A narrative poem about the Tohono O'Odham Indian's Saguaro Wine Ceremony, their most important harvest celebration.

“WhateverTom Piazza writes is touched with magic." —Douglas Brinkley Acclaimed author Tom Piazza follows hisprize-winning novel City of Refuge and the post-Katrinaclassic Why New Orleans Matters with a dynamic collection ofessays and journalism about American music and American character, in DevilSent the Rain. “TomPiazza’s writing is filled with energy, and with tender, insightful words forthe brilliant and irascible, from Jimmy Martin to Norman Mailer. Time and timeagain, Piazza identifies the unlikely, precious connections between recentevents, art, letters, and music; through his words, these byways of popularculture provide an unexpected measure of the times.” —Elvis Costello

As a result of his hard exterior and lonely tendencies, Tyler Steele finds himself a single father alone in the world - until a stranger and her daughter show up and change his life. Third generation Texas Ranger Tyler Steele is the last of a dying breed-- a modern day cowboy hero living in a world that doesn't quite understand his powerful sense of right and wrong and instinct to defend those who can't defend themselves. Despite his strong moral compass, Ty has trouble seeing his greatest weakness. His hard outer shell, the one essential to his work, made him incapable of forging the emotional connection his wife Andie so desperately needed. Now retired, rasing their son Brodie on his own, and at risk of losing his ranch, Ty does not know how to rebuild from the rubble of his life. The answer comes in the form of Samantha and her daughter Hope, on the run from a seemingly inescapable situation. They are in danger, desperate, and alone. Though they are strangers, Ty knows he can help-- protecting the innocent is what he does best. As his relationship with Sam and Hope unfolds, Ty realizes he must confront his true weaknesses if he wants to become the man he needs to be.

"Annie Bell can't escape the dust. It's in her hair, covering the windowsills, coating the animals in the barn, in the corners of her children's dry, cracked lips. It's 1934 and the Bell farm in Mulehead, Oklahoma is struggling as the earliest storms of The Dust Bowl descend. All around them the wheat harvests are drying out and people are packing up their belongings as storms lay waste to the Great Plains. As the Bells wait for the rains to come, Annie and each member of her family are pulled in different directions. Annie's fragile young son, Fred, suffers from dust pneumonia; her headstrong daughter, Birdie, flush with first love, is choosing a dangerous path out of Mulehead; and Samuel, her husband, is plagued by disturbing dreams of rain. As Annie, desperate for an escape of her own, flirts with the affections of an unlikely admirer, she must choose who she is going to become."--Syndetics

Starting at a new high school is hard, especially as a senior. At age 17, Derek moves with his family from North Carolina to Utah. Derek learns about the unwritten laws of dating in Utah, and that his mom and dad have a history at his new school--a history that threatens his future. Set in 1986, "Bring Down The Rain" is a story of loss, grief, redemption, hope, and making life altering choices.

After rain comes down, the sun comes out and dries the puddles. But the water isn't gone. The heat from the sun has turned it into water vapor-it has evaporated. Eventually, this moisture in the air condenses to form new clouds. Soon the rain will fall again. Read on to find out all the ups and downpours of the water cycle!

An urban woman artist arrives in a small southwestern town near the Mexican border at the invitation of the town priest. She has come to paint murals in his church, not knowing that the church has burned down in a catastrophic fire. The artist becomes the catalyst for the town's release of its collective guilt, allowing the rebuilding of the church & a truce between the Catholic priest & the town's old woman healer. In the process she faces her own terrifying nightmares, their source & the resolution of her sexual identity. A wonderful, fast-paced novel by a new talent.

This is a story about faith. As simple as that sounds, sometimes all of us need an example of how faith inevitably becomes the single most important component of who we are, what we do, and what we will become. At forty-seven, Mike suffered a widow-maker heart attack, which stopped his heart. This event resulted in multiple cardiac arrests, cardiogenic shock, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolisms, and acute kidney injury. He was given a 0.5 percent chance of survival. His parents were advised to plan his funeral. Mike was unconscious for over two weeks, but he was never alone. Bring the Rain is an inspirational and personal account of Mike Mitcheners encounter with death and his time in heaven. This book is a quick read for anyone who is searching. Mike hopes that sharing his story will encourage others in their spiritual journey.

“Because you’re worth rescue.” The unrelenting third installment in the Murphy Shepherd series from New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin. Murphy Shepherd’s last rescue mission very nearly cost him his life. He’d like nothing more than to stay close to his wife and daughters for a while. But Bones’s nemesis must be stopped, and there are so many who still need to know they are worth rescuing. As the cat-and-mouse game moves into the open, Murphy is tested at every turn—both physically and mentally. Then the unthinkable happens: his beloved mentor and friend is taken. Gone without a trace. Murphy lives by the mantra that love always shows up. But how can he rescue Bones when he has no leads? With heart-stopping clarity, The Record Keeper explores the true cost of leaving the ninety-nine to find the one. Part of the Murphy Shepherd series: Book One: The Water Keeper Book Two: The Letter Keeper Book Three: The Record Keeper Full-length novel Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also by Charles Martin: The Mountain Between Us, Chasing Fireflies, When Crickets Cry, Long Way Gone

Life is a battle, but you can't fight it with your fists. You got to fight it with your heart.