Simon Winchester, struck by a sudden need to discover exactly what was left of the British Empire, set out across the globe to visit the far-flung islands that are all that remain of what once made Britain great. He traveled 100,000 miles back and forth, from Antarctica to the Caribbean, from the Mediterranean to the Far East, to capture a last glint of imperial glory.His adventures in these distant and forgotten ends of the earth make compelling, often funny reading and tell a story most of us had thought was over: a tale of the last outposts in Britain's imperial career and those who keep the flag flying.With a new introduction, this updated edition tells us what has happened to these extraordinary places while the author's been away.About the AuthorSimon Winchester was born and educated in England, has lived in Africa, Ireland, India and China, and now lives in US. He was a foreign correspondent for 30 years and now contributes to a variety of American and British magazines and newspapers. Hismost recent books have been the two international bestsellers, The Surgeon of Crowthorne and The Map that Changed the World. His new book, Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded is published in June 2002. From AudioFileSimon Winchester travels to the far reaches of the British Empire. Winchester reads his own sometimes oddball tales. He tells of a cricket match on St. Helena in which a fielder falls off the edge and thus is "retired, dead." On Ascension Island, an island so small it was considered a ship--the H.M.S. ASCENSION--any baby born was considered born at sea. Winchester's nicely modulated voice is perfect for reading this history/travelogue. He is engaging while narrating the history and perpetually amused at the quirks of keeping the Empire alive no matter the discomfort. The production concludes with an interview in which Winchester discusses his delight at discovering that readers share his fascination with geology. A.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

With the 2006 publication of The God Delusion, the name Richard Dawkins became a byword for ruthless skepticism and "brilliant, impassioned, articulate, impolite" debate (San Francisco Chronicle). his first memoir offers a more personal view.His first book, The Selfish Gene, caused a seismic shift in the study of biology by proffering the gene-centered view of evolution. It was also in this book that Dawkins coined the term meme, a unit of cultural evolution, which has itself become a mainstay in contemporary culture.In An Appetite for Wonder, Richard Dawkins shares a rare view into his early life, his intellectual awakening at Oxford, and his path to writing The Selfish Gene. He paints a vivid picture of his idyllic childhood in colonial Africa, peppered with sketches of his colorful ancestors, charming parents, and the peculiarities of colonial life right after World War II. At boarding school,...

A finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, this bestselling collection from master storyteller Sherman Alexie tackles love, loss, basketball—and everything in betweenThe characters that populate the lyrical and affectionate tales in Ten Little Indians battle stereotypes and navigate the crossroads of culture in life off the reservation. Richard, the narrator of “Lawyer’s League,” grows up in Seattle the son of “an African American giant who played defensive end for the University of Washington Huskies” and “a petite Spokane Indian ballerina.” Estelle Walks Above (née Estelle Miller), the mother of the narrator in “The Life and Times of Estelle Walks Above,” studies her way off the Spokane Indian Reservation and into the University of Washington, and goes on to both enjoy and resent the company of the white women of Seattle—who see her as a shamanic genius, and look to her for guidance on everything from sex and fashion to spirituality and politics.These and the other stories in Ten Little Indians run the gamut from earthy humor to sobering emotional truth, mapping the outer reaches of the human heart.This ebook features an illustrated biography including rare photos from the author’s personal collection.

Midnight Rescue: Christy Huddleston, the new school teacher in Cutter Gap, thought her biggest problem was going to be choosing between the charming country doctor, Neil MacNeill, and the handsome minister, David Grantland. But Christy has more serious matters to deal with when her student Ruby Mae Morrison and the mission's runaway black stallion vanish in a furious storm. As Christy desperately searches for Ruby Mae in the cold, blinding rain, she runs headlong into three angry moonshiners bent on revenge against anyone who might try to stop their illegal activities. Can Christy survive this most terrifying test of her faith and courage?The Proposal: Christy should be thrilled when David, the handsome minister, proposes marriage. So why do thoughts of Dr. MacNeill keep popping into her head? Before she can answer David, Christy is blinded in a terrible riding accident and all her dreams are threatened.Christy's Choice: Christy screamed as the train broke from the track...

