The Exotic and the Mundane


Joyce Dickens - 2018
    From the day they met, they’d been talking about “travelling more”, but in ten years they hadn’t advanced very far toward that dream and it had become more of a nagging dissatisfaction than an inspiring goal. Every time they returned from one of their brief yearly vacations, Joyce would spend weeks depressed, thinking there had to be a way to do more than this. They gradually came to the somewhat obvious realization that “travelling more” wasn’t just going to happen, they would need to decide what exactly they wanted, make a plan and commit to a lot of work. In early 2012, they made a decision to go all in on their travel dream, sell everything, and hit the road for an open-ended period of time.On March 31, 2013, they locked up their house one last time and left on a tour that would take them to 23 countries and 23 U.S. states over the next 14 months. This book is the chronicle of the first six months, spent in Central America and Africa, as they learned to slow down, look around and embrace wherever the heck they were. Alternately funny, frustrating and inspiring, their journey proves that anyone can travel more and that you don’t have to be rich, young or all that brave to get out and see the world.

Together: A Journey for Survival


Ann Arnold - 2016
    Married to the man of her dreams, mother to two beautiful children, and a member of one of the most respected families in town; she had it all. The year was 1939, and the world was about to change. In a heartbreaking instant, she had to trade her life of security, family, and simple pleasures--for one of unspeakable loneliness, hardship, and danger. Nothing more than hunted prey, she relied on her inner strength and indomitable will to keep her children alive. But would it be enough? How far would she have to go, and did she have the resolve to get there? One thing she knew for sure ...she and her children would live or die one way …. TOGETHER. Manek was six years old when his world began to collapse. At first, his young eyes failed to see it, but reality came quickly into focus, when his loving gentle mother was forced to beat him in order to save his life. That is when he realized the Nazis wanted to kill him. Suddenly thrust into a new role as man of the house, would he be able to help keep his family safe? Was he strong enough to protect them? He knew only one thing ... they would survive if they could stay …TOGETHER. In Together: A Journey for Survival, Ann Arnold shares her family's journey through Poland's countryside as a war of nations thunders around them. The story displays the magnificent strength of a mother's love and the incredible courage of good people during the worst of times. "An important work. Ann Arnold's effort to both tell their tale of her family's survival during the Holocaust while being a part of encouraging the next generation to embrace tolerance is inspiring." -Michael Cohen, The Simon Wiesenthal Center "A fascinating story that takes a reader inside an already wounded family toiling through horrific difficulty in the pursuit of life itself. .. it forces readers to ask themselves if they could endure a struggle or whether they might support another person in a life or death battle. This angle makes the book valuable for teachers to use and beneficial for students to read at the high school level.” -Lawrence M. Glaser, N.J. Commission on Holocaust Education “Incredible Story” –Northern Valley Press "Arnold’s perspective is colored not only by those non-Jews who saved her father’s family but also by her experience visiting Brzostek as an adult." –New Jersey Jewish News

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Mexico to Canada


Bruce Buck Nelson - 2018
    For five months I hiked through the California desert, the snows of the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. My goal was to succeed in an epic challenge: to hike 2,650 miles and reach Canada before the October snows. It was an unforgettable summer of sunrises, river crossings, and high mountain passes; of physical and mental challenges and peaceful wilderness camps under the stars. In the fall colors of September I reached the border of Canada.This is the story of my thru-hike.

Stolen: A Memoir


Elizabeth Gilpin - 2021
    Growing angrier by the day, she began skipping practices and drinking to excess. At a loss, her parents turned to an educational consultant who suggested Elizabeth be enrolled in a behavioral modification program. That recommendation would change her life forever.The nightmare began when she was abducted from her bed in the middle of the night by hired professionals and dropped off deep into a camp in the woods of AppalachiaAfter three brutal months, Elizabeth was transferred to a boarding school in Southern Virginia that in reality functioned more like a prison. Its curriculum revolved around a perverse form of group therapy where students were psychologically abused and humiliated. Finally, at seventeen, Elizabeth convinced them she was rehabilitated enough to “graduate” and was released. In this eye-opening and unflinching book, Elizabeth recalls the horrors she endured, the friends she lost to suicide and addiction, and—years later—how she was finally able to pick up the pieces of her life and reclaim her identity.

