In The Heron Dance Book of Love and Gratitude, Roderick MacIver uses text and pictures to encourage readers to discover that “all-transcendent meaning” in their daily lives. This wise and comforting book celebrates the open heart and the beauty and mystery that surround us through a wide array of voices and perspectives. MacIver weaves inspirational poetry and prose with his shimmering nature watercolors to create a book that helps readers discover—and honor—love and gratitude. These quotes from men and women span time and geography, but share a sense of hard-won wisdom. Henry Miller finds unexpected late-life solace in embracing the simple quality of trust. Gabriel García Márquez muses, “If I knew that this would be the last time you pass through this door, I’d embrace you, kiss you, and call you back for one more.” Helen Keller says, “God is in me as the sun is in the color and fragrance of a flower.” This book is equally rewarding when sampled or read cover to cover as a respite from the pressures of modern life.

The intertribal pow-wow is the most widespread venue for traditional Indian music and dance in North America. Heartbeat of the People is an insider's journey into the dances and music, the traditions and regalia, and the functions and significance of these vital cultural events. Tara Browner focuses on the Northern pow-wow of the northern Great Plains and Great Lakes to investigate the underlying tribal and regional frameworks that reinforce personal tribal affiliations. Interviews with dancers and her own participation in pow-wow events and community provide fascinating on-the-ground accounts and provide detail to a rare ethnomusicological analysis of Northern music and dance.

Don’t miss the chance to read the novels that launched New York Times bestselling author Sharon Sala’s career. WAS SHE RIGHT TO TRUST THIS STRANGER? For Honor O’Brien, home had always been Charlie’s All-Night Truck Stop, where weary drivers were sure to find the best barbecue in West Texas. But, with the recent death of her mother, Charlotte, aka Charlie, Honor knew that Charlie’s would never be the same, and neither would her life. One night, with the grief too much to bear, Honor hid between two huge rigs in the parking lot and burst into tears. A second later she realized she wasn’t alone. She was being watched by a handsome stranger who barely hesitated before pulling her into his arms and offering her the warm comfort of his embrace. After the long trip from Colorado, Trace Logan couldn’t believe his good fortune. He’d been sent here to find Honor O’Brien. And, like magic, the long-legged beauty with a glorious black jumble of curls had fallen into his arms. He had found his woman. Now, if he could only get her back to Colorado without a struggle…

My gym shorts burrow into my butt crack like a frightened groundhog. Don't you want to read a book that starts like that?? Lupe Wong is going to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues. She's also championed causes her whole young life. Some worthy...like expanding the options for race on school tests beyond just a few bubbles. And some not so much...like complaining to the BBC about the length between Doctor Who seasons. Lupe needs an A in all her classes in order to meet her favorite pitcher, Fu Li Hernandez, who's Chinacan/Mexinese just like her. So when the horror that is square dancing rears its head in gym? Obviously she's not gonna let that slide. Not since Millicent Min, Girl Genius has a debut novel introduced a character so memorably, with such humor and emotional insight. Even square dancing fans will agree...

Abraham Lincoln's remarkable emergence from the rural Midwest and his rise to the presidency have been the stuff of romance and legend. But as Douglas L. Wilson shows us in Honor's Voice, Lincoln's transformation was not one long triumphal march, but a process that was more than once seriously derailed. There were times, in his journey from storekeeper and mill operator to lawyer and member of the Illinois state legislature, when Lincoln lost his nerve and self-confidence - on at least two occasions he became so despondent as to appear suicidal - and when his acute emotional vulnerabilities were exposed. Focusing on the crucial years between 1831 and 1842, Wilson's skillful analysis of the testimonies and writings of Lincoln's contemporaries reveals the individual behind the legends. We see Lincoln as a boy: not the dutiful son studying by firelight, but the stubborn rebel determined to make something of himself. We see him as a young man: not the ascendant statesman, but the canny local politician who was renowned for his talents in wrestling and storytelling (as well as for his extensive store of off-color jokes). Wilson also reconstructs Lincoln's frequently anguished personal life: his religious skepticism, recurrent bouts of depression, and difficult relationships with women - from Ann Rutledge to Mary Owens to Mary Todd. Meticulously researched and well written, this is a fascinating book that makes us reexamine our ideas about one of the icons of American history.