Book group enthusiasts rejoice! This one-of-a-kind organizer keeps book club information in one easily accessible place, with pages for jotting down reading notes and group members' contact info, a book log, and a meeting calendar. There are also fun extras like book-rating stickers, adhesive bookplates, a pocket for storing clippings and reviews, and handy bookmarks that double as a place for taking notes and recording the next meeting date while reading. Includes: 36 perforated bookmarks 36 adhesive bookplates 90 stickers pencil pouch pocket for storage

The enduring and engaging guide to educating yourself in the classical tradition. Have you lost the art of reading for pleasure? Are there books you know you should read but haven’t because they seem too daunting? In The Well-Educated Mind, Susan Wise Bauer provides a welcome and encouraging antidote to the distractions of our age, electronic and otherwise. Newly expanded and updated to include standout works from the twenty-first century as well as essential readings in science (from the earliest works of Hippocrates to the discovery of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs), The Well-Educated Mind offers brief, entertaining histories of six literary genres—fiction, autobiography, history, drama, poetry, and science—accompanied by detailed instructions on how to read each type. The annotated lists at the end of each chapter—ranging from Cervantes to Cormac McCarthy, Herodotus to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Aristotle to Stephen Hawking—preview recommended reading and encourage readers to make vital connections between ancient traditions and contemporary writing. The Well-Educated Mind reassures those readers who worry that they read too slowly or with below-average comprehension. If you can understand a daily newspaper, there’s no reason you can’t read and enjoy Shakespeare’s sonnets or Jane Eyre. But no one should attempt to read the “Great Books” without a guide and a plan. Bauer will show you how to allocate time to reading on a regular basis; how to master difficult arguments; how to make personal and literary judgments about what you read; how to appreciate the resonant links among texts within a genre—what does Anna Karenina owe to Madame Bovary?—and also between genres. In her best-selling work on home education, The Well-Trained Mind, the author provided a road map of classical education for parents wishing to home-school their children; that book is now the premier resource for home-schoolers. In The Well-Educated Mind, Bauer takes the same elements and techniques and adapts them to the use of adult readers who want both enjoyment and self-improvement from the time they spend reading. Followed carefully, her advice will restore and expand the pleasure of the written word.

A collection of Scooby-Doo stories that can each be read aloud in 5 minutes! Boys and girls ages 3 to 7 who love Scooby-Doo will enjoy this hardcover 5-Minute Story Collection of tales. Featuring Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, and the rest of Mystery Inc. chasing monsters and solving mysteries, each exciting story can be read in five minutes or less, making it perfect for bedtime-or anytime!

Keep track of your book club selections and record your latest literary adventures with this reading journal to stay organized for your next meeting! Book clubs are a great way to read new books and discover different genres and new topics that you may not be too familiar with. You can share your thoughts in a social setting and enjoy interesting conversations that might open your eyes to other opinions about the book. But all too often we forget the best details once the book is finished and put back on the shelf. With The Book Club Journal, you can collect and remember all your important thoughts and feelings so that you can reflect on them for future meetings or rereadings. Made specifically for book club members, this journal has prompts for all the basic book stats, such as the title, author, and who suggested the book, along with book club specific questions like “How does this book compare with the titles we have read previously?” This fun and useful journal also includes reference pages with lists of classic book club must-reads, and room for you to create your very own to-read list.

A debut novel set in Victorian England with a delightfully cheeky heroine who will have everyone talking. Susan Rose is not your average Victorian heroine. She's promiscuous, lovable, plump, and scheming. Luckily for Susan, her big heart is covered by an equally big bosom, and her bosom is her fortune- for Susan becomes a professional wet nurse, like her mother before her, and she makes it her business to know all the intrigues and scandals that the upper crust would prefer to keep to themselves. When her own child is caught up in a family scandal, Susan must use all of her street smarts to rescue her baby from the powerful mistress of the house. The scheme she weaves is bold and daring, and could spell ruin if she fails-but Susan Rose has no intention of failing.

"Hosts of all kinds, this is a must-read!" --Chris Anderson, owner and curator of TED From the host of the New York Times podcast Together Apart, an exciting new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together—at home, at work, in our communities, and beyond. In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive--which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play. Drawing on her expertise as a facilitator of high-powered gatherings around the world, Parker takes us inside events of all kinds to show what works, what doesn't, and why. She investigates a wide array of gatherings--conferences, meetings, a courtroom, a flash-mob party, an Arab-Israeli summer camp--and explains how simple, specific changes can invigorate any group experience. The result is a book that's both journey and guide, full of exciting ideas with real-world applications. The Art of Gathering will forever alter the way you look at your next meeting, industry conference, dinner party, and backyard barbecue--and how you host and attend them.

