Collection: Adult

Based on the eponymous viral Twitter account, Museum Bums, a celebration of classical art, history, and shapely derrières, encourages readers to learn something new while still managing to have a chuckle.

What do Hieronymus Bosch, the Roman cult of Antinous, and the peach emoji all have in common? But of course, butts, of course!

Divided into six categories of keisters, this humorous history book takes you on a whirlwind tour of the finest rear ends in museums around the world--from the lusciously rendered bottoms of Renaissance painting to the abstract curves of contemporary art. Heritage scholars and art educators Mark Small and Jack Shoulder pair illuminating social commentary, historical context, and lively captions with captivating depictions of tasteful--and sometimes cheeky--bums in art.

Including an angel slyly copping a feel in a sixteenth-century triptych, a twenty-five thousand-year-old bodacious Venus, and Cezanne's dreamy booty-ful bathers, this assortment of artistic behinds is both a celebration and study of the bounty of beautiful bums and their everlasting impressions. Museum Bums invites readers to admire, appreciate, and have a good laugh, all while learning a bit about art and history--a perfect gift for anyone who likes fine arts, museums, and butts.

LIGHTHEARTED AND EDUCATIONAL: There are not many classical art books that walk the line of lighthearted humor. A book like Museum Bums will fill the hole in the market for books that are both artistically educational and entertaining!

POPULAR TWITTER BY KNOWLEDGEABLE AUTHORS: Heritage scholars and art educators Mark Small and Jack Shoulder run the popular Twitter @MuseumBums and have channeled this playful approach to art history and education into an expanded book!

BEAUTIFUL, HIGH-QUALITY, AFFORDABLE EXPLORATION: With the feel of a fine art book, Museum Bums is a gorgeous book that just begs to be displayed in your home. And with humorous content and an affordable price point, it's also a perfect gift for friends and family.

Perfect for:

• Art history buffs
• Art lovers
• Artists
• Art teachers
• Fans of Men to Avoid in Art and Life and other humor/gift books sold at museum stores

ENEMIES FROM WITHOUT AND WITHIN

Four years ago, Chang Geng and Gu Yun parted in anger. When fate draws them together again, Chang Geng, a once-awkward teen, is now an elegant and adroit young man.

But storms lie ahead. As Great Liang faces foreign pressure from without, Gu Yun finds himself embroiled in turmoil within the imperial court. Meanwhile, as the curse in Chang Geng's blood grows, his feelings for his godfather become more painful to subdue by the day. How much longer can he keep Gu Yun from learning his secret...and what will happen when he can hide it no more?

"What a beautifully imagined and important narrative. Sanders' clear-eyed and powerful writing made this a hard one to stop reading!"
--Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-Winning Author

"This is a novel to cherish and share. And this is a history to sing about and affirm -- to proclaim."
-- Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, New York Times Bestselling author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, an Oprah Book Club Novel

Named a Most Anticipated Book of Summer by Ms. Magazine, PopSugar, Lambda Literary, and many more!

Inspired by true events, Women of the Post brings to life the heroines who proudly served in the all-Black battalion of the Women's Army Corps in WWII, finding purpose in their mission and lifelong friendship.

1944, New York City. Judy Washington is tired of having to work at the Bronx Slave Market, cleaning white women's houses for next to nothing. She dreams of a bigger life, but with her husband fighting overseas, it's up to her and her mother to earn enough for food and rent. When she's recruited to join the Women's Army Corps--offering a steady paycheck and the chance to see the world--Judy jumps at the opportunity.

During training, Judy becomes fast friends with the other women in her unit--Stacy, Bernadette and Mary Alyce--who all come from different cities and circumstances. Under Second Officer Charity Adams's leadership, they receive orders to sort over one million pieces of mail in England, becoming the only unit of Black women to serve overseas during WWII.

The women work diligently, knowing that they're reuniting soldiers with their loved ones through their letters. However, their work becomes personal when Mary Alyce discovers a backlogged letter addressed to Judy. Told through the alternating perspectives of Judy, Charity and Mary Alyce, Women of the Post is an unforgettable story of perseverance, female friendship and self-discovery.

