Four dark tales of the holiday spirit. "Christmas Eve Gift" by C.D. Watson. Old Bill sets out on her annual Christmas Eve journey to her niece's house, and discovers an unexpected darkness along the way. "A Dark Christmas" by V.R. Cumming. (A World of the Vampyr short story.) Alice, a dark daughter of the vampire Elizabet, turns the table on a family of hunters, with unexpected consequences. "On the 7th Day of Christmas" by Celia Roman. (A Sunshine Walkingstick short story.) Sunny finally gets to throw a party with her friend David Eckstrom, only a monster shows up and twists a small kink into her New Year's Eve festivities. ​"Twelfth Night" by Lucy Varna. (A Daughters of the People short story.) A thirteen-year-old Lukas Alexiou encounters the Woman with No Face for the first time, and must decide between seizing his destiny, or allowing his father to control him forever.

From Lewis Black, the uproarious and perpetually apoplectic New York Times-bestselling author and Daily Show regular, comes a ferociously funny book about his least favorite holiday, Christmas. Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace on earth and goodwill toward all. But not for Lewis Black. He says humbug to the Christmas tradtitions and trappings that make the holiday memorable. In I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas, his hilarious and sharply observed book about the holiday, Lewis lets loose on all things Yule. It's a very personal look at what's wrong with Christmas, seen through the eyes of "the most engagingly pissed-off comedian ever."* From his own Christmas rituals—which have absolutely nothing to do with presents or the Christmas tree or Rudolph—to his own eccentric experiences with the holiday (from a USO Christmas tour to playing Santa Claus in full regalia), I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas is classic Lewis Black: funny, razor-sharp, insightful, and honest. You'll never think of Christmas in the same way. *Stephen King

The People are in a time of great need. The Prophecy of Light has been rediscovered, the Eternal Order constitutes a growing threat, and the IECS Archives may hold the key the People need to forever be free of An’s curse. Moira the Reluctant, immortal Daughter of the renowned Rebecca Upton, journeys from her home in Ireland to assist with efforts to locate Sanctuary, the legendary refuge of the Seven Sisters. There, she meets Tom Fairfax, a reserved archivist tasked with organizing and modernizing the Archives. Tom is everything a Daughter could want in a future mate, handsome, intelligent, and kind. Above all, his touch arouses her in a way no other man’s ever has. The moment Tom spied Moira, his heart tangled into a knot and hasn’t loosened since. The beautiful Daughter has a sharp tongue and a temper to match, and is not at all the kind of woman he dreamed of calling his own. In spite of the attraction he feels for her, Tom goes out of his way to avoid the fiery Daughter, determined to protect himself from certain heartbreak. Moira is equally determined to have him, regardless of his apparent infatuation with another Daughter. When Moira’s brother is kidnapped, she and Tom are thrown together in a way neither anticipated, forcing them to trust one another or risk losing their budding love under the crushing weight of the Order’s never-ending quest for continued immortality.

Ballet and babysitting bring two teens together in this very merry holiday rom-com from the author of the acclaimed Bookish Boyfriends series Noelle Partridge is known for three things: being the best ballet dancer, babysitter, and person with the most Christmas spirit in her small town. But lately she's bored by the lessons at her dance school, and her friends and father are more bah humbug than deck the halls. So when her favorite babysitting clients ask her to accompany them on a ski trip over winter break, she packs her bags for the slopes. It helps that they're offering double her rate--she'll need the money for Beacon, an elite ballet academy that has granted her an audition. Noelle is ready to have fa la la la fun, until Wyatt, the older half-brother of her babysitting charges, decides to surprise his family for the holiday. He's one of the best dancers at Beacon, and makes Noelle's head spin faster than pirouettes. Unfortunately, she also manages to step on his toes--spoiling his surprise and complicating his secret plans. After a few missteps, Noelle and Wyatt begin to thaw toward each other and bond over the big decisions looming in each of their lives. With enough Christmas magic, Noelle might just start the New Year with lots of babysitting cash in her pocket and a chance with the pas de deux partner of her dreams.

India Furia has always walked a hard road. As a member of the subversive Eternal Order, her top priority is to stop the Prophecy of Light from being fulfilled at any cost, including alienating her family and the only man she’s ever loved…or assassinating the People’s beloved Oracle. Hiro Okada has been protecting India from the People’s wrath since she snuck into his apartment and tried to lure him to the dark side. At work, he’s on the path of a traitor, but at home, he walks a thin line between trusting India and trusting his heart. But the People are on a collision course with destiny, and fate may have other plans for India. Can Hiro learn to trust her mercurial nature before she breaks his heart? Or are they trapped in the roles they’ve chosen to play, just when a larger danger threatens to tear them apart?

In Reflections in the Dark Room: The Black Essays, author Richard Kenyada examines the rich mosaic of contemporary African American culture from politics, race and war, to love, self-reliance and personal responsibility. With the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States, Kenyadas latest work signals both a wake-up call and a challenge to ante up. This book serves as a celebration of how far we have come, and a detailed map charting how far we have yet to go. But even of greater significance is the discovery that we have come one step closer to choosing the black doll and being proud of our choice.

Michele Wallace burst into public consciousness with the 1979 publication of Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman, a pioneering critique of the misogyny of the Black Power movement and the effects of racism and sexism on black women. Since then, Wallace has produced an extraordinary body of journalism and criticism engaging with popular culture and gender and racial politics. This collection brings together more than fifty of the articles she has written over the past fifteen years. Included alongside many of her best-known pieces are previously unpublished essays as well as interviews conducted with Wallace about her work. Dark Designs and Visual Culture charts the development of a singular, pathbreaking black feminist consciousness. Beginning with a new introduction in which Wallace reflects on her life and career, this volume includes other autobiographical essays; articles focused on popular culture, the arts, and literary theory; and explorations of issues in black visual culture. Wallace discusses growing up in Harlem; how she dealt with the media attention and criticism she received for Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman, which was published when she was just twenty-seven years old; and her relationship with her family, especially her mother, the well-known artist Faith Ringgold. The many articles devoted to black visual culture range from the historical tragedy of the Hottentot Venus, an African woman displayed as a curiosity in nineteenth-century Europe, to films that sexualize the black body—such as Watermelon Woman, Gone with the Wind, and Paris Is Burning. Whether writing about the Anita Hill–Clarence Thomas hearings, rap music, the Million Man March, Toshi Reagon, multiculturalism, Marlon Riggs, or a nativity play in Bedford Stuyvesant, Wallace is a bold, incisive critic. Dark Designs and Visual Culture brings the scope of her career and thought into sharp focus.