From the creator of the wildly popular webcomic xkcd, hilarious and informative answers to important questions you probably never thought to ask

Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe’s iconic webcomic. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have an enormous, dedicated following, as do his deeply researched answers to his fans’ strangest questions.

The queries he receives range from merely odd to downright diabolical:

• What if I took a swim in a spent-nuclear-fuel pool?

• Could you build a jetpack using downward-firing machine guns?

• What if a Richter 15 earthquake hit New York City?

• Are fire tornadoes possible?

His responses are masterpieces of clarity and wit, gleefully and accurately explaining everything from the relativistic effects of a baseball pitched at near the speed of light to the many horrible ways you could die while building a periodic table out of all the actual elements.

The book features new and never-before-answered questions, along with the most popular answers from the xkcd website. What If? is an informative feast for xkcd fans and anyone who loves to ponder the hypothetical.

From New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes The Wedding Shop.

“I adored The Wedding Shop! Rachel Hauck has created a tender, nostalgic story, weaving together two pairs of star-crossed lovers from the present and the past with the magical space that connects them. So full of heart and heartache and redemption, this book is one you’ll read long into the night, until the characters become your friends, and Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, your second hometown.” —Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.

It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.

More than eighty years later, former Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart's Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.

When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.

As Cora’s and Haley's stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.

“The Wedding Shop is the kind of book I love, complete with flawed yet realistic characters, dual timelines that intersect unexpectedly, a touch of magic, and a large dose of faith. Two breathtaking romances are the perfect bookends for this novel about love, forgiveness, and following your dreams. And a stunning, antique wedding dress with a secret of its own. This is more than just a good read—it’s a book to savor.” —Karen White, New York Times bestselling author

Human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance in Semiosis, a character driven science fiction novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke.

2019 Campbell Memorial Award Finalist
2019 Locus Finalist for Best Science Fiction Novel
Locus 2018 Recommended Reading List

New York Public Library—Best of 2018
The Verge—Best of 2018
Thrillist—Best Books of 2018
Vulture—10 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2018
Chicago Review of Books—The 10 Best Science Fiction Books of 2018
Texas Library Association—Lariat List Top Books for 2019

Colonists from Earth wanted the perfect home, but they’ll have to survive on the one they found. They don’t realize another life form watches...and waits...

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that humans are more than tools.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The real-life inspiration and setting for the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.

Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war. Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home. Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

For fans of Soraya M. Lane, Heather Morris, Lorna Cook and Pam Jenoff.

Me Before You meets The English Patient in this stunning romantic historical novel from award-winning author Melanie Hudson.

A daring WWII pilot who grew up among the clouds, Juliet Caron’s life was one of courage, adventure – and a love torn apart by war. Every nook of her Cornish cottage is alive with memories just waiting to be discovered.

Katherine Henderson has escaped to Cornwall for Christmas, but she soon finds there is more to her holiday cottage than meets the eye. And on the eve of Juliet’s 100th birthday, Katherine is enlisted to make an old lady’s final Christmas wish come true…

Inspired by the brave women of WWII, this is a moving and powerful novel of friendship, love and resilience.

Praise for Dear Rosie Hughes

‘This book is going to be spoken about everywhere…I really really loved it’ Karen Whittard, Reviewer

‘I loved this story of friendship…emotional and memorable’ Jessica Bryson, Reviewer

‘Definitely a book I would read over and over again…Highly recommend’ 5 stars, Ginger Book Geek Blog

‘You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most of all it will make you treasure the friends you have as who knows what each day may bring’ Book Lovers Anonymous

1991: A plan to destabilise Hong Kong is emerging; the key players are being put into place, the wheels are in motion and innocent people will die.

Frank Bowen is a Londoner on holiday in tropical Thailand. Half drunk and strapped for cash, he’s the perfect bait for a political plot that will leave him running for his life, with nowhere to turn.

An international conspiracy thriller by Jay Tinsiano, False Flag spans South-east Asia, with twists and turns that leave every character in question.

