National Network for Equitable Library Service

A real-life ghost hunter shares true stories and up-close explorations of haunted sites. Muffled voices in an empty attic, heavy footsteps on a vacant stairwell, silent shadows across a darkened room ... The spirit world has intrigued Jeff Cole for decades, leading him from a career in archaeology to his passionate work as a paranormal researcher. Going beyond superstition and fantasy, Cole arms himself with cutting-edge technology, in a quest to discover actual scientific evidence of the realm where the souls of the departed continue to dwell-and make contact with the living.

He started out as a crook-and ended up busting them. A true "high-flying, adrenaline-filled story with the feel of the movie The Sting" (Booklist). Craig Glazer's unlikely story begins back when he was in college and tried to score some weed, only to get ripped off. But instead of walking away the wiser, Glazer-inspired by the gangster movies he always loved-got payback. Aided by his partner in crime, Donald Woodbeck, Glazer set up a fake police sting on the drug dealers and walked away with a lot of cash.

A lively, witty history of the iconic Italian drinking establishment, a meeting place for literary and artistic luminaries for nearly a century. On the short list of the world's most famous watering holes-Willi's Wine Bar in Paris, Jo's Bar in Prague, the Antico Caffe Greco in Rome-Harry's Bar in Venice stands virtually without peer. Just off the Palazzo San Marco, Harry's is known for its timeless decor and luxurious ambience, which have often been imitated but never duplicated.

From a revered writer of the Beat Generation, a "tour de force" that contemplates aging-and how to make the most of it (Booklist). In this energetic, optimistic memoir, Herb Gold looks back on his life not with regret or wistful recollections-but as a constant, ongoing journey. In a fascinating account of his life, he shares poignant and funny memories of the countless conversations, anecdotes, and atmospheres he has experienced and witnessed, all recollected in his vivid, striking prose.

An "insightful and delightfully unsentimental" account of the badly behaved, utterly lovable stray dog who became a local TV star in Indiana (Publishers Weekly). When he stepped out of his front door one cold winter morning, Indianapolis newscaster Dick Wolfsie had no idea he was about to meet his new canine costar. Barney the stray beagle had an irresistible charm and, as Wolfsie would soon discover, an untamable propensity for trouble.

A dachshund's resilient spirit reveals how precious each day is, in this wise, heartfelt memoir by the author of Lauren's Story: An American Dog in Paris. Kay Pfaltz is living a quiet, simple existence with her three beloved dogs when suddenly her life is turned upside down. While coming to terms with a failed relationship, she must take her rescue dog-an adorable dachshund named Flash-in for back surgery. But when the vet tells Kay that the dog's problem is not a disc but an inoperable tumor growing on his spine, she is devastated. She is told Flash has, at most, three weeks to live.

Beyond Mommie Dearest-the inspiring and shattering sequel to the groundbreaking #1 New York Times bestseller. At publication the world as I knew it blew up in my face. Christina Crawford's Mommie Dearest cast a spotlight on the unspoken horrors of family violence and exorcised the demons of her childhood. But in the years following the controversial bestseller's publication, the author's resilience was tested in ways she never expected.

A special edition of the "shocking" #1 New York Times bestseller with an exclusive new preface by the author (Los Angeles Times). When Christina Crawford's harrowing chronicle of child abuse was first published in 1978, it brought global attention to the previously closeted subject. It also shed light on the guarded world of Hollywood and stripped away the facade of Christina's relentless, alcoholic abuser: her adoptive mother, movie star Joan Crawford. Christina was a young girl shown off to the world as a fortunate little princess.

Four of the most important and enduring American slave narratives together in one volume. Until slavery was abolished in 1865, millions of men, women, and children toiled under a system that stripped them of their freedom and their humanity. Much has been written about this shameful era of American history, but few books speak with as much power as the narratives written by those who experienced slavery firsthand. The basis for the film of the same name, Twelve Years a Slave is Solomon Northup's heartrending chronicle of injustice and brutality.

This memoir takes readers around the world, from New York to Nigeria, exploring a life illuminated by novels. As a child in music class, Kathleen Hill comes upon Willa Cather's Lucy Gayheart, and the novel prepares her for a drowning death that soon occurs in her own life.