What if Erma Bombeck and James Michener took off in an RV together to see America, wandering from place to place with no particular destination or schedule? "Boldly Going Somewhere" is a lighthearted account of our two years and 100,000 miles living on the road, experiencing our big, wild country and its quirky denizens. Written in a feisty back-and-forth style and filled with love and laughter, it gives the reader a close look at the things that make America a fascinating...

In this groundbreaking and deeply personal book, Ron Cooper—a leading voice in the artisanal mezcal movement, and the person largely responsible for popularizing the spirit in the United States—shares everything he knows about this storied, culturally rich, and now hugely in-demand spirit, along with 40 recipes.In 1990, artist Ron Cooper was collaborating with craftspeople in Oaxaca, Mexico, when he found mezcal—or, as he likes to say, mezcal found him. This tradit...

Richard Murray, is tricked or Shanghai'd into joining two shipmates on an ocean voyage to Seattle. Too late, he learns that the boat is a modern day pirate vessel involved in the drug trade. This trip turns into the adventure of a lifetime.

Barely adequate philosophy professor Legare Hume has a mind-body problem. No matter how far he goes, no matter how hard he thinks, he can't escape the world he lives in. On the run from his wife Tally, Legare joins brilliant but exceptionally awkward colleague Saul Grossman to attend the American Philosophical Association's Charleston, South Carolina conference, where worlds and walks of life collide in a strange and satirical amalgamation that can only be described as reality. Lega...

Purvis Driggers is a South Carolina Low Country loser. With little judgment and even less chance for a decent life beyond his parents' house, home town, and whatever part-time work he can scrounge up, he's sure he's figured a way out: Rob an old man of the rumored millions hidden in his house. But all he finds is the old man dead and the money, if there was any, already gone. Disappointed and defeated, Purvis is drawn to the sound of music across the creek. There, he discovers ...

Clever Man: The Life of Paddy Compass Namadbara offers a unique perspective on the life and making of this Aboriginal Western Arnhem clever man or marrkidjbu.Born at the end of the 19th Century when the Western world had scarcely touched Arnhem Land, Paddy Compass Namadbara acted as a healer for his countrymen and became a powerful and revered leader. Using his clever abilities and wisdom to nurture his community, he enabled the community to deal with the ...

Super sleuth Ivy Malone's inquisitiveness has gotten her into plenty of trouble, including murder, mayhem, and a place on a mini-Mafia hit list. Still on the run from the mob, Ivy ends up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest with a broken-down motor home, a young traveling companion running from a violent husband, and a stray cat. With no way to fix their vehicle, Ivy and her companion are invited to stay in an old Victorian house by a compassionate young woman attorney. But when Ivy d...

From the acclaimed musician comes a tender, surprising, and often uproarious memoir about his dirt-poor southeast Texas boyhood.The only child of a hard-drinking father and a Holy Roller mother, Rodney Crowell was no stranger to bombast from an early age, whether knock-down-drag-outs at a local dive bar or fire-and-brimstone sermons at Pentecostal tent revivals. He was an expert at reading his father’s mercurial moods and gauging exactly when his mother was likely to erupt, and eve...

"Dugoni centers a high-speed murder mystery around infidelity and jealousy . . . the plot twists keep the pages turning." -- Kirkus"Fast-moving...will surprise even seasoned thriller readers." -- Publishers WeeklyAttorney Dana Hill is used to managing a stressful life: she's one of the most successful lawyers at Strong & Thurmond, mother to a young daughter, wife to a busy, self-involved man. But when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, and her twin brother turns ...

Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy,I have a hot crush on the em dash. What does my need to stuff—while simultaneously fracturing—my sentences—with the meandering, the explanatory, the discursive, the perhaps not-entirely-necessary—say about me?—Cheryl StrayedHave you ever wished there were an advice columnist for writers, but one who didn’t take things so damned seriously? This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by top contemporary essayists with hilariously witty...

How does Steve Almond get himself into so much trouble? Could it be his incessant moralizing? His generally poor posture? The fact that he was raised by a pack of wolves? Frankly, we haven’t got a clue. What we do know is that Almond has a knack for converting his dustups into essays that are both funny and furious. In (Not that You Asked), he squares off against Sean Hannity on national TV, nearly gets arrested for stealing “Sta-Hard” gel from his local pharmacy, and winds up in ...

Like Kofi Annan, Larry Miller is one of the most irresistible comic personalities working today. Known for years as an actor, writer, comedian, and sexual pioneer, he's gained a new following as a cultural commentator and frequent guest on political shows. Now, in Spoiled Rotten America, he fixes his gaze on what's funny about our daily lives—which includes, roughly speaking, everything. From middle-aged drinking ("When you're in your twenties, you can drink all night and bungee-jump off a...