"In this remarkable journey, Mark Woods captures the essence of our National Parks: their serenity and majesty, complexity and vitality--and their power to heal." --Ken Burns Many childhood summers, Mark Woods piled into a station wagon with his parents and two sisters and headed to America's national parks. Mark’s most vivid childhood memories are set against a backdrop of mountains, woods, and fireflies in places like Redwood, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon national parks. On the eve of turning fifty and a little burned-out, Mark decided to reconnect with the great outdoors. He'd spend a year visiting the national parks. He planned to take his mother to a park she'd not yet visited and to re-create his childhood trips with his wife and their iPad-generation daughter. But then the unthinkable happened: his mother was diagnosed with cancer, given just months to live. Mark had initially intended to write a book about the future of the national parks, but Lassoing the Sun grew into something more: a book about family, the parks, the legacies we inherit and the ones we leave behind.

Catching herself a cowboy was the last thing on Jenna Reed's mind…. Until one moved in with her! Well, technically bull rider Dustin Morgan was staying at her brother's house for the summer—but so was Jenna. Having her high school crush under the same roof was not the way she'd planned on spending her vacation. Especially since Dustin had never, ever so much as flirted with her. But maybe it was time the plain-Jane changed all of that. On the verge of turning thirty, Jenna knew it was high time to go after what she wanted…and she wanted Dustin. Using a magazine article called "Ten Ways to Seduce a Man," she set out to lasso her cowboy. But what would she do with him once she caught him?

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Winner of the Mountains and Plains Book Seller's Association Award "Sprawling in scope. . . . Mr. Egan uses the past powerfully to explain and give dimension to the present." --The New York Times "Fine reportage . . . honed and polished until it reads more like literature than journalism." --Los Angeles Times "They have tried to tame it, shave it, fence it, cut it, dam it, drain it, nuke it, poison it, pave it, and subdivide it," writes Timothy Egan of the West; still, "this region's hold on the American character has never seemed stronger." In this colorful and revealing journey through the eleven states west of the 100th meridian, Egan, a third-generation westerner, evokes a lovely and troubled country where land is religion and the holy war between preservers and possessors never ends. Egan leads us on an unconventional, freewheeling tour: from America's oldest continuously inhabited community, the Ancoma Pueblo in New Mexico, to the high kitsch of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where London Bridge has been painstakingly rebuilt stone by stone; from the fragile beauty of Idaho's Bitterroot Range to the gross excess of Las Vegas, a city built as though in defiance of its arid environment. In a unique blend of travel writing, historical reflection, and passionate polemic, Egan has produced a moving study of the West: how it became what it is, and where it is going. "The writing is simply wonderful. From the opening paragraph, Egan seduces the reader. . . . Entertaining, thought provoking." --The Arizona Daily Star Weekly "A western breeziness and love of open spaces shines through Lasso the Wind. . . . The writing is simple and evocative." --The Economist

She'd always lived a charmed life, so when Bethany Taft's fiancé was killed, she thought her chance for happiness was gone forever. But after her beloved aunt got engaged—at sixty!—Bethany found joy in her role as wedding planner. Spending time with Cody Dillard, the groom's son, was a given—the rancher flew Bethany to Chicago and back in his private plane. And between Cody's charming nature and her aunt's matchmaking attempts, Bethany found herself wondering if the God she'd turned her back on meant for her to be a bride, as well.

When Clare Stevens walked onto the McCallister ranch, she expected her life to be a certain way. She was the mail-order bride of the owner, and she was to fulfill her duties. Clean the house, cook for his men, and warm his bed at night. What she didn't expect was the beefy cowboy who walked in and literally swept her off her feet.Cash McCallister didn't have time to date and find a wife. So a mail-order bride seemed the easiest way to find a partner. He thought he'd made a mistake until he laid eyes on the little piece of sunshine that lit up his life. He never imagined a true love like this. He never knew an obsession could take hold so tightly.When drama hits the farm and their fast love is threatened, can Clare and Cash hold it together?Warning: This is literally as cliché as it sounds...and just as awesome. It's country living with high-calorie foods and easy sunsets. Come sit on the porch and stay a while. You'll like what you see.

Two heartwarming holiday novels by Anna Schmidt in one keepsake collection LASSO HER HEART A painful past has Bethany Taft believing she'll never be a bride. But when her beloved sixty-year-old aunt gets engaged, Bethany finds joy in being her wedding planner. And as she gets to know the groom's son, charming rancher Cody Dillard, she wonders if wedding bells will soon be in her future, too. MISTLETOE REUNION His former wife is on his flight home for the holidays? Divorced dad Tom Wallace knows their young daughter is behind this "coincidence" and that Norah Wallace still makes his heart skip a beat. Stranded in the airport during a snowstorm, Tom and Norah may get a second chance at forever. "Schmidt's characters are witty, charming, mysterious and worth getting to know." —RT Book Reviews

From the moment Billie Rae Rasmussen crashes into him, Tanner Chisholm realizes he is on a collision course with destiny. As Whitehorse's cowboy with a heart of gold, there is no way he could overlook the fear that shadows her eyes. Something has her running scared, but now that she is in his protective arms he intends to keep her safe. Billie Rae can't run fast enough--or far enough. And if she sticks around this small town, the danger that follows her could put her newfound hero at risk. But Tanner refuses to leave her side, and his love gives Billie Rae the hope and courage she needs. Now she'll fight to take back her life...or die trying.