No one knew about his past growing up with a mother who suffered from mental illness; a greedy aunt; a mindless and spoiled older brother; an absent father.It wasn't until an explosion in Afghanistan that his memory was blasted back into focus. This book is the result of a long, cathartic chat with a stranger at a beach bar, where Harold finally found some peace.

    An adventure that illuminates a path toward understanding the meaning of life and our place in the universe.-Humanity faces an unprecedented crisis that threatens all life on Earth. Desert Storm fighter pilot and NASA astronaut Ron Garan addresses this head-on in Floatingin Darkness: A Journey of Evolution, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed first book, The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles.-Ron takes us on an extraordinary journey through outer space and inner space. He explores the dancing, intersecting orbits of religion, spirituality, and science while grappling with his own role in the violence of combat and the effects of war on all aspects of human life. We witness Ron struggling with mortality while also basking in the sheer wonder and beauty of our world and beyond. From this perspective, Ron maps out a viable path forward—to solve our crisis, we need a giant leap in humanity’s evolutionary process. We must transcend individual and collective ego and embrace the true nature of our interdependence with this fragile planet and all life within its biosphere. -Ron shows us how to discover our purpose, detoxify our divisive culture, and become a “white blood cell” in a growing immune response to heal our world.-Floating in Darkness is a blueprint to build a restorative and positive future for all.

    He falls in love with Jen, a girl with a dark, emotionally painful past. Living with chronic illness, Sean knows a little something about overcoming pain. But when he meets her family, his courage will be put to the test. Jens father, Diego, is a disabled military veteran. He is being mentally and physically abused by his wife, due to his role in the death of Jen's brother. Accompanied by a mysterious, supernatural, presence, it will fall to Sean to play the hero. All while navigating a life with chronic illness, and chasing his dreams in California.

    Yet there's something missing in his life, a purpose, an anchor. His life is completely set to change when he meets a 13-year-old monk in the mountains. From him, he learns the way of Wabi-Sabi, a Japanese way of living.

    The author was an aviator for many years in the polar regions flying for the US Air Force and resupplying the US scientific research stations on a routine basis. The flying was anything but routine, and he brings those surreal landscapes and flying phenomenon to the reader through his keen sensitivity to the human condition, ever having to adapt to what the polar regions present to the polar operator.Serving the US scientific interests abroad at the poles is the sole facet of why the US Air Force, Air National Guard, US Coast Guard, and US Navy combine to churn out the successful mission year in and year out. It is fraught with danger, beauty, the unusual, and the ever-present foe of the elements. Extreme cold and wilderness combine to confront the aviator and seamen with sometimes uncompromising force. The poles are a region where nature is dominant, but it also gives scientists the earliest clues of global warming and environmental decay. The poet captures all this and more in his portrayal of the places where most of humanity will never see, nor be able to appreciate the pristine beauty (and cooling mechanism of the planet) resident at the icecaps that we are losing as a result of global warming.

    February 8, 1944 ... Shot Down and Alive For the first time, the full and complete story of the B-17 Flying Fortress Susan Ruth is shared in unbelievable detail. Author Steve Snyder’s story of his father, Lieutenant Howard Snyder, and the Susan Ruth crew, provides in-depth details about many aspects of World War II few understand or know about including the:• separation for young families as men went off to war;• training before heading to foreign soil;• military combat operations;• underground and resistance and what Lt. Snyder did when he joined it;• German atrocities toward captured crew and civilians;• behind-the-scenes stories of the Belgium civilians who risked all to save American flyers who were in the air one moment, spiraling down in flames the next;• creation and dedication of the monument to the Susan Ruth and its crew located in Macquenoise, Belgium in 1989.Shot Down was created from the vast number of letters and journals of Howard Snyder; diaries of men and women on the ground who rescued, sheltered and hid the crew; and interviews conducted by historians. Centered around the 306th Bomb Group in Thurleigh, England, it is informative, insightful and captivating.For most, 70 years is a long time ago. World War II fades in importance as each year goes by. Shot Down moves history out of the footnotes into reality, keeping the stories of real people alive as they experience being shot down. You are there, almost holding your breath as Lt. Snyder gets his crew out of his B-17 when bailing out over Nazi occupied Europe.

    why are GCSE's so important anyway! As if that wasn't enough the nauseating 'Three J's' (Jackie, Jeanne and Josie) who are 'too cool for school' have given Summer and her friends the label of the 'Five Mis-fits'! Things have gone too far and Anaya and Amal (who are Muslim and Hindu) are not dealing with it well. Summer tries to understand but leaves school not knowing who she is, or which friends will be with her when she moves on to her new school in September!After a longer than usual summer holiday on Mallorca (I mean... who goes to Mallorca anymore!) Summer realises that she's learnt more from the local Spanish kids than she could ever learn at school..... she's found herself, found a place she can call home, and found true love .....all in the space of four weeks! As the holiday comes to an end she finds the truth lies in How you are and Who you choose to be ..... not in What you are!Based on the old english proverb ' Just when the caterpillar thought it's world couldn't become any worse.... it became a butterfly!' 'Hey! It's Summer!' takes a look at the transience of fighting to stay a teenager whilst starting to embrace the possibilities of adulthood..... and trying to understand some of it!As Summer returns to start at her new school as a 'senior', she looks at the world through different eyes and has a new determination to become the person she would choose to be!

