A rehearsal dinner brings together two disparate families in this sparkling, witty novel “This vital novel offers delicious echoes of Virginia Woolf and E. M. Forster, and a touch of A Midsummer Night’s Dream—but its magic is unique. The Garden Party is beautiful and full of life.”—Claire Messud, author of The Burning Girl and The Woman Upstairs The Cohens are wildly impractical intellectuals—academics, activists, and artists. The Barlows are Wall Street Journal–reading lawyers steeped in trusts and copyrights, golf and tennis. The two families are reserved with and wary of each other, but tonight, the evening before the wedding that is supposed to unite them in marriage, they will attempt to set aside their differences over dinner in the garden. As Celia Cohen, the eminent literary critic, sets the table, her husband, Pindar, would much rather be translating ancient recipes for his Babylonian cookbook than hosting this rehearsal dinner. Meanwhile, their son, Adam, the poet (and nervous groom), wonders if there is still time to simply elope. One of Adam’s sisters, Naomi, a passionate but fragile social activist, refuses to leave her room, while Sara, scorpion biologist turned folklore writer, sits up on the roof mourning an imminent breakup. And Pindar’s elderly mother, Leah, witnesses everything, weaving old memories into the present. The lawyers are early: patriarch Stephen Barlow and his bespangled wife, Philippa, who specializes in estates, along with Philippa’s father, Nathan, hobbled by age and Lyme disease. Then come the Barlow sons William (war crimes), Cameron (intellectual property), and Barnes (the prosecutor), each with desperate wife and precocious offspring. How could their younger siblings—Eliza, the bride, an aspiring veterinarian, and her twin brother, Harry, recently expelled from divinity school—have issued from such a family? Up and down the dinner table, with its twenty-four (or is it twenty-five?) guests, unions are forming and dissolving while Pindar is trying to figure out whether time is really shaped like baklava, and off in the surrounding forest with its ancient pond different sorts of mischief will lead to a complicated series of fiascoes and miracles before the party is over. Set over the course of a single day and night, Grace Dane Mazur’s brilliantly observed novel weaves an irresistible portrayal of miscommunication, secrets, and the power of love. “Lyrical and charming, this comedy of errors is a delightful summer read.”—People

A must-read for all those who enjoy entertaining guests and have a taste for the finer things in life.

Garden Party is a collection of charming sketches and quotes from artist Helen Dardik. Dardik's pen-and-ink drawings are replicated from her sketchbooks and interspersed with quotes from classic novels such as Alice in Wonderland and The Secret Garden. Dardik's illustrations of girl-fairies, flora, and fauna create a magical, dreamy world. Many of her characters are hybrid girl/plant creatures whose friends include a menagerie of cats, dogs, and other critters. • Her illustrations are predominantly black-and-white, with a limited palette of accent colors. • Aesthetic feels equal parts vintage Scandinavian modern folk art and Japanese Kawaii culture, • Girl-powered and nature themed This is a charming, girl-centric book that is perfect for all occasions, whether it's a graduation or Mother's Day or simply for yourself. The book's design is also a delight—it looks and feels like an actual sketchbook. • A perfect book for teens, young adult women, and moms • Dardik's unique illustration style is at once elegant and whimsical. • Great for those who loved In the Garden of My Dreams: The Art of Nathalie Lété by Nathalie Lété. and How to Be a Wildflower by Katie Daisy

Join the fun and celebrate good friends! Follow Cottontail with a "wiggle, hop, wiggle" down Farmer Dale's trail while counting adorable woodland animals in their search for yummy treats!

The popular Bloomers Island! gardening kits and online world blossom in a playful, beautifully illustrated new book aimed at getting kids to love everything about nature. Join the Bloomers on a whimsical adventure as they attend a magical boarding school on Bloomers Island. As Pete Moss, Rosey Posey, Big Red, Violet, and their friends prepare for the Great Garden Party, they learn about gardening, healthy eating, and caring for the environment. The treehouse school is held by the arms of Mr. Banyan, a tree about to celebrate his 200th birthday. His birthday party is filled with fun games that teach the curious students that gardening is not at all boring or hard--that it's actually really fun!

Manhattan Project leaders needed tons of pure uranium to prove a controlled nuclear chain reaction was possible-but only grams existed. An unsung hero, Iowa chemist Harley Wilhelm, helped America build the atomic bomb and end World War II.