questions as he connects the meaning of happiness with the philosophical notion of "the good life."
Book Overview
Book Overview
Winner of the Lillian Smith Book Award
Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize
Finalist for the National Book Award
The Nation‘s “Most Valuable Book”
“[A] vibrant intellectual history of the radical right.”—The Atlantic
“This sixty-year campaign to make libertarianism mainstream and eventually take the government itself is at the heart of Democracy in Chains. . . . If you’re worried about what all this means for America’s future, you should be.”—NPR
An explosive exposé of the right’s relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, stop action on climate change, and alter the Constitution.
Behind today’s headlines of billionaires taking over our government is a secretive political establishment with long, deep, and troubling roots. The capitalist radical right has been working not simply to change who rules, but to fundamentally alter the rules of democratic governance. But billionaires did not launch this movement; a white intellectual in the embattled Jim Crow South did. Democracy in Chains names its true architect—the Nobel Prize-winning political economist James McGill Buchanan—and dissects the operation he and his colleagues designed over six decades to alter every branch of government to disempower the majority.
In a brilliant and engrossing narrative, Nancy MacLean shows how Buchanan forged his ideas about government in a last gasp attempt to preserve the white elite’s power in the wake of Brown v. Board of Education. In response to the widening of American democracy, he developed a brilliant, if diabolical, plan to undermine the ability of the majority to use its numbers to level the playing field between the rich and powerful and the rest of us.
Corporate donors and their right-wing foundations were only too eager to support Buchanan’s work in teaching others how to divide America into “makers” and “takers.” And when a multibillionaire on a messianic mission to rewrite the social contract of the modern world, Charles Koch, discovered Buchanan, he created a vast, relentless, and multi-armed machine to carry out Buchanan’s strategy.
Without Buchanan’s ideas and Koch’s money, the libertarian right would not have succeeded in its stealth takeover of the Republican Party as a delivery mechanism. Now, with Mike Pence as Vice President, the cause has a longtime loyalist in the White House, not to mention a phalanx of Republicans in the House, the Senate, a majority of state governments, and the courts, all carrying out the plan. That plan includes harsher laws to undermine unions, privatizing everything from schools to health care and Social Security, and keeping as many of us as possible from voting. Based on ten years of unique research, Democracy in Chains tells a chilling story of right-wing academics and big money run amok. This revelatory work of scholarship is also a call to arms to protect the achievements of twentieth-century American self-government.
In The Press
“[A] remarkably important book…this book is a superb contribution to our understanding of the rise of libertarian notions and right-wing political power in the US. If you wonder how the Supreme Court came to define speech as money or corporations as people, this volume will help you to figure it out…The melting ice caps, if nothing else, stand as testament to the folly of listening mainly to the rich and powerful.”—Bill McKibben, The Times Literary Supplement
“Democracy in Chains leaves me with hope: Perhaps as books like MacLean’s continue to shine a light on important truths, Americans will begin to realize they need to pay more attention and not succumb to the cynical view that known liars make the best leaders.” —New York Times Book Review
“A remarkable new book which argues that the radical right revolution engineered by Charles and his brother David is not just about accruing political and economic power, but about restricting democracy itself.” —The New Republic
“[A] vibrant intellectual history of the radical right . . . [MacLean] has dug deep into her material—not just Buchanan’s voluminous, unsorted papers, but other archives, too—and she has made powerful and disturbing use of it all. . . . The behind-the-scenes days and works of Buchanan show how much deliberation and persistence—in the face of formidable opposition—underlie the antigoverning politics ascendant today. What we think of as dysfunction is the result of years of strategic effort.” —The Atlantic
“This sixty-year campaign to make libertarianism mainstream and eventually take the government itself is at the heart of Democracy in Chains. . . . [MacLean] takes the time to meticulously trace how we got here. . . . If you’re worried about what all this means for America’s future, you should be. . . . And if someone you know isn’t convinced, you have just the book to hand them.” —NPR