The Lost Girl


Caroline Roberts - 2004
    Realizing that there was something very malevolent about the couple, she left their employment soon after, glad to be rid of them. The story should have ended there, but a month, later she was abducted by the Wests and suffered violent sexual abuse at their hands before being told that she would be killed and buried. Through a combination of luck and quick thinking, depite the trauma of what had happened, Caroline managed to escape to freedom. This is her story of those fateful days and the appalling aftermath.

Blue-Eyed Son


Nicky Campbell - 2004
    His father – an ex-army man – and his mother helped him to a good school and a good university. Nicky rarely thought of his birth parents, until a combination of an imploding marriage and a chance meeting with a private detective led him to track his mother down. Nicky Campbell brilliantly recalls their reunion and tentative steps towards a relationship, evoking all the complex and deep-seated emotions that being reunited elicited in each of them. But as they talked it became clear that there was more to Nicky’s background than he expected. . . In this emotionally gripping and refreshingly honest memoir, Nicky Campbell describes the many sides of a family’s dark history, and how it feels to find out where you come from.

Forever In My Heart: The Story Of My Battle Against Cancer


Jade Goody - 2009
    Bubbly, fun, and full of infectious laughter, Jade quickly captured the hearts of a nation. This volume--which covers Jade's amazing rags-to-riches story--was initially banned after allegations of racism in the "Celebrity Big Brother" house, but is now back in print. Jade reveals all about her life, from her troubled childhood to how she found fame and fortune. Packed with incredible highs and tearful lows, Jade tells the story of her successes, failures, and her life with beloved sons Bobby and Freddy.

Lost and Missing: True Stories of People Gone Missing and Never Found (Murder, Scandals and Mayhem Book 5)


Mike Riley - 2014
    Imagine living the rest of your life never knowing what happened to them, where they are, if they are even alive!Lost and Missing: True Stories of People Gone Missing and Never Found contains true life stories of people who have disappeared from the face of the earth, including the circumstances surrounding their disappearances, the investigations, the results and the current status of the cases.In some instances, foul play is definitely involved. In other cases, bad luck, poor judgement or just wrong place, wrong time factors have affected the outcomes.Some of the stories within are: The missing colonists of Roanoke Island The heiress who went shopping and never returned The English Lord who disappeared after a night of bloodshed The tragic mystery of three missing Australian children The man who vanished from a cruise ship And many more. Be prepared to be confounded, confused and left curious. These cases have never been solved and some continue to be investigated to this day. Click BUY above right now to get your copy of Lost and Missing: True Stories of People Gone Missing and Never Found

Watery Grave


Sharon Hamilton - 2021
    Inside, lies the remains of SEAL Team 3 friend and former gym owner, Joseph “Gunny” Hoskins. Their mission was to release his ashes upon the deep blue sea, but their cruise was interrupted by a terrorist takeover of the ship, thwarted by the SEALs on board.But when the ocean returns him to San Diego in Christy’s cosmetic bag, a new adventure is hatched to give Gunny eternal rest.Kyle, Christy and their three children embark on another memorial cruise mission, along with several other SEAL families. In paying tribute to the life of a fellow brother-in-arms, they usher in the dawn of a bright new future for them all. As the past is finally buried amid the dangers of the present, the ocean’s giant wheel—the Circle of Life—lives on.In honoring the irreverent life of one, the bond and commitment of the brothers who remain is strengthened to do battle.SEAL Brotherhood: Legacy Series is about the original couples in Sharon's popular SEAL Brotherhood Series. It furthers the stories of these couples ten years later, after marriages, children and separations. These are stand alone books, but readers who are unfamiliar with the series would enjoy reading the background stories first.Recommended reading order: Accidental SEAL, Cruisin' For A SEAL, Watery Grave.

