Sweet Land

From one of America’s most beloved authors, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces, offering a fresh perspective on the remarkable literary mind of Harper Lee. Harper Lee remains a landmark figure in the American canon –...

The settlement of North America was the beginning of a new era in human history. The oppressive laws, habits, and customs of the Old World no longer held such power over those who had made the treacherous journey across the Atlantic. No reigning monarch or dictatorial power ever stepped onto the ground of North America. Yet, despite this, the men and women of the 13 colonies of North America were still not free until they threw off the shackles of England's government and asserted their own rights.

A blacksmith with a quiet heart. A candy maker with big dreams. A matchmaking child who believes in miracles—and a town where danger hides behind friendly smiles. In Cedar Ridge, Montana, Emily Harper is known for two things: her sweet shop’s famous candy, and her steady determination to grow the family business. Love isn't on her radar—especially not with so much on her plate. But when a tumble off a ladder lands her in the arms of the town’s brooding blacksmith, everything changes. Thomas Benton never planned on falling again. As a widower raising a spirited six-year-old and ...

In Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies, food writer Rossi Anastopoulo cracks open our relationship to pie with wit and good humor. She traces the pies woven into our history, following the evolution of our country across centuries of innovation and change and examining how America’s relationship with this iconic dessert impacted culture across eras—and vice versa.

Bishop E.W. Jackson’s life story unites Americans around a shared legacy of freedom. As a great grandson of slaves, he believes that the promise of liberty has always belonged to all Americans. For some, only their heirs would be the full beneficiaries.

Dominique Laxalt was 16 when he left the French Pyrenees for America. He became a sheepherder in the Nevada desert and nearby hills of the Sierra. Like all his fellow Basque immigrants, Dominique dreamed of someday returning to the land of his beginnings. Most Basques never made the journey back, but Dominique finally did return for a visit with family and friends. Sweet Promised Land is the story of that trip, told by his son Robert, who accompanied him to the pastoral mountain village of Tardets in France.

The world ended not with a bang, but with a sickening lurch. One moment, Mike was wrestling with a stubborn garden hose, the scent of cut grass and impending rain filling the air. The next, the sky ripped open. Not with thunder, but with a silent, violent tear that bled impossible colors across the horizon. Candace, usually so grounded, had simply pointed, her hand trembling, her eyes wide with a terror that mirrored his own. The air grew heavy, thick with an unidentifiable metallic tang, and a profound silence fell, deeper and more absolute than any they had ever known. It was the silence ...

My apartment had been a testament to my former life. Walls adorned with schematics and whiteboards filled with arcane symbols. Bookshelves overflowing with volumes on computer science, algorithms, and theoretical physics. The air had always smelled faintly of ozone and the metallic tang of new electronics. It was a space of intense focus, of dedicated intellectual pursuit. The idea of being truly alone, stripped of the constant, stimulating hum of technology and the implicit safety net of organized society, would have been utterly alien. I’d prided myself on my ability to navigate complex...

Before Candace could speculate, a low, guttural growl echoed from the far end of the depot, followed by the distinct sound of heavy boots crunching on gravel. It was a sound of human origin, but there was an aggression to it, a territoriality that sent a prickle of alarm through Candace. "Someone else," Elara whispered, her hand tightening on her pipe. Candace nodded, her gaze fixed on the source of the sound. "And they don't sound friendly." She could see them now – a group of figures emerging from the gloom, their silhouettes indistinct against the muted light. They were armed, their ...

One of America’s premier writers, the bestselling author of Ragtime, Billy Bathgate, The Book of Daniel, and World’s Fair turns his astonishing narrative powers to the short story in five dazzling explorations of who we are as a people and how we live. Ranging over the American continent...

The hand was mangled. It looked chewed, a finger missing, maybe an accident with a dog, his mind supplied. Accidents with dogs happened. He watched the little boy stumble along. The arm a grotesque parody of a real arm, swinging freely from its shoulder socket. Their eyes met a moment later, but it was already too late for the little boy. Roux had used his hands to prop his knees so he could stand. A second of standing had told him he could walk, and a single limping step had told him he could walk well enough. It had probably been the standing, his mind supplied now. His feet scraping on ...

