Books published by Random House Publishing Group

Power up with this full-color, action-packed activity book based on Nintendo and Illumination present The Super Mario Bros. Movie—in theaters April 7, 2023!From Nintendo and Illumination comes a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. Featuring Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, boys and girls ages 3 to 7 will love this coloring-and-activity book with full-color mazes, word searches, and other engaging activities inspired by the film—including removable cardstock characters and a background for a fun-filled playset!

"From Nintendo and Illumination comes a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros. Featuring Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach."--

"A music critic pining for her ex-girlfriend targets her high school crush for a career comeback and a chance at revenge in this fresh and original enemies to lovers romance debut. What could possibly go wrong? Sammy Espinoza is known for her smart and hilariously cynical music criticism, and she has a successful column to prove how notoriously hard to please she is in the music biz. But when her singer ex-girlfriend breaks up with her via song on stage, Sammy is willing to do anything, even jeopardize her career, to win her back. But her grand gesture, a fawning review on her column, doesn't accomplish much-she's still single and now her reputation is in the gutter. She has one last chance before her editor cuts her column. Luckily, Sammy has the perfect plan to get her edge back. Rumor has it that Max Ryan, home-grown rock star and Sammy's former high school crush, is back home in Ridley Falls, Washington, recording his highly anticipated but hugely secretive solo album. This is enough to get Sammy our of Seattle and on a Greyhound headed to Ridley Falls, the tiny town she swore she'd never come back to. Exclusive access to Max's new music would guarantee Sammy's professional redemption and, even better, give her the opportunity to serve some long-awaited revenge to the first person who broke her heart. When Sammy does run into Max... he doesn't even remember who she is. Sammy pretends this is all for the best. If she can play the part of tourist from the big city, she can gain his trust, let him 'show her around, ' listen to the album, eviscerate it in her column, and be done with this whole mess in a week"--

"Kai Cheng Thom grew up a Chinese Canadian transgender girl in a hostile world. As an activist, psychotherapist, conflict mediator, spiritual healer, and celebrated writer, she's always pursued the same deeply personal mission: to embrace the revolutionary belief that every human being, no matter how hateful or horrible, is intrinsically sacred. But then Kai Cheng found herself in a crisis of faith, overwhelmed by the viciousness with which people treated each other, and barely clinging on to the values and ideals she'd built her life around: justice, hope, love, and healing. Rather than succumb to despair and cynicism, she gathered all her rage and grief and took one last leap of faith. Kai Cheng began writing letters to everyone she has trouble holding in her heart-those seemingly beyond saving. She wrote to dead people, exes, prositutes, johns, monsters, transphobes, and racists; to the fantasy man she still longs for, to the ones who hurt her, and to the ones who watched. In writing these love letters, Kai Cheng found herself not only rediscovering and deepening her faith in humanity, but falling back in love with being human"--

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife comes a story of courage on the prairie, inspired by the devastating storm that struck the Great Plains in 1888, threatening the lives of hundreds of immigrant homesteaders, especially schoolchildren.“A nail-biter . . . poignant, powerful, perfect.” —Kate Quinn, author of The Alice NetworkThe morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a punishing cold spell. It was warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota Territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats—leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard blew in without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: Keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn’t get lost in the storm? Based on actual oral histories of survivors, this gripping novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers—one becomes a hero of the storm and the other finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It’s also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It was Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured northern European immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed them to settle territories into states, and they didn’t care what lies they told these families to get them there—or whose land it originally was.At its heart, this is a story of courage, of children forced to grow up too soon, tied to the land because of their parents’ choices. It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground, and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today—because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country.

"One night. That's all the time a family has to decide what to do with the man they believe murdered their daughter: Do they forgive him, or take justice into their own hands? An electrifying novel by the author of Nanny Needed. . . The anonymous letters arrive in the mail, one by one: To find out what really happened to Meghan, meet at this location. Don't tell anyone you're coming. In one night, you'll find out everything you need to know. Ten years after her murder, the letters tell Meghan's family exactly when and where to meet: a cliffside home on the Oregon coast. But on the night they're promised answers, the convicted killer-her high school boyfriend, Cal, who spent only ten years in prison for murder-is found unconscious in his car, slammed into a light pole near the house where the family is sitting and waiting. Is he the one who invited them to gather? As a storm rampages along the Pacific Northwest, the power cuts off and leaves the family with no chance of returning to the main road and finding help. So they drag Cal back to the house for the remainder of the night. How easy it would be to let him die and claim it was an accident. Or do they help him instead? As the hours tick by, it becomes an excruciating choice. Half of the family wants to kill him. The other half wants him to regain consciousness so he can tell them what he knows. But if Cal wakes up, he might reveal that someone in the family knows more than they're letting on. And if that's the case, who is the real killer? And are they already in the house?"--

