If you ask Nicholas Borelli II--better known as Nicky Deuce--winter in New Jersey is awfully boring compared to summertime in Brooklyn, where he had the best two weeks of his life. Now it's cold out, he's back in school, and he has to live without Grandma Tutti's home cooked Italian meals and Uncle Franklie's funny tough-guy attitude. But not for long! Nicky's father is throwing a New Year's Eve party and the whole family is going to stay at their house and the gang from Brooklyn is coming to visit. By Christmas, Nicky's home is brimming with Brooklyn accents. Grandma Tutti wastes no time taking over the kitchen while Uncle Frankie charms the neighbors and cousin Tommy beats up Dirk Van Allen, the biggest jer in the neighborhood. Suddenly Tommy becomes a local hero but he and Nicky also become the prime target of a bully's revenge. Nicky Deuce is about to find out that winter in New Jersey is anything but boring.

It’s July, and Nicholas Borelli II’s parents are scheduled to spend two weeks on a cruise. Nicholas will spend those two weeks, as he does every summer, at Camp Wannameka. The night before he’s to leave, however, there’s a phone call: thanks to an explosion in the septic system, camp is canceled. The only place for Nicholas to go instead is to his grandmother’s house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York. Nicholas’s father grew up in Brooklyn, but you’d hardly know it. An Italian dinner at Nicholas’s house in the suburbs is whole wheat pasta, organic tomato sauce, and, if he’s lucky, a tofu meatball. And Brooklyn? Well, Brooklyn is the place his father left and never talks about. Nicholas has never been there, and he doesn’t want to go now. But when Nicholas tastes his grandma Tutti’s meatballs for the first time, gets a nickname from his uncle Frankie, and makes a friend in the neighborhood, his feelings about Brooklyn–and family–begin to change.

Attention would-be paesans: Can’t distinguish “gabagool” from “pasta fazool”? Not sure how to properly accessorize your track suit with gold chains? Does the phrase “go to the mattresses” make you sleepy? Now Steven R. Schirripa, The Sopranos’ own Bobby Bacala, exposes the inner mysteries of this unique Italian-American hybrid in A Goomba’s Guide to Life so that anyone can walk, talk, and live like a guy “from the neighborhood.” Über-goomba Steve Schirripa shows how being a goomba made him what he is today, offering lessons learned on his own journey from Bensonhurst to Vegas, and to his current gig as Bobby Bacala on one of TV’s most popular shows. Along the way, he shares secrets that will help you get in touch with your own inner goomba. You’ll learn what music to enjoy (Sinatra, yes; Snoop Dogg, no), what movies to watch (Raging Bull, yes; Titanic, never), which sports to follow (baseball is good; golf and tennis, fuhgeddaboudit), and even tips on goomba etiquette. Ever wonder how a real goomba gets the best seat in the house? (Hint: It involves tipping, jewelry, and intimidation.) Schirripa even includes goomba do’s and don’ts (never, ever criticize a goomba’s mother or her gravy; always wear more jewelry than you think you need). With knockout photographs of Schirripa and his compares, and insider information on how to think goomba, speak goomba, cook and eat goomba, and even how to behave at goomba weddings and funerals, A Goomba’s Guide to Life will show any wiseguy wannabe how to sing like a Soprano.

In this New York Times bestselling book, the police chief who led one of the most suspenseful manhunts in American history takes readers behind the headlines into the notorious “D.C. sniper” case that held the nation spellbound. In October 2002, ordinary Americans feared for their lives, too frightened to pump gas at the local station or let their children play outside. For twenty-three nightmarish days, a series of random sniper killings terrorized the Washington, D.C. area and launched the largest manhunt in American history—under the harsh glare of a media frenzy. Three Weeks in October follows Charles Moose’s efforts to crack a seemingly unsolvable case. As a stunned nation watched, Chief Moose stood tall in the face of horrific events—a courageous presence whose tenacity brought snipers John Allen Muhammed and Lee Boyd Malvo to justice. But this is also the inspirational story of Moose’s rise from a young African American cop battling prejudice to a respected chief of police—who couldn’t stop until he captured two of the most bizarre killers America has ever known. “Compelling . . . A very candid story . . . Well worth reading.”—The Washington Post “Fascinating.”—The Daily Oklahoman “Gutsy, endearing, no-nonsense . . . [cuts] through all the hubbub to show that behind the provocative headlines was little more than a simple, heartfelt man just trying to do the best job he could.”—Publishers Weekly

Presents a guide to the names and specialities of American and Canadian publishers, editors, and literary agents, including information on the acquisition process and on choosing literary agents.