Master spies Seregil and Alec are no strangers to peril, nightrunning for wizards and nobles. Wounded heroes of a cataclysmic battle, the two have spent the past two years in self-imposed exile, far from their adopted homeland, Skala. But as the war rages on, their time of peace is shattered by a desperate summons from Queen Idrilain, asking them to aid her daughter on a mission to Aurënen, the very homeland from which Seregil was exiled in his youth.

Here, in this fabled realm of magic and honor, he must at last confront the demons of his dark past, even as Alec discovers an unimagined heritage. And caught between Skala’s desperate need and the ancient intrigues of the Aurënfaie, they soon find themselves snared in a growing web of treachery and betrayal.

“Harry Dresden – Wizard. Lost items found. Paranormal investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment.” Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he’s the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things-and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a-well, whatever.

There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get…interesting. Magic, it can get a guy killed.

A dictionary for those who perceive a difference, a handbook for Superior Persons who love words. Are you a rasorial searcher after words? Are nouns your bread? Adjectives your butter? Verbs your salad? Adverbs your house dressing? Well, then, this is the book to shiver your futtocks! Put an end to fopdoody speech; amaze your friends, baffle your enemies, write interoffice memos to end all discussion!

A Superior Person is not defined by income, class, or sex. A Superior Person uses Superior Speech. And, if Aristotle’s definition of art as something both entertaining and edifying is still toasted with glee, then there’s art a-chock-a-block in Mr. Bowler’s dictionary-a funny, useful, and elevating little book.

Considered the greatest satire ever written in English, Gulliver’s Travels chronicles the fantastic voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, principally to four marvelous realms: Lilliput, where the people are six inches tall; Brobdingnag, a land inhabited by giants; Laputa, a wondrous flying island; and a country where the Houyhnhnms, a race of intelligent horses, are served by savage humanoid creatures called Yahoos.

Beneath the surface of this enchanting fantasy lurks a devastating critique of human malevolence, stupidity, greed, vanity, and short-sightedness. A brilliant combination of adventure, humor, and philosophy.

From the icy blast of reveille through the sweet release of sleep, Ivan Denisovich endures. A common carpenter, he is one of millions viciously imprisoned for countless years on baseless charges, sentenced to the waking nightmare of the Soviet work camps in Siberia. Even in the face of degrading hatred, where life is reduced to a bowl of gruel and a rare cigarette, hope and dignity prevail. This powerful novel of fact is an eloquent affirmation of the human spirit.

You think your job is bad? Doug and Manny have you beat! These guys are janitors! But they’re not your typical custodial crew-no, sir! They’re the guys who keep things shiny and clean at TerrorMax Inc., the world’s biggest and best evil science think tank! When they’re not dealing with toxic spill monsters and talking mansharks, they still have to worry about mad scientists, crazy would-be dictators, and the cute girl who works at reception!

How did the expression “a wild-goose chase” originate? Did you know that people used to “let the cat out of the bag” literally? Dr. Funk has taken these and over four hundred other curious expressions and sayings that, without thought, we use in our daily speech. He has traced them back through the years or centuries in an effort to determine their sources, to find out what the original allusions were, or to give us his expert opinion when facts cannot be traced.

Un-abridged versions of Lewis Carroll’s classic works Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass with hundreds of annotations by Martin Gardner, one of the world’s leading authorities on Carroll. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition fulfills the vision Gardner has had since the appearance of the first Annotated Alice, published over forty years ago. Perfect for children, families, and scholars, this charming and magnificent annotation of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece should find a place in every household.

In an age that has seen the wildest speculations of science become reality, Jules Verne is regarded as both a technological prophet and one of the most exciting masters of imagination the world has ever known. This extraordinary voyage into the depths of the unknown aboard the legendary submarine Nautilus-commanded by the brilliant, tragic Captain Nemo-explores both the limitless possibilities of science and the twisted labyrinth of the human mind.

For centuries, the legend of the Queen Jade has captivated the minds of explorers and scholars of the New World. The legend recounts the tragic tale of a king, a witch, and a giant blue jade stone whose beauty is intoxicating and whose possessor is said to be granted a life filled with power. Lola Sanchez’s archaeologist mother Juana believes that she has discovered the key to unlocking the mystery and has gone into the jungles of Guatemala to find the stone-the same week that Hurricane Mitch tears through Central and South America, uncovering a Rhode Island-sized mine of blue jade and accelerating the centuries-long hunt for the Queen Jade.

As her mother disappears in the storm, Lola is desperate for information and embarks on the adventure of her life. As she treks through jungles, cloud-forests and dangerous mazes, she begins to uncover all the pieces necessary to help solve the mystery of the Queen Jade and to hopefully find her mother alive.