A Kidnapped Santa Claus is a short story by L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz stories. In it, The Daemons of the caves, resentful of Santa Claus, who rebuffs their attempts to subvert him by temptation, capture him in his sleigh on Christmas Eve and imprison him in their caves. Santa's helpers: a fairy, pixie, knook, and ryl, finish his deliveries with a few comical mishaps. Assembling a magical army of good beings, the queen of the fairies leads an attempt to rescue Santa Claus from the clutches of the evil Daemons. Published in 1904, the story has a somewhat darker tone than its predecessor, The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause. 9781520089478;A New Way to Spend Christmas describes a Christmas visit to Randall's Island in the East River, where orphaned and sick children are looked after. A charitable woman brings gifts and spreads sunshine in that shady place to the unfortunate children who live there. 9781520088914;Is there a hidden part of you that no one else sees? Do you have a vivid inner world of thoughts and emotions that your peers and loved ones can't seem to access? Have you ever been told you're too quiet, shy, boring, or awkward? Are your habits and comfort zones questioned by a society that doesn't seem to get you? If so, you might be an introvert. On behalf of those who have long been misunderstood, rejected, or ignored, fellow introvert Jenn Granneman writes a compassionate vindication-exploring, discovering, and celebrating the secret inner world of introverts. Drawing on scientific research, in-depth interviews with experts and other introverts, and her own personal story, Granneman reveals the clockwork behind the introvert's mind-and why so many people get it wrong. So whether you're a bona fide introvert, an extrovert anxious to learn how introverts tick, or a curious ambivert, this empowering manifesto will answer questions you've always had. 9781520089119;Peace from Heaven is an impressionistic poem written by Louisa May Alcott that weaves together pagan and Christian imagery to communicate the special magic of the Christmas season. 9781633795143;Terrific, says Eugene, after winning an all-expenses-paid vacation in Bermuda. I'll probably get a really nasty sunburn. Unfortunately, Eugene's luck is a lot worse than that. First, his cruise ship sinks, then he ends up stranded on a tiny island. But Eugene isn't alone. There's another castaway, a parrot with a busted wing, who tells him what there is to eat and drink and how to build a sailboat. Cranky Eugene pays attention, and his luck begins to change. 9781520089324;Tessa's Surprises is a story about an underprivileged little girl who strives to earn a few coins so she can buy her younger siblings Christmas presents. A heartwarming Christmas tale from Louisa May Alcott. 9781520089744;The Eyes Have It is a humorous, early short story by Philip K. Dick that first appeared in Science Fiction Stories in 1953. In it, a bus-riding reader of a discarded melodrama with an overactive imagination is persuaded by the hackneyed prose that the world has been taken over by aliens. Thus, when eyes slowly roved around the room, the reader imagines disembodied eyeballs traveling of their own free will. A rare example of satire from the Dick canon. 9781520089027;What Polly Found in Her Stocking is a delightful Christmas poem that tells what a girl of the late 1800s might have gotten from Santa – if she were very good. 9781611200621;Plastic built the modern world. Where would we be without bike helmets, baggies, toothbrushes, and pacemakers? But a century into our love affair with plastic, we're starting to realize it's not such a healthy relationship. Plastics draw dwindling fossil fuels, leach harmful chemicals, litter landscapes, and destroy marine life. As journalist Susan Freinkel points out in this engaging and eye-opening book, we're nearing a crisis point. We're drowning in the stuff, and we need to start making some hard choices. Freinkel gives us the tools we need with a blend of lively anecdotes and analysis. She combs through scientific studies and economic data, reporting from China and across the United States to assess the real impact of plastic on our lives. She tells her story through eight familiar plastic objects: comb, chair, Frisbee, IV bag, disposable lighter, grocery bag, soda bottle, and credit card. Her conclusion: we cannot stay on our plastic-paved path. Plastic points the way toward a new creative partnership 9781611200379;In March 2009 British conservative Daniel Hannan became an overnight celebrity when he assailed Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the floor of the European parliament. The YouTube clip went viral, leading to whirlwind appearances on FOX and other conservative media outlets. A thoughtful and articulate spokesman for conservative ideas, Hannan is better versed in America's traditions and founding documents than many Americans are. In The New Road to Serfdom, Hannan argues forcefully and passionately that Americans must not allow Barack Obama to take us down the road to EU-style social democracy. Instead, he pleads with Americans not to abandon the founding principles that made this country a beacon of liberty for the rest of the world. 9781633795068;Otis has an antique shop crammed to the gills with stuff. So he's delighted when someone comes in and buys it all. Next day, Suzie Gump arrives, the shop is empty, full of nothing, and Suzy loves it-and takes it all. Suzie has set a trend, and soon everybody is craving nothing-the stores are full of it. It's only when there's not even a towel for drying off after a bath that Suzie realizes she may have gone a bit too far. 9781633794948;The holidays are filled with joyful noise. But Christmas is sometimes wrapped in quiet: 'Searching for presents quiet,' 'Getting caught quiet,' and 'Hoping for a snow day quiet.' Irresistibly cute, soft colored pencil illustrations of bunnies, bears, and more paint a magical holiday picture indeed. 