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"[A] superb sampling of Swedish crime writing talent . . . will be appreciated by fans of Stieg Larsson''s Millennium [series] and Jens Lapidus''s Easy Money." —Library Journal What could be more peaceful than a city made up of a series of islands surrounded by crystal-clear water? But like any big, international metropolis, Stockholm has a dark side—fed by the disparity between its affluent boroughs and its more gritty suburbs. But even in the heart of its medieval streets, existential dread makes its presence known and gives Stockholm its own brand of Scandinavian noir. In Stockholm Noir, you''ll find stories by Unni Drougge, Inger Edelfeldt, Carl-Michael Edenborg, Åke Edwardson, Torbjörn Elensky, Inger Frimansson, Carl Johan De Geer, Martin Holmén, Nathan Larson, Malte Persson, Anna-Karin Selberg, Johan Theorin, and Lina Wolff. "Capture[s] the gloomy underside of Sweden''s capital, portraying the hopelessness of those trapped in what Larson and Edenborg in their introduction call the city that ''devours your soul.''" —Publishers Weekly, starred review "Another worthy entry in this globe-trotting mystery series." —Booklist "Stockholm may not be Marseille, but Larson and Edenborg''s contributors show that even a verdant place with socialized medicine can have its seamy side." —Kirkus Reviews

A "mordantly funny" novel set in a Dublin educational institution known as the Brothers of Godly Coercion School for Young Boys of Meager Means (Publishers Weekly).Combining the spirit of Kingsley Amis''s Lucky Jim with a bawdy evisceration of hypocrisy in old-school Catholic education, The Brothers'' Lot is a comic satire that tells the story of the Brothers of Godly Coercion School for Young Boys of Meager Means, a dilapidated Dickensian institution run by an assemblage of eccentric, insane, and often nasty celibate Brothers. The school is in decline and the Brothers hunger for a miracle to move their founder, the Venerable Saorseach O''Rahilly, along the path to Sainthood.When a possible miracle presents itself, the Brothers fervently seize on it with the help of the ethically pliant Diocesan Investigator, himself hungry for a miracle to boost his career. But the school simultaneously comes under threat from strange outside forces. The harder the Brothers try to defend the school, the worse things seem to get. It takes an outsider, Finbar Sullivan, a young student newly arrived at the school, to see that the source of the threat may in fact lie inside the school itself. As the miracle unravels, the Brothers'' efforts to preserve it unleash a disastrous chain of events.Tackling a serious subject through satire, The Brothers'' Lot explores the culture that allowed abuses within church-run institutions in Ireland to go unchecked for decades. "Potently conveys the anarchic spirit of schoolboy warfare."—The Irish Times"A memorable, skillfully wrought, and evocative satire of an Ireland that has collapsed under the weight of its contradictions."—Joseph O''Connor "Witty, brilliant, devastating."—Times Literary Supplement

"[A] diaspora of black culture and strong emotions, bordering the fine line between love and madness between two troubled people." —Booklist A prominent Jamaican reggae singer falls in love with an African-American woman while on tour in South Carolina. The two struggle to forge a relationship across a cultural and psychological divide in a story that spans from Jamaica to South Carolina to New York City. "This striking debut novel is from the heart about the heart. The characters are true, the landscapes exquisite, and the relationships dynamic, insightful, and complex. Read it and be transported." —Bernardine Evaristo, author of Mr. Loverman "She''s Gone offers intriguing geographic descriptions of South Carolina and Jamaica and interesting moments when Dawes allows Jamaicans their say about Americans." —PopMatters "She''s Gone delves into the psychology of desire and need as it contends with issues of culture and class. If it is a love story, it is one marked by the harsh realities of human existence that we see in the most revealing of Bob Marley''s love songs, or the cool sensual intelligence of the best of Milan Kundera. Dawes is a poet but he never let''s his poetry detract from the sheer pleasure of storytelling." —Jamaicans.com

