Words are the currency of culture --- and never more than today. From selfie to doomscrolling to rizz, our hyper-connected digital world coins and spreads new words with lightning speed and locks them into mainstream consciousness with unprecedented influence. Journalist and bestselling author Stefan Fatsis embedded as a lexicographer-in-training at America’s most famous dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster, to learn how words get into the dictionary, where they come from, who decides what they mean, and how we write and think about them. As he recounts in UNABRIDGED, he discovered the history and fascinating subculture of the dictionary and of those who curate and revere “one of the most basic features of our collective humanity.”

Words are the currency of culture --- and never more than today. From selfie to doomscrolling to rizz, our hyper-connected digital world coins and spreads new words with lightning speed and locks them into mainstream consciousness with unprecedented influence. Journalist and bestselling author Stefan Fatsis embedded as a lexicographer-in-training at America’s most famous dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster, to learn how words get into the dictionary, where they come from, who decides what they mean, and how we write and think about them. As he recounts in UNABRIDGED, he discovered the history and fascinating subculture of the dictionary and of those who curate and revere “one of the most basic features of our collective humanity.”

From the author of the New York Times bestseller WORD FREAK, a vibrant, lively and illuminating journey through the exotic world of Merriam-Webster, dictionaries and language, at a time of rapid-fire change in the way we create, consume, define and use words.

Words are the currency of culture --- and never more than today. From selfie to doomscrolling to rizz, our hyper-connected digital world coins and spreads new words with lightning speed and locks them into mainstream consciousness with unprecedented influence. Journalist and bestselling author Stefan Fatsis embedded as a lexicographer-in-training at America’s most famous dictionary publisher, Merriam-Webster, to learn how words get into the dictionary, where they come from, who decides what they mean, and how we write and think about them. As he recounts in UNABRIDGED, he discovered the history and fascinating subculture of the dictionary and of those who curate and revere “one of the most basic features of our collective humanity.”

Fatsis reveals the little-known story of how the brothers George and Charles Merriam acquired Noah Webster’s original American dictionary and reshaped the business of language forever. Merriam-Webster became America’s most successful and enduring compendium of words, withstanding intense competition and cultural controversies --- only to be threatened by the power of Google and artificial intelligence today.

Delving into Merriam’s legendary archives and parsing its arcane rules, Fatsis learns the painstaking precision required for writing good definitions. He examines how the dictionary has handled the most explosive slurs and the revolutionary change in pronouns. He votes on the annual Word of the Year, travels to the legendary Oxford English Dictionary, and visits the world’s greatest private dictionary collection in a Greenwich Village apartment stuffed with more than 20,000 books. Fatsis demonstrates how words are weaponized in our polarized political culture --- from liberal to woke to DEI --- and, in a time of insurrections and pandemics, how they can be a literal matter of life and death. Along the way, he manages to write a few definitions that crack the code and are enshrined in the pixelated dictionary.

“I fell in love with the dictionary on my eleventh birthday,” Fatsis writes about the full-color college lexicon he received on that day. “The dictionary projects permanence, but the language is Jell-O, slippery and mutable and forever collapsing on itself.” UNABRIDGED takes readers to the heart of an industry in flux, celebrating as it does the sheer thrill and wonder of words.

Audiobook available, read by Kevin R. Free

Helm is a ferocious, mischievous wind --- a subject of folklore and awe, part-elemental god, part-aerial demon blasting through the sublime landscape of Northern England since the dawn of time. Through the stories of those who’ve obsessed over Helm, an extraordinary history is formed: the Neolithic tribe who tried to placate Helm, the Dark Age wizard priest who wanted to banish Helm, the Victorian steam engineer who attempted to capture Helm --- and the farmer’s daughter who fiercely loved Helm. But now Dr. Selima Sutar, surrounded by infinite clouds and measuring instruments in her observation hut, fears that human pollution is killing Helm.

