“A wonderful tragicomedy” of a Mississippi family, a vast inheritance, and an impulsive heir, by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Delta Wedding (The New York Times). Daniel Ponder is the amiable heir to the wealthiest family in Clay County, Mississippi. To friends and strangers, he’s also the most generous, having given away heirlooms, a watch, and so far, at least one family business. His niece, Edna Earle, has a solution to save the Ponder fortune from Daniel’s mortifying philanthropy: As much as she loves Daniel, she’s decided to have him institutionalized. Foolproof as the plan may seem, it comes with a kink—one that sets in motion a runaway scheme of mistaken identity, a hapless local widow, a reckless wedding, a dim-witted teenage bride, and a twist of dumb luck that lands this once-respectable Southern family in court to brave an embarrassing trial for murder. It’s become the talk of Clay County. And the loose-tongued Edna Earle will tell you all about it. “The most revered figure in contemporary American letters,” said the New York Times of Eudora Welty, which also hailed The Ponder Heart—a winner of the William Dean Howells Medal which was adapted into both a Broadway play and a PBS Masterpiece series—as “Miss Welty at her comic, compassionate best.”

A scientist obsessed with evolution but unable to have children, a malaria researcher trying to choose between freedom and love, and a washed-up TV svengali whose life goes into free fall—The Heart Broke In follows these characters through a riveting exploration of what conscience means in the 21st century, and how we attempt to make our lives count for something. It is a glorious drama, as well as an old-fashioned tale of modern times. When Bec Shepherd rejects marriage to a powerful newspaper editor in favour of starting a family with fellow scientist Alex, her sense of right and wrong is put to the test. Bec’s brother Ritchie has built a hugely successful career in entertainment, but allegations about his private life are threatening to destroy his marriage, his career and his mind. Does Bec and Alex’s relationship stand a chance? Will Ritchie’s indiscretion catch up with him?

Absence Makes the Heart Ponder takes the reader to the center of the known universe, Port Washington, Wisconsin, and into the lives and minds of three thirty-something men as they meet and form a lasting friendship through unusual circumstances. Adventure, intrigue, and romance ensue as they try to balance their personal and work lives while coming to grips with the now looming threat of middle age. Absence Makes the Heart Ponder gives the female reader a glimpse of the male perspective and attempts to answer the age-old question What is going on in his head? with humor and sarcasm while giving an outlet to the male reader for the unique banter and camaraderie that only men share. "Living with Heidi was great. It was like we were married, only better, because we weren't." "The Peace Corps has got nothing on parenthood; trust me. A friend of mine went to Tanzania for three years to teach math, a noble endeavor to be sure, but he still found time to email and update his Facebook page. Elise and I didn't have time to update our clocks after daylight savings time, let alone flit about in any cyber social circles." "Evonne claimed to have official, yet undocumented proof that her beliefs were facts; she just couldn't substantiate it. Her morals were an iron clad dogma, and she expected full well that everyone should see things the way she did."

Stories as good in themselves and as influential on the aspirations of others as any since Hemingway's. These stories are honest, and vastly entertaining.

​​WINNER OF THE IMPAC DUBLIN AWARD • Widely considered a masterpiece, a breathtaking novel about family secrets that chronicles the relentless power of the past—from the award-winning author of The Infatuations and "Spain's best writer" (Roberto Bolaño, national bestselling author of The Savage Detectives). Juan knows little of the interior life of his father Ranz; but when Juan marries, he begins to consider the past anew, and begins to ponder what he doesn't really want to know. Secrecy—its possible convenience, its price, and even its civility—hovers throughout the novel. A Heart So White becomes a sort of anti-detective story of human nature. Intrigue; the sins of the father; the fraudulent and the genuine; marriage and strange repetitions of violence: Marías elegantly sends shafts of inquisitory light into shadows and onto the costs of ambivalence.

Three generations of Granny Vaughn's descendants gather at her Mississippi home to celebrate her 90th birthday. Possessed of the true storyteller's gift, the members of this clan cannot resist the temptation to swap tales.

Explore big ideas with the Science Advocate in Chief through this collection of insights, reflections, and tips. Compiled from a career that spans over 25 years and more than 65 patents, Dr. Jayshree Seth discusses our relationship with science, technology, and engineering while offering her unique perspective on topics surrounding advocacy, interdisciplinary contexts, dynamic leadership, and inclusive progress.