The New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Delights and Inciting Joy is back with a new chronicle of small, daily wonders—and it is exactly the book we need in these unsettling times.

Ross Gay’s essays have been called “exquisite,” “imperative,” and “brilliant.” Now, in this new collection of genre-defying pieces, again written over the course of a year, one of America’s most original voices continues his ongoing investigation of delight.

For Gay, what delights us is what connects us, what gives us meaning, from the joy of hearing a nostalgic song blasting from a passing car to the pleasure of refusing the “ubiquitous, nefarious” scannable QR code menus, from the tiny dog he fell hard for to his mother baking a dozen kinds of cookies for her grandchildren.

As always, Gay revels in the natural world—sweet potatoes being harvested, a hummingbird carousing in the beebalm, a sunflower growing out of a wall around the cemetery, the shared bounty from a neighbor’s fig tree—and the trillion mysterious ways this glorious earth delights us.

For his many fans eagerly awaiting this new volume and for readers who have enjoyed the works of Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Zadie Smith, and Rebecca Solnit, Gay once again offers us literature that feels as fluent and familiar as a chat with a close friend. The Book of (More) Delights is a collection to savor and share.

An unforgettable memoir about a family secret revealed by a DNA test, the lessons learned in its aftermath, and the indelible power of love.

Three months after Kyo Maclear’s father dies in December 2018, she gets the results of a DNA test showing that she and the father who raised her are not biologically related. Suddenly Maclear becomes a detective in her own life, unravelling a family mystery piece by piece, and assembling the story of her biological father. Along the way, larger questions arise: what exactly is kinship? And what does it mean to be a family? Thoughtful in its reflections on race and lineage, unflinching in its insights on grief and loyalty, Unearthing is a captivating and propulsive story of inheritance that goes beyond heredity. What gets planted, and what gets buried? What role does storytelling play in unearthing the past and making sense of a life? Can the humble act of tending a garden provide common ground for an inquisitive daughter and her complicated mother? As it seeks to answer these questions, Unearthing bursts with the very love it seeks to understand.

What an Owl Knows is a captivating exploration into the world of owls, penned by the acclaimed author Jennifer Ackerman. This book delves into the rich biology and natural history of these enigmatic birds, unraveling the complex nature of their lives.

For thousands of years, owls have intrigued humans, symbolizing wisdom and mystery. Despite their long-standing presence in human culture, detailed scientific understanding of owls has only recently emerged. Ackerman sheds light on these discoveries, revealing the sophisticated behaviors and capabilities of owls, from their unique communication methods to their impressive hunting skills.

Throughout the book, Ackerman shares her own field observations and the latest research, offering insights into how owls communicate, hunt, court, and migrate. Her narrative is enriched with personal anecdotes and scientific findings, making What an Owl Knows a spellbinding read for anyone fascinated by the natural world.

This book is a must-read for those interested in the science of owls, providing an awe-inspiring journey through the lives of one of the world's most elusive bird species.

Fire Weather: A True Story From A Hotter World is an urgent work for our times, as it delves into the apocalyptic consequences of climate change through the lens of a massive wildfire. The book takes readers on a riveting journey, exploring the past, present, and future of the relationship between humanity and fire's fierce energy.

In May 2016, the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta—Canada's oil industry hub—experienced a wildfire of colossal proportions. Known as the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina, this disaster turned neighborhoods into infernos and forced 88,000 people to evacuate in a single afternoon. John Vaillant presents this event not as an isolated occurrence, but a stark preview of what we must brace for in a world growing hotter and more flammable.

For hundreds of millennia, fire has played a pivotal role in human evolution, shaping culture, civilization, and perhaps even our brains. It has been essential for cooking food, defending and heating our homes, and powering the economy. Yet, this volatile element has always posed a threat to elude our control. Today, with the intensification of climate change, we are witnessing fire's destructive power on an unprecedented scale.

Vaillant masterfully weaves together the intertwined histories of North America's oil industry and the emergence of climate science, examining the alarming destruction caused by modern forest fires, and offering a window into lives irrevocably altered by these disasters.

Fire Weather: A True Story From A Hotter World is not just a narrative of a natural disaster; it is a compelling account of an ever-evolving challenge, a testament to human resilience and ingenuity, and a crucial call to action in our new century of fire, which is only just beginning.

Birnam Wood is Shakespearean in its drama, Austenian in its wit, and, like both influences, fascinated by what makes us who we are. It is an unflinching look at the surprising consequences of even our most well-intended actions, and an enthralling consideration of the human impulse to ensure our own survival.

A landslide has closed the Korowai Pass on New Zealand’s South Island, cutting off the town of Thorndike and leaving a sizable farm abandoned. The disaster has created an opportunity for Birnam Wood, an unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective that plants crops wherever no one will notice. For years, the group has struggled to break even. Then Mira, Birnam Wood’s founder, stumbles on an answer: occupying the farm at Thorndike would mean a shot at solvency at last.

But Mira is not the only one interested in Thorndike. The enigmatic American billionaire Robert Lemoine has snatched it up to build his end-times bunker, or so he tells Mira when he catches her on the property. Intrigued by Mira and Birnam Wood, he makes them an offer that would set them up for the long term. But can they trust him? And, as their ideals and ideologies are tested, can they trust one another?