For love of country, for love of maiden, for love of freedom… he became the hammer and scourge of England. In one of history’s darkest hours there arose from humble beginnings a man of courage and honor—the likes of whom the world may never see again. Amid the color, pageantry, and violence of medieval Scotland unfurls the resplendent tale of the legendary William Wallace, farmer by birth, rebel by fate, who banded together his valiant army of Scots to crush the cruel tyranny of the English Plantagenet king. Mel Gibson is William Wallace, the valiant highlander whose epic adventures changed the course of history. Views: 11
'I saw my teacher in the queue in the supermarket last Christmas. Miss Baxter. I was surprised to see her. She'd been dead six months.'In Out of the Depths, Cathy MacPhail introduces her latest character, Tyler Lawless, who has an unusual and sometimes scary gift. She is able to see dead people. And sometimes they speak to her, asking for her help.When Tyler moves to a new school she is hoping to make a fresh start. But it is very difficult to make a fresh start when a boy who is supposed to be dead appears in your classroom, and statues in the school seem to come alive and point towards the place where the dead boy, Ben Kincaid, was murdered. Will Tyler be able to assist Ben with his pleas for help, or will she be dismissed as an attention-seeking teller of tall tales? Views: 11
The hilariously compelling memoir that was hailed as an instant classic."The first time I see drunks beat up my father I'm six and standing at the bend in the stairs. I press my face against my mother's waist but with one eye I watch as they headlock him from behind at reception because he's ordered them out of his pub."Hoi Polloi recounts a childhood spent on racetracks and in bars, as the author's parents struggle to climb the social ladder. It begins in 1968 in the small town of Heritage, New Zealand. Living above the bar of his family's hotel, the young Craig is exposed to violence, drinking and murky racial politics. His parents, whom Sherborne thinks of as "Winks" and "Heels" in his eccentric personal language, decide to sell the hotel and move to Sydney, Australia – which they imagine as New Zealand's "England", a place of boundless wealth, prestige and social opportunities.Once in Sydney, the family begins a love affair with the racing scene.... Views: 11
Two thousand years ago in Egypt's exotic city of Alexandria, the single most revered treasure of the Mediterranean would inexplicably disappear from the pages of history. Believed irretrievably lost to all but legend, few dared dream the possibility that it might still exist . . .Until now! Guided by the discovery of an ancient artifact, a determined professor of archaeology and a beautiful New England heiress join forces in the quest of a lifetime. Overcoming treachery and deadly obstacles, they follow an ever-murderous trail that eventuallyleads them to a barren, desert valley containing a stunning secret -- one the modern world may not yet be prepared to accept. Views: 11
May 1996 began like most other climbing seasons on Mount Everest. The arrival of spring brought the usual pre-monsoon period, with teams of hopeful mountaineers ready to reach for the roof of the world. Among the dozens of climbers were Jon Krakauer and Anatoli Boukreev (who would both later write their own accounts of what followed) and Matt Dickinson. But on May 10, with ten different expeditions strung out along the mountain, the usual turned deadly. Suddenly, the temperature dropped from merely frigid to 40 degrees below zero. A killer storm with howling winds swept in and climbers were soon blinded in white-out conditions. Before it was over, the blizzard would claim a dozen lives, the worst loss of life in the modern history of climbing on Everest.Dickinson, an adventure filmmaker, was part of an expedition challenging the treacherous North Face of Everest, on the Tibetan side. Of the nearly 700 people who have scaled Everest since the first ascent in 1953, barely... Views: 11
A New York Times Notable Book of 2012One of The Telegraph's Best Fiction Books 2011One of Esquire's Best Books of 2012One of TIME's Top 10 Fiction Books of 2012Here, from the writer described by The Guardian as "our purest living prose stylist" and whom Alan Hollinghurst has called "the most brilliant English novelist of his generation," is a work of glittering social comedy, profound emotional truth, and acute verbal wit. At Last is also the stunning culmination of one of the great fiction enterprises of the past two decades in the life of the English novel. As readers of Edward St. Aubyn's extraordinary earlier works—Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and the Man Booker Prize finalist Mother's Milk—are well aware, for Patrick Melrose, "family" has always been a double-edged sword. At Last begins as friends,... Views: 11
