Best of
International

1

Storytellers


Bjørn Larssen
    For most, on those nights, funny, sad, and dramatic stories are told around the fire. But there is nothing dramatic about Gunnar, a hermit blacksmith who barely manages to make ends meet. He knows nobody will remember his existence – they already don’t. All he wants is peace, the company of his animals, and a steady supply of his medication. Sometimes he wonders what it would feel like to have a story of his own. He’s about to find out.Sigurd – a man with a plan, a broken ankle, and shocking amounts of money – won’t talk about himself, but is happy to tell a story that just might get Gunnar killed. The blacksmith's other “friends” are just as eager to write him into stories of their own – from Brynhildur who wants to fix Gunnar, then marry him, his doctor who is on the precipice of calling for an intervention, The Conservative Women of Iceland who want to rehabilitate Gunnar’s “heathen ways” – even that wicked elf has plans for the blacksmith.As his defenses begin to crumble, Gunnar decides that perhaps his life is due for a change – on his own terms. But can he avoid the endings others have in mind for him, and forge his own?

The Worst of Me


Lisa J. Hobman
    Women, booze and luxury are handed to him on a daily basis and life is great.Until another alcohol fuelled sexual encounter forces him to realise that, in spite of his many achievements, his life and the relationships therein have no real meaning.Now feeling trapped in a life he is expected to continue leading a terrifying event forces him to re-evaluate his future.The words of a stunning and feisty, Scottish chambermaid, met whilst on tour in London, return to haunt him.Are her words the key to the drastic changes he needs to make?Will he find himself but lose his heart in the process?

You Have Not Yet Been Defeated


Alaa Abd El-Fattah
    A fiercely independent thinker who fuses politics and technology in powerful prose, an activist whose ideas represent a global generation which has only known struggle against a failing system, a public intellectual with the rare courage to offer personal, painful honesty, Alaa's written voice came to symbolize much of what was fresh, inspiring and revolutionary about the uprisings that have defined the last decade. Collected here for the first time in English are a selection of his essays, social media posts and interviews from 2011 until the present. He has spent the majority of those years in prison, where many of these pieces were written. Together, they present not only a unique account from the frontline of a decade of global upheaval, but a catalogue of ideas about other futures those upheavals could yet reveal. From theories on technology and history to profound reflections on the meaning of prison, You Have Not Yet Been Defeated is a book about the importance of ideas, whatever their cost.

When the Stars Are Scattered


Sam Kahiga
    

Damn Lucky: One Man's Courage During the Bloodiest Military Campaign in Aviation History


Kevin MaurerKevin Maurer
    We were all afraid, but it was beyond our power to quit. We volunteered for the service and, once trained and overseas, felt we had no choice but to fulfill the mission assigned. My hope is that this book honors the men with whom I served by telling the truth about what it took to climb into the cold blue and fight for our lives over and over again.”—John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Major, USAF (Ret.) 100th Bomb Group (H)Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was a world away from John Luckadoo’s hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. But when the Japanese attacked the American naval base on December 7, 1941, he didn’t hesitate to join the military. Trained as a pilot with the United States Air Force, Second Lieutenant Luckadoo was assigned to the 100th Bomb Group stationed in Thorpe Abbotts, England. Between June and October 1943, he flew B-17 Flying Fortresses over France and Germany on bombing runs devised to destroy the Nazi war machine.With a shrapnel torn Bible in his flight jacket pocket and his girlfriend’s silk stocking around his neck like a scarf as talismans, Luckadoo piloted through Luftwaffe machine-gun fire and antiaircraft flak while enduring subzero temperatures to complete twenty-five missions and his combat service. The average bomber crew rarely survived after eight to twelve missions. Knowing far too many airmen who wouldn’t be returning home, Luckadoo closed off his emotions and focused on his tasks to finish his tour of duty one moment at a time, realizing his success was more about being lucky than being skilled.Drawn from Luckadoo’s firsthand accounts, acclaimed war correspondent Kevin Maurer shares his extraordinary tale from war to peacetime, uncovering astonishing feats of bravery during the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history, and presenting an incredible portrait of a young man’s coming-of-age during the world’s most devastating war.