Rosina leaves Italy to build a better life, but reality in America is nothing like the dream. She is far from the Italian countryside and the beautiful olive groves where she grew up. Here the work is endless, and the winters are cold and desolate. She never expects to find love in such a place. Then she met him. Gianni, the shoemaker’s apprentice, is gentle, handsome, and everything she never knew she needed in her life. But when she falls ill and is quarantined, their future is at stake. All she can do is cling to the beautiful letters Gianni writes. Each week she tries to survive the long, lonely days until his brief Sunday visit. Will fate bring Rosina and Gianni together once more? Or are they destined to remain star-crossed forever? Until Next Sunday is a sweet Historical Romance inspired by a true story. It is based on actual Italian love letters which were discovered a century after they were written (some of which are contained in this book.) It is a portrait of the times, and a true immigrant experience. Feel the force with which these two lives find love, against all odds.

Perfect for fans of character driven mysteries with a powerful sense of place Being adapted for a television crime series Summer has arrived in Inishowen and solicitor Benedicta (Ben) O'Keeffe is greatly tempted by a job offer from a law firm in America. Yet before making any life-changing decisions, there is her assistant Leah's wedding to attend at the newly restored Greysbridge Hotel—with its private beach and beautiful pier. The perfect location—but the festivities are brutally cut short when a young American, a visitor also staying at the hotel, drowns in full view of the wedding guests. And when a second death is discovered the same evening, Ben finds herself embroiled in a real country-house-murder-mystery, where all the guests are suspects. Sergeant Tom Molloy's appearance to investigate throws Ben into turmoil, especially when the pursuit of two runaways leads the pair to an island off the Donegal coast, where a violent storm traps them together, completely cut off from the mainland. A deadly conspiracy is unfolding on this tiny North Atlantic island—fueled by the ruthless pursuit of money—careening toward disaster for the inhabitants—and for Ben. Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, Lisa Gardner—and, of course, Agatha Christie While all of the novels in the Inishowen Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is: Death at Whitewater Church Treacherous Strand The Well of Ice Murder at Greysbridge The Body Falls

In the first book of a visionary fantasy trilogy with its roots in the mythology of Africa and Arabia that “sings of rebellion, love, and the courage it takes to stand up to tyranny” (Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood. “A game-changing new voice in epic fantasy . . . There are no Chosen Ones here, only bad choices and blood.”—Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, Autostraddle Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control. Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance. Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible. Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes’ tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes. Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom—and their hearts. Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. And when she joins forces with Sylah and Anoor, together these grains of sand will become a storm. As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn. Book One of The Ending Fire Trilogy

The Ultimate Book Club: 180 Books You Should Read (Vol.2) heralds a grand assembly of masterpieces, weaving together a rich tapestry of literary excellence that spans centuries, continents, and genres. The collection boasts an array of literary styles, from the nuanced psychological narratives of Fyodor Dostoyevsky to the pioneering science fiction of H.G. Wells, and from the intricate social commentaries of Jane Austen to the existential musings of Friedrich Nietzsche. It cultivates an absorbing dialogue between the traditions of Western literature and the philosophical depths of Eastern works, such as those by Confucius and Laozi. Significant for its diversity and depth, the anthology showcases the evolving landscape of literary forms, capturing the universal human experience in its myriad expressions. The contributing authors and editors, each a luminary in their own right, bring to this collection an unparalleled depth of cultural, historical, and literary insight. Their backgrounds span the gamut of the 18th to 20th centuries, reflecting major literary movements from Enlightenment thought to Romanticism, Realism, and beyond. Authors like Virginia Woolf and Kafka represent the transition to Modernism, exploring new narrative techniques. Their collective works offer a panoramic view of human thought and societal developments, encapsulating pivotal moments in history and the perennial themes of love, conflict, ambition, and despair. For the ardent bibliophile, The Ultimate Book Club: 180 Books You Should Read (Vol.2) offers an unrivaled journey through the landmarks of global literature. It invites readers to immerse themselves in the richness of human expression, challenging perceptions and broadening horizons. This volume is not merely a collection of texts but a bridge connecting varied epochs, cultures, and philosophies. It stands as a testament to the enduring power of literature to illuminate the human condition, making it an essential addition to any discerning reader's collection.