"Fatima Ali won the hearts of viewers as the season fifteen "Fan Favorite" of Bravo's Top Chef. After the taping wrapped and before the shows aired, Fati was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, which eventually became terminal. Not one to ever slow down or admit defeat, she vowed to spend her final year traveling the world, eating delicious food, and making memories with her loved ones. But when her condition abruptly worsened, her plans were sidelined. She pivoted, determined to make her final days count as she worked to tell the story of a queer brown girl chef who set out to make a name for herself, her food, and her culture. Written both during Fati's last weeks and posthumously, this deftly woven memoir integrates the perspectives of Fatima at its core, with supporting chapters from her mother Farazeh's perspective. Flashing between past and present, readers will be transported back to Fatima's childhood, unfurling alongside that of her mother, as both were deeply affected by the cultural barriers they faced, shaping the course of their lives. At the same time, food plays an important role throughout, from the rustic stalls of the outdoor markets of Lahore to the kitchen and dining room of Meadowood, the acclaimed 3-Michelin-Star restaurant where Fatima apprenticed. Fati reflects on her life and her identity--as a chef, a daughter, a queer woman--exploring and defining her sexuality, oftentimes butting up against the more conservative and traditional views of those in her native Pakistan."--From publisher description.

A “witty and wise” (People) debut novel about love and commitment, celebrity and obsession, poetry and reality TV.“Palmer’s novel wryly tracks an earnest interrogation of art and selfhood.”—The New YorkerReeling from a breakup with his almost fiancée, the narrator of Andrew Palmer’s debut novel returns to his hometown in Iowa to house-sit for a family friend. There, a chance flick of the TV remote and a new correspondence with an old friend plunge him into unlikely twin obsessions: the reality show The Bachelor and the Pulitzer Prize–winning poet John Berryman. As his heart begins to mend, his fascination with each deepens, and somewhere along the way, representations of reality become harder and harder to distinguish from real life. Soon he finds himself corresponding with multiple love interests, participating in an ill-considered group outing, and trying to puzzle through the strange turn his life seems to have taken.An absorbing coming-of-age tale “that marks the debut of a significant talent” (Kirkus Reviews, starred), The Bachelor approaches—with wit and grace—the high-stakes questions of an overconnected world: If salvation can no longer be found in fame, can it still be found in romantic relationships? In an era of reality TV, where does entertainment end and reality begin? And why do we, season after season, repeat the same mistakes in love and life?

From the beloved queen of Christmas, Debbie Macomber, comes a joyful adult coloring book featuring all-new festive illustrations and activities.Come celebrate the holidays with Debbie Macomber in a collection of gorgeous drawings ready to come to life on the page with your imagination, including quotes from her holiday novels and tidings from the queen of Christmas herself. You won’t want to miss the customizable activities that make this the perfect festive gift to experience with family and friends—including charming postcards, gift tags, recipes, and more!Experience the delightfully heartwarming world of Debbie Macomber in Debbie Macomber’s Holly Jolly Christmas Coloring Book.

New York Times bestselling author Betina Krahn breathes life into history in a spellbinding tale of a legendary swordswoman, a time of bloodlust and myth, and a love story so powerful it will take your breath away.A Woman's HeartStrong, stunning, and breathtakingly fierce...Aaren Serricksdotter is the eldest daughter of a Viking sword stealer and a beautiful Valkyr. But for the power of a long-ago enchantment, none shall know the true secrets of her heart-perhaps, not even herself. A Man BeguiledHeir to the Norse high-seat, Jorund Borgerson is torn between the ferocious legacy of his clan-and his secret vow to bring peace to his people. Until he meets a distant clansman's daughter, a ravishing warrior who rouses Jorund like no other.Bound together by a force as mysterious as it is powerful, Jorund and Aaren must discover the secret of their remarkable union. For in this time of violence and chaos, two great warriors must prepare for a final battle-a journey beyond the bloodshed...to a true enchantment that is the birthright of every man and woman who has ever loved.

