In THE CHARM OF CHARMS, Jade Albert and Ki Hackney tell the story of a timeless jewelry. Stunning photos give a close view of cherished charms, including pieces from Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Mariah Carey, and Mary J. Blige. The stories of these beloved trinkets are told in a lively text, covering the history of charms from prehistory to the present. Combining trendiness and nostalgic glamour, this stunning volume will appeal to jewelry enthusiasts young and old.

Oak Park native and Chicago blogger (Poundy) Wendy McClure has written a memoir about the world she created when she couldn't see herself as a Weight Loss Success Story. I'M NOT THE NEW ME is about dealing with a family heritage of fat, self-esteem issues that are nobody else's business, wondering what's left of you after you lose weight-and who you are if you gain it back, the absurdity of online identities, and the terror of appearing live and in person in your very own life.

Actor, director and comedy superstar Cheech Marin comes to Barbara's to discuss CHICANO VISIONS: American Painters on the Verge. This book, created to accompany the art show of the same name (currently at Chicago's Mexican Fine Arts Center), is comprised primarily of art from Mr. Marin's personal collection, one of the largest private collections of Chicano art in the world. Please call 312.413.2665 (BOOK) for further details.

Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN is no mere vampire story. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler have to do with the modern world? Is it possible that the mythic Dracula existed-and has lived on? In her father's library a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of letters addressed to "My dear and unfortunate successor," which plunge her into a world where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's fate are connected to an evil hidden in the depths of history.

"So, Tom that went and Tom that would come back!" is how Nora Lynch greeted young Thomas (The Undertaking) Lynch in 1970, at the edge of the ocean in Clare, by the cottage that his great-grandfather had left a century before on a one-way ticket to America. Part memoir, part cultural study, BOOKING PASSAGE: We Irish and Americans, is a brilliant, comedic guidebook for those Lynch calls "fellow travelers, fellow pilgrims" making their way through the complexities of their lives and times.

Barbara Feldt has tapped the wisdom of urban gardeners from coast to coast in this invaluable manual. GARDEN YOUR CITY speaks to anyone who seeks to bring greenery to limited spaces or to improve their building, street, or school. It will inspire the inexperienced gardener living on a 14th floor, the expert roof gardener, the civic-minded green thumb who envisions red geraniums under the street trees, and the yardless urbanite who dreams of fresh vegetables.

With detail and emotional resonance Lisa See's SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time-female friendship. A language kept secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for this unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship sustains them. An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood--until a terrible misunderstanding threatens to tear them apart.