"For those who''ve never had the opportunity to party like a rock star and felt like they were missing out, Please Take Me Off the Guest List'' may very well smooth over those regrets."--The New York Times T Magazine, Men''s Fashion issue"It''s a gorgeous book, but there''s more to it than that. Wakefield is a designer; she juxtaposed Zinner''s photos with Lipez''s stories of life in the rock and roll gutter in a really unique way. There is literally no way you could make this book into a satisfying e-book. It''s a beautiful artifact."--The StrangerIn this outstanding collaboration, Nick Zinner''s photographs evoke the world he travels with his band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, while Zachary Lipez''s essays recount his adventures as a bartender, drug abuser, bookstore clerk, metal fan, miserable adolescent, and relentless skirt chaser. The book is designed by Zinner''s and Lipez''s longtime collaborator, book artist Stacy Wakefield.Nick Zinner plays guitar in the three-time Grammy-nominated rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs and other collaborative projects. His photos have been exhibited all over the world. He lives in New York City.Zachary Lipez sings in the band Freshkills, tends bar at Beauty Bar Brooklyn, and deejays all over New York City. His writing appears on Vol.1 blog.Stacy Wakefield worked as design director for Index magazine, Artforum, and Bookforum. She now lives in the Catskills where she designs art books.

Derek McCormack''s most compelling work yet is his second selection in Dennis Cooper''s groundbreaking Little House on the Bowery fiction series."[Derek McCormack is] a whiz at fashion and other often-freaky stuff that the popular imagination latches onto . . ." —Toronto StarMcCormack begins his quirky Tod Browning–inspired tale with a disclaimer: "This book is a work of fiction. It is a parody. It is a phantasmagoria . . . Elsa Schiaparelli was never a vampire. Shocking! by Schiaparelli never contained blood." The work of Schiaparelli, a 1930s Italian fashion designer, was influenced by Surrealist Salvador Dalí, and the same spirit permeates The Show that Smells, which is set in a maze of mirrors. Schiaparelli dresses introduced playfulness and a sense of "anything goes" to the fashion industry. She branched into perfume and became designer to a number of film stars. In addition to Schiaparelli, this tale is about Jimmie Rodgers, a country music–singer dying of tuberculosis, and his wife, Carrie, who tries to save him by selling her soul to a devil who designs haute couture clothing.Starring a host of Hollywood''s brightest stars, including Schiaparelli''s real-life rival Coco Chanel, character actor Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, and the Carter Family (as red state vampire hunters, no less), The Show that Smells is a thrilling tale of hillbillies, high fashion, and horror. An invitation to adults to make-believe, it is sure to please fashion connoisseurs, fans of classic and cult cinema, and freaks everywhere. In McCormack''s world, the power of death can be bottled and sold, and it certainly smells.

A former revolutionary plots revenge, in this "superior crime novel" from an Edgar Award–winning author "as adept at comedy as he is at tragedy" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Aldo Bianchi, a former Argentine revolutionary now living in Italy, travels to Havana, Cuba. There, he meets the beautiful Bini, a sultry student with great charm and panache working the hotels—and discovers that his nemesis, the Uruguayan military torturer Alberto Ríos, is living in the country as well, under a false identity. Putting his tropical holiday on hold, Bianchi goes on the hunt for his sadistic enemy, in this "unusual political thriller . . . By turns bawdy, funny, dark, cheerful, learned, and madcap, populated with memorable characters" from a winner of both an Edgar and a Dashiell Hammett Award (Booklist).

A poetic elegy for Kurt Cobain from the man who created the band Hole with Cobain''s wife Courtney Love."Nearly two decades after the death of Kurt Cobain, a friend and fellow musician not only continues to mourn his suicide, but also rages against the culture that he holds responsible. These 52 ''letters'' . . . combine the subject matter of the Byrds'' ''So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star'' with the fury of Allen Ginsberg''s Howl . . . A catharsis for the writer and perhaps for the reader as well." —Kirkus ReviewsLetters to Kurt is an anguished, angry, and tender meditation on the octane and ether of rock and roll and its many moons: sex, drugs, suicide, fame, and rage. It''s part Berryman''s Dream Songs, part Bukowski, Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg, and the Clash. Rants and reflections fill these fifty-two prose poems. They are raw, funny, sad, and searching. This will make a beautiful book for anyone who loved Nirvana and Hole and the time and place when their music changed everything. Ultimately, it''s an elegy for Kurt and the "suicide idols" who tragically fail to find salvation in their amazing music.

