Jeanne Marie Laskas had a dream of fleeing her otherwise happyurban life for fresh air and open space — a dream she woulddiscover was about something more than that. But she never expectedher fantasy to come true — until a summer afternoon’s drive in thecountry. That’s when she and her boyfriend, Alex — owner of Marley thepoodle — stumble upon the place she thought existed only in herdreams. This pretty-as-a-picture-postcard farm with an Amish barn,a chestnut grove, and breathtaking vistas is real ... and for sale.And it’s where she knows her future begins. But buying a postcard — fifty acres of scenery — and living onit are two entirely different matters. With wit and wisdom, Laskaschronicles the heartwarming and heartbreaking stories of thecolorful two- and four-legged creatures she encounters onSweetwater Farm. Against a backdrop of brambles, a satellite dish, and sheep,she tells a tender, touching, and hilarious tale about life, love,and the unexpected complic

Originally a New Deal liberal and aggressive anticommunist,Senator Eugene McCarthy famously lost faith with the Democraticparty over Vietnam. His stunning challenge to Lyndon Johnson in the1968 New Hampshire primary inspired young liberals and was one ofthe greatest electoral upsets in American history. But the 1968election ultimately brought Richard Nixon and the Republican Partyto power, irrevocably shifting the country’s political landscape tothe right for decades to come. Dominic Sandbrook traces one of the most remarkable andsignificant lives in postwar politics, a career marked by bothcourage and arrogance. Sandbrook draws on extensive new research –including interviews with McCarthy himself – to show convincinglyhow Eugene McCarthy’s political experience embodies the largerdecline of American liberalism after World War II. These weretumultuous times in American politics, and Sandbrook vividlycaptures the drama and historical significance through his intimateportrait of a singularly

The author of classic novels including Indiana and Lélia , George Sand is perhaps better known for herunconventional life. Belinda Jack unravels the many facets of thiswriter who counted among her friends and lovers everyone fromChopin and Liszt to Dostoyevsky and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.Sand defied convention by writing novels; but the fact that she wasa cigar-smoking cross-dresser who took male and female lovers,declared marriage “barbarous,” and championed socialism made her alegend. Allowing Sand’s voice to be heard, but wise enough toquestion it, Jack presents a riveting study of a woman raised byher aristocratic grandmother and her prostitute mother, and whoselife and work were forever fueled by rival worlds.

In a masterly act of literary transformation, celebratednovelist Hanan al-Shaykh re-creates the dramatic life and times ofher mother, Kamila. Married at a young age against her will, Kamila soon fellhead-over-heels in love with another man—and was thus forced tochoose between her children and her lover. As the narrative unfoldsthrough the years—from the bazaars, cinemas and apartments of 1930sBeirut to its war-torn streets decades later—we follow thispassionate woman as she survives the tragedies and celebrates thetriumphs of a life lived to the very fullest.

Told by a former high-level member of the Peoples Temple andJonestown survivor, Seductive Poison is the "trulyunforgettable" ( Kirkus Review ) story of how one woman wasseduced by one of the most notorious cults in recent memory and howshe found her way back to sanity. From Waco to Heaven's Gate, the past decade has seen its share ofcult tragedies. But none has been quite so dramatic or compellingas the Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the Reverend Jim Jonesand 913 of his disciples perished. Deborah Layton had been a memberof the Peoples Temple for seven years when she departed forJonestown, Guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the SouthAmerican jungle. When she arrived, however, Layton saw thatsomething was seriously wrong. Jones constantly spoke of arevolutionary mass suicide, and Layton knew only too well that hehad enough control over the minds of the Jonestown residents tocarry it out. But her pleas for help--and her sworn affidavit tothe U.S. government--fell on skeptical ears. I

When Anne Rice stopped crafting stories about vampires andbegan writing about Jesus, many of her fans were shocked. Thisautobiographical spiritual memoir provides an account of how theauthor rediscovered and fully embraced her Catholic faith afterdecades as a self-proclaimed atheist. Rice begins with herchildhood in New Orleans, when she seriously considered entering aconvent. As she grows into a young adult she delves into concernsabout faith, God and the Catholic Church that lead her away fromreligion. The author finally reclaims her Catholic faith in thelate 1990s, describing it as a movement toward total surrender toGod. She writes beautifully about how through clouds of doubt andpain she finds clarity, realizing how much she loved God anddesired to surrender her being, including her writing talent, toGod. Covering such a large sequence of time and life events is noteasy, and some of the author's transitions are a bit jarring. Fansof Rice's earlier works will enjoy discovering more about her lifean

In his life and in his music, Cole Porter was "the top"--thepinnacle of wit, sophistication, and success. His songs--"I Get aKick Out of You," "Anything Goes," and hundreds more--were instantpop hits, and their musical and emotional depths have made themlasting standards. William McBrienhas captured the creator of these songs, whose life was not merelyone of wealth and privilege. A prodigal young man, Porter found hisemotional anchor in a long, loving, if sexless marriage, arelationship he repeatedly risked with a string of affairs withmen. His last eighteen years were marked by physical agony but alsounstinting artistic achievement, including the great Hollywoodmusicals High Society, Silk Stockings, and Kiss Me Kate (recentlyand very successfully revived on Broadway). Here, at last is a lifethat informs the great music and lyrics through illuminatingglimpses of the hidden, complicated, private man.