(Previously published as Legends of Lasniniar: Father Solstice by Jacquelyn Smith.) A Solstice tradition in the making. Barlo and Iarion return to the human city of Nal Huraseadro for the holiday. This time, Barlo’s nagging guesses about his Solstice gift must wait. Both he and his elf friend plan to find something under ten silvers within the city itself as a challenge. They arrive to find things changed since their last visit. But some things stay the same. Nothing can stop the pair of friends from finding trouble. ...Even on Solstice Eve. A fun, holiday short novel from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series and a follow-up to “A Solstice Tale” by the author of the Fatal Empire series, Jacquelyn Smith. (This adventure takes place between the prologue and first chapter of the World of Lasniniar novel Storm Rider.)

*The USA Today Bestseller* Raise one last glass with the Quinn Family at the Winter Street Inn. It's been too long since the entire Quinn family has been able to celebrate the holidays under the same roof, but that's about to change. With Bart back safe and sound from Afghanistan, the Quinns are preparing for a holiday more joyous than any they've experienced in years. And Bart's safe return isn't the family's only good news: Kevin is enjoying married life with Isabelle; Patrick is getting back on his feet after paying his debt to society; Ava thinks she's finally found the love of her life; and Kelly is thrilled to see his family reunited at last. But it just wouldn't be a Quinn family gathering if things went smoothly. A celebration of everything we love--and some of the things we endure--about the holidays, WINTER SOLSTICE is Elin Hilderbrand at her festive best. Follow the Quinn family through the entire Winter Street Series: Winter Street Winter Stroll Winter Storms Winter Solstice

Holiday havoc. Nothing ever seems to go according to plan when the Iarion and Barlo travel at this time of year... No matter how hard the elf and dwarf try, they always end up on the business end of a mystery that only they can solve. Join the unlikely pair of friends on a trio of holiday misadventures in this collection from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series by the author of the Fatal Empire series, Jacquelyn Smith. This collection includes three connected shorts that take place between the prologue and first chapter of the World of Lasniniar novel Storm Rider: A Solstice Tale Father Solstice A Solstice Feast A Solstice Tale (Short Story) Solstice Eve. An unexpected side trip. Barlo and Iarion find themselves looking for a room in the human city of Nal Huraseadro to take shelter from the snow. During their journey, Barlo only seeks the answer to one question. What did his elf friend get him for Solstice? His endless guesses border on harassment. Iarion refuses to budge. Despite the approaching holiday, not all remains peaceful in the city. ...And Iarion’s present soon becomes the furthest thing from Barlo’s mind. A stand-alone story from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series. If you love a lighthearted holiday misadventure, grab this book. (Previously published as “Legends of Lasniniar: A Solstice Tale.”) Father Solstice (Short Novel) A Solstice tradition in the making. Barlo and Iarion return to the human city of Nal Huraseadro for the holiday. This time, Barlo’s nagging guesses about his Solstice gift must wait. Both he and his elf friend plan to find something under ten silvers within the city itself as a challenge. They arrive to find things changed since their last visit. But some things stay the same. Nothing can stop the pair of friends from finding trouble. ...Even on Solstice Eve. A fun, holiday short novel from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series and a follow-up to “A Solstice Tale.” (Previously published as Legends of Lasniniar: Father Solstice.) A Solstice Feast (Short Story) A Solstice tradition continues… Once again, Barlo and Iarion travel toward the human city of Nal Huraseadro on their way to Dwarfhaven. The dwarf and elf make an effort to spend the holiday in the city every time Barlo’s rounds to the other dwarven outposts bring them to the area. The trips consist mainly of banter and misadventure. The perfect way to spend Solstice. Only this time, their journey takes them on an unexpected detour. A fun holiday story from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series and a follow-up to Father Solstice. (Previously published as “Legends of Lasniniar: A Solstice Feast.”)

When bookstore owner Sylvia Lynn returns to her childhood home in upstate New York, she meets the Fiber Guild - a group of local women who meet to knit, embroider, and sew - and learns why her grandmother watches her so closely. A primitive power exists in the forest, a force the Fiber Guild seeks to bind in its stitches and weavings. And Sylvia is no stranger to the woods...