9781520054469;1787, West Africa: All her life, Grace Winslow, the daughter of an English sea captain and an African princess, has been sheltered from the truth about the family business – the capture and trade of slaves. Desperate to avoid marriage to an odious suitor, Grace escapes the family compound only to be caught up in a slave revolt at the fortress of Zulina. Soon, she begins to grasp the brutality and ferocity of the family business. Held for ransom, viciously maimed by a runaway slave, and threatened with death, Grace is finally jerked into reality. Grace comes to sympathize with the plight of the captives, genuinely moved by the African Cabeto's passion, determination, and willingness to sacrifice anything, including his own life, for his people's freedom. 9781520051338;1916: Norma Wallace, age 15, arrived in New Orleans. Sexy and shrewd, she quickly went from streetwalker to madam and by 1920 had opened what became a legendary house of prostitution. There she entertained a steady stream of governors, gangsters, and movie stars until she was arrested at last in 1962. Shortly before she died in 1974, she tape-recorded her memories – the scandalous stories of a powerful woman with the city's politicians in her pocket and whose lovers included the 25 year old boy-next-door, whom she married at age 64. With those tapes and original research, Christine Wiltz chronicles Norma's rise and fall with the social history of New Orleans. Thick with the vice and corruption that flourished there, Wiltz resurrects a vanished secret world. 9781681417578;Amory Ames is looking forward to a tranquil period of reconnecting with reformed playboy husband Milo after an unexpected reconciliation following the murderous events at the Brightwell Hotel. However, she is drawn into another investigation when Serena Barrington asks her to look into the disappearance of valuable jewelry snatched at a dinner party. Amory agrees to help lay a trap to catch the culprit at a lavish masked ball hosted by the notorious Viscount Dunmore. But when one of the illustrious party guests is murdered, she is pulled back into the world of detection. Rumors swirl about Milo and a French film star. Once again, Amory and Milo must work together to solve a mystery set in the heart of 1930s society London. 9781624068249;Beijing, 1941: The bones of the famed 'Peking Man' are placed in two wooden crates for shipment to the United States to escape the invading Japanese army. New York City, 1970s: a mysterious woman offers to sell the bones to an unknown man on top of the Empire State Building. But when someone takes a photograph, she makes a hasty retreat. San Francisco, 1980s: A frantic stranger named Jimmy calls on noted anthropologist Ellen Christie and shares a scintillating secret with her: he has evidence of the bones in his backpack. But when she visits his Chinatown home, Jimmy must flee with the evidence. As Ellen and Jimmy's brother navigate the city's elite criminals, her dreams of academic stardom draw closer. Unfortunately, so does danger. 9781974957194;Working in Caleb Hartz's shop fits perfectly with Annie Wagler's plan to match him with her twin sister – until Annie is drawn to him herself. But with his business, his farm, and now his teenage runaway cousin and her baby, Caleb has no time for romance. Can they work together to care for mother and child – without losing their hearts? 9781611204711;Set in contemporary New Orleans but working its way back in time, A Small Hotel chronicles the relationship between Michael and Kelly Hays, who have decided to separate after twenty years of marriage. The book begins on the day that the Hays are to finalize their divorce. Kelly is due to be in court, but instead she drives to New Orleans and checks into the hotel where she and Michael fell in love some twenty years earlier and where she must now make a decision that will forever affect her, Michael, and their nineteen-year-old daughter. Butler masterfully weaves scenes of the present with memories from both Michael and Kelly, showing two people deeply in love but struggling with their own inabilities to express this love. 9781629232522;For thirty years, Howard and Deborah Morgan have poured all their energy and modest savings into Stoneyridge, a smallholding deep in the English moors. Howard putters with pottery, Deborah dabbles in weaving, and both struggle to tend sheep and chickens and live off the land. But what began with simple dreams of solitude and sunlit picnics in the hills has given way to a harsher reality. To help with finances, they decide to turn Stoneyridge into a bed-and-breakfast. But a sudden stroke leaves Howard incapacitated and Deborah overwhelmed. Then, late one evening, two men arrive needing a room for the night – and set off a chain of events that uncovers the relics of old tragedies. And through it all, Stoneyridge quietly hides the bitter and transformative truth. 9781633798298;It is 1985. Twenty-two-year-old Ananda has been in London for two years, practicing at being a poet. He's homesick, thinks of himself as an outsider, and yet he can't help feeling that there's something romantic, even poetic, in his isolation. His uncle, Radhesh, a magnificent failure who lives in genteel impoverishment and celibacy, has been in London for nearly three decades. Odysseus Abroad follows them on one of their weekly, familiar forays about town. The narrative surface has the sensual richness that has graced all of Amit Chaudhuri's work. But the great charm and depth of the novel reside in Ananda's far-ranging ruminations

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