All I Need Is You


Monica Walters - 2020
    To obtain more, it takes dedication and an unwavering determination to succeed. Solomon Frank is the poster child for making that happen. Rising from the hood of Inglewood, California, his dreams of becoming an A-list actor takes a work ethic and sacrifice that many people don’t have within them. Even amongst the ill wishes and lack of support from the people he loves and that mean the most to him, Solomon finds his way.Making it in the industry is tough but with hard work, he makes it, taking acting jobs just to make a name for himself. However, it pays off. He is able to be selective, where he can now demand what he wants and gets it. He develops a reputation as being a great actor, but also an uncouth jerk and he embraces it. There’s only one issue. He’s never been in love and it’s something he craves. But unlike his determination with obtaining honor in his career choice, he doesn’t have the same gusto when it comes to love. So, instead of looking for it, it’s dropped in his lap in the form of his new personal assistant, Divine Stewart.He is smitten from first sight, but he tries to remain professional and tough as nails, as his reputation indicates. She’s thirteen years his junior but something about her is calling out to him. The fight to maintain that professional relationship is more difficult than he anticipated, and Solomon finds himself at a crossroads. Will he blur the lines of personalism and professionalism in regard to how he really feels for Divine? Can he ease the reigns to develop something more with her without tarnishing his reputation in Hollywood? Or will he continue to suffer in silence, longing for the one thing in life he hasn’t obtained?

Missing


Tim Weaver - 2016
    Over the course of an entire season, the show investigated the world of missing people - who disappears, why they disappear, the pressures of life on the run, and who tracks them down - and charts the progression of a missing persons search.Through these transcripts, join the investigation as Tim meets with leading experts from the worlds of investigation, surveillance, data, forensics, psychology, and technology. In each interview he challenges them - and himself - with the ultimate question: is it really possible to disappear? Also include a chapter from How to Disappear, by Frank M Ahearn

Written in Blood


Mike Silverman - 2013
    As one of the UK’s leading forensic scientists, Mike Silverman has helped to identify and convict dozens of murderers, rapists, armed robbers, burglars and muggers, thanks to the evidence they – or their victims – unwittingly left behind at the scenes of their crimes.Mike Silverman started his career in the days when fingerprints were still kept on card files and DNA profiling was just a pipe dream, so Written in Blood is more than just a casebook – it is also a definitive history of the development of forensic science over the course of the past thirty-five years.From collecting blood samples at gangland executions to investigating forensic science failings, including in the murders of Rachel Nickell and Damilola Taylor, Mike Silverman’s unique career provides a fascinating insight into the ways forensic science is used to help solve real-life crimes.Packed with genuine crime scene photographs and original sketches, Written in Blood is the ultimate insider’s account of the fascinating world of forensic science.

On Pills and Needles


Rick Van Warner - 2018
    In the years of pain and heartache that followed as he tried to save his son from opioid addiction, Van Warner discovered what the American public is just now becoming aware of: opioids prescribed for even minor pain relief are so addictive that even a few days of use can create dependency. On Pills and Needles is a memoir that also serves as a wake-up call and crash course in opioid addiction. Through his harrowing personal story, Van Warner exposes the common causes of opioid addiction, effective and ineffective ways it has been treated, and how families can walk alongside loved ones who are dealing with the daily realities of addiction.

Death Comes Knocking: Policing Roy Grace's Brighton


Graham Bartlett - 2016
    His friend Graham Bartlett was a long-serving detective in the city once described as Britain's 'crime capital'. Together, in Death Comes Knocking, they have written a gripping account of the city's most challenging cases, taking the reader from crime scenes and incident rooms to the morgue, and introducing some of the real-life detectives who inspired Peter James's characters. Whether it's the murder of a dodgy nightclub owner and his family in Sussex's worst non-terrorist mass murder or the race to find the abductor of a young girl, tracking down the antique trade's most notorious 'knocker boys' or nailing an audacious ring of forgers, hunting for a cold-blooded killer who executed a surfer or catching a pair who kidnapped a businessman, leaving him severely beaten, to die on a hillside, the authors skilfully evoke the dangerous inside story of policing, the personal toll it takes and the dedication of those who risk their lives to keep the public safe.

Mystery of the Urban Monks


Vikram Singh - 2020
    Eventually, a prediction by a psychic and plane hijack makes it more happening. This was not the end and they go on a search for a monk in Tibet. Their journey continues seeking nirvana on the Ghats of Varanasi and falling in love with a tribal girl in Afghanistan. Eventually, where exactly did life take them? What is Yogi’s connection to them? Is he one of them? What were the life lessons for John? What did he promise Yogi at the end of their journey?