They were the Finest Creations--mystically forged creatures of perfection sent by the creators to aid the Fallen (mankind) during their mortal existence. Though they resemble ordinary horses they are highly intelligent, capable of communicating telepathically and completely moral. They are assigned to bond with individuals of great potential and then protect them from harm while guiding them along a path of virtue. Gallant-Stallion has found his charge, a young girl by the name of Kalantha, whose brother is soon to be king and the pawn of a deceitful and murderous bishop who covets the royal power and has allied himself with creatures of the dark arts. The Finest has successfully removed her from his influence but now must contend with the other temptations of the world--the lure of power, the mystery of learning and knowledge, and the intrigue and freedom of adventure and independence. Kalantha is still young and bitter over her lot in life, betrayed, envious, and scared, and her mentor Gallant-Stallion is unsure of how to lead her as is his duty as her Finest. The Finest series combines elements of Misty Lackey's Valdemarr series with C.S.Lewis's Narnia for an inspiring tale of mystical intrigue and the crucible of morality for mankind.

“Genius… It is miraculous to read these pieces… You must read The Best of Me.” —Andrew Sean Greer, New York Times Book Review A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice A CNN and Christian Science Monitor Best Book of the Month For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to read without laughing. Now, for the first time collected in one volume, the author brings us his funniest and most memorable work. In these stories, Sedaris shops for rare taxidermy, hitchhikes with a lady quadriplegic, and spits a lozenge into a fellow traveler’s lap. He drowns a mouse in a bucket, struggles to say “give it to me” in five languages, and hand-feeds a carnivorous bird. But if all you expect to find in Sedaris’s work is the deft and sharply observed comedy for which he became renowned, you may be surprised to discover that his words bring more warmth than mockery, more fellow-feeling than derision. Nowhere is this clearer than in his writing about his loved ones. In these pages, Sedaris explores falling in love and staying together, recognizing his own aging not in the mirror but in the faces of his siblings, losing one parent and coming to terms—at long last—with the other. Taken together, the stories in TheBest of Me reveal the wonder and delight Sedaris takes in the surprises life brings him. No experience, he sees, is quite as he expected—it’s often harder, more fraught, and certainly weirder—but sometimes it is also much richer and more wonderful. Full of joy, generosity, and the incisive humor that has led David Sedaris to be called “the funniest man alive” (Time Out New York), The Best of Me spans a career spent watching and learning and laughing—quite often at himself—and invites readers deep into the world of one of the most brilliant and original writers of our time.

Burgundy has a far stronger hold over the imagination and passions of wine lovers than the relatively modest number of bottles it produces. Over the centuries, hundreds of plots of vineyard land were demarcated, farmed, and individually named. The monks who did this work noticed that each vineyard had a slightly different character, and that this difference was consistently expressed each year in the wine it produced. Today we call this phenomenon terroir, and in Burgundy it finds its fullest expression through the region's signature varieties, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. This sumptuously illustrated and beautifully produced guide, complete with maps and more than 150 full-color photographs, leads readers on a journey through the well-worn vineyard paths and into the cellars of the Côte d'Or. Bill Nanson's informative narrative describes the region's vineyards and vintages, as well as the cultural, historical, and personal realities involved in their translation into wine.

Nancy Kress, winner of multiple awards for her science fiction and fantasy, ranges through space and time in this stunning collection. Anne Boleyn is snatched from her time stream--with unexpected consequences for two worlds. A far-future spaceship brings religion to a planet that already harbors shocking natives. People genetically engineered to never need to sleep clash with those who do. A scientific expedition to the center of the galaxy discovers more than anyone bargained for. A woman finds that ''people like us'' does not mean what she thinks it does. Praised for both her hard SF and her complex characters, Nancy Kress brings a unique viewpoint to twenty-one stories, the best of a long and varied career that has won her five Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Table of Contents: Introduction And Wild For to Hold Out of All Them Bright Stars Pathways Dancing on Air Unto the Daughters Laws of Survival Someone To Watch Over Me Flowers of Aulit Prison Price of Oranges By Fools Like Me Casey's Empire Shiva in Shadow Grant Us This Day Kindness of Strangers End Game My Mother, Dancing Trinity People Like Us Evolution Margin of Error Beggars in Spain

Some things are easily forgiven. Other things... not so much.Lenny DeMaio made herself a promise: she was done.Done thinking about him.Done worrying about him.Done reaching out to a man who clearly didn't want to be found.Too bad no one gave Jonah Collins the message.