Eighteen-year-old Piper lives with her controlling mother amid a Global Heating Crisis, but when she gets her first taste of freedom she discovers a universe of gods and monsters where her true identity, kept secret from her birth, could make all the difference in the world.

(Previously published as “Legends of Lasniniar: A Solstice Tale” by Jacquelyn Smith.) Solstice Eve. An unexpected side trip. Barlo and Iarion find themselves looking for a room in the human city of Nal Huraseadro to take shelter from the snow. During their journey, Barlo only seeks the answer to one question. What did his elf friend get him for Solstice? His endless guesses border on harassment. Iarion refuses to budge. Despite the approaching holiday, not all remains peaceful in the city. ...And Iarion’s present soon becomes the furthest thing from Barlo’s mind. A stand-alone story from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series by the author of the Fatal Empire series, Jacquelyn Smith. If you love a lighthearted holiday misadventure, grab this book. (This adventure takes place between the prologue and first chapter of the World of Lasniniar novel Storm Rider.)

The author, William M. Eaton, brings to his studies of Pueblo Indian culture a unique background. He was commissioned as 2nd Lt. in the USAAF with specialized training as a celestial navigator...One day as he surveyed a petroglyph panel, he was impressed with the fact that the Pueblo Indian shaman had imprinted several star Panels, namely Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, into the petroglyph panel. One set of obscure dots soon led to another, and a remarkable source of astronomical data was developed including the utilization of Pleiades, Orion, and the star Capella. This data, some of which related to star panels announcing the summer and winter solstices, was intended to initiate the annual schedules of a number of Pueblo Indian events such as the Niman Dance in Summer Solstice, the Soyal Winter Solsice Ceremony, and the Momtcit Warrior Initiation Rites in late December.

When Claudia Hodges-Bradley meets a fox, she knows it will be an extraordinary day. Not just any fox, this vixen is the magical familiar of the sorceress Morgana Shee. For years, Morgana has guarded the solitary gate between Earth and the Wildworld, a shimmering parallel universe where legends still live. She alone holds the secret of the mirrors that serve as the last surviving passage to enchantment. But Morgana has been betrayed and imprisoned in the Wildworld, and the fox is determined to recruit Claudia and her siblings for the rescue mission. Armed only with courage and determination, Alys, Charles, Jane and Claudia must save Morgana before the winter solstice, when evil sorcerer Cadel Forge plans to escape the Wildworld and conquer Earth. And with December 21stonly 2 weeks away, there is no time to lose…

National Book Award Finalist: “Wickersham has journeyed into the dark underworld inside her father and herself and emerged with a powerful, gripping story.” —The Boston Globe One winter morning in 1991, Joan Wickersham’s father shot himself in the head. The father she loved would never have killed himself, and yet he had. His death made a mystery of his entire life. Who was he? Why did he do it? And what was the impact of his death on the people who loved him? Using an index—the most formal and orderly of structures—Wickersham explores this chaotic and incomprehensible reality. Every bit of family history, every encounter with friends, doctors, and other survivors, exposes another facet of elusive truth. Dark, funny, sad, and gripping, at once a philosophical and a deeply personal exploration, The Suicide Index is, finally, a daughter’s anguished, loving elegy to her father.

On December 21, 2012, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a 5,125-year cycle calendar system pioneered by the Maya, will come to an end. At the same time, the earth, the sun, and the center of the galaxy will come together in an extremely rare cosmic alignment. More and more people believe that the world as we know it will experience a transformation in 2012, but few are aware of the complete history or significance of the date. John Major Jenkins, among the most authoritative voices of the 2012 movement, has written a definitive explanation of one of the most thought-provoking phenomena of our time. Drawing from his own groundbreaking research (including his involvement in the modern reconstruction of Mayan 2012 cosmology) and more than two decades of extensive study of Mayan culture, Jenkins has created the crucial guide to understanding the story of 2012—an essential overview of the history, theory, cultures, and personalities that have brought this extraordinary idea into modern awareness. Jenkins provides illuminating answers to some of the most-asked questions about 2012, including: - How did the early Maya devise the calendar that gives us the cycle ending in 2012, and how does it work? - How did the calendar come to be rediscovered and reconstructed in our era? - What controversies and intrigues surround the topic, and what do scholars and researchers have to say about them? - How can we cut through all the noise about 2012 and gain true wisdom from the Mayan teachings about this moment?