This quirky tale of two young artists in love in 1990s Chicago is "a gorgeous little indie romance . . . A sweetheart of a novel" (Kirkus Reviews). In the last year of the twentieth century, Odile is a lovely twenty-three-year-old art-school dropout, a minor vandal, and a hopeless dreamer. Jack is a twenty-five-year-old shirker who''s most happy capturing the endless noises of the city on his out-of-date tape recorder. Together they decide to start their own art movement, in defiance of a contemporary culture made dull by both the tedious and the obvious. Set just before the end of one world and the beginning of another, this is the story of two people trying to capture a moment in the face of an uncertain future. Named a Best Book of the Year by Daily Candy and chosen as a favorite fiction work of the year in The Believer''s readers'' poll, Office Girl "reads as a parody of art-school types . . . and as a tribute to their devil-may-care spirit" (The New York Times Book Review). "Mr. Meno excels at capturing the way that budding love can make two people feel brave and freshly alive to their surroundings . . . The story of the relationship has a sweet simplicity." —The Wall Street Journal "Meno''s tender, hip, funny, and imaginative portrayal of two Chicago misfits . . . dramatizes that anguished and awkward passage between legal age and actual adulthood." —Booklist Features black-and-white illustrations by artist Cody Hudson and photographs by Todd Baxter.

This tragicomic novel set in sixteenth-century Jamaica is a "gusty, boisterous, [and] entertaining . . . slice of historical fiction" (Alan Cheuse, NPR, All Things Considered). Winner of the 2014 Townsend Prize for Fiction A fortune-seeking band of ragtag sailors travel aboard the Santa Inez, a Spanish vessel bound for the newly discovered West Indies. She is an unusual explorer for her day, carrying no provisions for the settlers and no seed for planting crops, and manned by vain, arrogant men looking for gold in Jamaica. The crew expects to make landfall in paradise after over a month at sea. Meanwhile, the timid, innocent Arawaks—who walk around stark naked without embarrassment and who venerate their own customs and worship their own gods—think these newcomers must have come from heaven. The ensuing entanglement of culture, custom, and beliefs makes for a "comic, tragic, bawdy, sad, and provocative" novel (Library Journal). "Darkly irreverent . . . With a sharp tongue, Winkler, a native of Jamaica, deftly imbues this blackly funny satire with an exposé of colonialism''s avarice and futility." —Publishers Weekly "Well-written . . . Winkler''s descriptions of sea and sky as seen from a sailing ship, and of the physical beauty of Jamaica, are spot-on and breathtaking." —Historical Novel Review "A thoroughly engaging adventure story from a renowned Jamaican author, sure to enchant readers who treasure a fabulous tale exquisitely rendered." —Library Journal "Every country (if she''s lucky) gets the Mark Twain she deserves, and Winkler is ours." —Marlon James, author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf

Years after her son was abducted, a mother opens the door to a young man in this "unique and very moving novel" (Booklist). Beverley Cottrell had a prestigious job, a beautiful husband and baby boy. It was all stolen from her one winter afternoon when her son, Malakay, was kidnapped from a parked car. Despite a media campaign, a police investigation, and the offer of a reward, Malakay was never found. Beverley''s marriage dissolved, and her husband left England for the United States with a new wife. Moving from the leafy suburbs to the inner city to reside in a west London housing project, Beverley cocooned herself in grief, growing more isolated with each passing year. After two decades she has given up any hope of finding closure, and teaches children at the local community center, bright kids thrown on society''s scrap heap. Then a young man starts appearing wherever she goes. Beverley is convinced that he''s stalking her. One dark evening he gets past her security door and calls through her letterbox. He tells her not to be scared. He says that he is Malakay, her son . . . The Gospel According to Cane is an emotional, suspenseful novel—"part homecoming narrative in the vein of Toni Morrison''s Beloved and part haunting tale of loss similar to Ernest Gaines''s In My Father''s House [that] will appeal to all lovers of literary fiction" (Library Journal). "As Bev confesses in her journals to events that make her appear less than the fragile idealist she first appeared, Newland''s tale gathers pace and tension. Violence becomes a real possibility. Happy ending or sad? Newland delivers a bit of both in this complex, cathartic portrait of an intelligent, if not always sensible woman, who refuses any longer to be defined by loss." —Toronto Star "A thrilling read, full of psychological tension and drama." —Yvette Edwards, author of The Mother

