This is a celebration of running - and what lots of us think about when we run. Part escape, part self-discovery, part therapy, part fitness. Part simple childlike joy of running when you could be walking.Vassos Alexander shares the highs and lows of falling in love with running, from his first paltry efforts to reach the end of his street to completing ultra marathons and triathlons in the same weekend. Each of the 26.2 chapters also features a fascinating insight into how others first started – from Paula Radcliffe to Steve Cram, the Brownlees to Jenson Button, Nicky Campbell to Nell McAndrew.Funny, inspiring, honest - the perfect read for anyone with well-worn trainers by the door (or thinking of buying a pair...) Views: 28
Keelan and Mike met as opposites in a prison where violence, murder, and power games were everyday life. To survive, they made a pact to stand together. But that demands trust, and on the shadowy side of life, trust is fragile.When Keelan's past catches up with him, the odd friendship yet again faces the same grave questions:Can a murderer trust a mercenary who worked for the law?Can the mercenary trust the murderer? Views: 28
*Carbondale, Illinois. 1958. For widowed Tessie Lockhart, booking two seats on a passenger train to Florida symbolizes a fresh start, far from her memories of love and loss. For Tessie’s teenage daughter Dinah, who misses her father terribly, the move to Gainesville means a new school and the painful ordeal of making new friends. Rich, popular Crystal Landy is one of the first girls Dinah meets—and it will be Crystal, along with her exquisite mother, Victoria, who will transform the Lockharts’ lives in ways they never could have imagined. For as war and change come to this small southern town, the bonds between mothers and daughters will be tested, friendships sealed, secrets revealed, and relationships forever altered by the turbulence of the coming decades. Wise, moving, and warmly funny, The Orange Blossom Special, spans twenty years in the lives of an unforgettable cast of characters. Betsy Carter has crafted a powerful, richly rewarding novel about growing up, moving on, and turning strangers into friends.From Publishers WeeklyThe title of Carter's sympathetic if somewhat contrived debut novel (she's the author of a memoir, Nothing to Fall Back On) refers to the first New York–to–Miami passenger train, a not-so-subtle metaphor for the American dream and the forward march of history, as the story hurtles from the late '50s and into the '80s. In 1958, comely widow Tessie Lockhart and her seventh-grade daughter, Dinah, uproot from Carbondale, Ill., to Gainesville, Fla., driven by a very American faith in the healing power of a fresh start. There, their lives intertwine with those of Gainesville's powerful Landy family, as Dinah's popular classmate Crystal Landy and her solemn older brother, Charlie, befriend Dinah. When the Landys' house burns down, killing their father, Dinah and Crystal form a special bond, speaking "the same language of loss" across the divide of class and social status. Even Tessie and supercilious matriarch Victoria Landy cement a rocky friendship, and over the years, a tumultuous love blossoms between Dinah and Charlie. Carter's plot skips lightly over the passing decades, which are marked by periodic eruptions of changing culture. Each incident of racial strife or Vietnam tragedy feels forced and representative, though, and as the novel barrels into the late–20th century like the titular locomotive, Carter sacrifices character development in her reach for historical import. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistJustly praised for her candid, humorous memoir, Nothing to Fall Back On (2002), magazine writer and editor Carter tries her hand at fiction in this affecting tale of widow Tess and her daughter, Dinah, who relocate to Gainesville, Florida, in 1958. They are soon virtually adopted by the wealthy Landy family, which includes pampered mom Victoria; teenager Charlie, who has the gift of second sight; and overweight, sassy seventh-grader Crystal. As the Landys help to ease their transition into southern small-town culture, Tess lands a good job and finds love with a jai alai mogul, and Dinah finds her soul mate in Charlie. Over the next two decades, they must all confront the changes brought on by Victoria's new business venture and Crystal's distress over Dinah and Charlie's relationship. The plot of this first novel seems overly thin at times, and the transitions between decades are sometimes too abrupt; yet there's no denying that the characters, drawn with fresh, often idiosyncratic detail, are instantly engaging. A light, funny read that also offers a distinctive sense of place. Joanne WilkinsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 28
Caledonia, 83AD. As the Romans press their advantage in Scotland, Calach of the Caledonii clan must ready his forces for the Roman invasion of the highlands. His brother Uwan, a young druid has a plan to end the war with little bloodshed, and must embark on a dangerous voyage to the heart of Rome itself. Between the two, they hold the very future of their country in their hands. Views: 28
This book wraps up the series. Three teens are marooned on a what they presume is a mysterious tropical island. Casey and Mike have made their way through the creature-filled jungle to a glass city where they hope to find help for Jack, their abducted friend. Once in the city, they learn shocking news that will change their lives forever, and getting Jack back will be anything but easy. Views: 28