"A moving and compelling tribute to the lives and legacy of Black women in the American military during World War II that feels especially poignant in this moment." -- The Boston Globe

In this " bewitching" (The New York Times Book Review) novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic.

Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she's abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the "Nameless Arts." Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it's here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.

Magic Lessons is a "heartbreaking and heart-healing" (BookPage) celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman's masterful storytelling.

*Now a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal*

A taut, psychological thriller from Iain Reid, "one of the most talented purveyors of weird, dark narratives in contemporary fiction" (Los Angeles Review of Books).

Severe climate change has ravaged the country, leaving behind a charred wasteland. Junior and Henrietta live a comfortable if solitary life on one of the last remaining farms. Their private existence is disturbed the day a stranger comes to the door with alarming news.

Junior has been randomly selected to travel far away from the farm, but the most unusual part is that arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves, Henrietta won't have a chance to miss him. She won't be left alone--not even for a moment. Henrietta will have company. Familiar company.

Told in Iain Reid's sparse, biting style, Foe is a "mind-bending and genre-defying work of genius" (Liz Nugent, author of Unraveling Oliver) that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.

"Stellar debut." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A dark and complex mystery that will consume you." --Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author

They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong.

When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he's been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he'll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.

Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff's deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.

Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, And There He Kept Her is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil.

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE

As the day of Nangong Si and Song Qiutong's wedding draws near, a scandalous rumor circulates among the guests at Rufeng Sect. The gossip implicates not only the bride and groom, but also Nangong Si's childhood companion and Song Qiutong's savior: the young hero, Ye Wangxi.

When the wedding festivities are interrupted by a mysterious man claiming to know even more explosive secrets, Mo Ran and Chu Wanning are thrown together in the ensuing chaos. But the more time he spends at Chu Wanning's side, the more torturous it is for Mo Ran to suppress his feelings of fierce attraction and deep tenderness. Could love finally tame the beast that was the cruel tyrant Taxian-jun?

HALF A MILLION COPIES SOLD GLOBALLY
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

"A love letter to Bombay told through food and stories, including their legendary black daal" --Yotam Ottolenghi

At long last, Dishoom share the secrets to their much sought-after Bombay comfort food: the Bacon Naan Roll, Black Daal, Okra Fries, Jackfruit Biryani, Chicken Ruby and Lamb Raan, along with Masala Chai, coolers and cocktails.

As you learn to cook the comforting Dishoom menu at home, you will also be taken on a day-long tour of south Bombay, peppered with much eating and drinking. You'll discover the simple joy of early chai and omelette at Kyani and Co., of dawdling in Horniman Circle on a lazy morning, of eating your fill on Mohammed Ali Road, of strolling on the sands at Chowpatty at sunset or taking the air at Nariman Point at night.

This beautiful cookery book and its equally beautiful photography will transport you to Dishoom's most treasured corners of an eccentric and charming Bombay. Read it, and you will find yourself replete with recipes and stories to share with all who come to your table.

'This book is a total delight. The photography, the recipes and above all, the stories. I've never read a book that has made me look so longingly at my suitcase' Nigel Slater

The first book of the smash-hit Wayward Pines trilogy, from the New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter, Recursion, and Upgrade

One way in. No way out.

Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in Wayward Pines, Idaho, with a mission: locate two federal agents who went missing in the bucolic town one month earlier. But within minutes of his arrival, Ethan is involved in a violent accident. He comes to in a hospital, with no ID, no cell phone, and no briefcase.

As the days pass, Ethan's investigation turns up more questions than answers: Why can't he get any phone calls through to his wife and son in the outside world? Why doesn't anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what is the purpose of the electrified fences surrounding the town? Are they meant to keep the residents in? Or something else out?

Each step closer to the truth takes Ethan farther from the world he knew, from the man he was, until he must face a horrifying fact--he may never get out of Wayward Pines alive.

The nail-bitingly suspenseful opening installment in Blake Crouch's blockbuster Wayward Pines trilogy, Pines is at once a brilliant mystery tale and the first step into a genre-bending saga of suspense, science fiction, and horror.

