There's more to winning battles than fists and feetFor world-renowned professional fighter Georges St-Pierre, the greatest asset is not physical strength or athleticism--it's a sense of purpose. From his beginnings as a small, mercilessly bullied child first discovering karate to his years as a struggling garbage collector who spent all his free time in the gym, his hard-fought rise in the sport of mixed martial arts, and his long, painful recovery from a career-threatening injury, Georges never lost sight of his ambition to become the greatest martial artist of all time. In The Way of the Fight, Georges for the first time reveals what propelled him not only to become a champion but to embrace obstacles as opportunities to build character.Georges's story is interwoven with fascinating insights from those who know him best: his mother, who tells of his drive to master new skills, even as a child. His mentor Kristof Midoux, who describes a young... Views: 31
Apothecary John Rawlings is intrigued when a letter arrives asking him to investigate an impostor claiming to be the long-lost step-son of a wealthy Bristol merchant in possession of his dead wife's diamond inheritance. John Rawlings' father, Sir Gabriel Kent joins him on the trip to take the healing waters at Hotwell where they socialize with the crème of Bristol society. But Rawlings is compelled to try and solve the mystery and so he must trawl through the underbelly of eighteenth-century society to unearth the sordid secrets at the heart of the investigation.**Review"Newcomers and devoted fans of Lake’s hero based on a real 18th-century apothecary, will delight in the period detail, excellent mystery and well-drawn characters." (Kirkus Reviews) “Lake’s Georgian-era historical series gives no signs of running out of juicy stories and imaginative plots." (Library Journal) “First-timers will find themselves invested in the developments that change Rawlings’s future." (Publishers Weekly) Book DescriptionJohn Rawlings trawls the underbelly of Bristol society to unearth its sordid secrets . . . Views: 31
'In the title story of [The Adventures of God in His Search for the Black Girl] the main character, God himself, expresses a taste for writing that's sophisticated, stylish, literary. The words apply very well to [Brigid] Brophy's own best work.' New Republic'What we have here is more common in England than America: reading that's at once very light and very intellectual. Consistent with her commitment to artifice and the rococo, Brophy believes in play... [She] is liveliest when speaking-or making the illustrious dead speak-of the life of art, of literature, music, architecture, which she thinks about a lot and knows a lot about.' Washington Post'Tasty and nutritious... generally wise and witty... full of game-playing... Brigid Brophy remains a good though very British writer-balanced, erudite, sensible, unsubmissive to shrill sociological shibboleths, above all unscared.' Anthony Burgess, New York Times Book Review Views: 31
24 May 1940. Why did Hitler stop the Panzers and allow the British army to escape to Dunkirk? Anthony Price provides an answer in this brilliant, compulsively readable thriller of two young officers pitchforked into the chaos of war. The German advance strands them behind enemy lines, where they witness an extraordinary scene: a high-ranking British officer consorting with Nazis. The possible explanations are shattering - not only for them but for the fate of the whole British Expeditionary Force.About the AuthorAnthony Price was born in Hertfordshire and educated at Oxford. His long career in journalism culminated in the editorship of the Oxford Times. He is the author of 19 novels and has won the CWA Silver and Gold Daggers. Views: 31
Reprinted four times in three months when first published, this semi-autobiographical novel is a humorous account of the author's hazardous experiences in France, at the end of the World War II. Darker and less frivolous than some of Yates' earlier books, he describes it as 'really my own memoir put into the mouths of Berry and Boy', and at the time of publication it already had a nostalgic feel. A great hit with the public and a 'scrapbook of the Edwardian age as it was seen by the upper-middle classes'. Views: 31
