This is perhaps the first time we have such a complete firsthand account in which nothing is kept back and there is no departmental “diplomacy.” The author is a nuclear power specialist who worked for a time at the Chernobyl AES and knows it well, just as he is personally acquainted with all the principal participants in the events. By virtue of his official position, he has attended many of the crucial conferences concerning nuclear power plant construction. Immediately after the accident, Medvedev was sent to Chernobyl and had an opportunity to learn a great deal while the trail was still fresh and to see things with his own eyes. He presents many technical details indispensable to understanding the mechanism whereby the accident occurred, he exposes the secrets of bureaucratic relations, he tells about the oversights of scientists and designers, about the disastrous overbearing pressure in the command system, about the violations of glasnost before the accident and in the emergency situation following it that have caused enormous harm. The chronicle of events at Chernobyl in the tragic days of April and May 1986 takes up the central place in the story. The author portrays the behavior and role of numerous participants in the drama, of real living people with their shortcomings and virtues, their doubts, their weaknesses, their illusions, and their heroism alongside the nuclear monster that had gone out of control. It is not possible to read about this without the deepest emotion. We knew about the exploits of the firemen. The author tells about the heroism of the electricians, the turbine specialists, the operators, and other workers at the station who prevented the accident from taking on greater proportions.

    It's an Amazon international writing competition winner. . Some readers say it's just as good as a John Grisham novel. Some say it's better. Others compare it favorably to books by Lee Child, Michael Connelly, or David Baldacci. Readers of Scott Pratt, Thomas Benigno, Robert Dugoni, and John Ellsworth also enjoy Killdeer.* * *When your friend's life is a lie, the truth can kill you.David Thompson is a burned-out lawyer and family man just trying to make ends meet when he stumbles into the crosshairs of the law. He's in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a suspect in a friend's murder because the law has nobody else to pin it on.Thompson goes on the run to find his friend's true killer before he's thrown in jail and railroaded all the way to the lethal injection table.But the truth is a slippery slope full of court drama, mystery, mayhem, and murder because his friend lived a secret life built on lies. When Thompson gets too close to the truth, the real killer goes on the hunt. The law and a killer want Thompson now. His wife and son just want him back home.Suddenly, a tidal wave of terror strikes the country and Thompson's quest to save his own skin suddenly explodes into a race to save both his family and the nation.But he may be too late . . . The Killdeer Connection is the 1st standalone book in the Lawyer David Thompson Legal Thriller Series. If you like gripping thrillers full of suspense, mystery, and mayhem with twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the very end, you'll love Tom Swyers' tale of Big Oil, trains, and wild rides over the backroads of America. Buy both Killdeer AND Caged to Kill (the next in the series) right now! ***Here's what readers are saying about Killdeer:"Low-cost Kindle books, I have found, are generally all a little rough and amateurish, but this book is as good as it gets. There is suspense and surprises and twists that are breathtaking and unique. I enjoyed this book as much or more than books by the NY Times bestsellers. It was a fast, exciting and rewarding read. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy quality." - Gardengale"I never saw the end coming. The book was hard to put down to go to sleep the night I started it. It's as good as any Grisham novel I've ever read." - Mountain Mom"Unputdownable. This book absolutely draws you in and makesyou feel as if you're there. Lee Child meets John Grisham."-Robann"This is a new legal writer who deserves to be viewed with Grisham and Baldacci.From page one word you are drawn in until the last word on the last page."- Ken "This book grabbed my attention and interest from the first page and it never let go!" - Maria"His story hooked me from page one and kept steaming along, just like the trains in the book. This author is just as good if not better than John Grisham." - Artist 2017"It was exciting, clean as to language, no sex just a really great legal thriller. I highly recommend this book!" - G.L.H. "If you dig John Grisham you will enjoy Killdeer."- Steve"Move over John Grisham!." - Greg"Lots of twists, turns, me guessing...action packed, more suspense, more of me guessing. A great read! Another new author for me." - Montzalee"I often felt as though I was watching a mystery or action movie. I really felt drawn in to the story. The pace is steady and the mystery keeps you guessing and interested. I highly recommend this book." - Susan"Tom Swyers delivers another thrill ride from the opening scene tothe high-octane ending." - Kelly"I had weeds in the garden, dishes in the sink, unwashed laundry,but I couldn't put the book down." - Phebe"A well written legal thriller you will not want to put down."-Bette"One of the best legal thrillers I have ever read." - Rob"An excellent legal thriller in the manner of John Grisham."- SimonGet Killdeer & a copy of Caged to Kill now!

