Greg Kincaid, Bestselling Author of A Dog Named Christmas, will Meet & Greet readers & fans, answer questions and Author Autograph his New Book A Christmas Home.

This Event is Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 7:00 PM at Rainy Day Books in The Fairway Shops, 2706 W 53rd Street, Fairway, Kansas 66205.

Read full details about this Event on our Website.

Ree Drummond, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Pioneer Woman Cookbook, celebrates the release of her New Picture Book Charlie and the Christmas Kitty.  Ree will give a brief Presentation and then Meet & Greet readers & fans as she Author Autographs her New Book as well as her other Books for Sale at the Event.

This Event is Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 1:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary, 707 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64112.

Read full details about this Event on our Website.

Meet OLIVIA!  The one, the only, the most magnificent Pig of all appears to celebrate her "favoritest" Book yet, OLIVIA and the Fairy Princesses! 

Attention all Princesses!  OLIVIA has a New Book: OLIVIA and the Fairy Princesses!  Join us for a gathering of the Fairy Princesses and get your photos taken with the costumed character OLIVIA.  We'll have Prizes and Surprises for every Princess (young ones, anyway).

This Event is Monday, November 5, 2012 at 4:30 PM at Village Presbyterian Church, Friendship Hall, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208.

Read full details about this Event on our Website.

The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau

Alex Kershaw

Crown

The true story of the bloodiest and most dramatic march to victory of the Second World War: the battlefield odyssey of a maverick U.S. Army officer and his infantry unit as they fought for over five hundred days to liberate Europe - from the invasion of Italy to the gates of Dachau. From July 10, 1943, the date of the Allied landing in Sicily, to May 8, 1945, when victory in Europe was declared - the entire time it took to liberate Europe - no regiment saw more action, and no single platoon, company, or battalion endured worse, than the ones commanded by Felix Sparks, who had entered the war as a greenhorn second lieutenant of the 157th "Eager for Duty" Infantry Regiment of the 45th "Thunderbird" Division. Sparks and his fellow Thunderbirds fought longest and hardest to defeat Hitler, often against his most fanatical troops, when the odds on the battlefield were even and the fortunes of the Allies hung in the balance - and when the difference between defeat and victory was a matter of character, not tactics or armor.

The Giving Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel

Jennifer Chiaverini

Dutton Adult

At Elm Creek Manor, the week after Thanksgiving is "Quiltsgiving," a time to commence a season of generosity. From near and far, quilters and aspiring quilters-a librarian, a teacher, a college student, and a quilt-shop clerk among them-gather for a special winter session of quilt camp, to make quilts for Project Linus. (In real life, Chiaverini has long been active in this charitable organization, dedicated to providing handmade quilts and blankets to children in need.) Each quilter, ever mindful that many of her neighbors, friends, and family members are struggling through difficult times, uses her creative gifts to alleviate their collective burden. As the week unfolds, the quilters respond to Sylvia's provocative question in ways as varied as the life experiences that drew them to Elm Creek Manor. Love and comfort are sewn into the warm, bright, beautiful quilts they stitch, and their stories collectively consider the strength of human connection and its rich rewards.

The Sanctuary

Ted Dekker

Center Street

THE SANCTUARY is the gripping story of vigilante priest, Danny Hansen, who is now serving a fifty year prison term in California for the murder of two abusive men. Filled with remorse, Danny is determined to live out his days by a code of non-violence and maneuvers deftly within a ruthless prison system. But when Renee Gilmore, the woman he loves, receives a box containing a bloody finger and draconian demands from a mysterious enemy on the outside, Danny must find a way to escape. They are both drawn into a terrifying game of life and death. If Renee fails, the priest will die; if Danny fails, Renee will die. And the body count will not stop at two.

The Fun Stuff: And Other Essays

James Wood

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

In twenty-three passionate, sparkling dispatches-that range over such crucial writers as Thomas Hardy, Leon Tolstoy, Edmund Wilson, and Mikhail Lermontov - James Wood offers a panoramic look at the modern novel. He effortlessly connects his encyclopedic, passionate understanding of the literary canon with an equally in-depth analysis of the most important authors writing today, including Cormac McCarthy, Lydia Davis, Aleksandar Hemon, and Michel Houellebecq. Included in The Fun Stuff are the title essay on Keith Moon and the lost joys of drumming-which was a finalist for last year's National Magazine Awards-as well as Wood's essay on George Orwell, which Christopher Hitchens selected for the Best American Essays 2010. The Fun Stuff is indispensable reading for anyone who cares about contemporary literature.

Charles Dickens: A Life

Claire Tomalin

Penguin

Award-winning author Claire Tomalin sets the standard for sophisticated and popular biography, having written lives of Jane Austen, Samuel Pepys, and Thomas Hardy, among others. Here she tackles the best recognized and loved man of nineteenth-century England, Charles Dickens; a literary leviathan whose own difficult path to greatness inspired the creation of classic novels such as Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and Hard Times. From his sensational public appearances to the obsessive love affair that led him to betray, deceive, and break with those closest to him, Charles Dickens: A Life is a triumph of the biographer's craft, a comedy that turns to tragedy in a story worthy of Dickens' own pen.

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust

Ina Garten

Clarkson Potter

Millions of people love Ina Garten because she writes recipes that make home cooks look great; family and friends shower them with praise and yet the dishes couldn't be simpler to prepare using ingredients found in any grocery store. In Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, the Food Network star takes easy a step further, sharing her secrets for pulling off deeply satisfying meals that have that "wow!" factor we all crave. Start with delicious Dukes Cosmopolitans made with freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus Jalapeño Cheddar Crackers that everyone will devour. Lunches include Hot Smoked Salmon, Lobster & Potato Salad, and Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons, all featuring old-fashioned flavors with the volume turned up. Elegant Slow-Roasted Filet of Beef with Basil Parmesan Mayonnaise and show-stopping Seared Scallops & Potato Celery Root Purée are just two of the many fabulous dinner recipes. And your guests will always remember the desserts, from Sticky Toffee Date Cake with Bourbon Glaze to Salted Caramel Brownies. For Ina, "foolproof" means more than just making one dish successfully; it's also about planning a menu, including coordinating everything so it all gets to the table at the same time. In Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, Ina shows you how to make a game plan so everything is served hot while you keep your cool. There are notes throughout detailing where a recipe can go wrong to keep you on track, plus tips for making recipes in advance. It's as though Ina is there in the kitchen with you guiding you every step of the way.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Deb Perelman

Knopf

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook is all about approachable, uncompromised home cooking: stepped-up comfort foods, stewy dishes for windy winter afternoons, an apple cake that will answer all questions: "What should my new signature dessert be?" "What is always welcome at a potluck?" "What did Deb consume almost single-handedly a week after having a baby?" These are the recipes you bookmark and use so often they become your own; recipes you slip to a friend who wants to impress her new in-laws; and recipes with simple ingredients that yield amazing results in a minimum amount of time. Deb tells you how to host a brunch and still sleep in-plus what to make for it!-and the essential items you need for your own kitchen. From salads and slaws that make perfect side dishes (or a full meal) to savory tarts and pizzas; from Mushroom Bourguignon to Pancetta, White Bean and Swiss Chard Pot Pies; from Buttered Popcorn Cookies to Chocolate Hazelnut Layer Cake, Deb knows just the thing for a Tuesday night, or your most special occasion.