Lady Cameron and Charles Hornett had been married some fifty years before, but Hornett has now forgotten all about it. Embarrassment is therefore evident when they find themselves as part of a party holidaying in Greece. Meanwhile, the Balmaynes realise they nothing about Roland Redpath, who is about to marry their daughter, but he is in fact the son of their onetime dishonest butler. But that isn't the end of it, as yet more shocks and surprises are forthcoming as the story unfolds. In other stories in the collection there is a hitherto unknown Wordsworth manuscript and sensational development with regard to Coleridge. We are also taken to Vienna and to a rural location in an effort to reveal the identity of an arsonist. Full of wit, humour and suspense, these stories bear all of the hallmarks of the expected first class Stewart penmanship. Views: 31
Here comes Percy Joyce.From one of Canada’s most acclaimed, beloved storytellers: The Son of a Certain Woman is Wayne Johnston’s funniest, sexiest novel yet, controversial in its issues, wise, generous and then some in its depiction of humanity.Percy Joyce, born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in the fifties is an outsider from childhood, set apart by a congenital disfigurement. Taunted and bullied, he is also isolated by his intelligence and wit, and his unique circumstances: an unbaptized boy raised by a single mother in a fiercely Catholic society. Soon on the cusp of teenagehood, Percy is filled with yearning, wild with hormones, and longing for what he can’t have—wanting to be let in...and let out. At the top of his wish list is his disturbingly alluring mother, Penelope, whose sex appeal fairly leaps off the page. Everyone in St. John’s lusts after her—including her sister-in-law, Medina; their paying boarder, the local chemistry teacher, Pops MacDougal; and...Percy.Percy, Penelope, and Pops live in the Mount, home of the city’s Catholic schools and most of its clerics, none of whom are overly fond of the scandalous Joyces despite the seemingly benign protection of the Archbishop of Newfoundland himself, whose chief goal is to bring “little Percy Joyce” into the bosom of the Church by whatever means necessary. In pursuit of that goal, Brother McHugh, head of Percy’s school, sets out to uncover the truth behind what he senses to be the complicated relationships of the Joyce household. And indeed there are dark secrets to be kept hidden: Pops is in love with Penelope, but Penelope and Medina are also in love—an illegal relationship: if caught, they will be sent to the Mental, and Percy, already an outcast of society, will be left without a family. The Son of a Certain Woman brilliantly mixes sorrow and laughter as it builds toward an unforgettable ending. Will Pops marry Penelope? Will Penelope and Medina be found out? Will Percy be lured into the Church? It is a reminder of the pain of being an outsider; of the sustaining power of love and the destructive power of hate; and of the human will to triumph.ReviewLONGLISTED 2013 – Scotiabank Giller PrizePraise for A World Elsewhere:“Revel in one of the funniest books that will move you to a deeper sense of the poignancy of human experience.” —T.F. Rigelhof, The Globe and Mail (Best Book)“Johnston belongs to the Roberston Davies school of Canadian writing, an engagingly erudite literary style that is rooted in history, fact and cross reference, offering a dramatic contrast to the brilliant intimacies of Alice Munro, concerned as they are with family and the respective failures of love and life.... Johnston is a natural teller of complex, textured narratives.... This is a grand and glorious Gothic romance, an ice palace of a novel.” —Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times“Witty and tender.” —The TelegramAbout the AuthorWAYNE JOHNSTON was born and raised in the St. John's area of Newfoundland. His #1 nationally bestselling novels include The Divine Ryans, A World Elsewhere, The Custodian of Paradise, The Navigator of New York and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, which will be made into a film. Johnston is also the author of an award-winning and bestselling memoir, Baltimore's Mansion. He lives in Toronto. Views: 31
AFTER THE STORMAir force sergeant Alex Blocker thought he knew everything a man needed to know about bravery. But it took a special kind of courage to return to help rebuild his tornado-ravaged hometown--because it meant working with the only woman he'd ever loved.This storm was nothing compared to the passion that still raged between him and Macy Jackson. And yet there were so many years between them now, and so many secrets--starting with the child he'd never known she had.But if his suspicions about this beautiful little boy turned out to be true, he wasn't leaving here until he'd reclaimed everything that was rightfully his... Views: 31
