For Graduates

It's a traveler's life list, a guide, an inspiration, a memory book. Open it to check out where you've been, and where you should go next. What to see and what to do and what to show the kids. Where to eat and where to stay. And how to change your life.

Covering the U.S.A. and Canada like never before, here are 1,000 spectacular, compelling, essential, offbeat, utterly unforgettable places. Pristine beaches and national parks, world-class museums and the Corn Palace, mountain resorts, salmon-rich rivers, scenic byways, Chez Panisse and the country's best taco, lush gardens and Holden Arboretum, mountain biking on the Maah Daah Hey trail, historic mansions, vineyards, hot springs, the Talladega Superspeedway, classic ballparks, and more. Includes more than 150 places of special interest to families, and, for every entry, the nuts and bolts of how and when to visit.

A COLOSSAL CHEAT SHEET FOR YOUR postcollege years. Finally, all the needs of the modern girl—from the benefits of a Roth IRA to the pleasure and pain of dating (and why it’s not a cliché to love yourself first), from figuring out what to wear to a job interview to the delicate enterprise of defriending—are addressed in one rollicking volume. Here is the perfect combination of solid advice and been-there secrets for every one of life’s conundrums you might confront, all delivered in Melissa Kirsch’s fresh, personal, funny voice, as if your best and smartest friend were giving you the best and smartest advice in the world.

We’ve Feng Shui-ed the home and the office. Now it’s time for this ancient Chinese art of spatial arrangement and orientation to take on the greatest challenge of all — the dorm room. Fifteen million kids go off to college each fall, laden down with bedding, wall hangings, computer, books, clothes, stereo, mini-fridge, photos, etc. — and they are determined to cram it all into one very small dorm room. The problem is compounded when the roommate shows up with an equal pile of stuff.

How do you make a dorm room comfortable and conducive to everything from sleeping to studying to socializing? When confronted with this dilemma in her own tiny, first-year dorm room, author Katherine Olaksen called for help — and feng shui answered. In Dorm Room Feng Shui, Olaksen presents quick, cheap, and innovative feng shui fixes designed to cure any student’s troubles.

A nine-second quiz helps zero in on the life issues that need the most attention, from roommate relationships to career choices, and the corresponding areas of the dorm room to focus on. Light-hearted yet practical text offers simple suggestions for changing the flow of chi (energy) in the room to help ease the problem areas.

The result is a more inviting dorm-room environment, and a charging up of chi, which, according to feng shui theory, will help improve study habits, pump up social life, soothe roomie relations, and even inspire some organizing and clean-up. This is a book that is as irresistible to read as a horoscope, and heaven knows, could prove to be uncannily accurate.

Written by career guru Nella Barkley, this book turns the traditional job search on its head-by focusing on the individual, not the position-and gives people the tools they need to find work that's meaningful, well paying, and in tune with their needs. An interactive workbook, the Crystal-Barkley Guide takes a holistic approach to answering three key questions: Who am I? What do I want? How do I get there? Readers quickly become their own career counselors-experts, perhaps for the first time, on themselves. By learning which questions to ask, individuals learn how to accurately gauge their skills, identify talents, assess values. They learn how to put it all together, how to set goals and establish a direction. Then, once readers identify what they want, the authors show how the time-tested Crystal-Barkley methods can help them achieve it: How to visualize a career. How to survey a prospective workplace. How to negotiate. How to be a self-marketer. How to make job security permanent-because it comes from within.

Enriched with full-color photographs in honor of its twenty-fifth anniversary, The Silver Palate Cookbook is the beloved classic that brings a new passion for food and entertaining into American homes. Its 350 flawlessly seasoned, stand-out dishes make every occasion special, and its recipes, featuring vibrant, pure ingredients, are a pleasure to cook. Brimming with kitchen wisdom, cooking tips, information about domestic and imported ingredients, menus, quotes, and lore, this timeless book feels as fresh and exciting as the day it was first published. Every reader will fall in love with cooking all over again.

