For those who know the meaning of Christmas but can't use it in a sentence...This delightful compendium features 126 distinct definitions of the Christmas holiday, with literary quotations. This book is the antidote for people who complain that Christmas has become so commercialized that it is devoid of meaning. The surprising and intriguing entries encourage contemplation and reminiscence. One whimsical example is "Christmas means 'Whiskey': 'Pour a little Christmas in that eggnog, darlin'.' -expression from the American South."

Tolerate ignorance? Really? So not necessary. This laugh-out-loud dictionary is the perfect lesson in snarkiness. Why suffer the tiny minds of the plebian rabble with whom you come in daily contact, reasons James Napoli, executive vice president of the National Sarcasm Society. So, with The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm, he provides an A–Z guide to turn to whenever you need to set someone straight. From advertisements to e-mail, materialism to remote controls, there’s a witty answer for every situation. “You have been waiting patiently for a dictionary like this to come along. And now it is here,” recognizes Napoli. “Not that you give a crap.”

Psychiatrist Andrew G. Hodges reveals not only the identity of the killer, but also exactly what took place during the final moments of JonBenet's life. Evidence that is all the more compelling because it comes directly from the killer's own mind.

Letters of a marine (1941–1946) to his family and girlfriend. Read about experiences of a marine raider in the South Pacific during WWII. Letter after letter takes you through a phase of a young marine's life and how he lived his life later.

Sixteen tales of Christmas by Hugo winner Cora Buhlert. Romance, cozy fantasy, murder mysteries, pulp thrillers, science fiction, post-apocalyptic fiction, horror and humor – we have all that and more. Watch young people find love in the pre-holiday shopping rush at Hickory Ridge Mall, at a Christmas tree lot, on the parking lot of a shuttered outlet mall and at the one bar in town that’s open on Christmas Eve. Experience Christmas in Hallowind Cove, the permanently fog-shrouded seaside town, where strange things keep happening. Watch as Santa’s various helpers unite to depose him. Massachusetts 1695 AD: Follow apprentice witchfinder Matthew Goodson and condemned witch Grace Pankhurst, as they try to dodge both witchfinders and a creature that lives in the woods and hunts around the winter solstice. Follow Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd and her team as they investigate the death of a robber dressed as Santa Claus as well as a wave of thefts at a Christmas market. Meet Richard Blakemore, hardworking pulp author by day and the masked crimefighter known only as the Silencer by night, as he fights to save an orphanage from demolition in Depression era New York City. Watch Alfred and Bertha, an ordinary married couple, as they decorate the Christmas tree and live their marvellous twenty-first century life. No one ever expected the robot apocalypse to begin in the little town of Brighthaven. And no one ever expected it to involve murderous robot turkeys and their even more terrifying brethren, robot Santas that fire laserbeams from their eyes. Experience Christmas on the space colony of Iago Prime as well as after the end of the world. Enjoy sixteen novellas, novelettes and short stories in six genres. This is a collection of 136000 words or approx. 420 print pages. Contains the following stories: Christmas Gifts Christmas Shopping with a Broken Heart The Crappiest Christmas Ever Christmas Eve at the Purple Owl Café Driving Home for Christmas The Bakery on Gloomland Street Revolt at the North Pole The Solstice Horror A Bullet for Father Christmas Santa’s Sticky Fingers St. Nicholas of Hell’s Kitchen The Tinsel-Free Christmas Tree The Robot Turkey Apocalypse Invasion of the Robot Santas Christmas on Iago Prime Christmas after the End of the World

