Through the mud and the blood with the North Irish Horse during World War II to the genteel parlours of international diplomacy, Patrick Reid served his nation. As a Military Police commander in the steamy jungles of postwar Malaya or the behind-the-scenes diplomatic fixer at the Canada-Russia hockey series, he wrestled with opposing forces. Whether assisting in the birth of Canada’s new flag or in the rebirth of Canada’s international stature at Expo ’86, he helped history unfurl. This is a warm and perceptive memoir by a passionate Canadian.

Oprah's Book Club 2.0 selection. A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe--and built her back up again. At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State--and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than "an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise." But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone. Strayed faces down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

When investigators were called to the secluded farm of attractive, fortyish Sheila LaBarre, they found the dismembered and incinerated remains of her young lover, a man with a child's I.Q. A series of young men had come and gone from the farm over the years, all seeming to vanish into thin air. Now LaBarre was on the run. Eventually she would be caught and would plead insanity. But was she indeed insane'an "avenging angel sent to kill pedophiles," as she claimed'or a vicious, calculating serial killer' Wicked Intentions explores the case in depth, from investigation to trial. As the Emmy award-winning television reporter who first broke the story of the Sheila LaBarre murders, Kevin Flynn is uniquely positioned to unveil the details of the bizarre chain of events that culminated in one of America's most sensational murder stories'a spellbinding true story of obsession and vigilantism carried to a deadly extreme.

A hilarious and incisive exploration of the joys of reading from a teacher, bibliophile, and Thurber Prize Semifinalist. We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human. Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes (Gone Girl, Their Eyes Were Watching God) to the ones she didn't (Tess of the d'Urbervilles), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the ways in which literature can transform us for the better.

In honor of Sinatra's 100th birthday, Pete Hamill's classic tribute returns with a new introduction by the author. In this unique homage to an American icon, journalist and award-winning author Pete Hamill evokes the essence of Sinatra-examining his art and his legend from the inside, as only a friend of many years could do. Shaped by Prohibition, the Depression, and war, Francis Albert Sinatra became the troubadour of urban loneliness. With his songs, he enabled millions of others to tell their own stories, providing an entire generation with a sense of tradition and pride belonging distinctly to them. With a new look and a new introduction by Hamill, this is a rich and touching portrait that lingers like a beautiful song.

Although Gustav Mahler was a famous conductor in Vienna and New York, the music that he wrote was condemned during his lifetime and for many years after his death in 1911. “Pages of dreary emptiness,” sniffed a leading American conductor. Yet today, almost one hundred years later, Mahler has displaced Beethoven as a box-office draw and exerts a unique influence on both popular music and film scores.

Mahler’s coming-of-age began with such 1960s phenomena as Leonard Bernstein’s boxed set of his symphonies and Luchino Visconti’s film Death in Venice, which used Mahler’s music in its sound track. But that was just the first in a series of waves that established Mahler not just as a great composer but also as an oracle with a personal message for every listener. There are now almost two thousand recordings of his music, which has become an irresistible launchpad for young maestros such as Gustavo Dudamel.

Why Mahler? Why does his music affect us in the way it does?

Norman Lebrecht, one of the world’s most widely read cultural commentators, has been wrestling obsessively with Mahler for half his life. Pacing out his every footstep from birthplace to grave, scrutinizing his manuscripts, talking to those who knew him, Lebrecht constructs a compelling new portrait of Mahler as a man who lived determinedly outside his own times. Mahler was—along with Picasso, Einstein, Freud, Kafka, and Joyce—a maker of our modern world.

Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is a poignant and honest memoir detailing Jude Morrow’s journey to parenthood, and how his autism profoundly affected that journey, for both better and worse, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum.

I knew that Jupiter has seventy-nine known moons and where the swimming pool was located on the Titanic, yet I didn’t know how to connect with this beautiful child who called me “Daddy.”

Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? is a candid view of life and love through the eyes of an autistic adult—who went from being a nonverbal and aggressive child to a hard working and responsible father to a non-autistic son.

Growing up autistic, Jude Morrow faced immense challenges and marginalization, but he was able to successfully—though not without difficulty—finish university and transition into a successful career and eventually parenthood. Those with autism can have difficulty understanding the world around them and can find it hard to find their voice, but in this poignant and honest memoir, Jude defiantly uses his found voice to break down the misconceptions and societal beliefs surrounding autism, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum. Jude views his autism as a gift to be shared, not a burden to be pitied, and as he demonstrates through his honest recollections and observations, autistic people’s lives can be every bit as happy and fulfilling as those not on the spectrum.

A cool idea with a big splash You know the Super Soaker. It's one of top twenty toys of all time. And it was invented entirely by accident. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, impressive inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy. A love for rockets, robots, inventions, and a mind for creativity began early in Lonnie Johnson's life. Growing up in a house full of brothers and sisters, persistence and a passion for problem solving became the cornerstone for a career as an engineer and his work with NASA. But it is his invention of the Super Soaker water gun that has made his most memorable splash with kids and adults.

Seven boys who dreamed of being a singer in different places. Until they reach the top position with the name of 'BTS'...Their sweat and tears were the foundation of BTS growth. Seven boys run toward the dream of being a singer. Namjoon, Yoongi, Seokjin, Hoseok, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook. They dreamed of a singer since childhood. And in order to make that dream comes true, they constantly practiced rap, singing, dancing, writing songs, and building their skills. After becoming a trainee of Big Hit Entertainment, BTS has built up a solid base for more than three years before making its debut. They didn't become a star overnight without this effort. BTS, a unique boy group, so-called Hip Hop Doll sings about their dreams, hopes, and love to play the role of "bulletproof" for teenagers and young people in their 20s. Their sincere songs moved Korean and overseas fans' hearts, and they are enthusiastic about their performance. It is the first Korean singer who win the Billboard Awards (top social artist category), raising the status of K-pop worldwide. Good influence that extends all over the world BTS is the most tweeted singer on Twitter, and selected as the next generation leader by Time magazine. They delivered a massage of hope for youth by carrying on a campaign of rooting out youth violence at the UN, and it is inspiring and affecting fans worldwide.