An expanded edition—with brand-new stories added to the fourth printing of this best-selling Noir Series installment. Here, the unseemly underside of Minneapolis/St. Paul is revealed like never before."If you''ve never read an Akashic Noir book, Twin Cities Noir is a fine place to start." —San Francisco Book Review/Sacramento Book ReviewAkashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each story is set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the city of the book.Brand-new stories by: John Jodzio, Tom Kaczynski, Peter Schilling Jr., David Housewright, Steve Thayer, Judith Guest, Mary Logue, Bruce Rubenstein, K.J. Erickson, William Kent Krueger, Ellen Hart, Brad Zellar, Mary Sharratt, Pete Hautman, Larry Millett, Quinton Skinner, Gary Bush, and Chris Everheart.From the introduction by Julie Schaper & Steven Horwitz:"St. Paul was originally called Pig''s Eye''s Landing and was named after Pig''s Eye Parrant—trapper, moonshiner, and proprietor of the most popular drinking establishment on the Mississippi. Traders, river rats, missionaries, soldiers, land speculators, fur trappers, and Indian agents congregated in his establishment and made their deals. When Minnesota became a territory in 1849, the town leaders, realizing that a place called Pig''s Eye might not inspire civic confidence, changed the name to St. Paul, after the largest church in the city . . . Across the river, Minneapolis has its own sordid story. By the turn of the twentieth century it was considered one of the most crooked cities in the nation. Mayor Albert Alonzo Ames, with the assistance of the chief of police, his brother Fred, ran a city so corrupt that according to Lincoln Steffans its ''deliberateness, invention, and avarice has never been equaled.'' As recently as the mid-''90s, Minneapolis was called ''Murderopolis'' due to a rash of killings that occurred over a long hot summer. Every city has its share of crime, but what makes the Twin Cities unique may be that we have more than our share of good writers to chronicle it. They are homegrown and they know the territory . . ."

"All the heavy hitters, from Michael Connelly in Los Angeles to Joyce Carol Oates in suburban New Jersey . . . an important anthology."—The New York Times Book Review (Editors'' Choice) Features Dennis Lehane''s story "Animal Rescue," the inspiration for the movie The Drop starring Tom Hardy. Launched with the summer 2004 award-winning bestseller Brooklyn Noir, the groundbreaking Akashic Noir series now includes over sixty volumes and counting. The stories in USA Noir "represent the best of the U.S.-based anthologies, and the list of contributors include virtually anyone who''s made the best-seller list with a work of crime fiction in the last decade . . . a must-have anthology" (Booklist, starred review). Featuring stories by: Dennis Lehane, Don Winslow, Michael Connelly, George Pelecanos, Susan Straight, Jonathan Safran Foer, Laura Lippman, Pete Hamill, Joyce Carol Oates, Lee Child, T. Jefferson Parker, Lawrence Block, Terrance Hayes, Jerome Charyn, Jeffery Deaver, Maggie Estep, Bayo Ojikutu, Tim McLoughlin, Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Reed Farrel Coleman, Megan Abbott, Elyssa East, James W. Hall, J. Malcolm Garcia, Julie Smith, Joseph Bruchac, Pir Rothenberg, Luis Alberto Urrea, Domenic Stansberry, John O''Brien, S.J. Rozan, Asali Solomon, William Kent Krueger, Tim Broderick, Bharti Kirchner, Karen Karbo, and Lisa Sandlin. One of Zoom Street Magazine''s Favorite Books of 2014One of "100 Best Books for Readers Young and Old," HispanicBusiness.com "Perhaps the single most impressive feature of the collection is its range of voices, from Joyce Carol Oates'' faux innocent young family to Megan Abbott''s impressionable high school kids to the chorus of peremptory voices S.J. Rozan plants in a haunted thief''s head. Eat your heart out, Walt Whitman: These are the folks who hear America singing, and moaning and screaming."—Kirkus Reviews

Launching Akashic''s Black Sheep YA imprint, an adventure novel in a video game turned reality, with giant spiders, malevolent hummingbirds, a not-quite-yellow-brick road, and preteen children learning how to be heroes!"The Narnia for the Social Media Generation." —The Wall Street Journal"Drawn from both video gaming culture and the rich tapestry of Jamaican myth and folklore, blending pointed social satire and mystical philosophy, this exuberant, original hero''s journey is a real trip . . . Exhilarating, thought-provoking and one of a kind." —Kirkus ReviewsPart of Akashic''s Black Sheep YA imprint.Dylan Rudee''s life is an epic fail. He''s bullied at school and the aunt who has raised him since he was orphaned as a child just lost her job and their apartment. Dylan''s one chance to help his family is the only thing he''s good at: video games. The multibillion-dollar company Mee Corp. has announced a televised tournament to find the Game-Changers: the forty-four kids who are the best in the world at playing Xamaica, a role-playing fantasy game that''s sweeping the planet. If Dylan can win the top prize, he just might be able to change his life.It turns out that Dylan is the greatest gamer anyone has ever seen, and his skills unlock a real-life fantasy world inside the game. Now actual monsters are trying to kill him, and he is swept up into an adventure along with his too-tall genius sister Emma, his hacker best friend Eli, and Ines Mee, the privileged daughter of Mee Corp.''s mysterious CEO and chief inventor. Along the way they encounter Nestuh, a giant spider who can spin a story but not a web; Baron Zonip, a hummingbird king who rules a wildly wealthy treetop kingdom; and an enchantress named Nanni who, with her shadow army, may be bent on conquering Xamaica and stealing its magic.In order to save his sister and his friends, Dylan must solve a dangerous mystery in three days and uncover secrets about Xamaica, his family, and himself. But will he discover his hidden powers before two worlds—Xamaica and Earth—are completely destroyed?