    If I can’t change my own life in response to the greatest challenge now facing our human family, who can? And if I won’t make the effort to try, why should anyone else? So I’ve decided to start at home, and begin with myself. The question is no longer whether I must respond. The question is whether I can turn my response into an adventure. After realizing the gaping hole between his convictions about climate change and his own carbon footprint, Kurt Hoelting embarked on a yearlong experiment to rediscover the heart of his own home: He traded his car and jet travel for a kayak, a bicycle, and his own two feet, traveling a radius of 100 kilometers from his home in Puget Sound. This “circumference of home” proved more than enough. Part quest and part guidebook for change, Hoelting’s journey is an inspiring reminder that what we need really is close at hand, and that the possibility for adventure lies around every bend.

    Energy experts are all saying the same thing: solar photovoltaics (PV) is our future. Reports from universities, investment banks, international institutions and large investors agree. It's not about whether the switch from fossil fuels to solar power will happen, but when.Solar panels are being made that will last longer than ever hoped; investors are seeing the benefits of the long-term rewards provided by investing in solar; in the Middle East, a contractor can now offer solar-powered electricity far cheaper than that of a coal-fired power station. The Switch tracks the transition away from coal, oil and gas to a world in which the limitless energy of the sun provides much of the energy the 10 billion people of this planet will need. It examines both the solar future and how we will get there, and the ways in which we will provide stored power when the sun isn't shining. We learn about artificial photosynthesis from a start-up in the US that is making petrol from just CO2 and sunlight; ideas on energy storage are drawn from a company in Germany that makes batteries for homes; in the UK, a small company in Swindon has the story of wind turbines; and in Switzerland, a developer shows how we can use hydrogen to make 'renewable' natural gas for heating.Told through the stories of entrepreneurs, inventors and scientists from around the world, and using the latest research and studies, The Switch provides a positive solution to the climate change crisis, and looks to a brighter future ahead.

    Split into four easy-to-follow parts, Waste Not Everyday features simple tips that will lead to a real shift in thinking and action and show you that a zero-waste lifestyle is actually achievable – for everyone, every budget and every schedule. With tips ranging from actions and inspiration to recipes and resources, Erin Rhoads, well-known zero-waste advocate and author of Waste Not, takes you on a gentle journey towards a life with less waste and more meaning.

    The insights contained in the book originate from ancient indigenous cultures. According to what the author learned from his elders, human beings always have a choice between the path of competition and the path of cooperation. The healing of the earth depends on the healing of humanity and will only become possible as we return to a relationship of cooperation with all of life. In order to do this we first need to return to ourselves, remembering our original, inherent wisdom. Indigenous people believe that we humans have all the necessary talents to be caretakers of Mother Earth. This book reveals our true capacities in a strong and clear way, offering the reader not only information, but a real opportunity to participate in the work that needs to be done to save our planet.

    In recent months, however, there has been a backlash against certain healthy lifestyle brands, particularly those without scientific qualifications who promote ‘clean eating’. THE WELLNESS REBEL explores the aftermath of this, looking at where balanced healthy eating will go next and how we can get back to evidence-based basics and enjoy eating well.With each chapter themed around a common healthy food misconception such as 'The Alkaline Myth', 'Go Raw' and 'How Super are Superfoods?', THE WELLNESS REBEL explores the basics of nutrition in an accessible and entertaining way, with Pixie sharing her tips, tricks and tastiest recipes - including her much-loved Pixie Plates - for a truly healthy diet, with no detoxes, no elimination diets, no restrictions – and absolutely no BS.

    Only Glyn Sherwood and Julia Hammond, two scientists working in the Antarctic, can guess the identity of the enemy. It is a gargantuan slice of the glacial continent bearing millions of tons of rock on its grasp, which triggers a series of disasters as it drifts inexorably north.

