Written in 1816 by the German Romantic E. T. A. Hoffmann for his children, nephews and nieces, The Nutcracker captures better than any other story a child's wonder at Christmas. Since its publication, it has inspired hundreds of artists and adaptations, most notably the legendary ballet, scored by Russian composer Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Today, the story - and its enchanting images of sugar plums and nutcrackers, mistletoe and the Kingdom of the Dolls - continues to cast its fantastical spell on readers of all ages. Joachim Neugroschel won three PEN translation awards and the French-American Foundation Translation Prize. He translated Thomas Mann's Death in Venice and Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs, among other works, for Penguin Classics.

Three times the holiday magic. Three times the chaos.     As strangers and seatmates Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson fly to Toronto over the holidays—Maryam to her sister’s impromptu wedding, and Anna to meet her boyfriend’s wealthy family for the first time—neither expect that severe turbulence will scare them into confessing their deepest hopes and fears to one another. At least they’ll never see each other again. And the love of Maryam’s life, Saif, wasn’t sitting two rows behind them hearing it all. Oops.     An emergency landing finds Anna, Saif, Maryam, and her sister’s entire bridal party snowbound at the quirky Snow Falls Inn in a picture-perfect town, where fate has Anna’s actor-crush filming a holiday romance. As Maryam finds the courage to open her heart to Saif, and Anna feels the magic of being snowbound with an unexpected new love—both women soon realize there’s no place they’d rather be for the holidays.

Former college hockey player, Sam Jameson, is coming off of a bad summer. After the derailment of his hockey dreams, and a nasty breakup with his girlfriend, he's ready to put his head down and work hard for the South Carolina NHL team. He doesn't count on Troy Nichols, though. Troy, star forward for the team, is unexpected in more ways than one. And when sparks fly between the pair, there seems little sense in holding back. Can they make it work, or is this little more than a rebound?

A lonely and touch-starved monster. A human dealing with a mysterious illness. A bond that changes everything.Since the day Jasper nearly died in the forest, a strange sickness has consumed his life. More than that, an ache inside him urges him to find something. Or someone. With his fox familiar, he searches without knowing what or who he’s searching for. Only that he must find them, or the ache inside will never be fulfilled. Sometimes, he feels the weight of unseen eyes on him. But when he turns, no one is there.Kraghol is not like other krampuses. He despises the fear his kind is meant to inspire. When Kraghol saved Jasper’s life, a bond forged between them. But since that day, Kraghol has hidden from Jasper, watching him from the shadows, unable to bear the thought of Jasper seeing his monstrous face.Then one day, Jasper collapses in the snow. Unable to stop himself, Kraghol rushes to his aid. And when Jasper awakens, he knows that Kraghol is the one he’s been searching for.But their worlds could not be more different. Kraghol knows a human and a krampus have no future. Can Jasper help him overcome his doubts? Or will Kraghol condemn them both to a lifetime of loneliness?The Krampus’s First Christmas Gift is an MM cosy fantasy romance with plenty of spice. It features Christmas vibes, a family of hearth and kitchen witch bakers, a touch-starved krampus, a fox familiar, a very long tongue being used inappropriately, and an HEA. Whilst this book is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

While many books can be enjoyed for their basic stories, there are often deeper meanings interwoven in these literary texts... How to Read Literature Like a Professor helps us to discover those hidden truths by looking at literature with the eyes—and the literary codes—of the ultimate professional reader: the college professor. What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface – a symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a character – and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you. In this practical and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices and form, How to Read Like a Professor is the perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching, satisfying and fun.

A hired killer finds herself caught between her conscience and her contract over the holidays in this riveting short thriller from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger. A hit woman’s work doesn’t stop for the holidays. As the advent calendar winds down, Paige slips into a palatial house, ignoring a blizzard of texts from her ex-husband. No surprise—Julian always gets maudlin this time of year. The real shock comes when the target is not alone. His young daughter is there too. Risking the wrath of her organization, Paige retreats. There are some lines that, for personal reasons, she just won’t cross. But when she returns on Christmas Eve to finish the job, the girl is still there…along with someone even more startling. As the ghosts of her past gather—to haunt or to help, it’s unclear—Paige must confront old traumas and outwit her superiors to make it to Christmas morning alive.