"A truly funny sendup of the corrupt politics of academe, the publishing industry and politics, as well as a subtle but biting critique of racial ideology." —Publishers WeeklyThis "hilarious high-concept satire" (Publishers Weekly), by the PEN/Faulkner finalist and acclaimed author of Telephone and Erasure, is a fictitious and satirical chronicle of South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond''s desire to pen a history of African-Americans—his and his aides'' belief being that he has done as much, or more, than any American to shape that history. An epistolary novel, The History follows the letters of loose cannon Congressional office workers, insane interns at a large New York publishing house and disturbed publishing executives, along with homicidal rival editors, kindly family friends, and an aspiring author named Septic. Strom Thurmond appears charming and open, mad and sure of his place in American history."Outrageously funny . . . it could become a cult classic." —Library Journal"I think Percival Everett is a genius. I''ve been a fan since his first novel . . . He''s a brilliant writer and so damn smart I envy him." —Terry McMillan, New York Times-bestselling author of It''s Not All Downhill from Here"God bless Percival Everett, whose dozens of idiosyncratic books demonstrate a majestic indifference to literary trends, the market or his critics."?The Wall Street Journal

The Nirvana bassist "offers specific platforms for electoral reform . . . as well as charming anecdotes about rock ''n'' roll as a pursuit of happiness" (Sarah Vowell, The New York Times Book Review). A memoir of both music and politics, Of Grunge and Government tells Krist Novoselic''s story of how during his years with Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, the band made a point of playing benefits—the Rock for Choice show, a concert for gay rights, a fundraising gig for the Balkan Women''s Aid Fund—and how in the ensuing years he has dedicated himself to being a good citizen and participating in American democracy. In this book he shares stories about making music and making a statement—as well as inspiring ideas for anyone who wants to advance progressive causes, to become a more active part of the community, and to make sure our votes count and our voices are heard.

A girl comes of age in Paris with her expatriate family—and struggles with sibling rivalry—in a "delightful" novel that "captures the essence of childhood" (Library Journal). Based on the author''s life with her famous father, novelist James Jones, A Soldier''s Daughter Never Cries tells the story of Channe Willis, who happily lives with her parents in Paris. But when they adopt a French boy named Benoit—ending Channe''s only-child status—her idyllic world is disrupted, and the relationships among this unusual family turn volatile. The basis for a Merchant Ivory film, this is a "discerning, brightly written" novel about love and loss (Library Journal). "Although we''ve gotten used to second-generation actors equaling or surpassing the accomplishments of their parents, the same hasn''t happened with second-generation novelists. Nonetheless there are a few . . . and added to their small number ought to be Kaylie Jones." —The New York Times "Every page is a joy." —Sue Harrison, Self Magazine Includes a new introduction by the author and a previously unpublished chapter

A haunted ex-con returns to his hometown: "Fans of hard-boiled pulp fiction will particularly enjoy this novel" (Booklist). Luce Lemay is out on parole three years after an awful tragedy sent him to prison. In his small Illinois town, he does his best to find hope: in a new job at the local Gas-N-Go; in his companion and fellow ex-con, Junior Breen, who spells out puzzling messages to the unquiet ghosts of his past; and finally, in the arms of the lovely but reckless Charlene. But sorrow and violence lie in his path, in this suspenseful exploration of a country bright with the far-off stars of forgiveness and dark with the still-looming shadow of the death penalty. "A wonderful accomplishment . . . The power is in the writing. Mr. Meno is a superb craftsman." —Hubert Selby Jr., bestselling author of Last Exit to Brooklyn "The author moves the story along at a surprisingly fast and easy pace." —Kirkus Reviews "Moving . . . Meno has a poet''s feel for small-town details, life in the joint and the trials an ex-con faces, and he''s a natural storyteller with a talent for characterization." —Publishers Weekly