    When her vulnerable father’s livelihood is threatened, she’s the person her sisters call. Abandoning her job in Seattle, Carmen races home to the family vineyard her dad built up from nothing to set things straight. But soon she’s fallen back in love with the dusty sage hills, the turquoise blue lake, the fragrant June orchards… Maybe she’s not just home for the summer?Standing in the way of Carmen’s happiness is one very attractive obstacle: new neighbor Evan Hollister, who’s after her dad’s land. He’s arrogant, entitled and spoiled—everything Carmen hates—and she is all set to have a bit of fun driving him out of town so things can get back to normal. She isn’t ready for their relationship to get complicated…But Evan is the least of Carmen’s worries. The business is falling apart and it starts to look like Carmen might lose much more than just her pride: employees have quit, the bank keeps calling and everything her father worked so hard for is slipping away. As she is pushed to breaking point, Carmen will learn that her true family are the people who will see her through the worst of times, and that love can be found in the most unlikely of places.A heart-warming romance about embracing the unexpected, Summer at Orchard House will make you laugh, make you cry, and remind you that it’s never too late to start again. For fans of Robyn Carr, Carolyn Brown and Debbie Macomber.

    When she is sent away to live with her grandparents on the Indian countryside, she discovers a sacred grove where a young Bengal tiger has taken refuge. Isha knows that the ever-shrinking forests of India mean there are few places left for a tiger to hide. When the local villagers also discover the tiger, Isha finds herself embroiled in a life or death cultural controversy. Isha's crusade to save the tiger becomes the catalyst of an arduous journey of awakening and survival across the changing landscape of modernizing India. Her encounters with tribal people, elephants, and her search for the wild jungle are the source of her revelations about the human relationship to the natural world in a gripping story of determination, discovery, and coming of age.

    With Art Doodle Love, art journal expert Dawn DeVries Sokol provides the perfect jump start: an interactive fill-in book of prompts that will motivate women to “discover” themselves and their inner creative goddesses. Loosely inspired by Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir of self-discovery, Art Doodle Love overflows with colorful pages for recording thoughts and collecting ideas, as well as venting, soul-searching, and documenting everyday life. By following the insightful prompts, the journal keeper develops her artistic skills, gains confidence in her natural creativity, and learns about herself through self-reflection.Praise for Art Doodle Love:“The author offers readers art journaling supply recommendations, then eases them into doodling and documenting on pages that have been prepped with vibrant and inspiring background.”  —Grand Rapid Press and Kalamazoo Gazette

    It was so close I could reach out and touch its shaggy bronze fur."Dolly Faulkner has many heart-stopping moments of terror and anxiety, living much of the time truly along in the Alaskan wilderness. But she is not lonely, as the awesome space and beauty of the mountains fill her with appreciation of all things of nature.Dolly Faulkner came to Alaska as a young woman with the dream of living in the wilderness. This, her first book, is a true reality of carving out a homestead in the Kilbuck Mountains near a minor hotsprings that the regional Native corporation in now trying to claim. She is now a senior citizen, still living in the wilderness after the death of her husband. Her struggles and adventures continue, so she has many more stories to tell.

    The educational and inspirational biography of Joyce Poole describes the life of a courageous woman who struggled with loneliness, sexism, and the threat of bandit-poachers to make her contribution to the conservation of the endangered African elephant.

    Also known as the Yellowstone Earthquake, the disaster caused massive flooding and the worst landslide in the history of the Northwestern United States. In The Night the Mountain Fell author Edmund Christopherson gives us a page-turning, journalistic-style account of how the deadliest earthquake in Montana's history ultimately claimed the lives of twenty-eight people.

    Smith. But, thanks to the determination of a powerful senator, he would soon find himself at the agency’s helm. A Birkenstocks-wearing physics PhD, Jaczko was unlike any chairman the agency had ever seen: he was driven by a passion for technology and a concern for public safety, with no ties to the industry and no agenda other than to ensure that his agency made the world a safer place. And so Jaczko witnessed what outsiders like him were never meant to see—an agency overpowered by the industry it was meant to regulate and a political system determined to keep it that way. After an emergency trip to Japan to help oversee the frantic response to the horrifying nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011, and witnessing the American nuclear industry’s refusal to make the changes he considered necessary to prevent an equally catastrophic event from occurring here, Jaczko started saying aloud what no one else had dared. Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator is a wake-up call to the dangers of lobbying, the importance of governmental regulation, and the failures of congressional oversight. But it is also a classic tale of an idealist on a mission whose misadventures in Washington are astounding, absurd, and sometimes even funny—and Jaczko tells the story with humor, self-deprecation, and, yes, occasional bursts of outrage. Above all, Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear Regulator is a tale of confronting the truth about one of the most pressing public safety and environmental issues of our time: nuclear power will never be safe.