In How to Avoid Making Art, the bestselling author of The Artist's Way delivers a (tongue-in-cheek!) guide to doing anything and everything you possibly can to avoid making art. Anyone who is engaged in a creative pursuit will no doubt identify with these wonderful cartoons by award-winning artist Elizabeth Cameron of creative wannabes doing everything except actually getting down to work. "For most people creativity is a serious business," says Julia Cameron. "They forget the telling phrase 'the play of ideas' and think that they need to knuckle down and work more. Often, the reverse is true. They need to play." Ultimately, the characters in this book show us how we can turn our procrastination into play and our play into great work. With this delightful volume, Julia Cameron once again hits the nail on the head on the subject of creativity. From BooklistElizabeth Cameron's delightful line drawings of dogs in human attire serve as illustrations for creativity guru Julia Cameron's aphorisms about the things we do for the love of art. Cameron homes in on how our fear of creating art is rooted in the contrast between our pleasure in the process and dread of failure. And talk about creativity: Julia reminds us how creative we can be at finding reasons not to create. "Get your main sense of self-worth helping others instead of facing the blank page." "Tell yourself you can't afford art supplies, and buy five expensive cappuccinos while you discuss this with friends." And that all-time favorite: "Talk about it so you don't have to do it." Humor make points that would be less palatable if approached in a serious tone, and humor is the perfect vehicle for the no-nonsense stance of the writer best known for her groundbreaking The Artist's Way (1992). These captioned cartoons may become the next Far Side calendar for the artistic crowd. Whitney ScottCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorAward-winning writer Julia Cameron is the author of twenty-two books, fiction and nonfiction, including The Artist's Way, The Vein of Gold, Walking in This World, The Right to Write, and The Sound of Paper. A novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has extensive credits in theater, film, and television. Views: 28
A Winter Love Song is a heartwarming and moving story of survival and love from bestselling author Rita Bradshaw.Bonnie Lindsay is born into a travelling fair community in the north-east in 1918, and when her mother dies just months later Bonnie's beloved father becomes everything to her. Then, at the tender age of ten years old, disaster strikes. Heartbroken, Bonnie's left at the mercy of her embittered grandmother and her lecherous step-grandfather.Five years later, the events of one terrible night cause Bonnie to flee to London, where she starts to earn her living as a singer. She changes her name and cuts all links with the past. Time passes. Bonnie falls in love, but just when she dares to hope for a rosy future, World War II is declared. She does her bit for the war effort, singing for the troops and travelling to Burma to boost morale, but heartache and pain are just around the corner, and she begins to ask herself if she will ever find... Views: 28
Leon's back. Having survived the sweatshop methods of Miss Hagmeyer, his needle-wielding fourth grade teacher at the Classical School, Leon braces himself for fifth grade. He arrives armed with a backpack full of pens and pencils, binders and notebooks . . . plus a rag doll that's the spitting image of Henry Lumpkin, the bully who has Leon in his sights. If the doll works the way it's supposed to, Leon (and his buddies P.W. and Lily-Matisse) won't have to worry about Lumpkin the Pumpkin! Better still, Leon has a fabulous new teacher, Mr. Sparks, who conducts science experiments using that most miraculous of research materials -- the potato chip. And a good thing, too. Mr. Sparks's lab work will come in handy when Leon is forced to take on Alphonse "The Chippopotamus" Cipollini at the annual Chipapalooza! Chip-Off. Once you've sunk your teeth into Leon and the Champion Chip, the hilarious sequel to Leon and the Spitting Image, you'll... Views: 28
Second in the Egmont School Series: Davina Dupree is excited to be back in her luxury boarding school after the half term holidays, especially as famous Hollywood director Alfie Calpone will soon be arriving to direct the school play. But when jewellery goes missing from First Years' dorms, bullies Cleo and Clarice attempt to pin the blame on Davina's new friend Lottie. The clock starts ticking as Davina attempts to unearth the real culprit before the curtain goes up on opening night... If you enjoy reading Malory Towers by Enid Blyton, you'll love this book. Davina is a modern day Darrell Rivers and her school, Egmont Exclusive School for Girls, is the ultimate, modern day boarding school, full of thrilling adventure, mouth watering food and bags of mysterious goings on... A perfect read for children who enjoy school fiction, adventure, mystery or humorous stories Views: 28
Even with some of the toughest hombres and nastiest outlaws roaming the Southwest, bestselling author James D. Doss's seven-foot-tall rancher and sometime tribal investigator Charlie Moon does a fair job on the side of the good guys. So it's no surprise that he gets the call when the widow Loyola Montoya starts making a fuss about witches.Witches?She swears there's a whole midnight brood lurking in the woods just off her property, mocking her with lewd songs and harassing her with the carcasses of dead animals. When no one takes her seriously--she has been known to cry wolf from time to time--she takes matters into her own hands, with disastrous results. By the time Charlie arrives, it's too late to save her, and while he knows he can't bring her back, that doesn't mean he can't help the widow get her revenge after all.Told in Doss's whimsical style, The Widow's Revenge is a wonderfully tall tale that requires wide-open spaces and... Views: 28
