Adrian Tomine's cult comix series Optic Nerve is finally collected into one sharp-looking hardcover graphic novel. Described as the Raymond Carver of comix, Tomine constructs tales of emotional disconnection with an ear for painfully real dialogue. Combined with his deft black and white depictions of urbane lifestyles, Tomine's fans have often accused him of eavesdropping in on their most intimate moments and, with forensic skill, laying their lives bare. The conflicts between emotional gratification, narcissistic neediness and moral discernment mark the title story - "Summer Blonde" - in which a socially crippled man nurses an obsessive crush on a young woman. He watches close up, paralyzed by his guilt, as her beauty catches the eye of his neighbor: a hip, selfish young man with a short attention span. One of Optic Nerve's most popular stories, `Hawaiian Getaway,` features Hilary, telephone service rep who is having the worst week of her life. She lost her job, her apartment, and her grandmother. Close to the edge, she is losing her grip. Reaching out to random strangers on the phone, Hilary is looking for someone to help her. In "Alter Ego" a successful young author has writer`s block. He can`t, or won`t, decide between another ghostwriting gig and finishing his second ‘real' novel. He stalls on committing to his novel and his girlfriend when a chance postcard leads him to flirt with fantasies of changing the past. Finally, "Bomb Scare" documents the early unease of his generation by setting this coming-of-age story during the tense months of the Gulf War, the event that ushered in the 1990s.

Previously published as a six-book series by a "New York Times"-bestselling author, the Summer series, starring Summer Smith, is now compiled into two volumes.

After serving two years in prison for breaking the neck of the man who assaulted his sister, Arden is released on bail. He lands a job working at Tuffy's, a restaurant and bar on the beach strip, alongside his former cellmate, Slip Winegarden. Things seem to be looking good for Arden, until it all starts to unravel. When Slip is caught crossing Viktor Khernov, Tuffy's owner, Arden witnesses the madman's revenge from close quarters. Arden's parole officer tells him to find another job or lose his parole status. Meanwhile, the detective investigating Slip's murder tightens the vice by ordering Arden to stay on the job and feed him information or face the same penalty. Amid Arden's ongoing drama, trying to stay cool, is Josie Marshall, widow of a detective found murdered in front of their beach strip home a few years ago - a murder Josie solved on her own (and told in Reynolds' previous novel Beach Strip). Josie thinks men can be handy sometimes, but she'd prefer they left her alone. Fat chance, especially after her relationship with Slip Winegarden becomes known. Soon she and Arden are trying to fend off Viktor Kernov and his muscled sidekick, as well as the homicide detective determined to solve Slip Winegarden's murder, all while drawn into a romance that neither of them saw coming but both appear unable to avoid. Gritty, violent, with a distinct noir flavour and a nod to Elmore Leonard, Beach Blonde reunites readers with Josie Marshall, the witty and resourceful heroine of Beach Strip.

When Elle Woods discovers that someone is polluting the water and hurting the seals at her favorite beach, she devises a plan to stop the culprit.

If you think Brazilian is a nationality, that PJ's are pyjamas and that Beyond is somewhere far away, then you have never met a Bergdorf Blonde. Plum Syke's heroine is British but has moved to America, working for a glossy magazine. She takes us with her into the glamorous world of Park Avenue Princesses who careen through New York in search of the ever elusive 'Fiance,' the perfect fake tan and that Chanel from the sample sale. In a fabulously witty style, Plum Sykes makes us root for her glorious heroine all the way from New York to the South of France and back by PJ (private jet.) She will get her Harry Winston and her Vera Wang wedding dress yet!

A memoir from the Real Housewife of New York City.