Paul Rasmussen is a young ethnographer and academic recovering from prostate cancer. Broken, he retreats to the remote forests and towns of the Immitoin Valley. As an outsider, he discovers how difficult it is to know a place, let alone become a part of it. Then a drowned man and a series of encounters with the locals force him to confront the valley’s troubled past and his own uncertain future. As Paul turns his attention to the families displaced forty years earlier by the flooding of the valley to create a hydroelectric dam, his desire to reinvent himself runs up against the bitter emotions and mysterious connections that linger in the community in the aftermath of the flood. An original debut novel that is meditative and erotic, raw and exuberant in tone, Aaron Shepard’s When is a Man offers a fresh perspective on landscape and masculinity. ** Views: 68
On the last day of high school, Sophie's boyfriend breaks up with her. It turns out he thinks she is too predictable, too responsible, too mature...too boring. When Sophie turns to her best friend, Ella, for comfort and reassurance, Ella just confirms what her boyfriend has said. And that hurts even more. Then Ella comes up with a plan to help Sophie find her wilder side. In the ninety days between the end of high school and the start of university, she is going to arrange for Sophie to do amazing, new, different and sometimes scary things. The deal is Sophie has to agree to everything, no matter what. And she has to share her adventures through social media. Can ninety days of different create a different life? Can stepping outside your comfort zone help you find yourself? Views: 68
THE COUNTRY CHILD is a semi-autobiographical story about a girl growing up in the country. Alison Uttley has drawn on her own youth to produce memories so vivid and nostalgic that you can almost smell the honeysuckle and hear the owls calling at dusk. She writes about the small intense joys and sorrows of life on a small farm: the fun of haymaking, the sadness of favourite animals being slaughtered, and the close sweetness of Christmas celebrations in the farmhouse kitchen.Also in A Puffin Book: A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley Views: 68
Anna and Banana rescue a stray kitten in the fifth book of this "fast-paced, fun, and funny" (Megan McDonald, bestselling author of the Judy Moody series) illustrated chapter book series about the joys and challenges of elementary school friendships.Anna and Banana have found a kitten! But when Banana accidentally scares the kitten away during their afternoon walk, Anna enlists her two best friends, Sadie and Isabel, for OPERATION CATCH THE KITTEN. Anna can't image such a tiny kitten living outside all by himself, and she's determined to find him a good home. But catching a kitten is trickier than Anna thought—kittens are easily scared and very stealthy. Then there's the problem of finding him a good home. Sadie's mom has a "No Pets" rule, Isabel's cat, Mewsic, does not play well with other animals, and Anna's dad is allergic to cats! Anna and her friends desperately want to help, but will they be able to find the kitten a good home? Views: 68
North and South TrilogyNorth and South, Love and War, Heaven and Hell.John Jakes's acclaimed and sweeping saga about a friendship—and the fates of two families—threatened by the divisions of the Civil WarIn the years leading up to the Civil War, one enduring friendship embodies the tensions of a nation. Orry Main from South Carolina and George Hazard from Pennsylvania forge a lasting bond while training at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Together they fight in the Mexican–American War, but their closeness is tested as their regional politics diverge. In North and South,as the first rounds are fired at Fort Sumter, Orry and George find themselves on different sides of the coming struggle.The rivalry between the Main and Hazard families continues through Love and War and Heaven and Hell as the families face heartache and triumph on the frontlines, fighting for the future of the nation and their loved ones. Views: 68
DJ is always thrilled to spend time with his grandfather, a person he idolizes. When his grandfather announces that he's going to take all of his grandsons on individual adventures, it seems only fair that DJ, as the oldest grandchild, will get his adventure first. An adventure that sees his grandfather at the controls of a small plane as the two fly to Central America for a week. But when someone tries to kidnap him, DJ must flee through the jungle and down a crocodile-infested river, pursued by armed gunmen. When he isn't busy trying to stay alive, DJ discovers things about himself he never suspected and uncovers information that leads him to believe his beloved grandfather is living a secret life. In this exciting prequel to Between Heaven and Earth and Sleeper, the responsible and athletically gifted DJ flies to Central America. Views: 68