Trouble is brewing at Vandermeer Manor and it is up to Katherine and Elizabeth to reveal the truth before it's too late in the fourth book of a fascinating historical fiction series.Twins Katherine and Elizabeth Chatswood are on their way to visit their distant relatives at Vandermeer Manor in Rhode Island. Wedding bells will soon be ringing for their father's cousin, John Vandermeer, in the most magnificent event on either side of the ocean since the twins' birthday ball a few months ago. John Vandermeer's fianceé is the famous writer, Anna DuMay. The girls are instantly struck by her kindness and independent nature. Anna is a woman at the forefront of the social changes beginning to take place in America and she has many friends who attended the Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention that summer. But then something very precious inside the manor gets vandalized, and the groom threatens to call the wedding off, believing that Anna might have... Views: 13
Fourteen strangers came to Delmak-O. Thirteen of them were transferred by the usual authorities. One got there by praying. But once they arrived on that planet whose very atmosphere seemed to induce paranoia and psychosis, the newcomers found that even prayer was useless. For on Delmak-O, God is either absent or intent on destroying His creations. Views: 13
The real world is unbearable to madcap inventor Harry Gerber, so he uses his genius to twist the laws of science and create his own tailor-made universe. Master of Space and Time combines high physics and high jinks, blurring the line between science and magic. From a voyage to a mirror-image world where sluglike parasites make slaves of humanity, to trees and bushes that grow fries and pork chops, to a rain of fish, author Rudy Ruckertwo-time winner of the Philip K. Dick Awardtakes readers on the ultimate joyride. But once the gluons at the core of Harry's creation run out ... disaster looms for Harry and his friends. Views: 13
A luxury vacation becomes a terrifying ordeal when pirates take over the Miami- bound cruise ship Caravan Star and demand $60 million in their offshore account within four hours. A Navy SEAL rescue operation executed from the USS Anzio is successful, but leaves many passengers dead and dozens injured including Interpol agent Thiery Dulac and his friend Karen Dawson. Taking advantage of Dulac's firsthand knowledge of the attack after his recuperation, his boss Annette Arlberg assigns him to help the British authorities search for the perpetrators of the meticulously planned hijacking. Dulac is about to unveil an intricate web of dirty money, cover-ups and murders, when Home Secretary Sir Terence Hays invokes British national security interests and pulls Dulac off the case, reinforcing his suspicions that members of the British cabinet may be involved. Now all he has to do is live long enough to prove it. Views: 13
The Road to Zagora is an unusual travelogue spanning India, Nepal, Syria, Turkey, Morocco, Peru, Equador and Wales which springs from Richard Collins' compulsion to travel after he was diagnosed with a progressive incurable disease in 2006. 'Mr Parkinson', as Collins refers to his condition, informs the narrative. Collins and his partner Flic are inveterate walkers and saw no reason to change their travel destinations, post-diagnosis. The places they visit are often mountainous, sparsely populated, subject to extremes of climate and difficult for someone with Collins' condition, and a continuing theme of the book is how he manages the combination of Parkinson's Disease and extreme travel. The reverse of that dramatic tension is an occasional, and very honest, reflection on human frailty by Collins when he fails. Collins' relationship with Flic, brought into sharp focus by these moments, is a further developing strand of narrative, and the travel sequences are interspersed with the... Views: 13
Andrew Marshall is a Pentagon legend. For more than four decades he has served as Director of the Office of Net Assessment, the Pentagon's internal think tank, under twelve defense secretaries and eight administrations. Yet Marshall has been on the cutting edge of strategic thinking even longer than that. At the RAND Corporation during its golden age in the 1950s and early 1960s, Marshall helped formulate bedrock concepts of US nuclear strategy that endure to this day; later, at the Pentagon, he pioneered the development of net assessment"—a new analytic framework for understanding the long-term military competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Following the Cold War, Marshall successfully used net assessment to anticipate emerging disruptive shifts in military affairs, including the revolution in precision warfare and the rise of China as a major strategic rival of the United States.In The Last Warrior, Andrew Krepinevich and Barry... Views: 13
Winner of the Outdoor Writers Guild award for excellence, this inspired guide from one of the world's best-traveled adventurers offers essential, up-to-the-minute information and advice on all aspects of backcountry trekking for hikers and backpackers of every stripe. From planning and techniques to gear, it's all covered in succinct, highly readable fashion in an expanded, visually arresting update of a proven bestseller. The Backpacker's Handbook is the only major guide to deliver an in-depth look at all backpacking styles, from ultralight to long-distance hiking. New material on trekking in challenging environments such as deserts and mountains will appeal to hikers who love to push the envelope. Chris Townsend's anecdotal style makes for a book that invites reading from cover to cover, yet is designed to let readers find specific topics quickly. The Backpacker's Handbook teaches us how to make traveling through the wild truly enjoyable and fulfilling while protecting its natural beauty.From the Back Cover" . . . the joy of walking through the ever-changing, ever-constant natural world, the magic of waking to sunlight glinting on a mist-wreathed lake, the excitement of striding through a mountain storm. . . . " These, wrote Chris Townsend in the universally praised first edition of The Backpacker's Handbook, are but some of the reasons to backpack. Here is all you need to do so safely and comfortably. In this thoroughly revised and updated Second Edition, Townsend uses his gently encouraging tone and his own experiences to show what can go wrong. He is slave to neither tradition nor to technology: He recommends pile and Gore-Tex, and has long since abandoned his tarp for a tent, but he still prefers wool socks. And because he believes that "wilderness needs defending from those who love it," Townsend's emphasis throughout is on low-impact camping. The First Edition's success was due to its enormous practicality for backpackers of all skill levels, with everything from essential techniques for every backpacking trip--such as map and compass work--to the skills needed for more remote wilderness journeys--such as how to ford rivers safely and how to choose a route in untracked terrain. To this now add such topics as hiking in deserts, ultralight backpacking, and adventure trekking in distant corners of the globe. The Backpacker's Handbook teaches us how to make traveling through the wild truly enjoyable and fulfilling while protecting its natural beauty. Townsend's advice is always sensible, rarely doctrinaire, never condescending. "Every imaginable topic, from choosing and using equipment, to wilderness nutrition and cooking, to backcountry skills and hazards, is covered thoroughly and engagingly."--Backpacker"The novice as well as the experienced hiker should benefit from this book."--Travel Books Worldwide"Townsend has written a clear and comprehensive primer on backpacking gear. His knowledge in this area is immense."--Sierra"For those thinking of taking a backpack journey, The Backpacker's Handbook is required reading."--Daily Local News (West Chester, Pennsylvania) "The most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to equipment and technique available anywhere. Highly recommended."--Backpack (UK) About the AuthorOne of the world's best-known and most experienced rough-terrain hikers, Chris Townsend has been backpacking for more than 25 years. His most notable adventures include a 1988 trek spanning the 1,600-mile length of the Canadian Rockies, a 1,000-mile walk through the Yukon, and a monumental 3,000-mile expedition from Canada to Mexico along the Continental Divide Trail. Townsend is the author of Wilderness Skiing and Winter Camping and Walking the Yukon, also by Ragged Mountain Press, and of High Summer, Adventure Treks: Western North America, and The Great Backpacking Adventure. When not on the trail, Townsend lives in Scotland. Views: 13