Practical advice on everything from making the bed to shaking hands to flirting, all from experts in their fields.

A "Cliffs Notes for life," this practical guide features 100 original essays by leading experts from around the world who offer their unparalleled insights into how to perform everyday tasks, from remembering names to ironing a shirt. It features both the famous (like Suze Orman) and the lesser known (like the head groundskeeper at Fenway Park). 

Hear a range of experts: everyone from Donald Trump (negotiating) to Stephen Covey (managing your time) to Debbi Fields (baking great cookies). Let Ira Glass teach you how to tell an interesting story, and Larry King explain the art of listening.

The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do brings together the best of the best, offering the world's most valuable advice. Includes: 

Do Push-Ups and Sit-Ups Kathy Smith Brew coffee Cecile Hudon Read a Newspaper Arthur Sulzberger Jr. Shine Shoes Sal Iacono AKA the Sole Man Manage Your Time Stephen R. Covey Give and Receive a Compliment Mary Mitchell AKA Ms. Demeanor Negotiate  Donald Trump Listen Larry King Tell a Story Ira Glass Deliver Bad News Dr. Robert Buckman Balance Your Checkbook Terry Savage Save Money Suze Orman Understand Your Pet Warren Eckstein Remove a Stain Linda Cobb AKA The Queen of Clean ® Do Laundry Heloise Paint a Room Bob Vila Read Aloud Cory Booker Hit a Tennis Ball Jennifer Capriati Build a Fire Jim Paxon Tell a Joke Howie Mandel Be a Good Houseguest Amy Alkon AKA the Advice Goddess Flirt  Susan Rabin Plan a Wedding Darcy Miller Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies Debbi Fields Smile for the Camera Katie Ford
and more.

"A talented cast of readers dispenses advice with just the appropriate tone."
—Audiofile

"Short, pithy, and often tinged with humor."
—Library Journal (A "Best Audiobook" Pick)

". . . a 'listener friendly' collection of easy pointers . . . which receive fine narration by Paula Parker and others."
—Library Bookwatch

"Listeners will be able to dazzle friends and family with their newlyacquired expertise. Highly recommended for public libraries."
—Library Journal

Not a penny-pinching cookbook—a "get smart!" cookbook.
No more staring helplessly at rising grocery bills or, too harried for time, shelling out twenty-five bucks for mediocre take-out. The work of two brilliant problem-solvers, Cheap. Fast. Good! cuts through both the budget dilemma and the time dilemma with 275 recipes for great, family-pleasing dishes, most of which take under 25 minutes to prepare and average out to cost less—and usually far less—than $2 a serving.

Home Ec simplified
Saving money in the kitchen is as simple as one four-letter word: Cook. But cooking to save means cooking food you and your family are going to love—and cooking (and shopping) smart. In dozens of time-and-money-saving tips, techniques, strategies, and solutions, the authors show how to make the right choices again and again.

They'll never know you're thrifty
Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Pepper Medley
Stuffed Peppers with Kielbasa Rice
Zesty Chicken Sauté
Bayou Stew
Catfish with Pecan Crust
Cinco de Mayo Skillet
Quickie Cacciatore
Perfect Spinach Pesto Pizza
Moroccan Meatballs Over Couscous
Salmon Pasta with Tomatoes and Dill

...Even when it's time to s-t-r-e-t-c-h
Onion Chopped Steak with Easy Gravy
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Fall Sausage and Cabbage Sauté
Ultra-Easy Veggie Quesadillas
Pasta e Fagioli
My Beef and Barley Soup
Ziti Mexi-Cali

This landmark recording, originally broadcast on National Public Radio, features an expanded storyline with additional scenes and characters not in the films, enhanced with music and sound effects from the films. Performers on the recording include film cast members Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), with the additional voice talents of Ann Sachs, Perry King, Brock Peters, Paul Hecht, John Lithgow, Ayre Gross, Joshua Fardon, Ed Asner, David Dukes, Peter Michael Goetz, David Birney, Ed Begley Jr., and many others.