Kamikaze Lusttakes the reader on an electrifying ride through the spectacle of life and death in millennial America.—Winner of a 2000 Lambda Literary Award"Like an official conducting an all-out strip search, first-time novelist Lauren Sanders plucks and probes her characters'' minds and bodies to reveal their hidden lusts, and when all is said and done, nary a body cavity is spared." —Time Out New York"This sexy little novel isn''t afraid to be steamy—but it isn''t too jaded for romance either." —The AdvocateKamikaze Lust takes the reader on an electrifying ride through the spectacle of life and death in millennial America. Smart, hardboiled, and humorous, the novel taps our current obsession with sex and death, sex and popular culture, sex and the written word, sex and pornography, sex and green M&Ms, and, of course, the perennial sex and love.

Featured Book Trailer of the Day, Shelf Awareness"While the novel addresses serious themes of life and death, survival and living, romantic love, and friendship, FOAMERS is an incredibly enjoyable, rousing read."--Loudmouthkid62 (Maura E. Lynch blog)"Foamers is a worthy addition to the canon of postapocalyptic fiction, and like the best of such books, at its heart it’s a frontier novel, brutal and exciting, celebrating individualism and self-determination. It’s also a hell of a lot of fun."--Tim McLoughlin, author of Heart of the Old Country"When a screwed-up flu vaccine mutates much of humanity into mindless beasts, ''Trust your intelligence'' becomes the leitmotif of a group of survivors. Fast-moving, violent, and vividly imagined, Foamers creates a dangerous world made disquietingly believable."--David Poyer, author of Stepfather Bank and The Cruiser"It''s as if The Stand had a head-on bus collision with Night of the Living Dead. I want to look away, but I can''t stop reading."--John Koloski, author of Bloodblind, book #1 of the Empyres trilogyPart of Akashic''s Kaylie Jones Books imprint.Terminally diagnosed with Huntington''s disease as a child, Kade gave up on living a productive existence. He spent most of his time preparing for the Primal Age, even though he knew the end of the world wouldn’t happen in his shortened lifetime.In Kade''s twenties, the United States is being ravaged by the Feline Flu. After the Flu hits pandemic levels, a vaccine is released to the public. Viewed as the last chance to stop the virus, over ninety percent of the population receives the vaccine within a single day.The vaccine takes on a life of its own and deprives the recipients of their higher functions, leaving them with only their primal urges. These bloodthirsty monsters become known as foamers because of the red foam that forms around their mouths when they hunt.As the world as he knows it descends into the Primal Age, Kade finds that he is not only useful, but is expected to lead other survivors. His group is constantly assaulted by foamers and a warmongering paramilitary unit. In an unrelenting fight for their lives, his group is forced to redefine humanity in a world without law.

A tale of political downfall from "an exceptional creative talent perfectly in tune with his own rapidly changing times" (Robert Coover, bestselling author of The Public Burning). In 2002, real-life mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, Vincent "Buddy" Cianci was convicted of extortion. This is the story of Don "Pally" Dimaio, mayor of La Plata, as his corrupt administration spirals out of control. From the award-winning author of Curse the Names and Fast Eddie, King of the Bees, this is a wildly inventive satirical novel that toggles between adaptations of the language of Cervantes and a narrative of an American mayor''s quixotic decline.

A California lawyer is reunited with her Caribbean mother, and must cope with a crisis, in a novel about identity and family. Jean has lived in the United States—and avoided her Caribbean homeland—for years. But as she prepares to work on a lesbian couple''s child custody case, in the hopes of advancing her law career, she is suddenly pulled in another direction. Her uncle, a prominent man back on the island, has died, and Jean''s mother, who nursed him through his long illness, demands her daughter''s attention. She wants to come visit her in Oakland. As Jean struggles through memories of both childhood and adulthood, she must come to terms with her past, her future, her true identity—and her relationship with a woman who has made her life difficult, but who may now desperately need her help.

