Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress


Jan Morris - 1973
    Index. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book

Basketball


John Hareas - 2003
    This history of basketball is presented with amazing photographs and accessible text to tell the whole story, from James Naismith's nailing a peach basket to the wall of a local gym for the first informal game to the incredible feats of basketball's super-size stars of today.

Shadows on the Road: Life at the Heart of the Peloton, from US Postal to Team Sky


Michael Barry - 2014
    Weeks later he testified against his former team mate Lance Armstrong, as part of the USADA investigation.In a stunning piece of writing, Barry explores the dreams and passion of a young, idealistic cycling fan from Toronto - what it was then like to ride as a teammate alongside such giants of the sport as Lance Armstrong, Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, and how those dreams were tainted early on in his career by a sport in crisis.But it's also the story of his eleven years riding clean, before and after his time in the notorious American Postal Team. What was it like to head for Europe at such a young age, and what was it like to escape the environment of doping, to try and start again, all the time aware that past actions may one day catch up with him?Offering a unique and elegiac insight into the life and mind of a professional sportsman - the pressures, sacrifices, fears, crashes, injuries and neuroses - Cycles of the Heart is a classic, must-read book for cycling and sports fans alike.

The First Noël at the Villa des Violettes


Patricia Sands - 2018
    Everything was going so well in Kat and Philippe’s life together. Then suddenly it wasn’t. Roman ruins delayed the work on the Villa des Violettes. The Russian drug gang might be back in the neighbourhood. On top of that, Kat had worked herself into what Molly classified as a full blown “Christmas conundrum.” Kat wanted the holidays to work perfectly as she blended a Canadian Christmas with a Provençal Fête de Noêl for the first time in their new home. Now she’d lost her confidence and, with it, the holiday spirit. Philippe hoped a weekend trip to the famous Christmas markets of Strasbourg would solve everything. As it happened, things were about to get worse.

Mr. Darcy's Deception: A Pride and Prejudice Variation


Kate Speck - 2020
    Darcy owned Netherfield and was persuaded to take a holiday there as a seemingly a modest gentleman? He has his father's brother, the honourable Judge Darcy, to support him with the heavy burdens on his shoulders during his respite in Hertfordshire after Georgiana’s difficult summer. Elizabeth Bennet does not form her prejudice against Bingley's visitor and a platonic friendship forms. This story contains several adventurous scenarios with mild language and reference to kidnapping and sexual innuendo.

Stealing Lizzy: A Steamy Pride & Prejudice Variation


Emma East - 2020
    until Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth's heart beats fast when she encounters the prideful Mr. Darcy in a vulnerable moment at Rosings Lake. However, her curiosity soon leads her into hot water with the man himself. Stunned by the feelings he ignites within her, Elizabeth runs -- only to find Darcy in hot pursuit. Darcy's waited a long time for his moment. Now that it's in front of him, he's willing to do whatever it takes to make Elizabeth his. Stealing Lizzy is a standalone novel-length Pride & Prejudice variation. It contains sensual scenes that require smelling salts for those of a sensitive nature.

The Legend of Little Sharpshooter


K.D. Kinney - 2015
    Her pa was once a famed Texas Ranger and the list of those who want to see him dead is long. When the Anthony brothers gun him down in a cold-blooded act of revenge, the sixteen-year-old didn’t play the game as well as she could have when the outlaws escape with their lives, and she’s left injured and on her own. Afraid they’ll come back for her, a wounded Randy plans on leaving the New Mexico Territory to head west with her temperamental horse Al, her gun Pearl, and the ashes of her family as her only companions. A Horse Thief with Heart: All Trevor wants is a decent horse. When he sees the best-looking horse he's ever laid eyes on and tries to steal it, he finds himself in an awful predicament when he discovers he wasn’t fighting a boy but a very sick girl with a mean punch. He decides to save her life instead and he is smitten. The Real Journey Begins: Randy has a new traveling companion but finds she is in over her head when they run into an old family friend that knows she’s a great shot, a skilled sharpshooter of the likes of Annie Oakley. He exploits her amazing skill and her name quickly rises to fame as they cross the West. Because no one knows her pa is gone, the mob of outlaws on their tail is growing and they’re dead set on revenge She might be a prodigy with a gun but becoming legendary as Miranda Carter was not what she wanted. Neither was falling in love. What must Randy sacrifice to find the peace she was looking for?

