NPR Best Book of 2017 Los Angeles Times Best Fiction Pick Refinery29 Best Book of the Year BOLO Books Top Read of 2017 “Destined to be a classic L.A. novel.”—Michael Connelly When a teen runs away from his father’s mysterious commune, he sets in motion a domino effect that will connect six characters desperate for hope and love, set across the sun-bleached canvas of Los Angeles. From the acclaimed author of Visitation Street, a visionary portrait of contemporary Los Angeles in all its facets, from the Mojave Desert to the Pacific, from the 110 to Skid Row. During a typically crowded morning commute, a naked runner is dodging between the stalled cars. The strange sight makes the local news and captures the imaginations of a stunning cast of misfits and lost souls. There's Ren, just out of juvie, who travels to LA in search of his mother. There's Owen and James, teenage twins who live in a desert commune, where their father, a self-proclaimed healer, holds a powerful sway over his disciples. There's Britt, who shows up at the commune harboring a dark secret. There's Tony, a bored and unhappy lawyer who is inspired by the runner. And there's Blake, a drifter hiding in the desert, doing his best to fight off his most violent instincts. Their lives will all intertwine and come crashing together in a shocking way, one that could only happen in this enchanting, dangerous city. Wonder Valley is a swirling mix of angst, violence, heartache, and yearning—a masterpiece by a writer on the rise.

For the past ten years I have been coaching pastors of smaller churches. These leaders are always searching for answers and ideas that will relate to the unique challenges of pastoring a small church. Often times frustrated, they return from conferences led by pastors of larger churches telling them how to grow their church or offering them solutions that simply won't work in a small church. A few years ago I realized that I had been accumulating ideas for the everyday problems pastors face. I've gathered all these ideas into one volume and categorized them so that a pastor can easily find answers to their specific problems. Enjoy.

Running Naked Through the Streets is an account of the year Dr. Caramine White lived in the former Communist country Slovakia, from August 2004 - May 2005. When Dr. White received a Fulbright Scholarship, she and an American literature professor from a Slovak university 'exchanged' jobs. Dr. White lived in Banska Bystrica, a city of about 84,000 in central Slovakia. Although her students spoke English, very few of the townspeople did, and the living conditions were much different from those enjoyed in America. Running Naked Through the Streets, which refers to the utter helplessness and vulnerability she often felt, is neither an autobiography nor a travel book. Although Dr. White does include some interesting information for tourists, the crux of the book is how being so alone and dependent can encourage and even accelerate personal growth. It is told with a great deal of humor and honesty. Interwoven throughout the text are humorous essays recounting some of her bizarre adventures during the year, which range from belly dancing to marathon running, from inadvertently taking part in a Polish Confirmation ceremony to becoming the object of affection for a mentally challenged homeless man.

"Can it still be hurricane season? Must be, because here come Serge A. Storms and his perpetually stoned bro, Coleman, in Tim Dorsey’s gonzo crime caper.” –The New York Times Book Review The “compulsively irreverent and shockingly funny” (Boston Globe) Tim Dorsey returns with an insanely entertaining tale in which the inimitable Serge A. Storms sees dead people and investigates a creepy urban myth that may be all too real. Though another devastating hurricane is raking Florida, its awesome power can’t deter the Sunshine State’s most loyal son, Serge A. Storms, from his latest scenic road trip: a cemetery tour. With his best bro Coleman riding shotgun, Serge hits the highway in his gold ’69 Plymouth Satellite, putting pedal to the metal on a grand tour of the past. Beginning in Key West, the sunshine boys’ odyssey includes a forgotten mass grave in Palm Beach County holding the remains of African Americans killed by the Great Hurricane of 1928, and the resting place of one world-famous television dolphin (RIP Flipper) from the 1960s. But one deadland—a haunted old sugar field—holds more than just the bones of those who’ve passed. For years, local children have whispered about a boogeyman hiding among the stalks. Could it be the same maniac known as Naked Florida Man, who’s been raising hell all over the place? There are few things Serge loves more than solving a good mystery and bestowing justice on miscreants who sully his beloved home’s good name. With his partner Bong Man, Florida’s psycho superhero will find the truth in this hilariously violent delight—packed with history, lore, and plenty of motel antics—from the insanely ingenious Tim Dorsey.

