"Chili Dog MVP: Dick Allen, The 1972 White Sox and A Transforming Chicago" re-creates a unique time and place in baseball and Chicago history, when the arrival of a controversial slugger lifted the bedraggled Sox out of a daunting hole and briefly united a fractious fan base for the two hours-plus he played.Lead author John Owens, along with Dr. David Fletcher and George Castle, weave an entertaining narrative of Allen, his teammates and broadcaster Harry Caray bringing pride to a franchise that had one foot out of town to Milwaukee just 2 1/2 years previously and equal status in profile with the dominant Chicago Cubs.The best baseball books endeavor to re-create the time, place and "feel" of a team and the people around it. "Chili Dog MVP" follows in that tradition to recall a more innocent time in baseball intertwining with the hard truths of a hyper-political city like Chicago. In both baseball and life, for which the game is often a metaphor, past is prologue.Edited by baseball writer par excellence, George Castle. George has written 21 books, and is a historian for the Chicago Baseball Museum.

Andrea's life is pretty close to perfect-she's the leading scorer on her soccer team, has great friends, and can't wait to start a new school year. Then her parents ruin everything by announcing that the family is moving to Scotland for a whole year! When Andrea gets there, she has to deal with a haunted castle, her stuttering problem, and some tough new soccer friends-who might not accept that the boy she is crushing on plays for a rival team. It's a perfect middle-grade tale of friendship, sports, and first love.

Hall of Famer and Chicago icon Frank Thomas shares his passion for grilling and cooking with baseball fans everywhere for the first time. Grilling is perhaps as essential and synonymous with American culture as baseball itself, and Frank Thomas is ready to share all of his home run recipes. Whether you're looking for barbecue basics or grilling greatness, these sizzling steaks, slow-cooked smoked ribs, and mouthwatering burgers are sure to please every palate, from healthy fare to hearty indulgences. Beautiful full-color photographs and easy to follow instructions set you up for culinary success alongside legendary former White Sox player Frank Thomas.

JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE • 150 fast and flexible recipes to use what you have and make what you want, from New York Times contributor Ali Slagle “Ali has pulled off the near-impossible with a collection of delicious, doable, recipes that don’t just tell you how to make a specific dish, but how to expand your way of thinking.”—Sohla El-Waylly, chef and all-around awesome person ONE OF THE TEN BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Simply Recipes ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Bon Appétit, The Boston Globe, Food & Wine, Salon, Saveur, Mother Jones, Delish, Epicurious With minimal ingredients and maximum joy in mind, Ali Slagle's no-nonsense, completely delicious recipes are ideal for dinner tonight—and every single night. Like she does with her instantly beloved recipes in the New York Times, Ali combines readily available, inexpensive ingredients in clever, uncomplicated ways for meals that spark everyday magic. Maybe it’s Fish & Chips Tacos tonight, a bowl of Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas tomorrow, and Farro Carbonara forever and ever. All come together with fewer than eight ingredients and forty-five minutes, using one or two pots and pans. Half the recipes are plant-based, too. Organized by main ingredients like eggs, noodles, beans, and chicken, chapters include quick tricks for riffable cooking methods and flavor combinations so that dinner bends to your life, not the other way around (no meal-planning required!). Whether in need of comfort and calm, fire and fun—directions to cling to, or the inspiration to wing it—I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To) is the only phone-a-friend you need. That’s because Ali, a home cook turned recipe developer, guides with a reassuring calm, puckish curiosity, and desire for everyone, everywhere, to make great food—and fast. (Phew!)

WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST Friday Night Lights gone dark with Southern Gothic; Eli Cranor delivers a powerful noir that will appeal to fans of Wiley Cash and Megan Abbott. In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension. Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy’s bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy—save him from his circumstances, and save his soul. Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Enjoy family-friendly recipes that are ready in no time, when you've got no time, from New York Times bestselling author, online phenomenon, and TV star Ayesha Curry. Ayesha Curry knows what it's like to have so much on your plate you can barely think about dinner. But she also knows that finding balance between work and family life starts with gathering around the table to enjoy a home-cooked meal. The Full Plate brings the best of Ayesha's home kitchen straight to you, with 100 recipes that are flexible and flavorful and come together in less than an hour. You'll find sheet pan dinners and crowd-pleaser pastas, hearty salads and healthy updates to takeout favorites, and fresh spins on classic dishes-plus kid-friendly meals, desserts, and sides (and a few beverages just for the adults). Recipes include: Mushroom Tacos with Avocado Crema Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches Crab Bucatini Sheet Pan Pork Chops Guava Ginger Ice Cream Spicy Margaritas, and more

Simple, stunning recipes for home cooks, from the writer of the Repertoire column for the San Francisco Chronicle. Home cooks don't need dozens of cookbooks or hundreds of recipes. They just need one good book, with about 75 trustworthy, versatile, and above all, delicious recipes that can stand alone or be mixed-and-matched into extraordinary meals. That's what Repertoire is: Real recipes, from real life, that really work. After nearly two decades in the kitchen and writing about food, this is the way San Francisco Chronicle writer Jessica Battilana really cooks at home. These are her best recipes, the ones she relies on the most -- for a quick weeknight supper, a special dinner party, when a friend drops by for a drink and a snack, for the chocolate cake that never fails. The knowledge, freedom, and flexibility that comes from cooking these recipes is all you really need in the kitchen. With a salad for every season, pantry pastas, many meatballs, chewy cookies, and more, Repertoire puts the perfect dish for every occasion within reach.