Been Doon So Long

"Raise your glass to Randall Grahm. Long may he tickle our fancy."—Kermit Lynch, author of Adventures on the Wine Route “Long a fan of Bonny Doon, it cheered me to find Randall Grahm's writing just as irreverent and delicious as his approach to wine.”—Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry “Randall Grahm is the Willy Wonka of the wine world, and Been Doon So Long is intelligent, insightful, and mischievous. It's a work of genius.”—Jamie Goode, author of The Science of Wine "If Donald Barthelme had studied philosophy and oenology he might have written like Randall Grahm. He's a provocateur, a punster, a philosopher, and jester. As entertaining as Grahm is, he also manages to edify, ultimately surprising us with contrarian common sense and a flamboyant defense of tradition."—Jay McInerney, author of Bacchus and Me and A Hedonist in the Cellar

A lush, disorienting novel, The Caretaker takes no prisoners as it explores the perils of devotion and the potentially lethal charisma of things Following the death of a renowned and eccentric collector—the author of Stuff, a seminal philosophical work on the art of accumulation—the fate of the privately endowed museum he cherished falls to a peripatetic stranger who had been his fervent admirer. In his new role as caretaker of The Society for the Preservation of the Legacy of Dr. Charles Morgan, this restive man, in service to an absent master, at last finds his calling. The peculiar institution over which he presides is dedicated to the annihilation of hierarchy: peerless antiquities commune happily with the ignored, the discarded, the undervalued and the valueless. What transpires as the caretaker assumes dominion over this reliquary of voiceless objects and over its visitors is told in a manner at once obsessive and matter-of-fact, and in language both cocooning and expansive. A wry and haunting tale, The Caretaker, like the interplanetary crystal that is one of the museum’s treasures, is rare, glistening, and of a compacted inwardness. Kafka or Shirley Jackson may come to mind, and The Caretaker may conjure up various genres—parables, ghost stories, locked-room mysteries—but Doon Arbus draws her phosphorescent water from no other writer’s well.

Haunted by waking visions of a blond boy in a kilt, Veronica can’t decide if she’s more eager to flee her recent messy breakup or join her best friend on a trip to Scotland in hopes of finding a real-life version of her imaginary Highland crush. But one thing leads to the next as the girls discover the enchanted world of Doon, and the curse that is tearing it apart. When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. When Veronica and Mackenna settle into their cottage in Alloway, they uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the blond, kilted boy from Veronica’s visions. But Doon has a dark secret that threatens everything. The two girls could have all they’ve longed for … or they could end up trapped on the wrong side of the Brig o’ Doonforever in a world that is quickly becoming a nightmare. Perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine, Meagan Spooner, or Morgan Rhodes, Doon features: Soulmates and one true love tropes Clean and wholesome romance Magical fantasy world within modern society Journey back to Doon with the other titles in the series: Destined for Doon (Book 2) Shades of Doon (Book 3) Forever Doon (Book 4)

Naturalness is a hot topic in the wine world. But what exactly is a natural wine? For this book, best-selling wine writer Jamie Goode has teamed up with winemaker and Master of Wine Sam Harrop to explore the wide range of issues surrounding authenticity in wine. Sam Harrop initially trained as a winemaker in New Zealand.

Fans of classic detective stories, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and the Secret Series will devour this illustrated middle-grade adventure that follows three curious sleuths as they investigate a mysterious, old house with some hidden secrets. Eleven-year-old Fairday Morrow is less than thrilled that her family is moving thousands of miles from civilization to the quiet country town of Ashpot, Connecticut, where she’s absolutely certain she’ll die of boredom. As if leaving New York City and her best friend, Lizzy, the only other member of the elite Detective Mystery Squad (DMS), weren’t bad enough, Fairday is stuck living in the infamous Begonia House, a creepy old Victorian with dark passageways, a gigantic dead willow tree, and a mysterious past. Before she can even unpack, strange music coming from behind a padlocked door leads Fairday up a spiral staircase and into a secret room, where an ancient mirror, a brass key, and a strange picture of a red-haired lady are the first in a series of clues that takes the members of the Detective Mystery Squad on an amazing adventure. "The novel builds to an exciting climax that takes magic in stride and suggests that further mysteries await the DMS trio."-Publishers Weekly "This paranormal mystery will be of interest to young readers looking for something spooky but not violent or scary."-Booklist

With more than 3.5 million copies sold, the City of Ember books are modern-day classics. Lina and Doon's heart-pounding journey to save their people has captivated readers around the world, and the four adventures are bound together here for the very first time! Escape the Dark. Discover the Adventure. The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. But now with terrifying blackouts sweeping through the streets, Lina and Doon know it’s only a matter of time before the lights go out and never come back on again. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she and Doon explore long-forgotten parts of their dying city as they race to solve the mystery. If they succeed, they will have to convince everyone to follow them into danger and an exciting new world. But if they fail? The lights will burn out and the darkness will close in forever. The series begins with the groundbreaking dystopian novel The City of Ember, the story of a girl, a boy, and their beleaguered city. Through the sequel, The People of Sparks, the satisfying conclusion, The Diamond of Darkhold, and the prequel, The Prophet of Yonwood, author Jeanne DuPrau offers a vision of hope that, while sometimes flickering against the darkness, ultimately shines through, like the bright dawning of a new world.

In Postmodern Winemaking, Clark Smith shares the extensive knowledge he has accumulated in engaging, humorous, and erudite essays that convey a new vision of the winemaker's craft--one that credits the crucial roles played by both science and art in the winemaking process. Smith, a leading innovator in red wine production techniques, explains how traditional enological education has led many winemakers astray--enabling them to create competent, consistent wines while putting exceptional wines of structure and mystery beyond their grasp. Great wines, he claims, demand a personal and creative engagement with many elements of the process. His lively exploration of the facets of postmodern winemaking, together with profiles of some of its practitioners, is both entertaining and enlightening.

Nominated for Best Historical Mystery in the 2014 Agatha Awards. Enga Dancing Flower knows her Neanderthal tribe is in trouble. The dark seasons are becoming longer, and the mammoth herds are fleeing south. When the tribal leader is found stabbed to death, the new leader thinks Enga did it. Expulsion and certain death loom. Enga must find the murderer to save her tribe - and herself.