An international cult classic and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, The Crying Heart Tattoo follows the unlikely romance between a young man and a woman more than twice his age. Beginning their relationship when Sonny is just fourteen and Felicity thirty-four, the couple share a poignant history together that ends only upon Felicity's passing -- despite four marriages, numerous obstacles, and enough misadventures to challenge the most loyal of lovers. At once heartbreaking and euphoric, their story mirrors the tale that Felicity has passed down to Sonny, a story uncanny in its similarity to their own: when a prehistoric outcast locates her former tribe, she falls in love with a young boy. A masterful novel first published a quarter of a century ago, The Crying Heart Tattoo keeps the impossible within reach, proving once and for all that the struggle for true love is worth everything.

How do you fight despair and learn to meet the world with a loving heart? How do you overcome shame? Stay faithful in spite of failure? No matter where people live or what their circumstances may be, everyone needs boundless, restorative love. Gorgeous and uplifting, Tattoos on the Heart amply demonstrates the impact unconditional love can have on your life. As a pastor working in a neighborhood with the highest concentration of murderous gang activity in Los Angeles, Gregory Boyle created an organization to provide jobs, job training, and encouragement so that young people could work together and learn the mutual respect that comes from collaboration. Tattoos on the Heart is a breathtaking series of parables distilled from his twenty years in the barrio. Arranged by theme and filled with sparkling humor and glowing generosity, these essays offer a stirring look at how full our lives could be if we could find the joy in loving others and in being loved unconditionally. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JCPenney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Lula we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Pedro we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the darkness. In each chapter we benefit from Boyle’s wonderful, hard-earned wisdom. Inspired by faith but applicable to anyone trying to be good, these personal, unflinching stories are full of surprising revelations and observations of the community in which Boyle works and of the many lives he has helped save. Erudite, down-to-earth, and utterly heartening, these essays about universal kinship and redemption are moving examples of the power of unconditional love in difficult times and the importance of fighting despair. With Gregory Boyle’s guidance, we can recognize our own wounds in the broken lives and daunting struggles of the men and women in these parables and learn to find joy in all of the people around us. Tattoos on the Heart reminds us that no life is less valuable than another.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Trust no one. Not your best friend, not your wife, not the police—and certainly not yourself. Sidney O'Keefe just wants to spend a peaceful weekend alone with his wife and daughter in the vacation paradise of Lake Placid, New York—now that he's been paroled after a ten year stretch in a maximum-security prison. But any illusion of a peaceful future is destroyed when his eleven-year-old daughter, Chloe, suddenly disappears from the iconic beach scene, leaving Sidney and his wife, Penny, stricken with fear and panic. When it's determined that his old crime boss, Mickey Rabuffo, might be behind the abduction, it becomes apparent that the past has not only come back to haunt Sidney, but it's come back to kill the entire family. With the village police assuming that Sidney, an ex-con with a history of prison violence, is responsible for his daughter's disappearance, Sidney is left with no choice—he needs to take the law into his own hands—not only to expose the truth about what's developing into a conspiracy of Biblical proportions, but also to render his own particular brand of rough justice. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins

Mastering the details of English grammar and style can be a slow and painful process. With clear, no-nonsense explanations and examples, Idiot's Guides: Grammar and Style makes learning the finer points of the English language easy. The book focuses on what people really need to know — the mechanics of writing, the parts of speech, proper punctuation and capitalization, and the most common errors (and how to avoid and fix them). Exercises that reinforce learning are also packed into this helpful guide.

Something improved for me when Lana Cattivo moved in next door. I guess you’d have to call it something else, desire, since lust wasn’t entirely accurate. But then, neither was love. Not by a long shot. From Thriller and Shamus Award winner Vincent Zandri comes a thriller that shows danger doesn't need to find you - because it's already right next door. Sometimes fences make for nice neighbors. Other times they hide the evil within. Orchard Grove is a town like any other, with quiet neighborhoods and apple groves . . . though Ethan, the depressed screenplay writer, and his secretive wife, Susan, would tell you differently. So would the seductive serial killer living next door. The apple trees are fertilized with evil, and the backyard fences aren’t enough to stop the manipulative mind games and dangerous lies. The lines between good and evil are blurred, and then erased, as Ethan does what it takes to survive. Orchard Grove is a thriller from a writer lauded as one of the very best working today, that will keep you turning pages long into the night.

