When a ferocious hurricane rips through southern Florida, the con artists and carpetbaggers waste no time in swarming over the disaster area.
Among the predators are Edie Marsh, an entrepreneurial young woman whose scheme to sleep with a Palm Beach Kennedy has fizzled, freezing her to concoct a colossal insurance rip-off; Lester Maddox Parsons, a murderous ex-con whose violent encounter with a game warden has left him with the fitting name of “Snapper”; and Avila, a crooked building inspector-turned-roofer who dabbles somewhat unsuccessfully in the occult.
Caught in the middle are Max and Bonnie Lamb, newlyweds torn in wildly different directions by the storm. It is Max’s fateful decision to abort their Disney World honeymoon and race to Dade County to see the terrible devastation. Armed with a video camera, the ambitious young advertising executive can’t wait to show his hurricane tapes to his buddies back in New York.
Over Bonnie’s objections, Max eagerly sets out through the rubble, debris and mayhem—and promptly vanishes. The only clue to his whereabouts: a runaway monkey. The only person who can help Bonnie’s search: a mysterious young man with a tranquilizer gun and a roomful of human skulls.
But there’s also a man called Skink who has devoted his very strange existence to saving Florida from the kinds of people blown in by the hurricane. It is he, crazed and determined, who prowls the swath of the storm and forever changes the lives of Max, Bonnie, Edie and the others.
Their paths—tangled before they even know it—come together in a novel that continues the hilarious and scathing muckraking tradition that Carl Hiaasen has so mercilessly made his own. In Stormy Weather, there is no calm eye.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Carl Hiaasen's Bad Monkey. Views: 833
He was named "Sham" for the sun, this golden-red stallion born in the Sultan of Morocco's stone stables. Upon his heel was a small white spot, the symbol of speed. But on his chest was the symbol of misfortune. Although he was swift as the desert winds, Sham's pedigree would be scorned all his life by cruel masters and owners.This is the classic story of Sham and his friend, the stable boy Agba. Their adventures take them from the sands of the Sahara to the royal courts of France, and finally to the green pastures and stately homes of England. For Sham was the renowned Godolphin Arabian, whose blood flows through the veins of almost every superior thoroughbred. Sham's speed--like his story--has become legendary. Views: 830
A collection of poems about creation and salvation plus my thoughts and a short story on a man taken up by the rapture.Jules' job as a homicide detective has become the perfect cover as he pursues supernatural beings that are determined to eliminate him. This short thriller will have you wishing for more... once you catch your breath. Views: 830
In this second book of the series, TA returns to the Philippines to clarify what happened 12 months previous when he became a pawn in a national armed uprising. After meeting his saviour on his earlier misadventure, he journeys south. There, mistaken for a rich businessman, he is kidnapped. The businessman is intent on recovering gold buried by his grandfather during the Japanese occupation.In this second book of the series, TA has re-visited the Philippines to discover what happened to his co-guests at the holiday resort of Apuao Grande after the political uprising. After finally reconnecting with the mysterious ex-pat former resident of Apuao Grande, he journeys south to visit other resorts. A wealthy local resident of Japanese descent, with multi-national businesses, befriends him and offers his business connections and transport for TA to use. Unknown to TA, the businessman is the target of a revenge kidnapping and ransom. The kidnappers unknowingly snatch the wrong man. The businessman uses the distraction to track down gold deposits confiscated and buried by his grandfather, a colonel in the Japanese Army occupying the Philippines in WW2. No officials know that TA is missing, but his mysterious ex-pat friend suspects something is wrong and sets out to find TA. Views: 825
Farely Mowat's best-loved book tells the splendidly entertaining story of his boyhood on the Canadian prairies. Mutt's pedigree was uncertain, but his madness was indisputable. He climbed tress and ladders, rode passenger in an open car wearing goggles and displaying hunting skills that bordered on sheer genius. He was a marvelous dog, worthy of an unusual boy growing up in a raw, untamed wilderness.
From the Paperback edition. Views: 812
Old Mr. Toad was acting strangely, and his behavior puzzled all the creatures of the Green Meadow. You see, he was in a hurry, and Old Mr. Toad NEVER hurried unless he was in danger. Where on earth could he be off to? To find out, Jimmy Skunk, Peter Cottontail, Unc\' Billy Possum, and some other animals of the Green Forest secretly follow the old gentleman through the fields and woods as he makes his way to a very important engagement.Young readers will enjoy discovering Old Mr. Toad\'s destination in this delightful tale by master storyteller, Thornton W. Burgess. Set in the timeless fictional locale of the Green Forest and the Smiling Pool, this book transports today\'s youngsters to the same world of gentle breezes and lovable creatures that has delighted generations of children before then. There, they\'ll enjoy the warmth and whimsy of this tale while learning important lessons about nature, the environment, and the "lesser folk of fur and feathers." Views: 807
No one thinks much of Black Gold because he is so small. But Jaydee sees something special in his eyes. He knows Black Gold would be great if he was his rider! Finally, Jaydee gets his wish. And Black Gold grows strong and fast under his careful hands. Soon it would be time for the most important race in America. Did they really have what it takes to win? Black Gold's inspirational story proves that the power of love and dedication can make any dream come true.
