The urban gospel duo Mary Mary, comprised of sisters Erica and Tina Campbell, first came to national attention with a song for the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. Since then, they have released multiple platinum- or gold-certified albums and have won three Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and a BET Award, among others. Their music is widely praised for crossing genre boundaries, with gospel songs including “Shackles (Praise You),” “Get Up,” and “God In Me,” all of which became top hits on both R&B and pop music charts. Their first book, Be U encourages young women to discover themselves by focusing on their natural beauty and utilizing their unique inner strengths and talents.
 

Mystery writer Harlan Coben has won the Edgar Award, the Shamus Award, and the Anthony Award--he is the first author ever to win all three.  His books have debuted at no. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list, and his novel Tell No One was adapted into a critically acclaimed French film. The author of more than 37 books, his work includes bestselling novels Long Lost and Hold Tight, as well as the Myron Bolitar mysteries, stories of an ex-basketball star turned sports agent who works part-time as a private investigator. Caught is his latest thriller.
 

The acclaimed British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and astrobiologist Paul Davies is the director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science and co-director of the Cosmology Initiative, both at Arizona State University. He is also a member of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence’s (SETI) post-detection committee. Among his numerous scientific distinctions, Davies is a recipient of the prestigious Templeton Prize for his work on science and religion. His writings include the bestsellers The Mind of God, About Time, How to Build a Time Machine, The Fifth Miracle, and The Goldilocks Enigma. In his provocative new book, Davies challenges existing ideas of what form an alien intelligence might take, how it might try to communicate with us, and how we should respond if we ever do make contact.

Kitty Kelley is the most widely read biographer of our times. Her previous subjects have included the Bush dynasty (The Family), the British Royal Family (The Royals), Nancy Reagan (Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography), and Frank Sinatra (His Way)—each of these books debuted at no. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list. With Oprah: A Biography, she brings new insight into the life of talk show icon Oprah Winfrey. Based on years of research and reporting, as well as 850 interviews with sources--many of whom have never before spoken for publication--Oprah is the first comprehensive biography of one of the most influential, powerful, and admired public figures of our time.

Yann Martel is the author of The Life of Pi, winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize. The story of a young boy—shipwrecked and stranded at sea—with a Bengal tiger and other wild animals, The Life of Pi explores issues of spirituality and practicality through the child’s relationships with the animals aboard his lifeboat.  The novel, which earned comparisons to the works of Hemingway, Marquez, and Beckett, became an international bestseller, with millions of copies sold worldwide. In his long-awaited new novel, Beatrice and Virgil, Martel also uses animals to discuss the human condition--in this case, the limitations of language in understanding and describing the horrors of the Holocaust.
 

Sapphire is the author of two collections of poetry, American Dreams and Black Wings & Blind Angels, as well as the brutal, poignant novel, Push. In Push—the basis for the 2009 prize-winning film Precious—Precious Jones cannot find a way to make a better life for herself. Physically and emotionally abused by her mother, sexually abused by her father, overweight and illiterate, Precious is saved by an incredibly determined teacher who teaches her to read and shows her the power of telling her own story. The film adaptation won the 2009 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, as well as the Audience Award, and was nominated for three 2010 Golden Globe awards.