Adrian Tomine's cult comix series Optic Nerve is finally collected into one sharp-looking hardcover graphic novel. Described as the Raymond Carver of comix, Tomine constructs tales of emotional disconnection with an ear for painfully real dialogue. Combined with his deft black and white depictions of urbane lifestyles, Tomine's fans have often accused him of eavesdropping in on their most intimate moments and, with forensic skill, laying their lives bare. The conflicts between emotional gratification, narcissistic neediness and moral discernment mark the title story - "Summer Blonde" - in which a socially crippled man nurses an obsessive crush on a young woman. He watches close up, paralyzed by his guilt, as her beauty catches the eye of his neighbor: a hip, selfish young man with a short attention span. One of Optic Nerve's most popular stories, `Hawaiian Getaway,` features Hilary, telephone service rep who is having the worst week of her life. She lost her job, her apartment, and her grandmother. Close to the edge, she is losing her grip. Reaching out to random strangers on the phone, Hilary is looking for someone to help her. In "Alter Ego" a successful young author has writer`s block. He can`t, or won`t, decide between another ghostwriting gig and finishing his second ‘real' novel. He stalls on committing to his novel and his girlfriend when a chance postcard leads him to flirt with fantasies of changing the past. Finally, "Bomb Scare" documents the early unease of his generation by setting this coming-of-age story during the tense months of the Gulf War, the event that ushered in the 1990s.

Previously published as a six-book series by a "New York Times"-bestselling author, the Summer series, starring Summer Smith, is now compiled into two volumes.

When Elle Woods discovers that someone is polluting the water and hurting the seals at her favorite beach, she devises a plan to stop the culprit.

Mapmaking fulfills one of our most ancient and deepseated desires: understanding the world around us and our place in it. But maps need not just show continents and oceans: there are maps to heaven and hell; to happiness and despair; maps of moods, matrimony, and mythological places. There are maps to popular culture, from Gulliver's Island to Gilligan's Island. There are speculative maps of the world before it was known, and maps to secret places known only to the mapmaker. Artists' maps show another kind of uncharted realm: the imagination. What all these maps have in common is their creators' willingness to venture beyond the boundaries of geography or convention. You Are Here is a wide-ranging collection of such superbly inventive maps. These are charts of places you're not expected to find, but a voyage you take in your mind: an exploration of the ideal country estate from a dog's perspective; a guide to buried treasure on Skeleton Island; a trip down the road to success; or the world as imagined by an inmate of a mental institution. With over 100 maps from artists, cartographers, and explorers, You are Here gives the reader a breath-taking view of worlds, both real and imaginary.

SUMMER OF LOVE Three best friends from the city are coming home this summer--and temperatures are going to soar. For each, the small lakeside town of Ely holds warm memories of erotic trysts and first crushes, passionate nights and bittersweet heartbreak. Now they are returning to their hometown for the hottest summer of their lives--and three new chances at love. . . For Serena, the bored would-be socialite, the passion she’s been missing comes in the form of a man all wrong for her--for all the deliciously right reasons. For Ceci, the poet and cynic, the art of love was a carefully orchestrated game--until the town bad boy teaches her the pleasure of losing control. And for Lily, the cable TV star recovering from a broken marriage, the carefree summer fling she’d begun with Ely’s most handsome and eligible resident burns with a sensual heat that will melt every taboo. Neither Lily, Ceci, nor Serena knows how the summer will end, but one thing is certain--each will experience a seduction to remember. . .

LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.

A memoir from the Real Housewife of New York City.