"Joan Acocella was "one of our finest cultural critics" (Edward Hirsch), and she had the rare ability to examine literature and unearth the lives contained within it-its authors, its subjects, and the communities from which it springs. In her hands, arts criticism was a celebration and an investigation, and her essays pulse with unadulterated enthusiasm. As Kathryn Harrison wrote in The New York Times Book Review, "Hers is a vision that allows art...

"Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma's first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn's mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she's got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn't enough, she and Meg--Derek's mom--will have a booth where they read palms and...

"The incredible lives and hidden histories of eighteen women writers from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th century are brought to life in this compelling graphic collection. From the forgotten mother of the gothic genre to the unexpected success of Little Women, the personal account of a mastectomy in 1811 to the public speech advocating intersectional suffrage in 1866, learn the untold stoies behind some of the greatest written works in the English...

"After the Union Army's defeat at Fredericksburg in 1862, Walt Whitman and Louisa May Alcott converge on Washington to attend to the sick, wounded, and dying. Both of these iconic Americans, known for bucking the conventions of their day, find their principles and beliefs tested by grueling and grisly duties. Walt Whitman was a man of many contradictions: egocentric yet compassionate, vain though frequently transported by the beauty of others, he...

"Turner Classic Movies presents a bucket list of the best and most beloved holiday films of all time, complete with spirited commentary, behind-the-scenes stories, and photos spanning eight decades of Christmastime favorites. Nothing brings the spirit of the season into our hearts quite like a great holiday movie. "Christmas films" come in many shapes and sizes and exist across many genres. Some, like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story, are...

Niagara region booksellers Violet Waverly and Grandma Daisy sleuth the slaying of a sommelier whose book signing turned into her sayonara. January means ice wine season in the Niagara Falls region, but the festivities leave Charming Books owner Violet Waverly cold, still reeling from a past heartbreak. A past heartbreak who will be present at the annual midnight grape-harvest festival, and no magic in the world or incantation powerful enough could...

Explains how these twenty-five works have shaped our existence as readers, students, teachers, and Americans. Shows how they influenced our perception of nationhood and citizenship.

"This treasure trove for book lovers explores fifteen classic novels with memorable maternal figures, and examines how our cultural notions of motherhood have been shaped by literature. Sweet, supportive, dependable, selfless. Long before she had childrenof her own, journalist Carrie Mullins knew how mothers should behave. But how? Where did these expectations come from-and, more importantly, are they serving the mothers whose lives they shape? Carrie's...

"Payal is a girl on the verge--of living a life she's always dreamt of, becoming a rising star in fashion, and...of marriage?! When her parents insist she marry fellow Londoner and serial dater Ayaan Malhotra in order to save their company, Payal has a choice: stick it to her dysfunctional family but put her hard-earned fashion success on hold...or get engaged to save her family's fortune and rescue her own dream-come-true life. Ayaan has always been...