The secret to living a better, deeper, more fulfilling life. Or at least, the secret to chilling out just a tiny bit. Wise, kind, observant and gentle, alpacas are the Dali Llamas of the animal kingdom. Their days consist of quiet contemplation, empathy and sweet-natured interactions with their herd - we have much to learn from them. So take a deep breath, still your mind and rise above the fray, to learn to live life the alpaca way.

Otters are some of the most delightful animals on the planet.

From the author of Bliss comes a heartwarming tale of friendship, romance, self-discovery. . . and llama drama. When a close encounter with an eighty-foot spruce steals Merry Manning's dreams of Olympic gold, the former ski champ finds herself falling into a career she never expected -- the life of a travel writer. Picturing glamorous trips to exotic places, Merry is speechless when her boss assigns her to the blog, "Don't Do What I Did," and sends her to a middle-of-nowhere llama ranch with instructions to "fall on her fanny" as often as possible. Soon she's eyeball-deep in alpacas, llamas, goats, and all the mess that comes with them. But when the Last Chance Llama Ranch -- and a certain gruff cowboy -- start to grow on her, Merry finds that each life might actually be just what she's been missing. You know what they say: when life gives you llamas. . ..

From the author of The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place, comes a defense of screen time. We’re inundated with advice on how to cut back on our screen time, and urged instead to embrace nature, human relationships, and being present in the moment. But has anyone actually considered those realities? They sound like a lot of work. In her new book, Jennifer McCartney gives thanks for phones, iPads, laptops, the menu tablets at Chili’s, and all screens everywhere. We can now follow a baby alpaca on a webcam, watch a viral video on TikTok, find an ex on Facebook, measure our pupillary distances, answer any question without engaging our brains—there’s so much to learn, with little to no effort. The Internet practically runs itself! We use it for work, for family, for research. We’re really, really good at being online! And that’s something to celebrate. With her usual balance of pithy wisdom, aptitude tests, and hilarious commentary, McCartney embraces our new reality. After all, as Descartes might have said, “I scroll, therefore I am.”

Traversing the wild landscapes of the American West, prose and photography combine to create a lucid, dream-like vision of visitations and allegorical animal encounters with Snake, Owl, and Dragonfly, among others. The Spring tells a stirring, elegiac tale of death, love, rebirth, survival, and resilience.

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Shhh, it's time for sleeping, for getting snuggly in my bed. But first, I say my night night prayer and bow my sleepy head. Shh, the puppy's sleeping, a toy under his chin. When he rouses from his sleep, we'll play hide-and-seek again. Night night, puppy. This lovable little nighttime prayer book has interactive dialogue for a child to repeat as they look around their world to see the sleeping sun, trees, puppy, baby, etc. The repetition within the text and the reassuring message help little ones calm down and prepare to go to sleep. This bedtime book introduces thanksfulness and prayer in an evening routine. Accompanied by endearing illustrations that depict a cozy bedtime, A Night Night Prayer will quickly become a "read it one more time" book for young children.

Jonah Larson taught himself to crochet when he was 5 years old and gained overnight global notoriety. Jonah was born in Ethiopia and adopted as a baby, and he admits he did not always make it easy for his parents. Luckily for him and them, he found that crochet had a way of calming him down. He credits his parents with teaching him many things, especially the importance of giving back and helping others. This book grew out of Jonah's philosophy that part of living a happy life is giving to those in need. With this in mind you will find designs like hats, scarves, slippers and afghans that are easy and simple, and they make perfect gifts to give to those who find themselves in need, those who are suffering with terminal illness or someone who just needs to know that someone cares. Also included is a basic Learn to Crochet section.

You'll discover everything you need to know from selecting a healthy alpaca, associated costs, housing, husbandry, health and breeding, plus useful frequently asked questions. Each section is covered in detail.