Santa Claus. Kris Kringle. Père Noël. He answers to many names, but who is beneath the iconic white beard?Venturing into a world seldom explored, journalist K.A. Witte spent months interviewing professional and amateur Santas worldwide, compiling their most cherished experiences.These are tales of holiday magic, faith, personal growth, and triumph over adversity—all woven together by the enduring power and warmth of Christmas.A child’s heartfelt wis...

**NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A haunting, unforgettable mother-daughter story for a new generation—the debut of a blazing new lyrical voiceNAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY**Domenica Ruta grew up in a working-class, unforgiving town north of Boston, in a trash-filled house on a dead-end road surrounded by a river and a salt marsh. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious local figure, was a drug addict and sometimes deale...

The bestselling, wonderfully unconventional, “warmly conspiratorial…seriously good” (The New York Times) memoir-in-letters from the Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award–winning actress that has received fabulous and wide praise. “There is no one else quite like Mary-Louise Parker…Funny, heartbreaking and profound” (ELLE).An extraordinary literary memoir, Dear Mr. You renders the singular arc of a woman’s life through letters Mary-Louise Par...

From Lewis Black, the uproarious and perpetually apoplectic New York Times-bestselling author and Daily Show regular, comes a ferociously funny book about his least favorite holiday, Christmas.Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace on earth and goodwill toward all. But not for Lewis Black.He says humbug to the Christmas tradtitions and trappings that make the holiday memorable. In I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas, his hilarious and s...

**NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • This dazzling memoir from the former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Life on Mars is the story of a young artist struggling to fashion her own understanding of belief, loss, history, and what it means to be black in America."Engrossing in its spare, simple understatement.... Evocative ... luminous." —The Washington Post**In Ordinary Light, Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Tracy K. Smith tells her...

*** 365 joy filled tasks to make your life more engaging, fun, caring and jolly ***"There are little things we can all do that can make a huge difference to our lives and to the lives of those around us. Doing something jolly every day that you can look back on with a smile and be grateful for, knowing it has also brought kindness to others, can gently help replace old negative thought patterns with more positive ones.The tasks included in this litt...

**An ELLE Best Book of the YearShortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing“Incredible…riveting.” —Dax Shepard, Armchair Expert podcastFor fans of The Glass Castle and The Liars’ Club, a tender, heartbreaking, and hilarious memoir written with “unwavering affection” (ELLE) chronicling the challenges of growing up with a desperately scheming father, a mother plagued by an acute hoarding disorder, and...

**From the James Beard Award-nominated author of Tacky, a boldly funny, warts-and-all tour of the bad habits that make Rax King who she is"Most writers are boring people. King, though, seems different: Bettie Page meets Carrie Bradshaw."—Washington Post**With Rax King's trademark blend of irreverent humor and heartfelt honesty comes a new collection of personal essays unpacking bad behavior. Sloppy explores sobriety, begrudging self-improvement, and the ha...

Laugh your way through the season with more of those "epic fails, with frosting" from the creator of Cake Wrecks ( The New York Times).From thankless Thanksgiving turkeys and confusing Christmas conundrums, to less-than-happy Hanukkah horrors and New Year's meltdowns, Wreck the Halls has an icing-smeared disaster for every occasion. With additional chapters on Black Friday, family communication, and navigating the murky waters of political...

Evil is easy...When Pitchford police chief Ryan Jackson gets asked by his ex-wife to help solve a spree murder in New Orleans, psychic private eye Garnet McGee accompanies him, eager for a romantic weekend away. But it's not easy investigating a crime that's already been solved — officially, at least. Even worse, in the Big Easy, nothing is as it seems, and the dead don't stay buried.Determined to prove herself and the worth of her unpredictable ps...

Does the thought of mistletoe give you hives?Does the sound of jingling bellsinstill fear in your heart?Do you hide under the covers from the day afterThanksgiving till New Year's Day?And even if you love Christmas, do thehyperconsumerism, overindulgence, andtinsel-covered everything make you crazy?If you said yes to any of these questions, this is the book for you. You are not alone. Everyone has a Christmas-nightmare story to tell....

What was worse? Santa Claus being some serial kidnapping sex fiend in between his annual gift drops or me being singled out for the privilege?Reena Basu is not a Christmas person. At all. So when the overworked 40-something librarian wakes up in the North Pole, in the office of Santa Claus himself, she's hardly filled with the holiday spirit. Good thing jolly old St. Nick has plans to fill her with something else.***Content Notes:***Riding Nick is an appro...