Helm is a ferocious, mischievous wind --- a subject of folklore and awe, part-elemental god, part-aerial demon blasting through the sublime landscape of Northern England since the dawn of time. Through the stories of those who’ve obsessed over Helm, an extraordinary history is formed: the Neolithic tribe who tried to placate Helm, the Dark Age wizard priest who wanted to banish Helm, the Victorian steam engineer who attempted to capture Helm --- and the farmer’s daughter who fiercely loved Helm. But now Dr. Selima Sutar, surrounded by infinite clouds and measuring instruments in her observation hut, fears that human pollution is killing Helm.

From the twice-Booker-nominated writer of BURNTCOAT, a bold and astonishing literary masterpiece that explores faith, connection and our relationship to the natural world.

Helm is a ferocious, mischievous wind --- a subject of folklore and awe, part-elemental god, part-aerial demon blasting through the sublime landscape of Northern England since the dawn of time.

Through the stories of those who’ve obsessed over Helm, an extraordinary history is formed: the Neolithic tribe who tried to placate Helm, the Dark Age wizard priest who wanted to banish Helm, the Victorian steam engineer who attempted to capture Helm --- and the farmer’s daughter who fiercely loved Helm. But now Dr. Selima Sutar, surrounded by infinite clouds and measuring instruments in her observation hut, fears that human pollution is killing Helm.

Rich, wild and vital, HELM is the story of a singular life force, and of the relationship between nature and people, neither of whom can weather life without the other.

Audiobook available, read by Louise Brealey

El Paso, Texas. Rebecca Carter awoke on a morgue table with only two desires: to find her daughter, Moonflower; and to sate her gnawing hunger. Rebecca sets out on a desperate quest, fighting her murderous craving for blood, and pursued by a vengeful FBI agent. Alone in the wild, Monica Carter survives on whatever small prey she can hunt down. But she needs more. One night, a young man lures her through the mountain scrub with the scent of human blood, promising that he and his little brother will feed her and keep her safe. Somehow these brothers know her nickname --- Moonflower --- and the truth of what she is. She needs them. But can she trust them?

El Paso, Texas. Rebecca Carter awoke on a morgue table with only two desires: to find her daughter, Moonflower; and to sate her gnawing hunger. Rebecca sets out on a desperate quest, fighting her murderous craving for blood, and pursued by a vengeful FBI agent. Alone in the wild, Monica Carter survives on whatever small prey she can hunt down. But she needs more. One night, a young man lures her through the mountain scrub with the scent of human blood, promising that he and his little brother will feed her and keep her safe. Somehow these brothers know her nickname --- Moonflower --- and the truth of what she is. She needs them. But can she trust them?

In this chilling follow-up to BLOOD LIKE MINE by “Stephen King’s true heir” (Will Dean), one mother faces the ultimate supernatural horror: the monster she must become to protect her child.

El Paso, Texas. Rebecca Carter awoke on a morgue table with only two desires: to find her daughter, Moonflower; and to sate her gnawing hunger. Rebecca sets out on a desperate quest, fighting her murderous craving for blood, and pursued by a vengeful FBI agent.

Alone in the wild, Monica Carter survives on whatever small prey she can hunt down. But she needs more. One night, a young man lures her through the mountain scrub with the scent of human blood, promising that he and his little brother will feed her and keep her safe. Somehow these brothers know her nickname --- Moonflower --- and the truth of what she is. She needs them. But can she trust them?

In this breathtaking follow-up to BLOOD LIKE MINE, Stuart Neville brings to life the ultimate horror: a mother who has been separated from her daughter, and who will stop at nothing to be reunited.

Audiobook available, read by Elisabeth Rodgers and Caroline Lennon

American heiress Ruby Vaughn and her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen, run a rare bookshop in Exeter. His penchant for arcane, unusual --- and occasionally illegal --- books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. When he secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, she reluctantly agrees to attend. Harker’s dead body is discovered amongst the collection, and his business partner is hastily arrested. The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for her help.

American heiress Ruby Vaughn and her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen, run a rare bookshop in Exeter. His penchant for arcane, unusual --- and occasionally illegal --- books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. When he secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, she reluctantly agrees to attend. Harker’s dead body is discovered amongst the collection, and his business partner is hastily arrested. The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for her help.