WHAT'S ONE LITTLE WHITE LIE?Okay, so it isn't that little. It's kind of a whopper. It's just that when Natalie Raglan ups and quits her job at a Bath advertising firm, breaks up with her loser-ish boyfriend, and moves-to London! Things don't quite turn out the way she planned. Having made the brave move to the Big City, the lifelong country mouse finds that living chic is still a long way off. Even Cressida, the girl who used to rent her tiny flat, still gets more phone calls and mail there than Nat does. Come to think of it, Cressida Langdon's life looks pretty appealing-especially when an invitation to the posh, exclusive Soho House club arrives, addressed to Cressida. Before she really knows what she's done, Nat has opened Cressida's mail . . . and taken up her life. Soon Nat's dating a gorgeous investment banker named Simon, giving "reiki healing sessions,” wearing wonderful clothes, and partying with the A-list at Soho House. But the best part really is Simon. He's everything Nat has ever wanted. The problem is he thinks she's someone else. And as her life and her lies begin to spiral out of control, Nat can't help but wonder: Will she be exposed as a liar and a fake-or be saved from ruin by simply claiming good intentions. . . .

A wonderfully readable account of scientic development over the past ve hundred years, focusing on the lives and achievements of individual scientists, by the bestselling author of In Search of Schrdinger's CatIn this ambitious new book, John Gribbin tells the stories of the people who have made science, and of the times in which they lived and worked. He begins with Copernicus, during the Renaissance, when science replaced mysticism as a means of explaining the workings of the world, and he continues through the centuries, creating an unbroken genealogy of not only the greatest but also the more obscure names of Western science, a dot-to-dot line linking amateur to genius, and accidental discovery to brilliant deduction.By focusing on the scientists themselves, Gribbin has written an anecdotal narrative enlivened with stories of personal drama, success and failure. A bestselling science writer with an international reputation, Gribbin is among the few authors who could even attempt a work of this magnitude. Praised as ';a sequence of witty, information-packed tales' and ';a terric read' by The Times upon its recent British publication, The Scientists breathes new life into such venerable icons as Galileo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Linus Pauling, as well as lesser lights whose stories have been undeservedly neglected. Filled with pioneers, visionaries, eccentrics and madmen, this is the history of science as it has never been told before.

';Bill Burns is a treasure of American diplomacy.'Hillary Clinton';The Back Channelshows how diplomacy works, why it matters, and why its recent demise is so tragic.'Walter Isaacson, author ofLeonardo da VinciOver the course of more than three decades as an American diplomat, William J. Burns played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his timefrom the bloodless end of the Cold War to the collapse of postCold War relations with Putin's Russia, from post9/11 tumult in the Middle East to the secret nuclear talks with Iran.InThe Back Channel,Burns recounts, with novelistic detail and incisive analysis, some of the seminal moments of his career. Drawing on a trove of newly declassified cables and memos, he gives readers a rare inside look at American diplomacy in action. His dispatches from war-torn Chechnya and Qaddafi's bizarre camp in the Libyan desert and his warnings of the ';Perfect Storm' that would be unleashed by the Iraq War will reshape our understanding of historyand inform the policy debates of the future. Burns sketches the contours of effective American leadership in a world that resembles neither the zero-sum Cold War contest of his early years as a diplomat nor the ';unipolar moment' of American primacy that followed.Ultimately, The Back Channel is an eloquent, deeply informed, and timely story of a life spent in service of American interests abroad. It is also a powerful reminder, in a time of great turmoil, of the enduring importance of diplomacy.Advance praise for The Back Channel';Bill Burns is simply one of the finest U.S. diplomats of the last half century. The Back Channel demonstrates his rare and precious combination of strategic insight and policy action. It is full of riveting historical detail but also, more important, shrewd insights into how we can advance our interests and values in a world where U.S. leadership remains the linchpin of international order.'James A. Baker III';From one of America's consummate diplomats,The Back Channelis an incisive and sorely needed case for the revitalization of diplomacywhat Burns wisely describes as our ';tool of first resort.''Henry Kissinger';Burns not only offers a vivid account of how American diplomacy works, he also puts forward a compelling vision for its future that will surely inspire new generations to follow his incredible example.'Madeleine K. Albright

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER *; Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR *; The Christian Science Monitor *; Southern Living Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the ';better angels of our nature' have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women's rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson's crusade against Jim Crow. Each of these dramatic hours in our national life have been shaped by the contest to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear—a struggle that continues even now.While the American story has not always—or even often—been heroic, we have been sustained by a belief in progress even in the gloomiest of times. In this inspiring book, Meacham reassures us, ';The good news is that we have come through such darkness before'—as, time and again, Lincoln's better angels have found a way to prevail.Praise for The Soul of America ';Brilliant, fascinating, timely . . . With compelling narratives of past eras of strife and disenchantment, Meacham offers wisdom for our own time.'—Walter Isaacson ';Gripping and inspiring, The Soul of America is Jon Meacham's declaration of his faith in America.'—Newsday';Meacham gives readers a long-term perspective on American history and a reason to believe the soul of America is ultimately one of kindness and caring, not rancor and paranoia.'—USA Today

