Hyperbole and a Half began life as Allie Brosh's blog, full of crude sketches and absurdist rants about spelling, dogs, cake and the pressures of adulthood. But there's a serious side as well, in heartfelt, unsparing stories about her struggle with depression.

Overflowing with full-color photos and based on interviews with scientists, zoologists and animal caretakers from around the world, this celebration of love between species explores animal attachments of all types.

After her mother's death and the end of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed impulsively decided to hike more than 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington state — alone.

Susan Cain demonstrates how introverted people are misunderstood and undervalued in modern culture, charting the rise of extrovert ideology while sharing anecdotal examples of how to use introvert talents to adapt to various situations.

Piper Kerman's memoir explores her time at a women's prison in Connecticut, where she was incarcerated for drug trafficking.

A Harvard-trained neurosurgeon shares a minute-by-minute account of his religiously transformative near-death experience and revealing weeklong coma. He describes his scientific study of near-death phenomena while explaining what he learned about the nature of human consciousness.

An annual release of America's oldest continuously published periodical shares weather predictions for the coming year while incorporating coverage of such engaging topics as how to hook six favorite angler fish, the truth about whole grains, and health practices for each zodiac sign.

David Byrne, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and co-founder of Talking Heads, presents a celebration of music as he knows it. He draws on his own experiences to explore everything from Balinese performance techniques to the acoustics of CBGB, deal structures and Celia Cruz — and, of course, the band that first made him famous.

Twelve Years a Slave describes the life of Solomon Northup, a free black man from Saratoga, N.Y., who was kidnapped in 1841 and forced into slavery in Louisiana for 12 years.

Pulitzer Prize winner Jared Diamond has spent nearly 50 years studying cultures in Papua New Guinea. Now, he collects his decades of fieldwork to argue that traditional societies still have much to teach us on a wide spectrum of topics — from ways to eat and stay fit to methods of raising children and organizing communities.

Based on the Web phenomenon dog shaming and containing all-new photos that are exclusive to the book, this album showcases snapshots of shamed pups confessing their biggest — and grossest — sins.

Susannah Cahalan was a healthy 24-year-old when she began to experience seizures, hallucinations and increasingly psychotic behavior. Her symptoms frightened family members and baffled a series of doctors until she was finally diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a rare autoimmune disease that can attack the brain. As one doctor put it, "her brain was on fire." Cahalan recounts her experience with the disease in Brain on Fire.

Timothy Egan recounts the pioneering photographer Edward Curtis' life-risking effort to document the disappearing North American Indian nation, offering insight into the danger and resolve behind his venture, his elevation to an impassioned advocate and the posthumous discovery of his achievements.

The National Book Award-winning author of The Noonday Demon explores the consequences of extreme personal differences between parents and children, describing his own experiences as a gay child of straight parents, and evaluating the circumstances of people affected by physical, developmental or cultural factors that divide families.

A psychologist draws on years of research to introduce his "machinery of the mind" model on human decision-making, revealing the faults and capabilities of intuitive versus logical thinking.