As they were bagging their meager findings, a sudden sound echoed from the front of the store – a faint scuff, like a boot on loose gravel. Both men froze, their bodies tensing. Mike slowly raised his rifle, his finger hovering over the trigger. Ben drew his machete, his knuckles white. The silence that followed was deafening, stretching out, each second an eternity. Then, another sound, closer this time – the unmistakable creak of the store's front door, the one they had pried open. "Someone's here," Ben breathed, his voice tight. Mike signaled for Ben to stay put, then moved silently ...

This unique collection of American stories from the frozen tundra of Alaska to the lush green hills of Virginia; from the sweltering bayous of Louisiana to the windswept prairies of South Dakota is told in DeSpain's signature gentle style. Every reader will find something of interest - the stories range from practical tales of wisdom such as “Pulling the Rope” to silly and scary ones such as “The Haint that Roared” and “The Big, Smelly, Hairy Toe.” The stories' represent not only the geographic diversity of the United States but also offer a portrait of our nation's values, ...

Christmas used to be the Tannon family’s favorite holiday, but 13-year-old Oliver can’t imagine celebrating after his dad deserted their family. Peace on Earth? Yeah right! Oliver doesn’t believe it exists.

He’d made mistakes...more than a few and probably didn’t deserve the second chance he’d been given. But he was going to do everything he could to prove himself worthy of it. Ray didn’t have a single doubt that a number of individuals were wondering where he’d disappeared to. With luck it would stay that way...but if it didn’t he probably wouldn’t be around to worry about it. Not even a week ago he’d arrived on the island with a windfall of money to his name but no where to go. Being given another chance was the last thing he expected when he arrived...or that it came from ...

Andrea Zurita was a young woman, there seemed no reason for her sudden illness and death, but there were things that should be done and so the local Mirukus, shaman had come. A few words, prayers, the shaman was a transplanted Haitian: They understood most of what he said, but not everything. He had left and they had prepared her for burial. She was washed and dressed in a plain white cotton dress. The second day came and the family came to call, leaving their wishes where she lay in her grandmother's home. The third day came and the burial was coming. Cousins, men who worked in a ...

Stella Sparks has no time for love—not when her 30 Before 30 list is calling and her new job depends on reviving rockstar Rhys James’s image before he headlines Winter Lights Live. The trouble? Rhys isn’t interested in playing America’s perfect popstar anymore, especially when his label insists he sing the cheesy Christmas hit he’s grown to hate. And Stella, who once had his poster taped to her teenage bedroom wall, is no longer swooning—she’s determined to keep things professional.

He’d made mistakes...more than a few and probably didn’t deserve the second chance he’d been given. But he was going to do everything he could to prove himself worthy of it. Ray didn’t have a single doubt that a number of individuals were wondering where he’d disappeared to. With luck it would stay that way...but if it didn’t he probably wouldn’t be around to worry about it. Not even a week ago he’d arrived on the island with a windfall of money to his name but no where to go. Being given another chance was the last thing he expected when he arrived...or that it came from ...

He’d made mistakes...more than a few and probably didn’t deserve the second chance he’d been given. But he was going to do everything he could to prove himself worthy of it. Ray didn’t have a single doubt that a number of individuals were wondering where he’d disappeared to. With luck it would stay that way...but if it didn’t he probably wouldn’t be around to worry about it. Not even a week ago he’d arrived on the island with a windfall of money to his name but no where to go. Being given another chance was the last thing he expected when he arrived...or that it came from ...

Social media comedian Heather Land uses her trademark sassy, laugh-out-loud humor to remind us of the many ways that real life can be really funny. Heather Land has something to say about almost everything in life—the unbelievable, inconceivable, and downright frustrating—and why she...