The wind, which had been blowing at gale force all morning, was beginning to fling water over the sea wall, but no one on Flatsea Island was seriously alarmed. They were used to January gales and, besides, everyone said those walls were impregnable. So even when the creek stayed full at what should have been low tide, the little community went about its business as though it were any other Sunday. And so no one was prepared when the water came surging through the walls that night, covering the bridge that joined Flatsea to the mainland and swamping the coastline too. Young Peter Brown was helplessly trapped in his family’s pub, where the flood had burst open the doors and was rising steadily up the stairs, and was worrying desperately about what had happened to his brother Aaron, due back on the last train home after a night out in Oozedam, or to Martin, who lived on the mainland and had left with his girlfriend only a short time ago, or to his parents, who had driven into town to see their first grandchild, or to his grandparents alone in their cottage a little way inland. David Rees tells his story of the flood and its aftermath with great power and clarity. You’ll find yourself getting involved with every member of the close-knit Brown family as they face this crisis, whose shocking effect is, for more than one of them, a turning-point in their lives. For older Puffin readers. Views: 55
Join Jade and her ponies for another adventure - this time the stakes are high. Ages 9-12 At the time, offering to take home the worst behaved pony at the showjumping champs seemed like a brave decision. Now, back in Mr White's paddock, too nervous to even mount her five-year-old monster, taniwha, Jade is feeling stupid. "Have you ever been hunting? It's probably exactly what your feisty Kaimanawa boy needs." two years older than Jade, and home from boarding school, Zoe Death couldn't be much more intimidating. But maybe she's right? Persuaded by her friends Becca and Laura, Jade spends the winter holidays on the Deaths' sheep station. Is this the perfect opportunity for Jade to recover her confidence and bond with taniwha, or a dangerous mistake? Ages 9-12 Views: 54
A Practical and Theoretical Treatise on the Artisanal Craft of Pencil Sharpening for Writers, Artists, Contractors, Flange Turners, Anglesmiths, & Civil ServantA hilarious guide to the lost art of artisanal pencil sharpening"...I am so thrilled David Rees is picking up the reins of the forgotten art of manual graphite-encased-in-wood point-crafting. I love my pencil!"—AMY SEDARIS"You may think that sharpening a pencil is easy, but David Rees makes it look hard, and that makes all the difference."—JOHN HODGMAN"Truly, my life before I was presented with correctly sharpened pencils by an artisan was a dull and ill-sharpened void. Learn from my mistakes."—NEIL GAIMANHave you got the right kind of point on your pencil? Do you know how to achieve the perfect point for the kind of work you need out of that pencil?Deep in New York’s Hudson River Valley, craftsman David... Views: 54
At twenty-six, Emma Roberts comes to the painful realization that if she is ever to become truly independent, she must leave her comfortable London flat and venture into the wider world. This entails not only breaking free from a claustrophobic relationship with her mother, but also shedding her inherited tendency toward melancholy. Once settled in a small Paris hotel, Emma befriends Fran?oise Desnoyers, a vibrant young woman who offers Emma a glimpse into a turbulent life so different from her own. In this exquisite new novel of self-discovery, Booker Prize-winner Anita Brookner addresses one of the great dramas of our lives: growing up and leaving home.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 52
When the Jarrett Creek Fire Department is called to douse a blaze on the outskirts of town, they discover a grisly scene: five black youths, ages thirteen to twenty-five, have been murdered. Newly elected Chief of Police Samuel Craddock, just back from a stint in the Air Force, is asked to help the Texas Rangers with the investigation. Before long, the Rangers arrest Truly Bennett, Craddock's onetime confidant.The scene of the crime reveals evidence of a drugs-and-prostitution ring, and the name and address of Truly's sister are found in the home of one of the victims. The Ranger heading up the investigation believes that Truly committed the murders to prevent his sister from being forced into prostitution. Craddock has trouble believing that Truly would have been capable of this heinous crime. Meanwhile, he's also dealing with his ne'er-do-well brother and sister-in-law, both of whom are doing drugs.As the new Chief of Police, will Craddock have to arrest members of... Views: 50
Dr. Dulcinea Chamber's old boyfriend, the adventurous, fun-loving, and decidedly good-looking Brendan MacArthur, reappears with a unique gift for the Maine Museum of Art: a very old bottle of wine, one of several that he found in a shipwreck while scuba diving in Maine's cold Atlantic waters. With museum attendance low during a particularly brutal winter, Dulcie knows exactly what to do. The museum will host a wine tasting as a fundraiser featuring this old vintage. But when an icebreaker busts through the pack ice in Portland harbor the day after the festivities, the crew makes a gruesome discovery. Someone from the party didn't make it home, and instead wound up among the bobbing gray-blue sheets of ice floating from one side of the harbor to the other.Dulcie's knowledge of wine is needed by detective Nicholas Black as he sorts through the details of this case, but their budding relationship is also put to the test. Brendan MacArthur's sudden reappearance irritates Nick. Does he... Views: 50
This clear and concise new introduction examines all the major debates and issues in the field of art history, using a wide range of well-known examples. Dana Arnold also examines the many different ways of writing about art, and the changing boundaries of the subject of art history.Other topics covered include the canon of art history, the role of the gallery, "blockbuster" exhibitions, the emergence of social histories of art (such as feminist art history or queer art history), and the impact of photography. The development of art history using artifacts such as the altarpiece, the portrait, or pornography to explore social and cultural issues such as consumption, taste, religion, and politics is discussed. And the book also explains how the traditional emphasis on periods and styles originated in western art production and can obscure other approaches. Views: 49
This book is first a dialogue between a daughter and a father about life, physical sensation, mortality. Both seem to listen to the other with great attention. Secondly it is the extraordinary vehicle for a series of insights into the everyday life and the art of the great Venetian master, following an uncanny incident at the large exhibition of his work staged in Venice in 1990. While attending the exhibition Katya meets an old man, who she becomes convinced can only be the ghost of the great painter. Her 'spiritual' visitor engages her in conversation about the minute particularities of painting some of the pictures there. She shares this experience with her father in a letter. He accepts the encounter at face value and discusses the historical background to the old man's remarks, seeking answers to a series of evidential questions about his daughter's encounter. Views: 48