Princess A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia


Jean Sausan
    Sasson. Windsor-Brooke Books,2001

For Love Or Freedom


Lili Mahoney
    

Mother Ocean Father Nation


Nishant Batsha
    It is 1985, and an Indian grocer has just been attacked by nativists aligned with the recent military coup. Now, fear and shock are rippling through the island's deeply-rooted Indian community as racial tensions rise to the brink.Bhumi hears this news from her locked-down dorm room in the capital city. She is the ambitious, intellectual standout of the family--the one destined for success. But when her friendship with the daughter of a prominent government official becomes a liability, she must flee her unstable home for California.Jaipal feels like the unnoticed, unremarkable sibling, always left to fend for himself. He is stuck working in the family store, avoiding their father's wrath, with nothing but his hidden desires to distract him. Desperate for money and connection, he seizes a sudden opportunity to take his life into his own hands for the first time. But his decision may leave him vulnerable to the island's escalating volatility.Spanning from the lush terrain of the South Pacific to the golden hills of San Francisco, Mother Ocean Father Nation is an entrancing debut about how one family, at the mercy of a nation broken by legacies of power and oppression, forges a path to find a home once again.

Honey on the Page: A Treasury of Yiddish Children's Literature


Miriam Udel
    Stepping into this void, Miriam Udel has crafted an exquisite collection: Honey on the Page offers a feast of beguiling original translations of stories and poems for children.Arranged thematically--from school days to the holidays--the book takes readers from Jewish holidays and history to folktales and fables, from stories of humanistic ethics to multi-generational family sagas. Featuring many works that are appearing in English for the first time, and written by both prominent and lesser-known authors, this anthology spans the Yiddish-speaking globe--drawing from materials published in Eastern Europe, New York, and Latin America from the 1910s, during the interwar period, and up through the 1970s. With its vast scope, Honey on the Page offers a cornucopia of delights to families, individuals and educators seeking literature that speaks to Jewish children about their religious, cultural, and ethical heritage.Complemented by whimsical, humorous illustrations by Paula Cohen, an acclaimed children's book illustrator, Udel's evocative translations of Yiddish stories and poetry will delight young and older readers alike.

A Woman of Endurance


Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa
    The resulting babies are taken from her as soon as they are born. Pola loses the faith that has guided her and becomes embittered and defensive. The dehumanizing violence of her life almost destroys her. But this is not a novel of defeat but rather one of survival, regeneration, and reclamation of common humanity. Readers are invited to join Pola in her journey to healing. From the sadistic barbarity of her first experiences, she moves on to receive compassion and support from a revitalizing new community. Along the way, she learns to recognize and embrace the many faces of love—a mother’s love, a daughter’s love, a sister’s love, a love of community, and the self-love that she must recover before she can offer herself to another. It is ultimately, a novel of the triumph of the human spirit even under the most brutal of conditions.

The Horror Collection: Pink Edition (THC Book 6)


Kevin J. Kennedy
    Scott, Mike Duke, Zoey Xolton, Natasha Sinclair & Kevin J. Kennedy.We will take you on a trip through hell, to vampire torn lands, find out the perils of collecting too many books and on many more terrifying adventures.

Love is in the Airship


Catherine Stein
    Guaranteed.Fleeing a wedding to a man she doesn't love, Euphemia "Effie" Werrington stows away on an airship, only to discover the ship's owner is the love who left her years before.Charlie Wilson has been through a lot in the years since Effie's family sent him away, but despite his new piratical appearance, his heart remains as devoted as ever to the woman he left behind.Pirates roam the skies and an angry family is hot on their tail, but the road to true love is never without a few bumps. Let romance take flight!Love is in the Airship is a 10,000 word novelette set in the Sass and Steam world.Previously published as part of the Love in Bloom anthology.