“It’s the missing chapter: a key to understanding the politics of the past half century. To read Nancy MacLean’s new book, Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, is to see what was previously invisible.” —George Monbiot, The Guardian
“[A] riveting, unsettling account of ‘Tennessee country boy’ James McGill Buchanan, key architect of today’s radical right.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
“A remarkable book . . . Democracy in Chains is a revelation, as politics and as history.” —Jacobin
“Democracy in Chains should be read by every thinking person in the United States. It is disturbing, revealing, and vitally important.” —NYJournalOfBooks.com
“Perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to irrevocably alter American government.” —Booklist (starred review)
“It’s happening: the subversion of our democratic system from within. How did the political Right do it? Nancy MacLean tells the long-overlooked story of the political economist who developed the playbook for the Koch brothers. James McGill Buchanan merged states rights’ thinking with free market principles and helped to fashion the inherently elitist ideology of today’s Republican Party. Professor MacLean’s meticulous research and shrewd insights make this a must-read for all who believe in government ‘by the people.’” —Nancy Isenberg, author of White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America
“This book is mesmerizing. Rarely have I encountered a work that speaks to such significant issues, with evidence rooted in conclusive new sources. In clear prose, MacLean reveals how a public once committed to social responsibility and egalitarian values became persuaded that only an unregulated free market could protect ‘liberty’ and ‘choice.’ Because of this, our once cherished democracy is now subject to attack. Everyone who wants to understand today’s confrontational politics should read this important book, now.” —Alice Kessler-Harris, author of In Pursuit of Equity: Women, Men and the Quest for Economic Citizenship in Twentieth Century America
“How did we get to where we are today? How did corporations come to possess ‘rights?’ How did democracy come to be defined as selfish individualism? Or money as free speech? Nancy MacLean’s Democracy in Chains provides the answers. It is essential reading in order to understand the ideas that billionaires use to justify their control of our political institutions. I can’t imagine a more timely or urgent book.” —Greg Grandin, author of Fordlandia (finalist for the Pulitzer Prize) and The Empire of Necessity (winner of the Bancroft Prize)
“[MacLean] creates a chilling portrait of an arrogant, uncompromising, and unforgiving man . . . [she] offers a cogent yet disturbing analysis of libertarians’ current efforts to rewrite the social contract and manipulate citizens’ beliefs. . . . An unsettling exposé of the depth and breadth of the libertarian agenda.” —Kirkus Reviews
“MacLean constructs an erudite searing portrait of how the late political economist James McGill Buchanan (1919 – 2013) and his deep-pocketed conservative allies have reshaped –and undermined–American democracy. . . . A thoroughly researched and gripping narrative, she exposes how Buchanan’s strategies shaped trends in government in favor of “corporate dominance” and against the welfare state. . . . She has delivered another deeply important book. . . . Her work here is a feat of American intellectual and political history.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
“For those who think the Tea Party, Freedom Caucus, and the alt-right are recent constructs, MacLean provides an extensive history lesson that traces the genesis of the right wing back to post-WWII doctrines. . . . A worthy companion to Jane Mayer’s Dark Money, MacLean’s intense and extensive examination of the right-wing’s rise to power is perhaps the best explanation to date of the roots of the political divide that threatens to irrevocably alter American government.” —Booklist (starred review)
About The Author
Nancy MacLean is the award-winning author of Behind the Mask of Chivalry (a New York Times “noteworthy” book of the year) and Freedom is Not Enough, which was called by the Chicago Tribune “contemporary history at its best.” The William Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University, she lives in Durham, North Carolina.
Democracy in Chains
An explosive expose of the man and the ideas behind the well-heeled right's relentless campaign to eliminate unions, suppress voting, privatize public education, change the Constitution, and curb democratic majority rule Behind today's headlines of billionaires taking over our government is a secretive political establishment with long, deep, and troubling roots. The capitalist radical right has been working not simply to change who rules, but to fundamentally alter the rules of democratic governance.