Most men between the ages of 18 and 26 are cuisine-challenged. When it's time for a meal, they are often faced with frozen macaroni and cheese, a packet of ramen noodles, or the phone to order take-out. Not only is this not healthy, it doesn't impress girls and it's a waste of money. And, as self-taught chef Kevin Telles Roberts can tell you, it is so unnecessary.

Now the man who has cooked for extreme sports athletes and the coolest television stars gives us Munchies--the hip, edgy, no-fear cookbook for young adults who think their kitchen is just a large room to store the refrigerator in.

With more than 100 foolproof recipes created for even the most inexperienced cook, Roberts cooks the food you love with minimal damage and maximum impact. Nuclear Wings, Garlic Fries, and Killer Shark Tacos that will leave you party guests gasping. Quick Quesadillas for solo late-night snacks. Tater-Tot Hash and Roman Toast--the new breakfast for champions. Munchies has recipes for veggies and fish as well. Pistachio-Crusted Halibut for when you suddenly need to impress a dinner date. Beer-Soaked Steak or Ponzu Chicken for when you want to fire up the grill, as well as great summer side salads to accompany your meal. Finally, there are recipes for desserts such as Peanut Butter Cookies or Baked Cinnamon Apples that you can make even if you've never turned on your oven. Munchies will show you how to cook the food that you want to eat.

Lost in a fast-food, cold leftovers, breakfast-bar wilderness? From your college dorm to the smallest apartment with no dishwaser, Munchies will transform your cooking with confidence and creativity. Hip, funny, and totally accessible, Roberts cooks like the rest of us and makes it taste good.

Check it out--the Chicks are back. Authors of It's a Chick Thing, with 110,000 copies in print--"A must book for the reader who knows that chicks rule" (Publishers Weekly), "a smart and sassy compilation" (Chicago Tribune)--Ame Mahler Beanland and Emily Miles Terry celebrate chicks nesting, or what it means to have a home filled with laughter, good friends, lovingly prepared foods and crafts, all with personal style.

Seasoned with attitude and packed with stories, history, how-tos, quips, advice, recipes, folklore, and crafts, Nesting is all about finding personal style and showing it off, putting an entirely fresh, it's-a-chick-thing spin on entertaining, decorating, cooking, and gardening. In "Chicks and Chow," the food chapter, there are unexpected stories by M.F.K. Fisher, Ruth Reichl, and Erma Bombeck; a Spice, Spice Baby! guide to spices; sixteen recipes for great Chicktails; and Towels That Snap Back (how to make personalized dish towels). "Flocking Together {hen parties and sassy soirees}" has Sally Quinn on being a guest while in labor; Ina Garton's "The Worst Party I Ever Had"; the How to Be a Hostess Cupcake guide to party girl preparedness; Upper, Lower, and No-Crust hors d'oeuvres; Monotony Killers; and decorating inspiration from Elsie de Wolfe: "I believe in plenty of optimism and white paint."

Nesting is totally un-Martha in its approach--it's easy, it's light, it's like your best friends hanging out and offering advice with a quip--and it's illustrated throughout with hilarious retro photos and illustrations.

The City Gardener's Handbook is the definitive guide to gardening in small spaces - whether on a balcony, in a container, or in a small yard - covering planting, design, and maintenance.

The problems and challenges facing gardeners in cities, suburban condos, or apartment complexes are unique, and Linda Yang has personally experienced every small-space gardening situation she writes about. Yang offers a wealth of practical advice on planning a garden that will be attractive all year long; selecting wind-, heat-, moisture-, or drought-tolerant species; and coping with pollutants, insects, and more. Charts and lists supply information on the best city plants for flowers, foliage, and fragrance, as well as ground covers, small weeping trees and dwarf shrubs, soil mixes for containers, and practical mulches. The updated mail-order source list is an essential tool for gardeners who find it difficult to locate plants and supplies. The City Gardener's Handbook is an invaluable resource for any gardener facing the challenge of growing plants where space is limited, whether in the dooryard of a suburban townhouse or on a mid-city rooftop.