The Gayety & Other Stories is a fourth collection of short stories by Thomas McCavour. The Gayety is a story about two singers modelled after the lives of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. Robo is a story about artificial intelligence and robots. Milly and Sandy is about a mother daughter relationship. Bones Among the Dunes is a story about hostage taking. Dudley George is a true story about a dispute over indigenous land. Love Triangle Lost is about infidelity and its reward. Eight Ball is a lesbian love story. The 6th Sense is a story about a clairvoyant boy who phorsaw the destruction of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the end of World War II. The Star is a story about a tree ornament that relates what it has seen. G-Men & G-Strings is a murder story. Yes I Remember It Well is about an Alzheimer victim who becomes an inspirational speaker. A Twin's Tale is a story about a mother that seduces her twin daughter's boyfriend. I Learned to Walk is another inspirational story about a paraplegic learning to walk. Stranded is a story about a female astronaut who is temporarily stranded on the moon. Billy Bee tells about the lives of two bees. The Trinity Carving is about a retired dentist who becomes wood carver. The Impossible Dream is a story about a handicapped boy who becomes a famous percussionist. The Mole is a story about an Auschwitz Nazi who is discovered, charged and sentenced to death. Klepto is a story about a kleptomaniac and finally Pulling Petals is a story about a mortician that falls in love with a florist.

Eisner Award–winning horror master Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden present tales featuring the world's greatest vampire hunter on a quest for vengeance across a world overrun by monsters. A demented surgeon attempts to cure vampirism by creating greater horrors, and a perverse inquisitor reveals his own dark secrets, as Baltimore pursues the scarred vampire that he blames for all of it. * Epic vampire horror adventure from Hellboy creator Mike Mignola!

In this unique self-help book, two doctors offer an innovative approach to contentment and wellness that begins with ending our addiction to “happiness.” Miserably Happy offers a unique take on the popular subject of happiness. Acknowledging the positive aspects of this powerful emotion, the book also explores its negative consequences. The truth is that all too often the pursuit of happiness—especially in its modern definition as the experience of pleasure—can lead to misery. In Miserably Happy, you will discover a new definition of happiness based in the physical, mental, and spiritual properties of being human. The human mind, aligned with our biology, defines our health and wellness. As the authors point out: “In living within our created nature we become deeply connected to ourselves, others, our communities, the environment and, indeed, the universe. . . . The secret to lasting genuine happiness is found in nature.” Providing a bold new definition of healthy human functioning and development, Miserably Happy can be your path to genuine meaning, purpose, and happiness in your life.

In the title story, Mrs. Rentería shouts, “David is mine!” as she and her neighbors gather about the dead but handsome young man found in the dry riverbed next to their homes in a Los Angeles barrio. “Since when is his name David?” someone asks, and soon everyone is arguing about the mysterious corpse’s name, throwing out suggestions: Luis, Roberto, Antonio, Henry, Enrique, Miguel, Roy, Rafael. Many of the pieces in this collection take place in a Los Angeles neighborhood that used to be called Frog Town, now known as Elysian Valley. Ron Arias reveals the lives of his Mexican-American community: there’s Eddie Vera, who goes from school yard enforcer to jail bird and finally commando fighting in Central America; a boy named Tom, who chews his nails so incessantly that it leads to painful jalapeño chili treatments, banishment from the neighborhood school and ultimately incarceration in a school for emotionally disturbed kids; and Luisa, a young girl who can’t resist an illicit visit to Don Noriega, an old man the kids call El Mago who is known as a curandero in their neighborhood. Most of the 14 stories included in this volume were originally published in journals that no longer exist, including El Grito: A Journal of Contemporary Mexican-American Thought, Caracol and Revista Chicano-Riqueña. The author of an important novel—The Road to Tamazunchale—published during the Chicano literary movement of the 1970s, Arias was one of the first to use magic realism and connect U.S. Hispanic literature to its more popular, Latin-American cousin. The Wetback and Other Stories finally gathers together and makes available the short fiction of a pioneer in Mexican-American literature. “I felt reading these wonderful stories that I was admitted to an adjacent neighborhood, a rich culture that is another world—call it Amexica—both mysterious and magical, that is persuasive through its tenderness. My hope is that Ron Arias continues to write short stories that tell us who we are.”—Paul Theroux "The Road to Tamazunchale is one of the first achieved works of Chicano consciousness and spirit."— Library Journal

Dr. Bernie Siegel has long observed how relationships with animals have helped his patients, alleviating their suffering and heartbreak. Now, he’s gathered many inspiring true stories, including delightful tales from the “Siegel Family Zoo” where “squawks, purrs, chirrups, squeaks, barks, and so on” fill the house. Other stories reveal animals as teachers and messengers, doctors and nurses, healers and miracle workers, and often as guileless clowns. Bernie writes that animals are here to show us how to be nonjudgmental and live better, healthier lives. Let these stories teach you, and apply their lessons to your daily life. If you have an animal, an appreciation for the inspirational, or simply the need for a smile, you’ll treasure this celebration of animals as a source of love, wisdom, and miracles. A portion of the publisher’s proceeds from this book will aid Ark Angel Society.

Created in consultation with teachers and public librarians, this fantastic collection of 101 ready-to-use book lists provides invaluable help for any educator who plans activities for children that involve using literature. Nancy J. Keane is the author of the award-winning website Booktalks—Quick and Simple (nancykeane.com/booktalks), as well as the creator of the open collaboration wiki ATN Book Lists. With 101 Great, Ready-to-Use Book Lists for Children, she provides another indispensable resource for librarians and teachers. The lists in this book are the result of careful consultation with teachers and public librarians, and from discussions on professional email lists. These indispensable reading lists can be used in many ways—for example, as handouts to teachers as suggested reading, to create book displays, or as display posters in the library. This collection will help educators support the extended reading demands of today's children.