    Above all, as a very young child she decided one day that even if there was no other person in the world who loved and wanted her, she was going to love and care for herself—and that decision changed the course of her life. Africa’s Child is the story of a mixed-race girl growing up in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania, East Africa. Raised in an orphanage with no knowledge of her origins or family, she endured abandonment, hardships, severe illnesses, and bullying. Her experiences as a child and teenager included physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, social stigma, and racial discrimination.Yet Nhambu tells her inspiring story with warmth and humor. Her questioning mind probes the African tribal realities and multi-cultural complexities that impacted her life both at the orphanage and schools run by German nuns as well as at an African high school with American nuns. Nhambu not only survived her childhood but triumphed. Her faith and resilience, along with a belief in learning and her tenacious pursuit of an education, sustained her through many challenges. Dance, especially African tribal dance, became the way she healed and nourished her spirit. Through the love and commitment of an American teacher she met in Africa, Nhambu was able to pursue her dream of education and a new life for herself. The first book in her three-part memoir ends as she is leaving Africa for university studies in America on a full scholarship.Maria Nhambu is the creator of Aerobics With Soul®, a fitness workout based on African dance.

    With a foreword by Dame Helen Mirren—the first foreword she has ever contributed.In this striking compilation, Shakespeare historian Gerit Quealy and respected Japanese artist Sumié Hasegawa combine their knowledge and skill in this first and only book that examines every plant that appears in the works of Shakespeare.Botanical Shakespeare opens with a brief look at the Bard’s relationship to the plants mentioned in his works—a diversity that illuminates his knowledge of the science of botany, as well as the colloquy, revealing his unmatched skill for creating metaphorical connections and interweaving substantive philosophy. At the heart of the book are "portraits" of the over 170 flowers, fruits, grains, grasses, trees, herbs, seeds and vegetables that Shakespeare mentions in his plays and poems. Botanical Shakespeare features a gorgeous color illustration of each, giving a "face" to the name, alongside the specific text in which it appears and the character(s) who utter the lines in which it is mentioned.This fascinating visual compendium also includes a dictionary describing each plant—such as Eglantine, a wild rose with a slight prickle, cherished for its singular scent, superior to any other rose; and the difference between apples and apple-john—along with indices listing the botanical by play/poem, by character, and genus for easy reference, ideal for gardeners and thoughtful birthday gift-giving.This breathtaking, incomparable collection of exquisite artwork and companion quotes offers unique depth and insight into Shakespeare and his timeless work through the unusual perspective of the plants themselves.

    When unleashed, it leaves total destruction in its wake, and cannot be subdued by normal human methods, but only by the power of God. The Cold War saw “Leviathan” snarling at his gate, salivating to be let loose, when humanity was treading ever closer to nuclear holocaust. During this period, American servicemen went into the breech to stand against whatever form “Leviathan” took, and like the American warriors of past years they held strong to their faith in God to see them through. Such a warrior is Daniel O’Kean, a World War II UDT/OSS veteran and commissioned naval officer, turned covert deep-penetration maritime CIA specialist, who has only his faith to see him through his own encounters with “Leviathan.” His first test is a pre-invasion, reconnaissance mission behind the lines of Inchon Korea, where the threat of capture by North Korean invaders is around every corner. Later he leads an assignment into Latvia with near disastrous consequences. Then called upon again, into the steaming jungles near Haiphong Vietnam, while attempting to retrieve evidence of active Soviet intervention in the war, he uncovers an unusual and vital turn of events that leads to a twisted plot in the streets of London England. With each step he takes he sees God’s hand guiding him closer to a fate he does not fully understand, but follows faithfully. While O’Kean is battling an evil he cannot see, the captain of the nuclear submarine USS Seadragon, LCDR Renzo MacKenna has his own faith challenged in another form of “Leviathan” as he and CDR David Heidleman of the USS Permit coordinate to foil a Soviet plot to end America’s involvement in Vietnam. One wrong move by them and “Leviathan’s” bite could go nuclear.

