Fiction has been used as a form of therapy by people for centuries. It is a unique way for one to exercise their brain, understand others, and inspire creativity. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders discusses just that by sharing a version of a class on the Russian short story that he has taught for the last twenty years at Syracuse University. Not only is it a master class on writing, but a reflection on how the reading and writing of stories make genuine connection possible.

Trees: Between Earth and Heaven showcases photographs by Art Wolfe of different trees on six continents. A meditation on the importance of preserving our natural environment, Wolfe's photography also reminds us of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth that the natural world goes through, and our place in it all.

David Benjamin Sherry: American Monuments is a landscape photography project that captures the spirit and intrinsic value of America's threatened system of national monuments. American Monuments focuses on the areas under review by a 2017 executive order, with special emphasis on those that have already been decimated. Sherry documents these pristine, sacred and wildly diverse areas. The resulting 31 photographs--beautifully tipped in to the book by hand--not only convey the beauty of these important and ecologically diverse sites, but also shed light upon the plight of the perennially exploited landscape of the American West.

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