Valor: The Astonishing World War II Saga of One Man's Defiance and Indomitable Spirit


Dan HamptonDan Hampton
    This son of a decorated Marine general escaped from hell on earth by swimming eight hours through a shark-infested bay; but his harrowing ordeal had just begun.Shipwrecked on the southern coast of the Philippines, he was sheltered by a Filipino aristocrat, engaged in guerilla fighting, and eventually set off through hostile waters to China. After 29 days of misadventures and violent storms, Harris and his crew limped into a friendly fishing village in the southern Philippines. Evading and fighting for months, he embarked on another agonizing voyage to Australia, but was betrayed by treacherous islanders and handed over to the Japanese. Held for two years in the notorious Ofuna prisoner-of-war camp outside Yokohama, Harris was continuously starved, tortured, and beaten, but he never surrendered. Teaching himself Japanese, he eavesdropped on the guards and created secret codes to communicate with fellow prisoners. After liberation on August 30, 1945, Bill represented American Marine POWs during the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay before joining his father and flying to a home he had not seen in four years.Valor is a riveting new look at the Pacific War. Through military documents, personal photos, and an unpublished memoir provided by his daughter, Harris’ experiences are dramatically revealed through his own words in the expert hands of bestselling author and retired fighter pilot Dan Hampton. This is the stunning and captivating true story of an American hero.

The Strange Destiny of Wangrin


Amadou Hampâté Bâ
    

i did not come to you by chance


Adaobi Tricia Nwauban
    

And a Threefold Cord


Alex la Guma
    

Sandhamn Murders (7 Book Series)


Viveca Sten
    Before long, he has identified the deceased as Krister Berggren, a bachelor from the mainland who has been missing for months. All signs point to an accident—until another brutalized corpse is found at the local bed-and-breakfast. But this time it is Berggren’s cousin, whom Thomas interviewed in Stockholm just days before.As the island’s residents reel from the news, Thomas turns to his childhood friend, local lawyer Nora Linde. Together, they attempt to unravel the riddles left behind by these two mysterious outsiders—while trying to make sense of the difficult twists their own lives have taken since the shared summer days of their youth.

Forty-Something Phoenix: A Travel Memoir


Marlayna Glynn
    Readers will find hope in this true story that teaches the wisdom of creating and receiving miracles on a journey of self-discovery by saying “Yes.”Marlayna had been a single parent for fifteen years when she felt she had nothing left of herself to give. Drained and empty, she writes, "I'd reached a point in my life where something had to give, and it could no longer be me." In Forty-Something Phoenix, she discovers how passion can arise unexpectedly from the ashes of one life to craft another. This memoir redefines the love story; illustrating how self-acceptance and self-love can be renewed when exploring the disparities, similarities, histories, loves and losses in other cultures.“Reading a Marlayna Glynn Brown memoir is like watching a high speed train picking up speed, as it careens towards a collision with an oncoming train. In this case, the heroine (Marlayna) jumps to safety seconds before the inevitable collision. It's nearly impossible to stop watching. Marlayna's personality is a fascinating mixture of vulnerability, sincerity, optimism, self reflection, sexiness, and humbleness. She is the ultimate underdog. She picks herself up and dusts herself off after another of a series of failed romances and friendships.I would highly recommend reading her prior memoirs. It will assist in putting her latest in the proper perspective.” John L.

Breda's Island


Jessie Ann Foley
    Perfect for fans of When You Trap a Tiger and Shouting at the Rain.After Breda Moriarity gets caught stealing one too many times, Breda's mom sends her to Ireland—a place she has never been—to live with the grandfather she has never met.While Breda doesn’t want to be in this strangely beautiful land, she finally gets to meet her granda, her mom’s father. He’s a grumpy farmer who is also a seanchaí, a traditional Gaelic storyteller. But the most important story to Breda is the one nobody will talk about: what happened to her absent father. If nothing else this summer, Breda is determined to figure out the truth about her family’s history—and herself.This powerfully poignant middle grade novel asks important questions about immigration, estranged relationships, and family secrets.

Chronicle: Greece Concise History.


Michael Haag
    The Rough Guide sifts through a vast trawl of evidence to produce a concise, accessible history, leading to the era of the colonels culminating in the modern state, a member of NATO and the European Union. Along the way, Michael Haag's stimulating sidebars include coverage of the Ionian revolt against Persian rule and a discussion of iconoclasts versus iconodules. The Rough Guide Chronicle: Greece is an essential reader and companion for anyone who wants to get under the skin of the Greek nation.

Abeba Goes to Bed: An Ethiopian Children's Book (French, German, English, and Amharic Edition)


Fitsame Teferra
    [4] of cover.