"A fresh feminist appraisal of the pop culture canon." --Publishers Weekly

How bitches, trainwrecks, shrews, and crazy women have taken over pop culture and liberated women from having to be nice.

Female characters throughout history have been burdened by the moral trap that is likeability. Any woman who dares to reveal her messy side has been treated as a cautionary tale. Today, unlikeable female characters are everywhere in film, TV, and wider pop culture. For the first time ever, they are being accepted by audiences and even showered with industry awards. We are finally accepting that women are--gasp--fully fledged human beings. How did we get to this point?

Unlikeable Female Characters traces the evolution of highly memorable female characters, examining what exactly makes them popular, how audiences have reacted to them, and the ways in which pop culture is finally allowing us to celebrate the complexities of being a woman. Anna Bogutskaya, film programmer, broadcaster, and co-founder of the horror film collective and podcast The Final Girls, takes us on a journey through popular film, TV, and music, looking at the nuances of womanhood on and off-screen to reveal whether pop culture--and society--is finally ready to embrace complicated women.

Praise for Unlikeable Female Characters:

"Fascinating, insightful, and kick-ass." --Emma Jane Unsworth, internationally bestselling author of Grown Ups and Animals

"Beautifully written." --Chelsea G. Summers, author of A Certain Hunger

"Part-cultural exposé, part-Taylor Swift album." --Clarisse Loughrey, Chief Film Critic at The Independent

"Brilliant masterpiece breaking down the tired tropes of TV and beyond." --Aparna Shewakramani, author of She's Unlikeable and star of Indian Matchmaking

A Must-Read: Vogue, Chicago Review of Books, Literary Hub

"Destined to become a new classic . . . Elkin shatters the truisms that have evolved around feminist thought." --Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick and After Kathy Acker: A Literary Biography

What kind of art does a monster make? And what if monster is a verb? Noun or a verb, the idea is a dare: to overwhelm limits, to invent our own definitions of beauty.

In this dazzlingly original reassessment of women's stories, bodies, and art, Lauren Elkin--the celebrated author of Flâneuse--explores the ways in which feminist artists have taken up the challenge of their work and how they not only react against the patriarchy but redefine their own aesthetic aims. How do we tell the truth about our experiences as bodies? What is the language, what are the materials, that we need to transcribe them? And what are the unique questions facing those engaged with female bodies, queer bodies, sick bodies, racialized bodies?

Encompassing a rich genealogy of work across the literary and artistic landscape, Elkin makes daring links between disparate points of reference--among them Julia Margaret Cameron's photography, Kara Walker's silhouettes, Vanessa Bell's portraits, Eva Hesse's rope sculptures, Carolee Schneemann's body art, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's trilingual masterpiece DICTEE--and steps into the tradition of cultural criticism established by Susan Sontag, Hélène Cixous, and Maggie Nelson.

An erudite, potent examination of beauty and excess, sentiment and touch, the personal and the political, the ambiguous and the opaque, Art Monsters is a radical intervention that forces us to consider how the idea of the art monster might transform the way we imagine--and enact--our lives.

WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE IN POETRY

A new collection of poems from one of America's most essential, celebrated, and enduring poets, Carl Phillips's Then the War

I'm a song, changing. I'm a light
rain falling through a vast

darkness toward a different
darkness.

Carl Phillips has aptly described his work as an "ongoing quest"; Then the War is the next step in that meaningful process of self-discovery for both the poet and his reader. The new poems, written in a time of rising racial conflict in the United States, with its attendant violence and uncertainty, find Phillips entering deeper into the landscape he has made his own: a forest of intimacy, queerness, and moral inquiry, where the farther we go, the more difficult it is to remember why or where we started.

Then the War includes a generous selection of Phillips's work from the previous thirteen years, as well as his recent lyric prose memoir, "Among the Trees," and his chapbook, Star Map with Action Figures.

Ultimately, Phillips refuses pessimism, arguing for tenderness and human connection as profound forces for revolution and conjuring a spell against indifference and the easy escapes of nostalgia. Then the War is luminous testimony to the power of self-reckoning and to Carl Phillips as an ever-changing, necessary voice in contemporary poetry.

Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched.

Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.

The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on "validated learning," rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.

Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs--in companies of all sizes--a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it's too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.

"In the phenomenal Organ Meats, two friends are bound by a red string, dog bloodlines, and the violence that is being a girl" (Ms. magazine)--from the National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Gods of Want.

"Organ Meats possesses something of the febrile intensity of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, their laser focus on female friendship, but instead of Naples, K-Ming Chang's wild girls inhabit a magical universe of talking dogs and shape-shifting body parts."--The New York Times (Editors' Choice)

AN AUTOSTRADDLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Best friends Anita and Rainie find refuge by an old sycamore tree with its neighboring lot of stray dogs who have a mysterious ability to communicate with humans. The girls learn that they are preceded by generations of dog-headed women and woman-headed dogs whose bloodlines bind them together. Anita convinces Rainie to become a dog with her, tying a collar of red string around each of their necks to preserve their kinship forever. But when the two girls are separated, Anita sinks into a dreamworld that only Rainie knows how to rescue her from. As Anita's body begins to rot, it is up to Rainie to rebuild Anita's body and keep her friend from being lost forever.

Filled with ghosts and bodily entrails, this is a story about the horror and beauty of intimacy, written in K-Ming Chang's signature poetic and visceral lore.

"The beautiful, horrible world of Mariana Enriquez, as glimpsed in The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, with its disturbed adolescents, ghosts, decaying ghouls, the sad and angry homeless of modern Argentina, is the most exciting discovery I've made in fiction for some time."--Kazuo Ishiguro, The Guardian

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE - NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE - FINALIST: Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Ray Bradbury Prize, Kirkus Prize - ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, New York Public Library, Electric Lit, LitHub, Kirkus Reviews

Mariana Enriquez has been critically lauded for her unconventional and sociopolitical stories of the macabre. Populated by unruly teenagers, crooked witches, homeless ghosts, and hungry women, they walk the uneasy line between urban realism and horror. The stories in her new collection are as terrifying as they are socially conscious, and press into being the unspoken--fetish, illness, the female body, the darkness of human history--with bracing urgency. A woman is sexually obsessed with the human heart; a lost, rotting baby crawls out of a backyard and into a bedroom; a pair of teenage girls can't let go of their idol; an entire neighborhood is cursed to death when it fails to respond correctly to a moral dilemma.

Written against the backdrop of contemporary Argentina, and with a resounding tenderness toward those in pain, in fear, and in limbo, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed is Mariana Enriquez at her most sophisticated, and most chilling.

Strengthen and deepen your relationships with this "much-needed" (Harville Hendrix, PhD) guide that has sold over one million copies, through revelatory practical exercises, seven profound conversations, and sage advice from "the best couple's therapist in the world" (John Gottman, PhD, bestselling author)

Are you looking to enrich a healthy relationship, revitalize a tired one, or rescue one gone awry? We all want a lifetime of love, support, and companionship. But sometimes we need a little help.

Enter Dr. Sue Johnson, developer of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy and "the most original contributor to couple's therapy to come along in the last thirty years," according to Dr. William J. Doherty, PhD. In Hold Me Tight, Dr. Johnson shares her groundbreaking and remarkably successful program for creating stronger, more secure relationships.

The message of Hold Me Tight is simple: Forget about learning how to argue better, analyzing your early childhood, making grand romantic gestures, or experimenting with new sexual positions. Instead, get to the emotional underpinnings of your relationship by recognizing that you are emotionally attached to and dependent on your partner in much the same way that a child is on a parent for nurturing, soothing, and protection. Dr. Johnson teaches that the way to enhance or save a relationship is to be open, attuned, and responsive to each other and to reestablish emotional connection. With this in mind, she focuses on key moments in a relationship and uses them as touch points for seven healing conversations, including:

• Recognizing the Demon Dialogues
• Finding the Raw Spots
• Revisiting a Rocky Moment
• Forgiving Injuries
• Keeping Your Love Alive

These conversations give you insight into the defining moments in your relationship and guide you in reshaping these moments to create a secure and lasting bond.

Through stories from Dr. Johnson's practice, illuminating advice, and practical exercises, you will learn how to nurture, protect, and grow your relationship, ensuring a lifetime of love.