Featured Books: July 2009

Tea Parties by Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser, & Ted Enik

$12.99 / 9780061801747 / HarperCollins

Fancy Nancy knows how to throw quite a bash. In her own inimitable style, the girl who loves to use fancy words provides tips on how to host the perfect tea party. From what to serve, how to decorate, and which fun-filled activities to do with guests, this party-planning guide provides all the tips readers need to throw the best tea party ever! Best for ages 4-8.

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell

$6.99 / 9780061448812 / HarperCollins

Unique in every way imaginable, Ottoline Brown is skilled in the art of sleuthing. With the help of her hairy best friend, Mr. Munroe the cat, she eagerly takes on her latest case to catch the jewel thief and dog-napping bandit who has caused panic in the hearts of the high-society residents of Big City. Best for ages 8-12.

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

$24.99 / 9780061721557 / Harper

Overwhelmed by heartbreak and loss, the struggling twenty-six-year-old fashion designer follows her mother's advice and flees to her ancestral homeland of Ireland. In Glanmara, a charming Gaelic village, Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace-making society. Kate finds the inspiration that has eluded her and the strength to face her long-denied desires and fears.

Living Raw Food by Sarma Melngailis

$35.00 / 9780061458477 / William Morrow Cookbooks

Sarma Melngailis invites us inside her glamorous restaurant, Pure Food and Wine, with dozens more recipes for fresh and vibrant juices, shakes, soups, simple dishes, main courses, desserts, and cocktails. Whether you're snacking on the run, having a quiet dinner at home, or throwing a festive cocktail party, eating raw food makes you feel alive. Filled with sensuous, sexy, and energizing food, this book is sure to enrich your life, whether you're a carnivorous epicure or a raw-foods junkie.

The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story by Julia Reed

$13.99 / 9780061136658 / Harper Perennial

After fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, Julia Reed got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. "The House on First Street" is the chronicle of Reed's remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city.

The Outlander by Gil Adamson

$14.99 / 9780061491344 / Harper Perennial

At nineteen, Mary Boulton has just become a widow–and her husband's killer. As bloodhounds track her frantic race toward the mountains, she is tormented by mad visions and by the knowledge that her two ruthless brothers-in-law are in pursuit, determined to avenge their brother's death. Responding to little more than the primitive instinct for survival, she retreats ever deeper into the wilderness–and into the wilds of her own mind.

Fleeced by Dick Morris & Eileen McGann

$16.99 / 9780061547775 / Harper Paperbacks

In this hard-hitting call to arms, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann reveal the hundreds of ways American taxpayers are routinely fleeced--by our own government, by foreign countries, by Washington lobbying firms, by hedge-fund billionaires, and by the president himself--and offer practical agendas we all can follow to help turn the tide.

Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon by Pablo Neruda & Stephen Mitchell (TRN)

$14.99 / 9780061733574 / Harper Perennial

The poetry of Pablo Neruda is beloved worldwide for its passion, humor, and exceptional accessibility. The nearly fifty poems selected for this collection and translated by Stephen Mitchell focus on Neruda's mature period. A bilingual volume, with Neruda's original Spanish text facing Mitchell's English translation, it will bring Neruda's sensuous work to vibrant life for a whole new generation of readers.