An irresistible and hilarious book of cat cartoon portraits for all cat lovers, old, young, and in between."Each page is delightful. These are premium cat drawings, quite worthy of this handsome hardcover book." —Newcity Lit"David Yow is part punk, part cat lady." —Brooklyn PaperAlso check out The Jesus Lizard Book, featuring exclusive photographs, notes, and commentary from all four members of the Jesus Lizard, including David Yow.David Yow''s cat portraits, captured here for the first time in book form, are bold, striking, hilarious, and beautiful. Each portrait is based around a pun, but they capture so much more than wordplay. All cat lovers will find something to relish in this gorgeous coffee-table book, which is the perfect gift for cat enthusiasts, animal lovers, and anyone with a playful sense of humor.About the book, David Yow says: "I love cats. Always have. The only time I didn''t have a cat was a brief hell in Chicago where I lived in an apartment whose landlord didn''t allow them. At that place, I had a life-sized cardboard cutout of a cat which I named Toody. I also love wordplay. I''m the only adult I hang out with who still gets a kick out of puns. I make up palindromes. I used to write songs and poems (these days, I leave that for the songwriters and poets); in this book of cat-pun drawings, I have made a concerted effort to come up with ideas that range from really funny to really amusing. The entire litter of animals in this book are line drawings that are ''colored in'' with photographic textures, and each cat is dropped into a photographic setting. Yep, that''s the truth."

The author explores her mother''s marriage—and fourteen pregnancies—in this "powerful memoir" (Ebony). One of Oprah.com''s Best Memoirs of the YearWinner of the 2015 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Nonfiction Tracing the four days between the moment she gets the dreaded call and the burial of her mother, Elizabeth Nunez tells of her lifelong struggle to cope with her parents'' ambitions for their children—and her mother''s seemingly unbreakable conviction that displays of affection are not for everyday use. Yet Nunez sympathizes with her parents, whose happiness is constrained by the oppressive strictures of colonialism; by the Catholic Church''s prohibition of artificial birth control which her mother obeys, terrified by the threat of eternal damnation (her mother gets pregnant fourteen times: nine live births and five miscarriages which almost kill her); and by the complexities of skin color in Caribbean society. Through it all, a fierce love holds this family together, and helps carry Nunez through her grief, in this "intriguing [and] courageous memoir" (Kirkus Reviews). "Nunez ponders the cultural, racial, familial, social, and personal experiences that led to what she ultimately understands was a deeply loving union between her parents. A beautifully written exploration of the complexities of marriage and family life." —Booklist

This mesmerizing, lyrical debut explores the lives of Haitian families aspiring to escape hardship and an earthquake''s devastation."An arresting account of the contemporary Haitian-American experience." —Publishers Weekly"This novel in short stories will appeal to readers of literary and Caribbean fiction." —Library Journal, Xpress ReviewsKatia D. Ulysse''s debut provides the rare opportunity to peer into the private lives of four secretive Haitian families. The interwoven narrative spans four decades—from 1970 through 2010—and drifts among various provinces in Haiti, the United States, churches, vodun temples, schools, strip clubs, and the grave. Ulysse introduces us to a childless Haitian American couple risking it all for a baby to call their own; a Florida-based predatory schoolteacher threatening students with deportation if they expose him; and the unforgettable Monsieur Boursicault, whose chain of funeral parlors makes him the wealthiest man in Haiti. This daring work of fiction is a departure from the standard narrative of political unrest on the island. Ulysse''s characters are everyday people whose hopes for distant success are constantly challenged—but never totally swayed—by the hard realities accompanying the immigrant''s journey.

The dark side of The Lion City is explored in a thrilling anthology that gives "plenty of new and unfamiliar voices a chance to shine" (San Francisco Book Review). The island city-state of Singapore harbors unique customs and traditions largely unknown to the West. A booming economy and embrace of conformity overshadow its gambling dens, red-light districts, and a collective passion for ghostly and gory tales. Now, in Singapore Noir, some of its best contemporary authors delve into its seedy side, including three winners of the Singapore Literature Prize: Simon Tay (writing as Donald Tee Quee Ho), Colin Cheong, and Suchen Christine Lim, whose contribution was named a finalist for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Award for Best P.I. Short Story. Eleven more tales showcase the talents of Colin Goh, Philip Jeyaretnam, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Monica Bhide, S.J. Rozan, Lawrence Osborne, Ovidia Yu, Damon Chua, Johann S. Lee, Dave Chua, and Nury Vittachi. "Singapore, with its great wealth and great poverty existing amid ethnic, linguistic, and cultural tensions, offers fertile ground for bleak fiction . . . Tan has assembled a strong lineup of Singapore natives and knowledgeable visitors for this volume exploring the dark side of a fascinating country." —Publishers Weekly

