"It used to be that the pastor's wife was huge and the sanctuary was smokin' hot." So observes the Church Curmudgeon (@ChrchCurmudgeon), the Internet's most infamous purveyor of fine vintage Christian whines. With more than nine thousand tweets and ninety thousand followers (so far), he's proven himself a stalwart of holy hilarity for all the people who know "it ain't the way it used to be, I'll tell you that." This poetic collection of the Curmudgeon's best 140-character compositions will make you ROFL as you recognize the regular cast of churchy characters, including the worship leader, the usher team, and maybe even yourself.

Everyone knows something of the sonnets of William Shakespeare - even if they have never read Shakespeare. Allusions are all around in song lyrics, TV shows, and news headlines. The 154 poems Shakespeare wrote in sonnet form and published in 1609 are referenced in so much popular culture, yet unless you are a student of English literature you may not have ever tried reading them. Now you don't have to. In this book, all the 154 original poems are included and paired with a Twitter version. That's right, every one of the sonnets has been reduced to a message of fewer than 140-characters. This is an experiment in making 400-year-old poetry work in the age of social media, but it is also a continuation of the sonnet traditions. Sonnets are very structured, short poems anyway. Poets needed to follow strict rules to make a sonnet work, to convey meaning within a set number of lines. In this book, the sonnets have been reduced to individual tweets - but they still retain the essence of each poem.

In the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, ten-year-old Bug and her new friend Frankie learn important lessons about life, family, being your true self, and how to navigate in a world that is not always just or fair.

With a biting, satirical style reminiscent of The Onion, How to Be a Perfect Christian takes a humorous look at the quirks of cultural Christianity while subtly challenging the reader to search for more than a cultural faith. Written in the trademark style of The Babylon Bee, this book humorously satirizes cultural Christianity while peppering in subtle challenges to the reader. Through humor and sarcasm (and a handy meter to rank your "holiness" as you progress through the book), readers will be called to find a more biblical understanding of the Christian faith, all while poking fun at the quirks of the modern, American Christian community.

Virtually everybody, no matter how self-assured, internally motivated, or confident, hits a few rough patches in life. We all know that when we hit a rough spot we could do with a little extra nudge. That nudge may come from family, a caring co-worker, or a special friend. But equally likely, the prod or push can come from reading an inspiring, empathetic book that shows you how to find your way again. Author Jarie Bolander's #ENDURANCE tweet is just that kind of book. Jarie wrote it for all of us for when we need a little nudge to keep reaching our goals. Most of us do not look for a book that helps us set our goals--we already have those in mind. What we look for is help getting over the hump; overcoming the inertia that sets in and keeps us from taking the first step and making it all the way towards our goals. Jarie knows first-hand about the struggle to get going and keep going. With the true passion and grit of an endurance athlete, he has completed more than a dozen triathlons. He knows that the key to achievement is to "out-endure" everybody else. Jarie firmly believes that most of us can, with the right mindset and determination, pull through with winning colors. #ENDURANCE tweet shows the way. With bite-sized wisdom that we can immediately implement, Jarie walks us through breaking down the initial barriers, determining and then pushing our limits, performing at a high level throughout, pushing extra hard as we draw close to the finish line and even, if required, picking ourselves up and starting all over again. #ENDURANCE tweet inspires its readers to endure through their challenges and succeed. Jarie helps us realize that the secret to success is to endure until you can't endure anymore. This wonderful new book teaches readers to be motivated to fix firmly on their goals and build the confidence to achieve them. #ENDURANCE tweet is part of the THiNKaha series whose slim and handy books contain 140 well-thought-out quotations (tweets/ahas).

WINNER OF THE PEN/JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER "This book is a must for everyone interested in illuminating the idea of unexplainable genius.” —QUESTLOVE Equal parts biography, musicology, and cultural history, Dilla Time chronicles the life and legacy of J Dilla, a musical genius who transformed the sound of popular music for the twenty-first century. He wasn’t known to mainstream audiences, even though he worked with renowned acts like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu and influenced the music of superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. He died at the age of thirty-two, and in his lifetime he never had a pop hit. Yet since his death, J Dilla has become a demigod: revered by jazz musicians and rap icons from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar; memorialized in symphonies and taught at universities. And at the core of this adulation is innovation: a new kind of musical time-feel that he created on a drum machine, but one that changed the way “traditional” musicians play. In Dilla Time, Dan Charnas chronicles the life of James DeWitt Yancey, from his gifted childhood in Detroit, to his rise as a Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer, to the rare blood disease that caused his premature death; and follows the people who kept him and his ideas alive. He also rewinds the histories of American rhythms: from the birth of soul in Dilla’s own “Motown,” to funk, techno, and disco. Here, music is a story of Black culture in America and of what happens when human and machine times are synthesized into something new. Dilla Time is a different kind of book about music, a visual experience with graphics that build those concepts step by step for fans and novices alike, teaching us to “see” and feel rhythm in a unique and enjoyable way. Dilla’s beats, startling some people with their seeming “sloppiness,” were actually the work of a perfectionist almost spiritually devoted to his music. This is the story of the man and his machines, his family, friends, partners, and celebrity collaborators. Culled from more than 150 interviews about one of the most important and influential musical figures of the past hundred years, Dilla Time is a book as delightfully detail-oriented and unique as J Dilla’s music itself.

The 101 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood will touch your heart, make you laugh, and remind you why there is no better job than being a parent! Parenting – it’s a tough job, but also the best. Filled with anecdotes and advice from parents raising children of all ages, this book will uplift, inspire, and encourage you. Other parents, just like you, share their personal stories about all the joys, and the trials, of raising children.