The complete “wonderfully entertaining trilogy” about three British friends approaching their twilight years with bittersweet humor (The Washington Post). Jane Gardam’s beloved Old Filth Trilogy—including her masterpiece, Old Filth, voted one of the 100 greatest British novels in a BBC survey; The Man in the Wooden Hat; and Last Friends—are here presented in one volume. Emotionally distant but highly successful Edward Feathers, aka Old Filth, a man who “belongs in the Dickensian pantheon of memorable characters” (TheNew York Times Book Review), his beautiful wife Betty, and his devilishly handsome professional rival (and Betty’s onetime lover) Edward Veneering are the anchors of this series, with each novel focusing on a different character. Feathers was a “raj orphan”—children born in Far East British colonies and raised in England—while Veneering managed to get out of his fishing village-turned-industrial-town just before the German bombs dropped (and his luck has held up pretty well ever since). The three tells a bittersweet tale of enduring friendship while contending with the disappointments and consolations of age, while a once-insurmountable empire declines around them. It forms a deeply humane and often comic portrait of aging, and a reminder that the experiences we choose to take with us in our twilight years are as unpredictable as life itself. “Her prose is so perceptive and fluid that it feels mentally healthful, exiling the noise and clutter of your mind as efficiently as a Schubert sonata. She could make actuarial tables pleasurable.”—The New York Times Book Review “Gardam is the best British writer you’ve never heard of.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR

Fairytales and chick flicks end where real life begins says Vicki Courtney in this poignant, funny, and spiritual look at marriage and motherhood.

During the early days of World War II Joe Phelps made two critical decisions that were to affect the rest of his life. He and Margaret Wieczorek decided to take their chances on a war time marriage. Joe also decided to enlist in the Naval Reserve. For a while things were great for the newly weds but after less than nine months of marriage Joe got his orders. He was on his way to duty in Bermuda. During the fifteen months he was stationed there Joe and Marge exchanged over 500 letters. These letters reveal the great love and affection they had for each other despite the miles that separated them. They show their faith in God and country. And the letters are a time capsule of what America was like in 1943 and 1944. Find out about Nicklelodeon dances, the Lux Radio Theater, hit movies, shoe stamps, The Inner Sanctum, jitterbugging, Camp Grant, knitten for Britain, Hopalong Cassidy and all the hot spots in Rockford, Illinois. Book Reviews Phelps Creates Family Treasure A box of letters stored away since 1945 resurfaced 60 years later in 2005. Letters written back and forth between James’s parents in 1943 and 1944. James made the decision to devote time to preserving this time in his parent’s history. As James began to delve further into the readings, he realized the beauty in the language and his parent’s relationship. He also learned much of the social history as revealed by his mother’s writing. His mother’s letters provide a snapshot of life in the early 1940’s. For those with a penchant for history, for the stories behind the people, and for those appreciative of beautiful and telling letter writing, this may be the book for you. Sarah Johnson Editor/Publisher of FYI NORTHWOODS Presque Isle, Wisconsin Pick up this book for a fascinating journey to the America of yesterday, as seen through the eyes of real-life heroes who weren’t seeking special recognition. They just tried the best they could, meeting their responsibilities in everyday life, overseas and on the home front. By the time you finish this book, you’ll feel like they’re old friends. Not only is this unique book a very interesting read, it is also a time capsule that contains some mementoes of an era that is long gone but part of our history. Some readers may still have grandparents who recall having lived during this era; for them it will be like a walk down memory lane. For others, who are too young to recall it personally, it is a glimpse into a time that is viewed through old photographs – almost surreal but at once real and honest. Susan Johnson Copy Editor of The Rock River Times in Rockford, Illinois Rockford man compiles parents’ WWII correspondence in a book. Rockford’s James S. Phelps has written a book, “Letters from Bermuda,” compiling correspondence his newlywed parents exchanged during World War II. Family photographs accompany the accounts of wartime life in Bermuda and Rockford. Phelps retired from teaching at Swan Hillman Elementary in 2005. The book is available at Amazon.com, BN.com and Xlibris.com, where you can preview excerpts from the book. Go Section of the Rockford Register Star READERS’ COMMENTS After reading every letter, I, if no other reader, have come to know Joe and Marge quite well. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you right away how much I admire your entirely worthwhile effort in transcribing these expressions of your parent’s love and affection, faith and longing. Did you ever consider “Oceans of love” as a subtitle? We’ve still not been by Crossways (Joe’s cottage in Bermuda) at a time when we weren’t rushing, but Joe’s many descriptions will be an inspiration next time the opportunity arises to take a couple of pictures and maybe knock on the door. It was amusing to see the occasional “hand of autho