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. . . .Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing the legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.He's the scion of an honorable and revered family. A dedicated soldier and distinguished legislator. Loyal proponent of the Republic and trusted ally of the Jedi Order. Groomed by the ruthless politician and Sith Lord who would be Emperor, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin rises through the Imperial ranks, enforcing his authority ever more mercilessly . . . and zealously pursuing his destiny as the architect of absolute dominion.Rule through the fear of force rather than force itself, he advises his Emperor. Under Tarkin's guidance, an ultimate weapon of unparalleled destruction moves ever closer to becoming a terrifying reality. When the so-called Death Star is completed, Tarkin is confident that the galaxy's lingering pockets of Separatist rebellion will be brought to heelby intimidation . . . or annihilation.Until then, however, insurgency remains a genuine threat. Escalating guerrilla attacks by resistance forces and newfound evidence of a growing Separatist conspiracy are an immediate danger the Empire must meet with swift and brutal action. And to bring down a band of elusive freedom fighters, the Emperor turns to his most formidable agents: Darth Vader, the fearsome new Sith enforcer as remorseless as he is mysterious; and Tarkinwhose tactical cunning and cold-blooded efficiency will pave the way for the Empire's supremacy . . . and its enemies' extinction.Praise for Tarkin ';Tarkin tells a compelling tale of mystery while revealing much about a character who has fueled debate among fans since 1977, as well as the oppressive regime he represents. [James] Luceno has proven once again that the villains of Star Wars are as much fun as the good guys.'New York Daily News ';Another home run in the new canon . . . This is the highest and best distillation of Tarkin stories, old and new, we've ever been given.'Big Shiny Robot ';A spectacular novel, with the intrigue, action, and profound characterization we have come to expect from the pen of Luceno . . . [Tarkin] provides a nuanced, multi-faceted anti-hero who is captivating, ominous, and calculating; in many ways, this is an origin tale of the Empire [and] a fascinating portrait of one of the more popular characters in the Original Trilogy. It may very well be one my favorite Star Wars novels.'Coffee with Kenobi ';A fascinating look at the pathos of one of the galaxy's most criminally underused characters.'TheForce.net

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an incandescent story about the resilience of the human spirit, the triumph of hope, and the meaning of home. In the rugged Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forestnearly a million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. From deep within this old growth forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past. Having retreated to her western Washington hometown after a scandal left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates is determined to free the extraordinary little girl she calls Alice from a prison of unimaginable fear and isolation. To reach her, Julia must discover the truth about Alice's pastalthough doing so requires help from Julia's estranged sister, a local police officer. The shocking facts of Alice's life test the limits of Julia's faith and strength, even as she struggles to make a home for Aliceand for herself. ';One of [Kristin Hannah's] most compelling and riveting novels.'Booklist

The era of the Old Republic is a dark and dangerous time, as Jedi Knights valiantly battle the Sith Lords and their ruthless armies. But the Sith have disturbing plansand none more so than the fulfillment of Darth Scabrous's fanatical dream, which is about to become nightmarish reality.Unlike those other Jedi sidelined to the Agricultural Corpsyoung Jedi whose abilities have not proved up to snuffHestizo Trace possesses one extraordinary Force talent: a gift with plants. Suddenly her quiet existence among greenhouse and garden specimens is violently destroyed by the arrival of an emissary from Darth Scabrous. For the rare black orchid that she has nurtured and bonded with is the final ingredient in an ancient Sith formula that promises to grant Darth Scabrous his greatest desire.But at the heart of the formula is a never-before-seen virus that's worse than fatalit doesn't just kill, it transforms. Now the rotting, ravenous dead are rising, driven by a bloodthirsty hunger for all things livingand commanded by a Sith Master with an insatiable lust for power and the ultimate prize: immortality . . . no matter the cost.Features a bonus section following the novel that includes a primer on the Star Wars expanded universe, and over half a dozen excerpts from some of the most popular Star Wars books of the last thirty years!

Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria's heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family's restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie's fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman. Angie hires Lauren Ribido because she sees something special in the seventeen-year-old. They quickly form a deep bond, and when Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie offers the girl a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two womenone who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother's lovewill be tested in ways that neither could have imagined.