Reviews

"False Flag is by far one of the best thrillers that I have came across all year." Amazon reviewer Manchester

"False Flag would make a great conspiracy movie."
Goodreads reviewer Liza F.

"This genre usually does not captivate me, but this book did. Great plot, the writing style puts the reader dead center in the sweat, the moods,action and fear. I have been in and out of Asia many times and this book took me back without the cost of a plane ticket and was a heck of a lot more entertaining than a long plane ride. Great book!"
Brad Hayes

"Very well depicted scenery and awesome character depth. A quick read, a brilliant plot, and a wonderfully well written story."
IABook Reviews

From the bestselling author of Savages (now an Oliver Stone film).

As cool as its California surfer heroes, Don Winslow delivers a high velocity, darkly comic, and totally righteous crime novel.

Every morning Boone Daniels catches waves with the other members of The Dawn Patrol: four men and one woman as single-minded about surfing as he is. Or nearly. They have "real j-o-b-s"; Boone, however, works as a PI just enough to keep himself afloat. But Boone's most recent gig-investigating an insurance scam—has unexpectedly led him to a ghost from his past. And while he may have to miss the biggest swell of his surfing career, this job is about to give him a wilder ride than anything he's ever encountered. Filled with killer waves and a coast line to break your heart, The Dawn Patrol will leave you gasping for air.

She'll juggle your balls.
For Stella Allesandro, chaos is good. She's a rising star at a leading sports publicity firm. She's known throughout the industry as the jock whisperer--the one who can tame the baddest of the bad boys in professional sports without losing her signature smile.

But Cal Hartshorn is an entirely different kind of chaos.

He'll fix your broken heart.
This former Army Ranger and now-famous cardiothoracic surgeon fails at nothing...except talking to a woman he's adored from afar. Whether on the battlefield or operating room, he's exacting, precise, and efficient, but all of that crumbles when Stella is in sight.

Cal always knows--and gets--what he wants, and now he wants all of her. His forever girl.

But Stella isn't convinced she's anyone's forever.

New York Times bestselling authors Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig present a masterful collaboration—a rich, multigenerational novel of love and loss that spans half a century....
 
1945: When critically wounded Captain Cooper Ravenel is brought to a private hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, young Dr. Kate Schuyler is drawn into a complex mystery that connects three generations of women in her family to a single extraordinary room in a Gilded Age mansion.
 
Who is the woman in Captain Ravenel’s miniature portrait who looks so much like Kate? And why is she wearing the ruby pendant handed down to Kate by her mother? In their pursuit of answers, they find themselves drawn into the turbulent stories of Olive Van Alan, driven in the Gilded Age from riches to rags, who hired out as a servant in the very house her father designed, and Lucy Young, who in the Jazz Age came from Brooklyn to Manhattan seeking the father she had never known. But are Kate and Cooper ready for the secrets that will be revealed in the Forgotten Room?
 
READERS GUIDE INCLUDED

Instant New York Times bestseller!

"I absolutely loved this book and didn't want it to end." --Liane Moriarty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

“This is an ‘accidentally stayed up until 4 a.m. because it's impossible to put down’ kind of novel.” --USA Today

Seven perfect days. Then he disappeared. A love story with a secret at its heart.

When Sarah meets Eddie, they connect instantly and fall in love. To Sarah, it seems as though her life has finally begun. And it's mutual: It's as though Eddie has been waiting for her, too. Sarah has never been so certain of anything. So when Eddie leaves for a long-booked vacation and promises to call from the airport, she has no cause to doubt him. But he doesn't call.

Sarah's friends tell her to forget about him, but she can't. She knows something's happened--there must be an explanation.

Minutes, days, weeks go by as Sarah becomes increasingly worried. But then she discovers she's right. There is a reason for Eddie's disappearance, and it's the one thing they didn't share with each other: the truth.

I always finish the job. Until Violet.

Violet

I think I found him. The man who doesn’t fear my father.

Xavier Dyer takes tall, dark, and dangerous to new levels. He steals my breath and sets my heart to pounding. The cold steel of his gun should frighten me.