Who doesn’t love Naked Men? In Christi Barth’s irresistible series, a group of close-knit friends talk out their problems with naked honesty on a popular blog. Bonded by a high-school tragedy, they’re moving on from the past—and fighting for the future with strong and sassy women. Griffin Montgomery helps people. As a teenager, he kept his best friends alive after their soccer team’s bus crashed in the Alps. Now, as a Coast Guard search and rescue pilot, he saves lives with reckless abandon—until he goes too far and earns a lengthy suspension. Working on the Naked Men projects keeps his mind busy, but Griff’s itching to get back in the action. That’s when he finds his latest rescue mission: a pretty wallflower who’s stuck in her comfort zone. Chloe Widmore doesn’t take risks. As a professional letter writer, she gets enough excitement out of expressing other people’s emotions. So when the hottest man she’s ever seen invades her coffee shop, Chloe surprises herself with how much she wants to be with him. Routines make her feel safe. Griff makes her deliciously unsafe, in so many ways. But falling for him is one risk she might just have to take . . . whether she’s ready or not. Catch all of USA Today bestselling author Christi Barth’s charming Naked Men novels: RISKING IT ALL | WANTING IT ALL | GIVING IT ALL | TRYING IT ALL Praise for Risking It All “The perfect escapist read—sweet and sexy, with an ending that will remind you of all the reasons you love romance.”—USA Today bestselling author Lauren Layne “Smart, sexy, and flat-out fun, Risking It All is one story readers will have a hard time putting down. Christi Barth’s heroes will make you laugh, sigh, and swoon—what could be better?”—USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Kincaid “Barth writes the perfect blend of humor, pathos, and romance.”—Library Journal “Risking It All delivers sexy romance, laugh-out-loud humor, unexpected surprises, and an unbreakable bond between friends. Christi Barth has written a winner!”—Tracy March, award-winning author of Should’ve Said No “Something special happens when Chloe and Griffin meet. Christi Barth takes you on a journey of discovery you won’t want to put down.”—Vonnie Davis, author of the Highlander’s Beloved series “I enjoyed [Barth’s] humor and clever use of metaphor [with] this group of successful, varied, intelligent, and witty characters.”—Books and Bindings “I can’t wait for the rest of this series.”—Obsessive Book Nerd “An entertaining read about ordinary people who’ve fallen in love . . . It’s a great start to what should be a good series—it’s not much to risk!”—Once Upon an Alpha “Barth does an excellent job of giving readers just enough information about Griff’s teammates to whet our appetites. I definitely want to read their stories but this one stands alone with no problem.”—Xtreme Delusions “The banter is one of the many highlights within Risking It All.”—Book Angel Booktopia Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Based on a True Story: If ever there was a man who could turn sh*t into vanilla; spin adversity into advantage, it is Rex Roberts, a financial alchemist now at the top of his game. But recently, he's hit the Death Valley of dry spells. The sheriff is serving him foreclosure papers' his beloved Mercedes is being repo'd, and his wife who's come to realize she didn't grab the brass ring wants a divorce. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, he finds a deal still in utero, one even the bottom feeders won't nibble on. Like Rex, John Z DeLorean needs to bail himself out of foreclosure and crippling legal bills. They are two desperate men, fighting back to back, not just for their financial survival, but to win and beat the bastards. Rex soon finds himself in the locked ward of a psychiatric hospital where his now separated wife and shrink want him to stay indefinitely. Will Rex provide his friend with a magnificent comeback, and incidentally save his own hide as well?