A Jamaican patois translation of the New York Times, Amazon.com, and Wall Street Journal number one best seller and worldwide phenomenon."No matter what the country or the language, parents all over the world—loving, frustrated, exhausted parents—know what Adam Mansbach means. Since 2011, his comically obscene picture book has sold more than 1.5 million copies in dozens of languages from Afrikaans to Japanese to Nynorsk. And later this year, his little book will venture into new territory with a Jamaican patois translation: ''Go de R–s to Sleep.''" —The Washington Post/Style Blog"This version of Adam Mansbach''s profane, affectionate, and radically honest book will remind whole new audiences about the absurdities of parenting. Just don''t read it to the kids." —Advocate.com, The 20 Greatest New Father''s Day GiftsThe best-selling Go the F*** to Sleep has been translated into over thirty languages worldwide. Now it is finally translated for Jamaican and other Caribbean parents of the world.Go de Rass to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don''t always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate, and radically honest, California Book Award–winning author Adam Mansbach''s verses perfectly capture the familiar—and unspoken—tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. In the process, they open up a conversation about parenting, granting us permission to admit our frustrations, and laugh at their absurdity.With illustrations by Ricardo Cortés, Go de Rass to Sleep is beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny—a book for parents new, old, and expectant. You probably should not read it to your children.

"This wonderful anthology of fresh voices . . . includes writers from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago." —Booklist Akashic Books and Peepal Tree Press, two of the foremost publishers of Caribbean literature, launch a joint Caribbean-focused imprint, Peekash Press, with this anthology. Consisting entirely of brand-new stories by authors living in the region (not simply authors from the region), this collection gathers the very best entries to the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, including a mix of established and up-and-coming writers from islands throughout the Caribbean. Pepperpot features the 2013 Commonwealth Prize–winning story "The Whale House" by Sharon Millar and contributions by Barbara Jenkins, Kevin Baldeosingh, Kevin Jared Hosein, Dwight Thompson, Ezekel Alan, Kimmisha Thomas, Garfield Ellis, Sharon Leach, Ivory Kelly, Heather Barker, Joanne C. Hillhouse, and Janice Lynn Mather. "The wonder in these stories is that they show Caribbean culture—the people, sounds, food, and music . . . this book will appeal to readers of Caribbean fiction and beyond." —Library Journal "One of my favorite reads of the last few months . . . sophisticated and engrossing . . . A big recommendation today for one and all." —Chicago Center for Literature & Photography "Leaps headfirst into audacious narrative water, sustaining a diversity in storytelling that''s indicative of the panoply of ways to love, sin, and write about it, in these our unpredictable, conjoined societies." —Caribbean Beat Magazine "Readers are in for a treat when they open the pages to taste the mélange of literary Caribbean cuisine. Spicy and filling!" —The Gleaner (Jamaica), "Sizzling Books for Summer Reading"

A teenage girl and her brother fight for their family''s future in a world devastated by climate change: "Thrillingly scary . . . There is much here to enjoy" (The Washington Post). In a dystopian future brought about by global warming, seventeen-year-old Nat and her hacker brother, Sam, have come by ship to the Big Island of Hawaii for their parents'' Final Week. The few Americans who still live well also live long—so long that older adults bow out not by natural means but by buying death contracts from the corporates who now run the disintegrating society, keeping the people happy through a constant diet of "pharma." Nat''s family is spending their pharma-guided last week at a luxury resort complex called the Twilight Island Acropolis. Deeply conflicted about her parents'' decision, Nat spends her time keeping a record of everything her family does in the company-supplied diary that came in the hotel''s care package. While Nat attempts to come to terms with her impending parentless future, Sam begins to discover cracks in the corporates'' agenda—and eventually rebels against the company his parents have hired to handle their last days. Now Nat will have to choose a side, in this moving and suspenseful novel by a National Book Award–nominated author. Winner of the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People "A deep read, but fast; it lingers in your mind long after it''s been read." —New York Journal of Books "A brilliant dystopian novel . . . Beautifully written, dark but ultimately hopeful." —The Buffalo News "The details are terrific . . . and as the tension mounts it becomes a real page turner." —The Independent "Vivid, moving . . . Will attract mature teen fans of Divergent, Hunger Games, and similar apocalyptic survival stories." —Midwest Book Review