In this extraordinary book, Alexander Masters has created a moving portrait of a troubled man, an unlikely friendship, and a desperate world few ever see. A gripping who-done-it journey back in time, it begins with Masters meeting a drunken Stuart lying on a sidewalk in Cambridge, England, and leads through layers of hell…back through crimes and misdemeanors, prison and homelessness, suicide attempts, violence, drugs, juvenile halls and special schools–to expose the smiling, gregarious thirteen-year-old boy who was Stuart before his long, sprawling, dangerous fall. Shocking, inspiring, and hilarious by turns, Stuart: A Life Backwards is a writer’s quest to give voice to a man who, beneath his forbidding exterior, has a message for us all: that every life–even the most chaotic and disreputable–is a story worthy of being told.

Romance between the poet Novalis and his fiancée Sophie, newly introduced by Candia McWilliam. The year is 1794 and Fritz, passionate, idealistic and brilliant, is seeking his fathers permission to announce his engagement to his hearts desire: twelve-year-old Sophie. His astounded family and friends are amused and disturbed by his betrothal. What can he be thinking?

In the 5th installment of the New York Times bestselling Miss Julia series, Miss Julia has finally met her match. Don't miss Ann Ross's newest, Miss Julia Raises the Roof, coming April 2018 from Viking. With devoted fans across the country, Miss Julia—that endearingly sharp-tongued southern belle of a certain age—has no shortage of admirers. But in Miss Julia Meets Her Match, our feisty heroine must come to terms with her most ardent admirer of all: longtime beau Sam Murdoch, who wants to tie the knot. While it’s hard to resist Sam’s charm, Miss Julia isn’t about to give up her independence so easily. After all, there are plenty of other matters that require her attention, including a Holy Land theme park to be built on her property, a possible affair between the mayor and the preacher’s secretary, and the arrival of her housekeeper Lillian’s five-year-old pistol of a great-granddaughter. In the midst of all the commotion, can her cool-as-a-cucumber head help her heart make the decision of a lifetime?

Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia's late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal-and the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down. With razor-sharp wit and perfect "Steel Magnolia" poise, Miss Julia speaks her mind indeed-about a robbery, a kidnapping, and the other disgraceful events precipitated by her husband's death. Fast-paced and charming, with a sure sense of comic drama, a cast of crazy characters, and a strong Southern cadence, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind will delight readers from first page to last.

Monthly magazine devoted to topics of general scientific interest.