The Secret Gospel gives the first real evidence of the method by which Jesus of Nazareth initiated his disciples into the esoteric practices of his teaching, making this is a very important book for the history of humankind. In 1958, Morton Smith traveled to Jerusalem to do research in the monastery library of Mar Saba, in the Judean Desert. What he found was no routine corroboration of New Testament history, but a precious fragment of a second-century document that would change our understanding of the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. As exciting as the most suspenseful adventure story, Professor Smith's book is a lively and readable account of the discovery and unraveling of some of Christianity's most intriguing mysteries. ??The Secret Gospel invites a wide community of readers to share in the challenge of [Professor Smith?s] discovery, and to evaluate for themselves the provocative?and fundamental?questions it raises.? from the Foreword by Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels

In the tradition of Richard Ford, Annie Proulx, and Kent Haruf comes a dazzling debut story collection by a young writer from the American West who has been published in The New Yorker, Granta, and The Best American Short Stories. SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE • 2017 PEN/HEMINGWAY AWARD HONORABLE MENTION A construction worker on the run from the shady local businessman whose dog he has stolen; a Custer’s Last Stand reenactor engaged in a long-running affair with the Native American woman who slays him on the battlefield every year; a middle-aged high school janitor caught in a scary dispute over land and cattle with her former stepson: Callan Wink’s characters are often confronted with predicaments few of us can imagine. But thanks to the humor and remarkable empathy of this supremely gifted writer, the nine stories gathered in Dog Run Moon are universally transporting and resonant. Set mostly in Montana and Wyoming, near the borders of Yellowstone National Park, this revelatory collection combines unforgettable insight into the fierce beauty of the West with a powerful understanding of human beings. Tender, frequently hilarious, and always electrifying, Dog Run Moon announces the arrival of a bold new talent writing deep in the American grain. Praise for Dog Run Moon “[An] excellent first book of stories . . . One of the great things about Dog Run Moon is how resilient and funny [the characters] are. They’re at the end of their ropes, but they can still howl about the joy and pain each day brings, as if the young Levon Helm were singing their stories. . . . This is Thomas McGuane territory, and also that of writers like Joy Williams and Jim Harrison.”—The New York Times “Wink is definitely not a writer of half measures; each of these stories demonstrates his ability to lay life bare. A significant collection highly deserving of the spotlight.”—Library Journal (starred review) “Myth and history color these highly satisfying fictions about the way men and women struggle to shape their lives.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “The perils of work and the weight of bequeathal fuel these stories, and each one holds a lasting, unshakable image. Sometimes grace is bestowed upon the characters in a sidewindering, not altogether fabulous fashion; sometimes it’s not bestowed at all. Callan Wink seems to know well the stratagems and delusions of men’s hearts. He also seems born and bred to short-story mastery.”—Joy Williams, author of The Visiting Privilege “Callan Wink’s debut is impressive indeed. Fine, old-fashioned, rich and juicy fiction. Weeks later I’m still living with the characters.”—Jim Harrison, author of Legends of the Fall “Callan Wink’s fresh, urgent stories have an energy and propulsion that set them well apart from the cerebral finger painting of so much literary fiction. Here is a writer with a great big horizon.”—Thomas McGuane, author of Crow Fair “Callan Wink’s stories remind me of expertly tied trout flies—beautifully crafted, true to reality, and barbed. What a fine young writer.”—Ron Rash, author of Above the Waterfall “As in all the best collections, each and every story in Dog Run Moon sings in the essential registers of love and death, work and nature. Callan Wink has the wisdom to write only of the things that matter, and the talent to make these stories as fresh as the literary headwaters from which they come.”—Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek

Reactions are swift in the small and decidedly rural town of Sulphur Springs, Tennessee, when the unmarried high school art teacher announces that she plans to enter a painting in the town's annual Spring Fling Art Show. The title of her painting: A Room Full of Naked Men. It is not the content of the painting that matters as much as what people think the content will be. Family, coworkers, the girls down at the beauty shop, the over amorous editor of the local paper, the school board, and the Baptist preacher are just a few of the people we meet in this witty satire of small-town life. When our heroine, Sara Louise Upshaw, gets embroiled in the controversy surrounding her painting, she also manages to get acquainted with the handsome owner of the only place in town that sells "flesh" colored paint as love catches her off guard! A senile matron, five naked men running around town, a high society party that ends in a fistfight, a truckload of chickens, and the local doughnut shop are all elements in a story that shows that gossips and busybodies still hold sway in America today!