Hugo, a giant gorilla, goes on a journey to find the perfect picnic, but there's always something that doesn't seem quite right. His friends the mega lizard Gilbert, Tall Sally, and Robo Rita eventually come to help him in his search.
Hugo is an adventurous nine-year-old boy who moves to the small seaside village of Westward Ho! on the coast of North Devon in the South West of England. His chance discovery of an unusual stone with a strange zigzag pattern that hatches into a weird large bird that is discovered to have magical powers starts him off on a dangerous and life-threatening adventure. He is confronted with evil repercussions resulting from the historic miscarriage of justice that led to the deaths of the last three women to be tried and hanged for witchcraft in England over three hundred years previously. On his dangerous journey, he meets many strange characters and has to take his own life and those of his friends in his hands if he is to rescue the tooth fairy from the clutches of a revenge-seeking witch bent on destroying all those who caused her death as a girl and anyone who gets in her way.
From the peaks of the Himalayas to the historic grounds of Hampton Court, there's always a perfect spot for a picnic! Anne Glenconner invites both old friends and new acquaintances to join her in The Picnic Papers. Featuring contributions from Bryan Adams, Graham Norton, Lorraine, Rupert Everett, Tina Brown, Freya Stark and many more, they explore the curious British obsession with dining alfresco, despite our famously unpredictable weather. Picnics, it turns out, spark strong opinions. HRH Princess Margaret insisted on having hers at a proper table, while the indefatigable John Julius Norwich enjoyed 147 picnics over seven weeks in the Sahara. In stark contrast, writer James Lees-Milne simply loathed them. Brimming with extraordinary tales and a few nostalgic recipes (though this is not a recipe book!) Lady Glenconner's The Picnic Papers is an invitation to a delightful feast of memories and culinary delights.
The Veneto region offers travelers all manner of adventures from the cultural, intellectual sort right down to the seat-of-your-pants thrilling variety. Whether planning your itinerary entirely around a particular activity like a week-long cycling holiday or a language immersion course, or if you're trying to offset your museum and church-heavy itinerary with some off-the-beaten track activities, there are a tremendous number of opportunities to help you broaden your experiences, live the culture and acquaint yourself with the locals. This book focuses on exploring the Veneto's wine zones while highlighting cultural adventures, sports adventures, adventures for the soul, family adventures, driving adventures and many other types of activities to help you discover more about the land, and about yourself. Writers, painters, historians and philosophers have long been inspired by the dramatic landscapes of the Veneto Region and, by translating astute observations on canvas or in print, have captured the beauty of a land and a people that have evolved over many centuries. Situated in Italy's northernmost zone, few other regions boast such diverse landscapes. From the low sandy coastline where the Veneto meets the Adriatic Sea, to the mighty Alpine peaks, rolling hills, thermal springs and lagoon systems, the varied landscape makes for lively getaways any season of the year. Veneto, a name that derives from Veneti, a pre-Roman people who once inhabited the area, is divided into seven provinces: Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza. During Venice's golden age, aristocrats brought their wealth to the Veneto countryside and commissioned architects to build agricultural estates and country homes. Today, more than 4,000 villas remind us of that period, the most famous of which were designed by 16th-century architect Andrea Palladio. The Veneto's depth, however, extends far beyond its artistic treasures. Vineyard-clad hills throughout the Veneto produce internationally acclaimed wines including Valpolicella, Soave, Bardolino and Custoza. From grappa, Bassano del Grappa's distilled liquor, and Valdobbiadene's sparkling Prosecco wine, to Asiago's cheese from mountain dairies, and seafood from the lagoon, the Veneto is a food- and wine-lovers' delight. This guide tells you about the wine-growing regions especially: the Euganean Hills, Prosecco, Soave, Cistoza, Bardolino, Valpolicella, Bassano del Grappa - how to visit the vineyards, taste the wines, trying the best restaurants, and the best places to stay in each region. All of the details you need to know are here so your trip will be unforgettable.
A "captivating and bittersweet" novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of '69: Their secret love affair has lasted for decades—but this could be the summer that changes everything (People). When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election. There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other? Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere—through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise—until Mallory learns she's dying. Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.
11-year-old Sam is spending the holidays with his family on the Dutch island of Texel, but no one is having fun. His older brother has broken his ankle; his mum is plagued by migraines; and the morbidly imaginative Sam decides to prepare for the day his family might die by practicing loneliness. But when 12-year-old whirlwind Tess catapults herself into his life, Sam’s only option is to follow her lead. Tess wants to find her father, who doesn’t even know she exists. Together they come up with an especially weird plan to lure him onto the island for one week, discovering the joy of living and the meaning of family along the way. A hilarious, heart-warming tale about family, friendship and what it means to live.
This is book 2 of Reborn as Problematic Duke's Daughter. Because committed a grave sin, Ji Eun has to be reborn to be the problematic Duke's Daughter and restore her reputation as the punishment! And who said being Duke's Daughter is easy?
Three generations of women grapple with a legacy of secrets, lies, love, and loss Ashton. The place dreams are made of? For most of her life, Nancy Vandekar has been haunted by the same disturbing nightmare in which a menacing figure in the shadows calls out her mother’s name: Diana. When Nancy found love, she thought she’d left her past far behind. But now a capricious twist of fate brings her back to Ashton. The magnificent family home masks a legacy of damning secrets, illicit love, suicide, and violence that casts its long shadow over three generations of women. First, there’s Nancy’s grandmother Alice, the spirited American beauty whose passionate wartime romance has far-reaching consequences for those who come after her. Then Diana, the vivacious debutante whose sexual obsession nearly destroys them all. And finally Nancy, the last remaining heir. She alone can restore the Vandekar name. But is she ready to face the truth about her family? Spanning decades of extraordinary change, The House of Vandekar paints an indelible portrait of three unforgettable women.
"Panda is Still Fat" is the super sequel to Panda's first haiku book, "The Panda is Fat." With over 40 new illustrated haikus and eight new characters, Pak Panda aims to provide an insightful, engaging, and totally unnecessary commentary on the things in life that make us human... .or panda.