Does Your Mother Know?


Maureen Jennings - 2006
    There she is tracked down by the Northern Constabulary, Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, who inform her that her estranged mother has been involved in a vehicular homicide and has gone missing. Reluctantly, Christine agrees to fly up to Stornoway, where her mother was last seen. Her arrival is followed by the suspicious death of one of the islanders. What unfolds is a deepening involvement in the life of the community, an unexpected reconnection with her mother, and a nefarious plot against one of the young princes, who is planning a visit to the island.Set against the backdrop of a breathtaking landscape and a people who are fiercely proud of their traditional way of life, Does Your Mother Know? races along to a galloping finish in this complex tale of suspense.

Dogs at the Perimeter


Madeleine Thien - 2011
    Three decades later, Janie has relocated to Montreal, although the scars of her past remain visible. After abandoning her husband and son and taking refuge in the home of her friend, the scientist Hiroji Matsui, Janie and Hiroji find solace in their shared grief and pain—until Hiroji’s disappearance opens old wounds and Janie finds that she must struggle to find grace in a world overshadowed by the sorrows of her past.Beautifully realized, deeply affecting, Dogs at the Perimeter evokes the injustice of tyranny through the eyes of a young girl and draws a remarkable map of the mind’s battle with memory, loss, and the horrors of war. It confirms Madeleine Thien as one of the most gifted and powerful novelists writing today.

Reading by Lightning


Joan Thomas - 2008
    In the barn loft on their prairie farm, Lily Piper listens to sermons about the Second Coming, bracing herself for the moment when they'll be snatched away to another reality. But Lily's new reality turns out to be England, where she's sent just before the war to look after her grandmother. There she discovers a whole different way of being in the world.

Rough Justice


Brad Smith - 2016
    Carl is determined to get justice for Kate, whatever it takes. But with few allies, he finds himself incurring the wrath of powerful enemies as he attempts to uncover the truth.

Artifice


Patrick Gooch - 2018
    But an unscrupulous trader in works of art knows their true worth; and exploits the situation, involving Cleverden in his shady activities. A major heist is planned by the trader, which first necessitates the theft of many of Turner`s paintings. These are held to ransom in exchange for priceless artifacts displayed in the British Museum. Once again, Alan Cleverden is unwittingly swept up in this unlawful venture. One word to the authorities, he would most certainly serve time. A pawn in a highly-charged affair, the odds are against him as he tries to free himself from the trader`s clutches; ensure the safety of the Turners; and return to their original owners the paintings acquired by his grandfather during the Second World War. A fast-paced thriller, Artifice is a must read for those who appreciate fine art, and are drawn to mysteries that hold you spellbound to the very last page. Patrick Gooch has enjoyed an interesting and varied career. He studied History of Art, and went on to lecture at the Central School of Art and Design in London. Patrick worked in marketing, travelling throughout Europe and Central and South America. It was while travelling that he began writing. Married with two sons, he lives close to the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex. “Absorbing and convincing heist thriller” Kevin McManus, author of 'New Blood'.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache


Louise Penny - 2017
    Featuring Chief Inspector of Homicide Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, these extraordinary novels are here together for the first time in a fabulous ebook bundle. Still Life Gamache and his team are called to the scene of a suspicious death in Three Pines. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident, but Gamache smells something foul this Thanksgiving season. A Fatal Grace When CC de Poitiers is found dead the day after Christmas, electrocuted in the middle of a curling match, Gamache digs beneath the surface to find where the real secrets are buried. But it seems he has enemies of his own, and with the coming of the winter winds, something far more chilling is in store. The Cruelest Month A group of Three Pines villagers celebrate Easter with a séance at the Old Hadley House, hoping to rid the town of its evil-until one of their party dies of fright. Was it a natural death, or murder? As Gamache investigates, he will face his own ghosts as well as those residing in this seemingly idyllic town. A Rule Against Murder Gamache and his wife are celebrating their anniversary at the luxurious, isolated Manoir Bellechasse. When a dead body turns up in the midst of a family reunion, Gamache learns that the lodge is a place where visitors come to escape their past, until that past catches up with them. The Brutal Telling A stranger is found murdered in Olivier's Bistro in Three Pines, and Gamache is dismayed to find Olivier's story full of holes. Gamache follows a trail of clues into the woods and across the continent before returning to Three Pines to confront the truth and the final, brutal telling. Bury Your Dead It's Winter Carnival in Quebec City, when Gamache is called to investigate a dead body at the Literary and Historical Society. Meanwhile, Gamache is receiving disquieting letters from Three Pines. A Trick of the Light When Three Pines artist Clara Morrow's former friend is found dead in her garden, Gamache finds the art world is one of shading and nuance, shadow and light. Even when facts are slowly exposed, it is no longer clear to Gamache and his team if what they've found is the truth, or simply a trick of the light. The Beautiful Mystery Outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, where the monks are world-famous for their glorious chants. But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Gamache. How the Light Gets In As Christmas approaches, Gamache travels to Three Pines as a favor to the bookshop owner Myrna Landers, whose friend has gone missing. With mounting crises in his own homicide department, Gamache finds himself not only investigating a murder, but also seeking refuge for himself and his still-loyal colleagues--if such a refuge exists. The Long Way Home Happily retired in Three Pines, Gamache has finally found peace. But when Clara Morrow's artist husband, Peter, fails to show up as promised on the first anniversary of their separation, Gamache agrees to join her on a journey far from Three Pines in search of him. The Nature of the Beast When a boy prone to tall tales disappears from Three Pines, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his stories might have been true. So begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth, sending Gamache deep in the forest and setting off a sequence of events leading to murder, an old crime, and a betrayal. A monster once visited Three Pines, and put down deep roots. Now it is back. A Great Reckoning When an intricate old map, which was given to Armand Gamache on the first day if his new job, is found stuffed into the walls of the bistro in Three Pines, it at first seems no more than a curiosity.

Blood Upon Our Land: The North West Resistance Diary Of Josephine Bouvier


Maxine Trottier - 2009
    Tension grips Batoche, Saskatchewan in 1885. Many Métis moved here after the 1870 Riel Rebellion in Manitoba left them disallusioned. But life in Batoche is difficult. The buffalo on which the Métis depended for generations have been hunted almost to extinction, and the coming of white settlers poses a threat to their traditional way of life. The Métis want title to their land, but the government has delayed for years. Promises are no longer enough . . . and talk of a second uprising is in the air. Thirteen-year-old Josephine finds herself torn over her feelings about the Resistance: she is worried for her brother, who is eager to fight; for her father, who prefers a peaceful solution; for Edmond Swift Fox, her friend, whom she loves and will eventually marry; and for Louis Riel, the leader whose efforts to help the Métis preserve their way of life are actions she grows to respect and admire. Through Josephine’s faithful diary entries, the reader is transported into this pivotal moment in Canadian history — the time leading up to the defeat of the Métis and the allied First Nations forces at Batoche, the execution of Louis Riel, and the growing tensions between English Canada and French Canada.

Mystery of the Night Watchers


A.M. Howell - 2021
    As the blazing Halley's comet draws close to the earth, Nancy is uprooted to start a new life in Suffolk with a grandfather she has never met. With every curtain drawn shut, Nancy is forbidden from leaving her grandfather's house: no one must know that her or her mother are there.Yet, when Nancy discovers the house's secret observatory, she watches her mother and grandfather creep out every night... Where are they going? And why mustn't any of them be seen? As the mysteries pile up, Nancy has to bring dark secrets from the past to light - even if doing so will put her own life at risk.