NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A delightful sampler plate of our national parks, written with charisma and erudition.”—Nick Offerman, author of Paddle Your Own Canoe From CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton, a behind-the-scenery look at his year traveling to each of America's National Parks, discovering the most beautiful places and most interesting people our country has to offer NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY OUTSIDE When Conor Knighton set off to explore America's "best idea," he worried the whole thing could end up being his worst idea. A broken engagement and a broken heart had left him longing for a change of scenery, but the plan he'd cooked up in response had gone a bit overboard in that department: Over the course of a single year, Knighton would visit every national park in the country, from Acadia to Zion. In Leave Only Footprints, Knighton shares informative and entertaining dispatches from what turned out to be the road trip of a lifetime. Whether he's waking up early for a naked scrub in a historic bathhouse in Arkansas or staying up late to stargaze along our loneliest highway in Nevada, Knighton weaves together the type of stories you're not likely to find in any guidebook. Through his unique lens, America the Beautiful becomes America the Captivating, the Hilarious, and the Inspiring. Along the way, he identifies the threads that tie these wildly different places together—and that tie us to nature—and reveals how his trip ended up changing his views on everything from God and love to politics and technology. Filled with fascinating tidbits about our parks' past and reflections on their fragile future, this book is both a celebration of and a passionate case for the natural wonders that all Americans share.

Nowhere have recent environmental and social changes been more pronounced than in post-Soviet Siberia. Donatas Brandisauskas probes the strategies that Orochen reindeer herders of southeastern Siberia have developed to navigate these changes. "Catching luck" is one such strategy that plays a central role in Orochen cosmology -- luck implies a vernacular theory of causality based on active interactions of humans, non-humans, material objects, and places. Brandisauskas describes in rich details the skills, knowledge, ritual practices, storytelling, and movements that enable the Orochen to "catch luck" (or not, sometimes), to navigate times of change and upheaval.

A tantalizing web of seduction and adventure , a group of teenagers from the historic town of Lewisburg, West Virginia come face to face with their familys secrets, their friends betrayal, and the truth about their own hometown. Someone, or something, has targeted Rachel, the youthful , spunky, new kid . A loner by nature, she is found unconscience, in an abandoned farmhouse. One of her rescuers, Cole, takes interest in his newly found treasure. Trying to understand why she would be at one of the most haunted sites in Lewisburg, her new friends are compelled to let her in on a few secrets of their own. Nate, the third aspect of the triangle, throws sparks of his own compelling her to choose between the paths that lie before her. Only one will lead to the truth. Lewisburg is more than just the Coolest Small Town in America , it is also a network of underground tunnels , a hub for conspiracy and years of family lies, and a resting place for souls trying to find their way.

Every child feels different in some way, but Thuy feels "double different." She is Vietnamese American and she has two moms. Thuy walks home one winter afternoon, angry and lonely after a bully's taunts. Then a bird catches her attention and sets Thuy on an imaginary exploration. What if she could fly away like a bird? What if she could sprint like a deer, or roar like a bear? Mimicking the footprints of each creature in the snow, she makes her way home to the arms of her moms. Together, the three of them imagine beautiful and powerful creatures who always have courage - just like Thuy.

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski M. D. is back with another example of his precious knack of helping people see the inner good that is obscured by the debris of everyday life. Angels do their job and move on without leaving a mark, but human beings stumble and scrape their knees - and then wonder if they can ever get anything right. They absolutely can - and this book proves it! Hopeless is not in Rabbi Twerski's vocabulary, and he shows us how to remove it from ours. In this books, Rabbi Twerski looks at life and its problems and guides us around the pitfalls and into the sunlight. Packed with stories, saturated with practical advice, this book shreds the cobwebs that hobble the human spirit and focuses on oppurtunity and optimism. Read it! You'll be better for it!