‘Tis the season for new beginnings, at least that’s what Anna Simon and Christopher Whitley are hoping. But after moving to Hawaii to begin teaching jobs at a private school, things aren’t going as planned. Anna and Christopher have been together for three years and all they seem to do anymore is fight. Anna heads to the beach after one particular blow out and finds comfort in the easy conversation of a gorgeous stranger. They hit it off and he offers to show her around the island. Christopher is haunted by memories of Keoni, a lover he’d met while attending the University of Hawaii and a man he never got over. He thought coming back wouldn’t affect him, but he was wrong. Now Christopher is taking his heartache out on Anna and he knows it’s pushing her away. When Anna invites her new friend to help paint the inside of her and Christopher’s school auditorium for the Christmas Program, they are all in for a shock. Keoni, Christopher and Anna come face to face with one another and reality sets in. Each is torn by the other two. Someone is bound to get hurt, but who will it be? Before any decision can be made, someone from Christopher and Keoni’s past has surfaced and threatens to hurt them like never before. Anna is caught in the middle and they must work together to save the woman they love. Will this be the end of things as they know it or does the holiday have the best gift in store for them yet? Views: 11
The House of Tudor changed the history of Britain forever. The Tudor monarchs have been immortalised in novels and films for generations. However, the true history of this incredible dynasty is often romanticised and fact is overlooked. Alison Plowden's accessible and beautifully written history traces the family's turbulent reign of power from Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch, who fathered the great Henry VIII. Henry VIII went onto revolutionise England's armed forces and implement controversial reforms in England. Yet, he is perhaps most remembered for his tumultuous love life and the fates of his six wives, including Anne of Boleyn, who sparked an international crisis. He fathered four known offspring, including Mary I and Gloriana - Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, who reigned for 44 years in what is known as England's Golden Age. This book not only re-tells the familiar stories of these famous monarchs, revealing the truth behind the scandals; but it also recounts the history of the less well-known Tudor monarchs: Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey (the uncrowned Queen of England), and those who came directly before and after them - Edward IV and James I.If you read on history of the Tudors, make it this one - you are sure to be enthralled and surprised by how the facts are often more incredible than the fiction surrounding them.Review“Alison Plowden is clearly under the spell of the Tudors as she writes here of the beginnings of the family and the lives of the five Tudor rulers - from Henry VII, who brought the Wars of the Roses to a close and ascended the throne in 1485, to Elizabeth I. Plowden’s Tudor portraits are enchanting history and at the same time they comprise a family story of enormous complexity, vitality and fascination. Her retelling has the spirit, romance and freshness of the completely new.” -- Publishers Weekly"An ornate, admiring history of everyone's favorite dynasty. Plowden writes with regal flair." -- Kirkus Views: 11
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Sometimes love is the simplest choice of all.Still reeling from her husband's untimely death, Deborah Robinson needs a fresh start. So she decides to pack up her family, box up her bookstore, and return to her grandmother's ancestral home on Cavanaugh Island. The charming town of Sanctuary Cove holds happy memories for Deborah. And, after she spies a gorgeous stranger in the local bakery, it promises the possibility for a bright, new future. Dr. Asa Monroe is at a crossroads. Ever since the loss of his family, he has been on a quest for faith and meaning, traveling from one town to another. When he meets Deborah, the beautiful bookstore owner with the warm eyes and sunny smile, Asa believes he has finally found a reason to stay in one place. As friendship blossoms into romance, Deborah and Asa discover they may have a second chance at love. But small towns have big secrets. Before they can begin their new life together, the couple must... Views: 11
