Catie Marron’s City Parks captures the spirit and beauty of eighteen of the world’s most-loved city parks. Zadie Smith, Ian Frazier, Candice Bergen, Colm Tóibín, Nicole Krauss, Jan Morris, and a dozen other remarkable contributors reflect on a particular park that holds special meaning for them. Andrew Sean Greer eloquently paints a portrait of first love in the Presidio; André Aciman muses on time’s fleeting nature and the changing face of New York viewed from the High Line; Pico Iyer explores hidden places and privacy in Kyoto; Jonathan Alter takes readers from the 1968 race riots to Obama’s 2008 victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park; Simon Winchester invites us along on his adventures in the Maidan; and Bill Clinton writes of his affection for Dumbarton Oaks. Oberto Gili’s color and black-and-white photographs unify the writers’ unique and personal voices. Taken around the world over the course of a year, in every season, his pictures capture the inherent mood of each place. Fusing images and text, City Parks is an extraordinary and unique project: through personal reflection and intimate detail it taps into collective memory and our sense of time’s passage.

Private Thoughts provides more than just these women’s fantasies, however. It combines new research with the advice of a seasoned sex therapist. The result is an exciting contribution to the field of sexuality. Drawing insights from Wendy’s research and advice from her clinical experience as a sex therapist, the book gently guides women to explore their own fantasy style and to recognize the origins of their fantasies. It gives women permission to enjoy their fantasies while also helping them to recognize how some fantasies may be masking emotional pain, which could be detrimental to them and to their relationships.