Stories that affirm the indelible bond among humans and animalsThe relationships among human and non-human animals go back to the beginning of time—and the ways in which these relationships have evolved (and sometimes not) is the inspiration for this collection of contemporary short fiction, penned by writers from across the globe.This diverse collection of stories explores the ways in which we live among—and often in conflict with—our non-human counterpart...

In Strange Company, a delightful collection of short essays, Jean Ryan brings us closer to the natural world. From lizards to lady bugs, from the inscrutable sloth to the resplendent quetzal, Ryan reveals some of our commonalities with earth’s creatures and hints at the lessons we might learn from them. Do lizards fall in love? What do sloths think about all day? Why is the blood of a horseshoe crab so valuable? Do starlings flock for fun? Can a parrot serve as a therapist? Do turtles ever...

"This book will bring you closer to the things that are important in life."— Lori Ostlund, author of The Bigness of the World"Jean Ryan's Survival Skills offers a wry look at the ways in which intimate relationships, ambitions, and desires are often foiled and skewed by the natural world."— Henriette Lazaridis Power, author of The Clover House"The keenly observed stories in Survival Skills shine with insight, intelligence and, frequentl...

In Strange Company, a delightful collection of short essays, Jean Ryan brings us closer to the natural world. From lizards to lady bugs, from the inscrutable sloth to the resplendent quetzal, Ryan reveals some of our commonalities with earth's creatures and hints at the lessons we might learn from them.Do lizards fall in love? What do sloths think about all day? Why is the blood of a horseshoe crab so valuable? Do starlings flock for fun? Can a parrot serve as a therapist?...

A stunning coming-of-age novel about one boy's mystical bond to the sea."[A] graceful and inventive first novel." -The New York Times Book Review**"The fertile strangeness of marine tidal life becomes a subtly executed metaphor for the bewilderments of adolescence in this tender and authentic coming-of-age novel." -Publishers Weekly"As crisp and clean as a cool dip into the water, and just about as refreshing." -

From the author of the wildly controversial books Liar and Paul's Case comes one of the most anticipated — and perhaps, in some quarters, feared — books of the year. This is author Lynn Crosbie at her most honest, most cutting, most hilarious, and most heartbreaking. The stories told here are at once a cache, a repository, of a seven-year period in the author's life; and, too, a gymnasium, a place where she can flex her prodigious wit and her dazzling stash of literary tricks Deft with mat...

This collection of short stories & photos is about the author's zookeeping experiences while working as animal habitat manager at Grandfather Mountain in Linville, NC. In this delightful book ... meet Nola the Magician, an otter too curious for her own good, who performs a Houdini-like disappearance; Carolina and Dakota, two bear pranksters who always steal the show; Wilma the bald eagle who fiercely guards her precious wooden egg; and Heidi the deer, who always makes a pest of herself at ...

2017 Goodreads Choice Awards - Best Poetry Book Runner-Up Depression & Other Magic Tricks is the debut book by Sabrina Benaim, one of the most-viewed performance poets of all time, whose poem "Explaining My Depression to My Mother" has become a cultural phenomenon with over 50,000,000 views. Depression & Other Magic Tricks explores themes of mental health, love, and family. It is a documentation of struggle and triumph, a celebration of daily life and of living. Andrea Gibson, author of Lo...

When Gwennie the golden retriever rolls in something stinky at the beach, she may have ruined Peter and Beth's plans for her to win a prize at the county fair. The kids, however, aren't ready to give up. They decide to take the long way back home, and see if any of their quirky neighbors can help turn their dog back into her typical, sweet smelling self.

In her heartwarming New York Times bestsellers Unlikely Friendships and last year's Unlikely Loves, Jennifer Holland revealed the surprising emotional bonds that exist between animals of different species. Her books spent dozens of weeks on bestseller lists and caught the attention of major media from CBS This Morning to USA Today. Why? Because she opened our eyes to the rich inner lives of animals, showing us that the power of love and friends...

Finalist for the 2010 Scotiabank Giller PrizeLonglisted for the 2010 Frank O'Connor AwardSarah Selecky’s first book takes dead aim at a young generation of men and women who often set out with the best of intentions, only to have plans thwarted or hopes betrayed.These are stories about friendships and relationships confused by unsettling tensions bubbling beneath the surface. A woman who plans to conceive ends up in the arms of her ...

Whether we live in cities, suburbs, or villages, we are encroaching on nature, and it in one way or another perseveres. Naturalist Susan Shetterly looks at how animals, humans, and plants share the land—observing her own neighborhood in rural Maine. She tells tales of the locals (humans, yes, but also snowshoe hares, raccoons, bobcats, turtles, salmon, ravens, hummingbirds, cormorants, sandpipers, and spring peepers). She expertly shows us how they all make their way in an ever-changing ha...