Brothers and sisters! Here at last is a light-hearted, free-spirited, groovy guide to the timeless hippie skills and activities that make the world a better place, one macrame belt at a time. In illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions, author Chelsea Cain — who grew up on an Iowa hippie commune — provides practical and playful know-how for the hippie and hippie-at-heart. Learn how to milk a goat, build a compost pile, play "Kumbaya" on the guitar, teach a dog how to catch a Frisbee, and get your file from the FBI. Discover the finer points of caring for a fern, choosing a mantra, organizing a protest, naming your hippie baby, and making sand candles as holiday gifts. Including primers on cooking, dressing, driving, telling time, dancing, and celebrating your birthday in classic hippie style, and a righteous appendix of essential hippie books, movies, and slang, The Hippie Handbook knows the score. Right on.

In The 50th Law, hip hop and pop culture icon 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) joins forces with Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to write a "bible" for success in life and work based on a single principle: fear nothing. With intimate stories from 50 Cent's life on the streets and in the boardroom as he rose to fame after the release of his album Get Rich or Die Tryin', as well as examples of others who have overcome adversity through understanding and practicing the 50th Law, this deeply inspirational book is perfect for entrepreneurs as well as anyone interested in the extraordinary life of Curtis Jackson.

The story of the Boston Marathon bombing through the eyes of those most intimately affected.

Following the success of his award-winning memoir There is a Season (2004) and his bestselling novel Red Dog, Red Dog (2008), Patrick Lane felt his celebrated poetry career might be at an end and published his Collected Poems in 2011. But the process of revisiting his collected poetic works rekindled his first love and launched him on a new phase of poetry composition that resulted in this impressive and distinctive new book.Honest and self-aware, Washita evokes some of the most inexpressible experiences a human being can undergo: the loss of a parent, the breakdown of a body, the perversion of nature, the acquiring of wisdom. In "Hard-Rock," a boy begins to understand that his father will die: "His lungs created elaborate cathedrals from quartz dust, / a crystal symphony playing Mahler under water." In "Submission," a speaker struggles with losing his sight, capable only of expressing himself through metaphor. But amid this darkness sparks an...

In Alison Kent's brand-new novel set in Miami's sultry South Beach, Finn finds a woman who can melt his ice-cool exterior with one look, and a case that could land them both in hot water. . . Finn McLain is no stranger to unusual assignments. But the gorgeous stranger who just asked him to photograph her for an erotic art exhibit--that's definitely a first. Finn came to Miami to dig into the personal life of boutique manager Roland Green for a lovesick gallery owner, and hadn't planned on sticking around. But the boutique's owner, Olivia Hammond, has just made him a proposal that's as hard to ignore as Olivia herself. She's got caramel-kissed skin, a body that makes grown men tremble, and a wild sideline as an exhibitionist. Ooookay. Yet despite her willingness to "let people look," Finn's convinced there's a hell of a lot Olivia's not revealing. And that's the most intriguing prospect of all. . . Olivia has never been shy about using her sexuality to get...

The #1 New York Times bestselling master of legal suspense, John Grisham has electrified readers with his white-knuckle narratives for more than two decades. Assembled here in a convenient eBook bundle are three of his classic thrillers: The Firm, the runaway hit that ignited his writing career, The Appeal, and The Chamber. Read back-to-back or enjoyed separately, these edge-of-your-seat novels show why John Grisham is--beyond a reasonable doubt--one of the most beloved authors of all time.THE FIRM When Mitch McDeere signed on with Bendini, Lambert & Locke of Memphis, he thought that he and his beautiful wife, Abby, were on their way. The firm leased him a BMW, paid off his school loans, arranged a mortgage, and hired the McDeeres a decorator. Mitch should have remembered what his brother Ray--doing fifteen years in a Tennessee jail--already knew: You never get nothing for nothing. Now the FBI has the lowdown on...

Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different, and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins, and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English — but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny's cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it...