A New York Times Notable Book of 2013 A traumatic event unfolds when a girl with hair the color of golden wheat appears in an apple orchard; a woman plays out a fantasy with her husband and finds she cannot go back to her old sex life; an ugly woman marries an ogre and struggles to decide if she should stay with him after he mistakenly eats their children; and two sisters travel deep into Malaysia, where one learns the art of mending tigers who have been ripped to shreds. In each of The Color Master 's fifteen remarkable stories, Aimee Bender holds a funhouse mirror up to reality, proving, once again, that she is one of the most intelligent and imaginative writers of our time.

"Contemporary fairy tales, cushioned by goofy humor and a deep tenderness for her characters, that aren't always as dark or as sinister as they initially appear." -- The New York Times Book Review Aimee Bender’s Willful Creatures conjures a fantastical world in which authentic love blooms. This is a place where a boy with keys for fingers is a hero, a woman’s children are potatoes, and a little boy with an iron for a head is born to a family of pumpkin heads. With her singular mix of surrealism, musical prose, and keenly felt emotion, Bender once again proves herself to be a masterful chronicler of the human condition.

Who says summer reading means a lurid potboiler or sleazy celeb tell-all? Not "Tin House." Renowned for its beautiful design as well as its compelling content, the award-winning "Tin House" is a multisensory delight, as popular with critics as it is with readers. Each issue features the best writers of the day alongside a new generation of talent who are poised to become the most important voices of the future. Its summer issue offers an eclectic collection of short stories, profiles, author interviews, poetry, and essays, as well as unique departments such as Lost and Found, reviews of overlooked or underrated books, and Blithe Spirits and "Readable Feast, which present tales and recipes for drinks and food in a literary way. Breezy, sunny, funny, and always thought-provoking, "Tin House Summer Reading 2009" is beach reading for the smart set."