Led by a one-legged World War II vet, Kevin, Preech and Rudy face a summer they'll never forget. From fishing to endless pranks that would make the most seasoned trickster jealous, they think they have the answer to all of life's mysteries. But as the steamy Texas days of summer roll by, Kevin and Preech discover Rudy's secret - a secret that could change their lives forever.
He had unexpectedly discovered a great secret ... Orphan Zhou Xingchen had accidentally acquired a wordless heavenly book, opened his cultivation gate, and embarked on the road of cultivation.
Set among a remote cluster of cave dwellings in Shanxi province, There's Nothing I Can Do When I Think of You Late at Night is a genre-defying exposé of rural communism. In a series of vivid, interlocking vignettes, several narrators speak of adultery, bestiality, incest, and vice, revealing the consequences of desire in a world of necessity. The Wen Clan Caves are based on an isolated village where the author, Cao Naiqian, lived during the Cultural Revolution. The land is hard and unforgiving and the people suffer in poverty and ignorance. Through the individual perspectives of the Wen Clan denizens, a complete portrait of village life takes shape. Dark yet lyrical, Cao's snapshots range from pastoral stories of childhood innocence to shocking accounts of brutality and terror. His work echoes William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses and Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, yet the author's depictions of elemental passions and regional mores make the book entirely his own. Celebrated for its economy of expression, flashes of humor, and an emphasis on understatement rarely found in Chinese fiction, There's Nothing I Can Do When I Think of You Late at Night is an excellent introduction to the power and craft of Cao Naiqian. His vivid personalities and unflinching realism herald the haunting work of an original literary force.
The story of the curse made famous by the hit show Dead to Me The Petrified Forest National Park in Northeast Arizona protects one of the largest deposits of petrified wood in the world. Despite stern warnings, visitors remove several tons of petrified wood from the park each year, often returning these rocks by mail (sometimes years later), accompanied by a "conscience letter." These letters often include stories of misfortune attributed directly to their theft: car troubles, cats with cancer, deaths of family members, etc. Some writers hope that by returning these stolen rocks, good fortune will return to their lives, while others simply apologize or ask forgiveness. "They are beautiful," reads one letter, "but I can't enjoy them. They weigh like a ton of bricks on my conscience. Sorry...." Bad Luck, Hot Rocksdocuments this ongoing phenomenon, combining a series of original photographs of these otherworldly "bad luck rocks" with facsimiles of intimate, oddly entertaining letters from the park's archives.
Droban chronicles the inside story of the ATFs infiltration of the Hells Angels, one of the most notorious and violent outlaw motorcycle gangs in history.
The Definitive Edition includes the original, award-winning novel “Myracles in the Void” and a 27-chapter bonus story called “The Intervening” About Myracles in the Void: This is the story of the Izz Family from the forgotten, floating port town of Hop. The family's home, and indeed all of Hop, is made from repurposed ships, signs, barrels and boxes. The eldest child, Gai, is known for his ability to fix things, and he uses his talent to create a fiddle for his sister Lynd's thirteenth birthday. Lynd, on the other hand, is known to have objects suddenly break around her as if by magic. When Lynd suddenly disappears in a flash of destructive fury, all of Hop turns against the Izz family, accusing them of being cursed. Their father, Stav, had disappeared under strange circumstances as well. In his desperation, Gai discovers he can do more than just fix things with his hands, he also has a certain magic — one that seems to bring things back together. He also learns more about his father's disappearance and an ‘illness’ he had before he left. He worries for his sister, wondering if the same thing plagued her. With the help of a giant turtle named Emilie, Gai sets out from Hop to clear his family’s name, vowing to bring them all back together. Along his journey across the sea, he encounters a tech-city of gnomes, a Pocket Realm inside a beautiful painting, a tree that grants everlasting youth at a price, and of course answers to the nature of his powers — and his sister’s. They are not the only ones. In the world of Esa, all hearts posses a magic called myra that either bonds or breaks, creates or destroys. The use of this power, called a myracle, can be used to manipulate reality, such as creating or destroying objects, healing injuries, or altering the environment. However, they are not without their consequences; using the destructive power, called Ruin, can eventually turn that person into a Void — a monster with an unstoppable appetite for destruction that will engulf the entire world. Will Gai be able to find the source of the Ruin that has torn his family apart and save his sister and father before it’s too late? Massachusetts Center for the Book Must-Read List, 2023 Eric Hoffer Awards Science Fiction/Fantasy Winner, 2023 Forward INDIES Book of the Year Award Nominee, Fantasy, 2023 About The Intervening: Lynd, Kal, Kabbage are all back in this exciting set of interweaving stories from Esa! After you’ve read the original Myracles in the Void, dive right back into the action with more epic battles, more twists, more wild myracles, and of course new friends and new enemies. Set during the intervening years we didn’t get to see in the original story, witness the rise of a new Commandress of Carpè and the war that started it all; come inside the sacred and secretive ceremony of the Safar, the terrifying final test to becoming a true Heartbrand; experience the exhilarating Myracles Akademy sport called “Conjua!” where students create creatures from their wildest imaginations and battle them in an arena of shifting elements; and get on the streets of Electri City with Kabbage in a hilarious adventure to become the ultimate Thinker.
Beaches of the Western Australian Coast covers the Western Australian coast between Eucla and Roebuck Bay, and includes Rottnest Island. It begins with three chapters that provide a background to the physical nature and evolution of the Western Australian coast and its 2,051 mainland beach systems. Chapter one covers the geological evolution of the coast and the role climate, wave, tides and wind in shaping the present coast and beaches. Chapter two presents in more detail the 16 types of beach systems that occur along the Western Australian coast, and chapter three discusses the types of beach hazards along the coast and the role of Surf Lifesaving Western Australia in mitigating these hazards. Chapter four presents a description of each of the 2,051 mainland beaches, as well as 63 beaches on Rottnest Island. The description of each beach includes its name, location, physical characteristics, access and facilities, with specific comments on its surf zone character and physical hazards, and its suitability for swimming, surfing and fishing. Based on the physical hazards, all beaches are rated in terms of public safety and scaled from 1 (least hazardous) to 10 (most hazardous).