    Activated by unreadable cards, it could create a can of soup - - or an explosive grenade that looks like a can of soup. The U-10 is a guessing game of life or death.A top-secret paramilitary agency wants the U-10 and its gadgets, the guy who has the U-10 wants to keep it, and the alien who lost the U-10 wants it back. A death squad is dispatched to retrieve the U-10 and will stop at nothing, including the destruction of Earth, to accomplish their mission. Using the U-10 to heal battle wounds produces unexpected results.What good is a U-10 survival kit that has just three options?(A) Saves you. (B) Kills you. (C) Turns you into an alien?

     Starring Alexander Crowley a smart arsed shoot from the hip trickster (Supposedly the bastard Great Grandson of Aleister Crowley the 20th Century Occultist) who is on the run from his recent escapades. He decides to lay low in a holiday home borrowed from a dubious benefactor and his swashbuckling adventures throughout the summer draw on supernatural foundations and circumstances that are well researched and contain a modicum of reality. From the minute he enters the town our hero is pitched at odds with the local mobsters, demons and deities. There is an intriguing and exciting cast of supporting characters who are a delight; Booby De-Faux - a needy “Sidekick” The Spirit Saint who acts as “Minder” supported by her mysterious cat “The Black Manilishi” A Vampire assassin and a Killer King are also along for the ride and even romance is on the cards as our character, a renowned and successful womaniser seems this time to be looking for a meaningful relationship amongst all the chaos. Strap in!

     The buses pull out of the holding station every hour. They are headed for Travis Air force base just north of the city, filled with a seemingly endless supply of young men who are themselves filled with doubts and fears. Of course, the doubt and fear is not allowed out in the open. It is instead tucked neatly away in a very private place. A place it can hide and grow, like a virus, as the journey continues.

    Once the Elder races ruled all the northern lands and their knowledge and power were legend. What calamity befell them, none now know. Centuries on and the north is a land where fell beasts and evil creatures roam unchecked, save in one place, the Wildlands of Darylor. Here mankind has slowly begun to explore and settle where once the Elder ruled, and within those lands, built amidst the ruins of a lost Elder city, lies the College of Magic. Inside, mankind seeks to rediscover the lost magics of old, but in secret one man desires the power to rule all and will stop at nothing to achieve his dream. Meanwhile, in the city of Shandrilos, in the shadow of the College of Magic, a groups of friends come together. Jon 'Bear' Madraig, fighter and mage, and his best friend the roguish swordsman and knight, Darin of Kenarth come to meet old friends and relive past adventures. The master mage, Arkadi Talcost and the beautiful druid, Rebba Korran, seek only to relax and enjoy some time away from the demands of their work and the College. For these friends, this is merely a reunion. However, for Zara Halven, the notorious Whore of Ostia, and for the monk, Garon Vale, the visit to Shandrilos is more; for one it is a chance for redemption and for the other it is a test of faith. Yet for the last of the friends, the visit to Shandrilos is the most important of all. For the huntress, Nat Bero it is a chance for forgiveness... and for revenge. These friends will be caught up in events that will change their lives forever, for the secret behind the destruction of the Elder is about to come to light... "The fate of all can be decided by the actions of one who the gods guide to the right place at the right time. Do not underestimate the power of even the lowest to affect the paths of the mighty..." The words of the seeress, Ry'Ina White Eyes If you are a reader of epic fantasy this is what you are looking for. If you liked Terry Brook's Shanara novels, Raymond E. Feist's Midkemia books, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings then this is a book for you. In the same vein as the Wheel of Time and akin to the gaming fantasy of the Dragonlance books, Dark Horde Rising will propel you into a detailed new world of magic and mystery while introducing you to a whole range of new and interesting characters.

    Disowned and kicked out by her wealthy family at the age of eighteen, she has now, at the age of twenty-six, built a multimillion-dollar fortune from nothing by using her natural business aptitude and instinct. Preferring to concentrate on her work for years, she shied away from intimate relationships-until she met Clayton Blake. The attraction is instant as he awakens her inner sex goddess and sense of sexual adventure, but at the same time, he makes her face a horror from her past. Can she overcome her innermost fears to explore and enjoy the sexual pleasures he promises to take her on? Clayton Blake-good-looking, thirty years young, free, single, and billionaire. He thought he had it all, a loving, supportive family, an abundance of easily available women, and an extremely successful business. That was until Skye Darcy walked into his life, and everything in his world shifted. His burning lust and passion for her awakens and ignites emotions and pleasure like he's never experienced before; however, it also brings out a horror from her past he is determined to lay to rest. Will his love be strong enough to help Skye conquer her nightmare memories and fears? Awakened by You follows Skye and Clayton's journey of self-discovery, their developing relationship and sexual exploits. Come along for the ride, and experience it with them.