Set after the Great War, Jess Armstrong’s USA Today bestselling and award-winning series is historical gothic murder mystery at its best and Ruby Vaughn returns in THE DEVIL IN OXFORD.

If someone were to ask American heiress Ruby Vaughn how exactly the occult came to play such a large role in her life, she would immediately point to her octogenarian housemate and employer, Mr. Owen. Together, the pair run a rare book shop in Exeter. Mr. Owen’s penchant for arcane, unusual --- and occasionally illegal --- books has been known to get Ruby into her fair share of trouble. And after the last year, she is looking forward to spending a quiet holiday in picturesque Oxford while Mr. Owen attends the annual meeting of his antiquarian society. Secretly, Ruby is also looking for a holiday from her confounding feelings for Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healer Pellar that she met in Cornwall.

When Mr. Owen secures two tickets to an upcoming exhibition of artifacts amassed by disgraced scholar Julius Harker, Ruby reluctantly agrees to attend. The evening turns out to be more eventful than either of them bargained for. Harker’s dead body is discovered amongst the collection, his business partner is hastily arrested and Ruan arrives...wanting to speak with Ruby. It seems both the arcane and her Pellar have followed Ruby to Oxford.

The murder case is suspicious at best, but the last thing Ruby wants is another investigation. That is, until an old friend comes begging for Ruby’s help. It soon becomes painfully clear that there is more going on in Oxford than meets the eye. Ruby and Ruan will have to uncover the dark secrets of the competitive world of antiquities while trying to understand the peculiar force that keeps drawing them back together.

Audiobook available, read by Emma Love 

Maggie Hodges and her daughter, Piper, are looking forward to a restful knitting retreat in the picturesque village of New Hope, Pennsylvania. But instead, they are surprised to find themselves sharing their charming riverside inn with a rowdy bushcraft bachelor party. Undaunted by the clash of interests and personalities, Maggie suggests a lighthearted competition --- a battle of crafts --- that sparks a rivalry between the two groups, and perhaps something more. But as the weekend unfolds, old mistakes and buried resentments begin to surface, threatening to destroy Maggie and Piper’s cherished connection. In knitting, one can easily fix mistakes by picking apart each stitch and starting anew. But life’s tangles aren’t so easily mended. With tensions rising and the retreat coming to a close, Maggie must act quickly before she loses everything she holds dear.

Maggie Hodges and her daughter, Piper, are looking forward to a restful knitting retreat in the picturesque village of New Hope, Pennsylvania. But instead, they are surprised to find themselves sharing their charming riverside inn with a rowdy bushcraft bachelor party. Undaunted by the clash of interests and personalities, Maggie suggests a lighthearted competition --- a battle of crafts --- that sparks a rivalry between the two groups, and perhaps something more. But as the weekend unfolds, old mistakes and buried resentments begin to surface, threatening to destroy Maggie and Piper’s cherished connection. In knitting, one can easily fix mistakes by picking apart each stitch and starting anew. But life’s tangles aren’t so easily mended. With tensions rising and the retreat coming to a close, Maggie must act quickly before she loses everything she holds dear.

A knitting retreat gets knotty in this humorous and poignant novel about love, second chances, and the unyielding bonds between mothers and daughters.

Maggie Hodges and her daughter, Piper, are looking forward to a restful knitting retreat in the picturesque village of New Hope, Pennsylvania. But instead, they are surprised to find themselves sharing their charming riverside inn with a rowdy bushcraft bachelor party. Undaunted by the clash of interests and personalities, Maggie suggests a lighthearted competition --- a battle of crafts --- that sparks a rivalry between the two groups, and perhaps something more. But as the weekend unfolds, old mistakes and buried resentments begin to surface, threatening to destroy Maggie and Piper’s cherished connection.

In knitting, one can easily fix mistakes by picking apart each stitch and starting anew. But life’s tangles aren’t so easily mended. With tensions rising and the retreat coming to a close, Maggie must act quickly before she loses everything she holds dear. Can she repair what’s been broken before everything unravels?

Audiobook available, read by Cynthia Farrell