I’d like to say I tried to stay away, but I’d be lying. He sucks me in with every breath, using his body, his hands, his voice to seduce me.

He commands me in the bedroom and leaves me wrecked.

Until I discover who he really is. And just how he came to find me.

The bastard lured me in and gave me the one thing I desperately needed. He knew I would let him do whatever he wanted to me.

Right up until that final second.

Xavier

She has no idea what I really am.

Violet Wynn is the daughter of a monster. Her billionaire father will be to blame for her death. He deserves it.

Violet started off like every other job to me. She was nothing more than a target. A paycheck. But then I touch her, taste her, and devour her. All I want is more.

As the hours tick by, I start to question whether or not I’ll be able to pull the trigger at the end.

But I must. It’s her or me. That’s the only way this can end.

And if I have to string her along?

So be it. I’m a Shade. Nobody escapes my wrath.

Not even Violet.

Dark Dream is the first book in Xavier & Violet’s story. Their story continues in Dark Lover.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM…

Life is fragile. The difference between success and failure can come down to nothing – the thread of a screw, the flick of a switch – and when it goes wrong, you fix it. Or someone dies.

Mission Critical takes us from our world, across the Solar System, and out into deep space to tell the stories of people who had to do the impossible.

And do it fast.

Featuring stories by Peter F. Hamilton, Yoon Ha Lee, Aliette de Bodard, Greg Egan, Linda Nagata, Gregory Feeley, John Barnes, Tobias S. Buckell, Jason Fischer & Sean Williams, Carolyn Ives Gilman, John Meaney, Dominica Phetteplace, Allen M. Steele, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Peter Watts.

*** Winner Book of the Year in Prima magazine Big Book Awards 2019 ****

'Storytelling at its finest with characters that come alive and a plot that dances with intrigue. An absolutely first-class read that does not disappoint' Prima

'A gripping summer read' Woman & Home

Fall in love this summer with Her Last Promise, a page-turning, heartwrenching story of how hope can blossom in the ruins of tragedy and of the redeeming power of love. From No. 1 bestselling author of The Letter Kathryn Hughes.

Tara Richards was just a girl when she lost her mother. Years later when Tara receives a letter from a London solicitor its contents shake her to the core. Someone has left her a key to a safe deposit box. In the box lies an object that will change everything Tara thought she knew and lead her on a journey to deepest Spain in search of the answers that have haunted her for forty years.

Violet Skye regrets her decision to travel abroad leaving her young daughter behind. As the sun dips below the mountains, she reminds herself she is doing this for their future. Tonight, 4th June 1978, will be the start of a new life for them. This night will indeed change Violet's destiny, in the most unexpected of ways...

Just some of the five-star reviews from real readers for Her Last Promise...

'Hope rises from despair and new beginnings are forged in the most extraordinary and unexpected way. Kathryn Hughes delves deeply into the heart and soul of her characters, making them totally relatable...like friends you really care for. My addiction to this novel was total and uncompromising *****'

'Wonderful! First book I have read by Kathryn Hughes and will now read her previous stories. I loved it *****'

'Another great story from Kathryn Hughes *****'

'As always, a lovely story by Kathryn Hughes *****'

'I really enjoyed this book, especially the nostalgic 1970's descriptions *****''

A New York Times bestseller, Three Wishes is the funny, heartwarming and completely charming first novel from Liane Moriarty, also the author of #1 New York Times bestsellers The Husband’s Secret, Big Little Lies, and Truly Madly Guilty.

Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle, beautiful thirty-three-year-old triplets, seem to attract attention everywhere they go. Together, laughter, drama, and mayhem seem to follow them. But apart, each is dealing with her own share of ups and downs. Lyn has organized her life into one big checklist, Cat has just learned a startling secret about her marriage, and Gemma, who bolts every time a relationship hits the six-month mark, holds out hope for lasting love. In this wise, witty, and hilarious novel, we follow the Kettle sisters through their tumultuous thirty-third year as they deal with sibling rivalry and secrets, revelations and relationships, unfaithful husbands and unthinkable decisions, and the fabulous, frustrating life of forever being part of a trio.

