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The phases of my adolescence can be marked by whatever fictional world was my companion at the time.Cornelia Funke's "Inkheart" series captured my heart when I was 12, offering me comfort as protagonist Meggie Folchart fumbled into her teen years the same way I did. When I turned 14, I fell head over heels for "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer not realizing how my idolization of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan's relationship may have inspired my crushes on boys who were anything but nice to me.In my la …

William Alexander delivers a tasty culinary chronicle with Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World: A History. With authority, humor and an instinct for flavorful anecdotes, Alexander tracks the evolution of the tomato from its first cultivations in the Americas to its first encounter with Europe via the Spanish in the 1500s to its current widespread popularity. Along the way, he considers tomato-related innovations such as the creation of ketchup and the rise of hybrid tomato specimens. Ale …

For fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of you …