Merwin --Magic barrel / Bernard Malamud --About marriage / Denise Levertov --from Jane Austen / Virginia Woolf --Princess and the tin box / James Thurber.

    The 35 impassioned stories included in this collection - of fortune tellers, tribal baboon hunters, a friendly Japanese family, and other notable characters - span a worldwide spectrum of themes, styles and settings, but all show how travel in its unexpected turns tests and teaches us, making us aware that we are resilient, that we are not alone, and that there is so much love and connection to be had if we open ourselves up. This collection affirms that if we follow the compass of the heart, we will always find our way. Whether you read the book on the road or in an armchair at home, these tales are sure to entertain, amuse and inform you, and resonate long after the book is finished. 'As you travel through these pages, may your mind be widened, your spirit enlivened, and your own path illuminated by these worldly word-journeys.' ---Don George With sparkling contributions from some of the most acclaimed names in contemporary fiction and travel writing plus some new voices from around the world, including: Ann Patchett, Francine Prose, TC Boyle, Karen Joy Fowler, Pico Iyer, Torre DeRoche, Blane Bachelor, Rebecca Dinerstein, Jan Morris, Elizabeth George, Jane Hamilton, Alexander McCall Smith, Keija Parssinen, Mridu Khullar Relph, Yulia Denisyuk, Emily Koch, Carissa Kasper, Jessica Silber, Candace Rose Rardon, Marilyn Abildskov, Shannon Leone Fowler, Robin Cherry, Robert Twigger, Porochista Khakpour, Natalie Baszile, Suzy Joinson, Anthony Sattin, LH McMillin, Bridget Crocker, Maggie Downs, Bishwanath Ghosh, Jeff Greenwald, James Dorsey and Tahir Shah. About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, gift and lifestyle books and stationery, as well as an award-winning website, magazines, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category 'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times 'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia)

    Having lost faith in the most magical part of the year, her father, Jim, desperately tries to bring back the magic she has lost. When an unforeseen change of events takes over their little family on the morning of Christmas Eve, Jim's faith and spirits are really put to the test. Will the magic of Christmas be enough to bring back the joy to their family once more? Or will they really depend on a Christmas miracle?

    He was a boxing champion as a boy. He became a dad as a teenager. He has been a barman in a brothel and spent his first years in London working as a carer to some of the capital's most at-risk kids.In this, the first major biography of the star, Neil Simpson reveals the extraordinary highs and the terrible lows of Paul's life. He explains: how Lily Savage was born as a way to make more money - and help Paul take his mind off the horrors he saw every day as a social worker; how tough it was for the 'blonde bombsite from Birkenhead' to break into the entertainment mainstream; and, why Paul decided to risk everything by throwing off Lily's wig and carving out a new career as himself.The depression, the private grief and the near fatal heart attacks that struck as Paul re-invented himself as the funniest and most successful chat show host in the country. Frequently hilarious and sometimes heart-wrenchingly sad, Paul O'Grady has always lived his life on a rollercoaster of emotions. Today he is a proud grandfather, a multimillionaire and a man loved by millions of devoted fans. This is his incredible story.

    This is one of them. Seven-year-old Samantha Zaldivar is reported missing in February 1997. Despite the best efforts of the community and law enforcement to find her, it seems the first grader has disappeared without a trace until the forensic evidence leads a multi-agency task force to an ugly possibility. Months later, an unlikely turn of events reveals the young girl’s fate, which rocks the rural county in Western New York. Dedicated and meticulous police work brings a murderer to justice, but not without a cost to those involved. Stephen C. Tarbell, a retired Wyoming County Sheriff’s investigator shares his personal account of the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Samantha Zaldivar.

