Have you ever dreamt of being an astronaut, travelling through the universe on your very own space mission? What would it be like to tour the Solar System, visiting the Sun & the planets, taking in everything from moons to asteroid belts along the way? What would you see, & how would you feel? What would you eat? How would you navigate & produce fuel? How would you survive? On this epic voyage of discovery, astronomer Mark Thompson takes you on that journey. From how to prepare for take-off & the experience of leaving Earth`s atmosphere, to the reality of living in the confines of a spaceship & the strange sensation of weightlessness, this is an adventure like no other. Suit up, strap in & enjoy the ride. ...

Have you ever dreamt of being an astronaut, travelling through the universe on your very own space mission? What would it be like to tour the Solar System, visiting the Sun & the planets, taking in everything from moons to asteroid belts along the way? What would you see, & how would you feel? What would you eat? How would you navigate & produce fuel? How would you survive? On this epic voyage of discovery, astronomer Mark Thompson takes you on that journey. From how to prepare for take-off & the experience of leaving Earth`s atmosphere, to the reality of living in the confines of a spaceship & the strange sensation of weightlessness, this is an adventure like no other. Suit up, strap in & enjoy the ride. ...

It is the 1870s & twin brothers Sean & Garrick Courtney are born into the wilds of Natal. They could not be more different, & fate, war & the jealous schemes of a woman are to drive them even further apart. But as history unfolds, a continent is awakening. & on the horizon is the promise of fortune, adventure, destiny & love. ...

Britain is home to fifteen species of breeding birds of prey, from the hedgerow-hopping Sparrowhawk to the breathtaking White-tailed Eagle. In this handsomely illustrated book, acclaimed British filmmaker & naturalist David Cobham offers unique & deeply personal insights into Britain`s birds of prey & how they are faring today. He delves into the history of these magnificent birds & talks in depth with the scientists & conservationists who are striving to safeguard them. In doing so, he profiles the writers, poets & filmmakers who have done so much to change the public`s perception of birds of prey. There are success stories--five birds of prey that were extinct have become reestablished with viable populations--but persecution is still rife. Featuring drawings by famed wildlife artist Bruce Pearson, this book reveals why we must cherish & celebrate our birds of prey, & why we neglect them at our peril. ...

This book contains more than seventy accounts of big adventures in small boats. In ”A Speck on the Sea”, William Longyard reaches back through five centuries to gather a collection of sea adventures in which the smallest, unlikeliest craft
- & the daring individuals aboard them
- completed extraordinary voyages against great odds. From canoes & small sailboats to a pair of strap-to-your-feet pontoons, the watercraft in these true stories make nearly as varied a collection as the mariners who piloted them. The intrepid seafarers & their feats of seamanship include: Ed Gillet`s kite-powered transpacific kayak voyage Gladys Gradely`s 1902 quest to become the first woman to solo the Atlantic; Ben Lecomte`s swim across an ocean for love; Hugo Vihlen`s 1968 ocean crossing in the 6-foot sailboat, April Fool; Peter Bird`s tragic attempt to row across the Pacific; &, scores more. Whether driven by desperation, adventure, or a desire for fame & fortune, the risktakers in these stories show what vast oceans can be crossed in tiny contrivances by those who dare. ` Great fun to read`
- ” Cruising World”. ` Very few reference books make for such riveting reading`
- ” Good Old Boat”.` Re-creates these awe-inspiring adventures in fascinating detail`
- ”NW Yachting”. ` Seagoing heroes & scalawags come alive with rich detail in Longyard`s volume of salty tales`
- Judy Blumhorst, Commodore Emeritus, Northern California Association of West Wight Potter Owners & Webmaster, www.trailersailer.com. William H. Longyard has spent twenty-five years paddling, rowing, & sailing small boats of all kinds. He has published several books & written numerous articles for boating journals.