Alanna Christine always emerges smelling like a roseor, at least, she sculpts the pile of crap shes in to look like a rose. She likens herself to a phoenix, constantly burning up and rising from the ashes in this memoir that combines aspects of Cinderella with The Little Engine that Could. From being adopted and feeling out of place to contemplating suicide and going through a divorce, shes conquered obstacles with grace and humor. With hard-fought wisdom, shes forged ahead regardless of the stumbling blocks thrown in her path. Perhaps the biggest challenge has been living with multiple sclerosis, which has taught her that asking for help doesnt indicate weaknessit indicates strength. Shes also learned that we truly dont miss anything until its gone. In candid fashion, she looks back on her personal trials and tribulations, victories and defeats, and miracles shes witnessed on the way. While shes scared of what the future might hold, shes already discovered strength she never knew she had. Get ready to be inspired by the important life lessons in How I Got a Horse Out of a Toilet.

This beautifully illustrated guide delves deep into the meaning and significance of different tattoo symbols, exploring the rich cultural history around the world of this widespread form of body art. Tattoos are everywhere: one in three of us has at least one. Body art is one of the most popular ways of expressing our identity and beliefs. But whether we’re aware of it or not when we choose a design to be permanently inked on our skin, a complex language of meanings lies behind the visuals we choose. A lotus flower, koi carp swimming upstream or a dragon rising towards the sun: in the language of tattoos these are all symbols of strength and overcoming adversity. This book uncovers the meanings behind tattoo symbols, delving into the history of the most popular motifs that recur in many different tattoo styles, including tribal, traditional, Japanese and realistic. Over 130 symbols are grouped according to their meanings, whether it’s good luck, freedom, wisdom, power, spirituality or love. Each symbol is illustrated with stunning, specially drawn visuals by acclaimed artist and tattooist Oliver Munden, and accompanied by an explanation by tattoo expert Nick Schonberger which delves into its history, significance and application in tattooing. Both a visual delight and a fascinating insight into the rich cultural heritage of tattooing, this is the perfect book for anyone wanting to learn more about tattoo symbolism, in need of inspiration for their next tattoo, or who just loves tattoo art.

In Losing Everything, his first book of nonfiction, acclaimed novelist David Lozell Martin tells his wildest, most outlandish story yet—his own. One evening in the mountainous forest of his isolated West Virginia farmhouse, Martin became disoriented when searching for a horse who had wandered off the property. Wading through the dark and guiding his horse with a belt around its neck, Martin felt as though every step was taking him deeper into the mountains. Instead, he unknowingly spent the night walking in a wide circle that brought him back to where he started. This quickly became a metaphor for Martin's life. "The more lost I get, the closer to home I come." After growing up with a violent father who nearly killed Martin's clinically insane mother, Martin pursued a writer's life with a vengeance, becoming vulnerable to struggles with alcohol, financial ruin, and legal feuds. Then, after a betrayal by his soul mate, Martin's sanity was in as much jeopardy as his mother's had ever been -- a state of mind that in his case led to gunfire, divorce, and at least one trip to the emergency room. But Losing Everything is less about getting lost and more about finding your way home again. In his pursuit of stability, Martin uncovered lessons that might help others who have encountered loss: take pleasure in something as small as an ampersand, keep a list of people you know who have died, meet your own death like a warrior, and be glad you don't own a monkey. Deeply personal yet surprisingly universal, Martin's story is for anyone who has wandered astray. If not a road map, his journey is a guide, providing hard-earned wisdom to illuminate the path home.

John Lyon, a veteran but emotionally unstable newscaster, is drawn into a sinister web of evil in the heart of Appalachia when he investigates a woman's bizarre story about a West Virginia doctor who has been killing babies.

Bolt I've lived my life exactly like you imagine a rockstar would. The booze, the drugs, and so, so many women. I had it all and did it all. Until I walked into a tattoo shop and met her. Peyton didn't see me as Bolt, my stage persona. She saw me for me. There was something between us. Something invisible, electric and undeniable. It pushed us together and pulled us apart... again and again. Despite it all, I knew Peyton had to be mine. Until she was brutally taken from me. And my seemingly perfect world came crashing down.