The key text on problem-solving negotiation-updated and revised

Getting to Yes has helped millions of people learn a better way to negotiate. One of the primary business texts of the modern era, it is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution.

Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Thoroughly updated and revised, it offers readers a straight- forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry-or getting taken.

It's 2050 and the renaissance of football (soccer) thinking has just begun. This is the first installment of a football science fiction journey shared by two countries from opposite ends of the world.

‘Are you sure there is no wreckage?’
‘Nothing at all, we checked all the surrounding areas and nothing.’
Gunnar’s mind shifted to conspiracy theories and the possibility there was foul play at hand.

When Gunnar Grimsson's player identification drone goes missing on the outskirts of Iceland's Reykjavik airport, foul play and subversion are to blame. Ambitious nations bent on dominating world football at all costs embark on a mission to steal the revolutionary technology.

Will Gunnar have the clout to protect his proprietary invention from his adversaries? He may stand a chance when he ushers the support of his Australian friend and football scout, Robby Denehy.

With twists and turns throughout the story, world football domination keeps you on your toes by providing glimpses of what the future of football beholds.

“A gripping story with dramatic twists, and a memorable heroine.” —James Patterson, #1 New York Times bestselling author

McCown County assistant prosecutor Elsie Arnold is prepping an assault case when a girl is found beaten and bloodied at a roadside no-tell motel. Elsie tries to convince the teen to reveal who attacked her, but Mandy is too scared—and stubborn—to cooperate… and then she disappears. Elsie’s positive a predator is targeting the Ozark hills, yet the authorities refuse to believe their small town could be plagued by sex trafficking.

Then middle school student Desiree Wickham goes missing, but only Elsie suspects it could be connected to Mandy’s assault. As she digs deeper into the events leading up to Desiree’s disappearance, she stumbles upon an alarming discovery: local girls are falling prey to a dubious online modeling agency, and never seen again. Elsie shares her concerns with Detective Ashlock and the FBI, but they shut her out. 

She takes matters into her own hands and lands an interview with the head of the modeling agency. But when she meets him face-to-face, she discovers the fate of Desiree and Mandy… and becomes his newest captive. Elsie’s desperate to free the girls—and save herself—before the unspeakable happens. And she’s in for the fight of her life.

Rebecca Mayfield has always been a by-the-book cop until Richie Amalfi enters her life--and makes her want to throw the book at him! Now, Richie's accused of murder and runs to Rebecca to help him prove his innocence. She's completely flummoxed by this, but the more she learns about the case, the more convinced she is that he's not guilty. Will she break all the rules to help him, or do her job the way she's been taught? And what are the consequences for either choice?

As dangers lurk and more deaths happen, Rebecca discovers there's a lot more to Richie than she thought and a lot more to like than she imagined, she fears not only for her life, but also her heart.

If you've missed TV shows like Castle or Remington Steele, you'll enjoy reading about Rebecca and Richie because they, too, give you mystery and humor with a touch of romance. Start this first book in the best-selling Inspector Rebecca Mayfield "Clock" series, and you'll soon find the hours seem to fly by ...

"Joanne Pence is a master of the mystery genre. She pulls the reader in and sets the roller coaster in motion."--Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author

"Joanne Pence provides laughter, love, and cold chills." --Carolyn Hart, NY Times bestselling author

North American Book Award recipient - Mystery Category
 

Chris is nothing if not stubborn. The woman he loves is trapped in Hell, and he's determined to free her even though everyone who finds out about his quest thinks he has no hope of success. They could be right. He doesn't have any idea how to rescue someone from Hell. Even worse, his lack of faith robs him of the best methods to combat demons. Can love really conquer all? To find out, Chris will have to risk his life--and maybe his own soul.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King, the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since It—publishing just as the second part of It, the movie, lands in theaters.

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”

In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.