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` It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-&-green afternoon...` This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she & Red fell in love that day in July 1959. The whole family on the porch, relaxed, half-listening as their mother tells the same tale they have heard so many times before. & yet this gathering is different. Abby & Red are getting older, & decisions must be made about how best to look after them & their beloved family home. They`ve all come, even Denny, who can usually be relied on only to please himself. From that porch we spool back through three generations of the Whitshanks, witnessing the events, secrets & unguarded moments that have come to define who & what they are. & while all families like to believe they are special, round that kitchen table over all those years we also see played out our own hopes & fears, rivalries & tensions
- the essential nature of family life. ” She`s changed my perception on life.” (Anna Chancellor). ” One of my favourite authors.” (Liane Moriarty). ” She spins gold.” (Elizabeth Buchan). ” Anne Tyler has no peer.” (Anita Shreve). ” My favourite writer, & the best line-&-length novelist in the world.” (Nick Hornby). ”A masterly author.” (Sebastian Faulks). ” Tyler is not merely good, she is wickedly good.” (John Updike). ”I love Anne Tyler.” (Anita Brookner). ” Her fiction has strength of vision, originality, freshness, unconquerable humour.” (Eudora Welty).
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When Hazel Wong`s beloved grandfather passes away, Daisy Wells is all too happy to accompany her friend (and Detective Society Vice President) to Hazel`s family estate in beautiful, bustling Hong Kong. But when they arrive they discover something they didn`t expect: there`s a new member of the Wong family. Daisy & Hazel think baby Teddy is enough to deal with, but as always the girls are never far from a mystery. Tragedy strikes very close to home, & this time Hazel isn`t just the detective. She`s been framed for murder! The girls must work together like never before, confronting dangerous gangs, mysterious suspects & sinister private detectives to solve the murder & clear Hazel`s name
- before it`s too late...
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At fifty-seven, George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed in his garden, reading historical novels, listening to a bit of light jazz. Then Katie, his tempestuous daughter, announces that she is getting remarried, to Ray. Her family is not pleased
- as her brother Jamie observes, Ray has `strangler`s hands`. Katie can`t decide if she loves Ray, or loves the way he cares for her son Jacob, & her mother Jean is a bit put out by the way the wedding planning gets in the way of her affair with one of her husband`s former colleagues. & the tidy & pleasant life Jamie has created crumbles when he fails to invite his lover, Tony, to the dreaded nuptials. Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, & quietly begins to lose his mind.
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New & uncollected tales of murder, mischief, magic & madness. Ruth Rendell was an acknowledged master of psychological suspense: these are ten (and a quarter) of her most chillingly compelling short stories, collected here together for the first time. In these tales, a businessman boasts about cheating on his wife, only to find the tables turned. A beautiful country rectory reverberates to the echo of a historical murder. A compulsive liar acts on impulse, only to be lead inexorably to disaster. & a wealthy man finds there is more to his wife`s kidnapping than meets the eye. Atmospheric, gripping & never predictable, this is Ruth Rendell at her inimitable best. The stories are: Never Sleep in a Bed Facing a Mirror; A Spot of Folly; The Price of Joy; The Irony of Hate; Digby`s Wives; The Haunting of Shawley Rectory; A Drop Too Much; The Thief; The Long Corridor of Time; In the Time of his Prosperity; & Trebuchet. Introduction from Sophie Hannah. ...

New & uncollected tales of murder, mischief, magic & madness. Ruth Rendell was an acknowledged master of psychological suspense: these are ten (and a quarter) of her most chillingly compelling short stories, collected here together for the first time. In these tales, a businessman boasts about cheating on his wife, only to find the tables turned. A beautiful country rectory reverberates to the echo of a historical murder. A compulsive liar acts on impulse, only to be lead inexorably to disaster. & a wealthy man finds there is more to his wife`s kidnapping than meets the eye. Atmospheric, gripping & never predictable, this is Ruth Rendell at her inimitable best. The stories are: Never Sleep in a Bed Facing a Mirror; A Spot of Folly; The Price of Joy; The Irony of Hate; Digby`s Wives; The Haunting of Shawley Rectory; A Drop Too Much; The Thief; The Long Corridor of Time; In the Time of his Prosperity; & Trebuchet. Introduction from Sophie Hannah. ...