    All 144 passengers and six crew members were killed. In the ensuing days, a picture of the flight’s harrowing final moments began to emerge. Shortly after reaching cruise altitude, a 27-year-old first officer named Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit, took control of the plane and deliberately caused its descent. In Fatal Descent, journalist and aviation expert Jeff Wise travels to Lubitz’s hometown in Germany and pieces together a definitive and haunting portrait of the killer and the system he betrayed, revealing in heart-pounding detail how a lifelong super-achiever like Lubitz could have committed such an unthinkable act, what actually happened inside the cockpit, and whether current airline regulations leave us vulnerable to similar attacks in the future.Jeff Wise is a science journalist specializing in aviation and psychology. He is the author of the bestselling Kindle Single The Plane That Wasn’t There, about the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. A licensed pilot of gliders and light airplanes, he also has stick time in powered paragliders, trikes, World War II fighter planes, Soviet jet fighters, gyroplanes, and zeppelins, as well as submarines, tanks, hovercraft, dog sleds, and swamp buggies. A contributing editor at Travel + Leisure magazine, he has written for New York, the New York Times, Time, Businessweek, Esquire, Details, and many others. His Popular Mechanics story on the fate of Air France 447 was named one of the Top 10 Longreads of 2011. His last book was Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger. A native of Massachusetts, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Harvard and now lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.Cover design by Kerry Ellis.

    Tori's a strong woman who didn't need love in the first place. She's above it all and can't wait to go home to Fireweed Island to escape the drama for the summer. She's thrilled to teach summer school and remodel her family home in peace and quiet. So why is it that if Tori is so over love, she notices the hot owner of the construction company? Okay, she doesn't just notice him. She lets him sneak right into her fantasies where he does amazing things to her.It isn't until Mason shows her how a real man is supposed to be that she allows herself to believe in love again. But will the pain from her past ever let her truly experience a happily-ever-after?*Love Redone* (Book 2) Natalie Jennings loves nothing more than waking up and going into work at the florist shop she owns in the heart of Fireweed Island. Every morning is pleasant and filled with sunshine and rainbows. That is until she sees an email for a wedding consult slide right into her inbox with the sender's name of Cole Hill.Her hands get clammy and the cold winter's day suddenly feels like it's ninety degrees and climbing. It couldn't be the same Cole Hill from high school. The universe isn't that cruel.But as she opens the email and reads the message, she realizes that it is, indeed, the Cole Hill from high school, and it is the universe's turn to not only be cruel but downright evil. Cole broke her heart, but not in the normal fashion. He ensured the process was a long one filled with plenty of ups and downs. It all started in first grade and didn't finally end until the second year of college. And now he is coming back to get married on Fireweed Island.The perks of being the only florist in town! It's a good thing she got over him years ago...*Tangled Love* (Book 3) Sophie Bristol works two jobs--sometimes three--and is surrounded by people falling in love and that's great. Really, it's great. It's not like she ever thought she'd find that perfect someone. After all, she learned he probably only exists in some far away land with talking wildlife and glass slippers, and that works perfectly for her busy schedule. Not to mention she experienced the worst divorce in island history between her parents, and she got to be there for every painful second to warp her view on the subject. And let's not forget her stepmom has only learned to like Sophie once she began helping take care of her dad after his stroke.So to say love isn't a priority is an understatement. Life hasn't been easy, not that she ever expected it to be, and she's fine with the hand she's been dealt.Really, she is fine. But when Sophie falls for a rock star, it will take more than a fairy godmother to make love work in the real world.Anthony Hill is the lead singer of the Crimson Strings and his band has hit it big. Really big. Huge, actually. And he should be thrilled. It's what he's always wanted. However, sometimes there is a big disconnect between dreams and reality. With his nonstop touring schedule and pressure to repeat success on his next album, he flees to the one place that scarred him the most, Fireweed Island.

    It was supposed to be my getaway Christmas,Now, I’m stuck sharing with my brother’s best friend,This has just turned into the holiday from hell!For the first time in years, I was excited about the holidays,A week of sun, sea and luxury, curtesy of my newly loaded brother.I should have known there’d be a sting in the tail…The moment I arrive in Hawaii, I realize there’s an intruder in the house,And it’s no burglar—no, it’s far worse than that,Because Ryan Finch—my brother’s business partner, and the same man my mother’s been trying to hook me up with for years—is apparently here for the holidays as well.The longer we spend together, the harder it is to remember all the reasons why I told myself that going there would be a terrible idea,And my relaxing Christmas getaway has just turned into the ultimate exercise in restraint.Will I give in to temptation and find that he’s more than his reputation, or will the truth that I’m trying to ignore leave me crushed?