Set against the thrilling and colorful world of Thoroughbred horses, Black Gold is the true story of this legendary horse and his determined young jockey. Views: 801
Hannah Coulter is Wendell Berry's seventh novel and his first to employ the voice of a woman character in its telling. Hannah, the now-elderly narrator, recounts the love she has for the land and for her community. She remembers each of her two husbands, and all places and community connections threatened by twentieth-century technologies. At risk is the whole culture of family farming, hope redeemed when her wayward and once lost grandson, Virgil, returns to his rural home place to work the farm. Views: 794
The magnificent Lipizzan stallions of Vienna come to life as never before in this exciting story by award-winning author, Marguerite Henry.
A young boy named Hans dreams of one day working with the famed stallions of Lipizza. But coming from a family of bakers, Hans is discouraged from ever becoming a rider. That is, until the day he is invited to watch the extraordinary Ballet of Lipizzaners -- from the Imperial Box! -- and his life is changed forever.
Marguerite Henry artfully weaves authentic details about the skillful training of both horse and rider, as she unfolds the story of Hans and his beloved Lipizzan stallion, Borina.
The brilliance of Hans's dazzling public performances and his devotion to the art of classical riding make this story uniquely rich in history and horsemanship -- a story to be treasured by horse lovers of all ages. Views: 794
A collection of 13 wonderfully witty, superb suspense, and seriously sad fiction tales; situated in various locations from Japan, Australia, Philippines and New Zealand. The themes in the stories are as varied as the locations, with comedy, romance and suspense, sometimes in the one story. Lengths vary from 750 words to a 15,000 novella. Easily readable without a dictionary by your side.For people who enjoy a variety in the type of stories they read, this collections stories vary from light-hearted, to stories that will grab you by the heart. The length also varies, which means a story can be selected according to the reading time available. A 15,000 word novella has a mixture of all moods. The 13 fictional stories aree situated in various countries including Japan, Australia, Philippines and New Zealand, sometimes with comedy, romance and suspense all in the one story. The lengths vary from 750 words to a 15,000 word novella. Written with the intention of allowing the reader to relax in their reading without struggling over the meaning of words. Views: 786
Only in America could an innocent, if drunken, guest of honor at a strip joint bachelor party become a mortal threat against Big Money and Big Government. Only in south Florida, land of roadside honky-tonks and sinister pleasure boats—not to mention blackmail and murder—would a virtuous topless dancer join forces with a cool but clueless cop. And only in the fiction of Carl Hiaasen do readers experience riveting suspense and razor-sharp characters along with the most wicked humor imaginable. This is Strip Tease, Hiaasen’s most inventive tale yet of savage appetites and sweet justice.
BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Carl Hiaasen's Bad Monkey. Views: 784
June Pritchard and her pet sparrow hawk, Zander, are both caught between following the rules and spreading their wings to fly June Pritchard spends every summer with her aunts, uncles, and cousins in the big Victorian house that belonged to her grandfather. But the summer she turns thirteen, something has changed. Her mother is imposing new rules on her, and she starts to feel the thrill—and burden—of growing up. When June is given a sparrow hawk to train as a pet, she takes on the task, eager to prove she can be reliable. But Zander the sparrow hawk is as resistant to new rules as June is herself. Together, they must navigate the fine line between responsibility and freedom. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Jean Craighead George, including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. Views: 782
The original cast of the famed Swallows and Amazons series is sailing under the stars and the command of Captain Flint in the South China Sea when Gibbet, their pet monkey, grabs the captain’s cigar and drops it in the fuel tank. In minutes, the ship is ablaze (and doomed), and our seven luckless protagonists are adrift in two small boats. They make their way to land, only to find themselves the captives of one of the last remaining pirates operating off the China Coast. But Missee Lee, as it turns out, is no ordinary pirate; her father had sent her off to Cambridge University to prepare her for a life as a teacher. But when her father takes ill and dies, she finds herself struggling to hold together the Three Island Confederation (Tiger, Turtle, and Dragon) he had created, and to be recognized as his legitimate heir and ruler of the Island Kingdom.
Ransome is, as always, the consummate storyteller. Here he takes the reader not only on the usual sailing adventures and cliff-hanging escapades, but also into Chinese culture. (It’s no accident that, like so many of Ransome’s protagonists, Missee Lee is a woman, or that her Latin is almost as refined as her sailing skills.) It is also no wonder that The Observer called this, the tenth book in the series, “his best yet . . . a book to buy, to read, and to read again, not once but many times.” The Guardian put it “in a class by itself.” For Ransome, unlike so many writers of his and our generation, was particular in writing about things he knew and had studied first-hand, whether it was a foreign culture, a classical language, a cryptographic code, or the finer points of seamanship. Views: 777
A short story for the lunch time break about how when too much religion can turn a person the other way. And others that take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.Jules' job as a homicide detective has become the perfect cover as he pursues supernatural beings that are determined to eliminate him. This short thriller will have you wishing for more... once you catch your breath. Views: 773
Author and editor of numerous children\'s books, Thornton W. Burgess was also a noted conservationist. In writing for youngsters he combined a gift for storytelling with his love of the outdoors, creating an entertaining menagerie of animals whose adventures he skillfully recounted in a series of charming fables. In them, he taught young readers about nature and encouraged them to love the "lesser folk in fur and feathers."In this delightfully told tale, Burgess chronicles the escapades of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, who\'s known throughout the Green Forest as a mischief maker. Narrowly escaping the clutches of Shadow the Weasel and Redtail the Hawk, the bushy-tailed little fellow decides to leave the forest for a new home, only to learn that curiosity, carelessness, and mistrust can lead to a heap of troubles.First published in 1915, this engaging story will charm readers of all ages — as well as young listeners. Views: 765