    John Branion was found guilty of murdering his wife in their posh Chicago home. After exhausting his appeals, he evaded authorities by fleeing to Africa. He was finally captured in 1983—but his case was far from over. It would take another seven years for Dr. Branion to finally win his freedom—and for those who prosecuted him to admit that he could not have committed the murder, and that they knew it all along.Acclaimed mystery writer Barbara D'Amato was drawn to this story two decades after the murder, as Dr. Branion languished in prison, ill and without hope. Her meticulous research repeatedly led her to one startling conclusion: that it was impossible for Donna Branion's murder to have unfolded the way the police alleged. In this award-winning account, D'Amato deftly explores the intriguing facts of this shocking case—from the tragic blunders made by authorities to Branion's arrest, conviction, and years practicing medicine in Africa as a fugitive from justice. The result is a damning indictment of our criminal system—and the vindication of an innocent man.The Doctor, The Murder, The Mystery by Barbara D'Amato won the Anthony and Agatha Awards for Best True Crime. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed Cat Marsala mysteries, including Hard Case and Hard Christmas. She lives in Chicago.The 1992 Anthony Award for Best True Crime and the 1993 Agatha Award for Nonfiction for The Doctor, the Murder, the Mystery

    

    Maybe God must have been busy when she made her request, because Jillian showed up as her daddy’s new girlfriend.Jillian was not the mommy type. Hayley even overheard her saying so on the phone. Ms. Kember, who lived next door was the mommy type.Maybe, if Hayley could get rid of Jillian, Ms. Kember could marry her daddy and be her new mommy.

    It will not take you more than an hour to benefit from the wisdom of the work. This book makes it possible for you to have a blueprint to change your habits for the better. Read this book to be more disciplined and successful in life.

    And he'll pay a million dollars to own it.My best friend invites me on a ski trip to a fancy resort in Aspen.We find out there's an exclusive club where billionaires can buy anything they want.Including a woman's innocence.It turns out that one will pay a lot for mine.We hit it off right away- a match that only money could arrange.He says he likes my curves, my eyes and my smile.I like his tattoos, his muscles and his dirty mouth.I never thought I'd give my virginity to a stranger.But now, I'm calling out his name while he's got me tied up and helpless.I'm begging him not to stop, and hoping winter vacation never has to.What if we both like this arrangement a little more than we bargained for?* Sold at the Auction in Aspen features a complete collection of standalone but connected romances featuring dominant alpha males and curvy heroines. Linked characters reappear as the collection continues, so you can continue to catch up with your favorite couples.The titles included in this set are: 1) Sold on Christmas Eve; 2) Sold at the Ski Resort; 3) Sold as a Domme on Valentine's Day; and 4) a bonus novella exclusive to this box set, Sold in Aspen, which ties all the characters and their stories together and shows you where each couple ends up in the future. These romances have no cheating and no cliffhangers. They do have very happy ever afters and plenty of steam certain to heat up the rest of your winter and your reading device!

    She’s fell for veterinarian Cameron McKenzie’s good looks, caring nature and especially his devotion to his young daughter. For months Cameron’s pushed away all thoughts of taking Rina in his arms and kissing her, unwilling to risk their friendship. But when a kiss under the mistletoe unlocks the simmering passion between them, Rina and Cameron may just find love for the holidays after all...YOURS FOR CHRISTMASFamous former NFL stars don’t date single working moms like Bailey Voss. She’ll allow herself to daydream about Kenny Scott’s muscles and killer smile, but wanting more would lead to post-holiday regret. Then Kenny volunteers to run a toy drive with Bailey, and she learns that he’s not just hot…he’s also generous, funny, nice. And as festive spirit spreads, Kenny gets wrapped up in Bailey’s kisses — and decides to make this the first of many Christmases together…Previously published.

    Since its foundation in 1919, Leeds United Football Club has seen more ups and downs than most, rising to global fame through an inimitable and uncompromising style in the 70s, clinching the last Division One title of the pre-Sky Sports era in 1992, before becoming the epitome of financial mismanagement at the start of the 21st century. Despite this demise, United remains one of the best supported – and most divisive – clubs in football, with supporters’ clubs dotted across the globe. In 100 Years of Leeds United, Chapman delves deep into the archives to discover the lesser-known episodes, providing fresh context to the folkloric tales that have shaped the club we know today, painting the definitive picture of the West Yorkshire giants.