It’s called the Broken Road. A long abandoned route veiled in rumor, only spoken of in whispers. Some claim that bandits stalk its overgrown path, while others speak of a city of cannibals. Stories tell of dark apparitions, bizarre monsters, and ancient evils. One thing is certain: no one goes near it. Caravan Master Waldo Bell has had his fill of trouble. But when faced with a stubborn client, a lousy deal demanding delivery on any terms, and military action that closes major caravan routes, Wal and his company find themselves forced on to that vast stretch of trail. While strange events plague the caravan, Wal must confront the horrors of his recent past, as he’s thrown into the middle of a deadly conflict that feels far too familiar. On this road, chaos awaits…
Patrick Leigh Fermor recounts the last leg of his epic walk across Europe as he makes his way through Bulgaria, Romania, and finally Greece. In the winter of 1933, eighteen-year-old Patrick (“Paddy”) Leigh Fermor set out on a walk across Europe, starting in Holland and ending in Constantinople, a trip that took him almost a year. Decades later, Leigh Fermor told the story of that life-changing journey in A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water, two books now celebrated as among the most vivid, absorbing, and beautifully written travel books of all time. The Broken Road is the long-awaited account of the final leg of his youthful adventure that Leigh Fermor promised but was unable to finish before his death in 2011. Assembled from Leigh Fermor’s manuscripts by his prizewinning biographer Artemis Cooper and the travel writer Colin Thubron, this is perhaps the most personal of all Leigh Fermor’s books, catching up with young Paddy in the fall of 1934 and following him through Bulgaria and Romania to the coast of the Black Sea. Days and nights on the road, spectacular landscapes and uncanny cities, friendships lost and found, leading the high life in Bucharest or camping out with fishermen and shepherds–in the The Broken Road such incidents and escapades are described with all the linguistic bravura, odd and astonishing learning, and overflowing exuberance that Leigh Fermor is famous for, but also with a melancholy awareness of the passage of time, especially when he meditates on the scarred history of the Balkans or on his troubled relations with his father. The book ends, perfectly, with Paddy’s arrival in Greece, the country he would fall in love with and fight for. Throughout it we can still hear the ringing voice of an irrepressible young man embarking on a life of adventure.
The second novel in the New York Times bestselling trilogy from Richard Paul Evans about a man on an inspirational pilgrimage across Route 66 to find his way back to himself. Chicago celebrity and successful pitchman Charles James is supposed to be dead. Everyone believes he was killed in a fiery plane crash. But thanks to a remarkable twist of fate, he’s very much alive and ready for a second chance at life—and love. Narrowly escaping death has brought Charles some clarity: the money, the fame, the fast cars—none of it was making him happy. The last time he was happy—truly happy—was when he was married to his ex-wife Monica, before their connection was destroyed by his ambition and greed. Charles decides to embark on an epic quest: He will walk the entire length of Route 66, from Chicago to California, where he hopes to convince Monica to give him another shot. Along the way, Charles is immersed in the deep and rich history of one of America’s most iconic highways. But the greater journey he finds is the one he takes in his heart as he meets people along the road who will change his perspective on the world. But will his transformation be enough to earn redemption?
For eleven players on the Auburn University football team, the road to the 2010 BCS National Football Championship began among the poorest of the poor outside Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic. Team chaplain Chette Williams led these young men on a mission trip that opened their eyes to the desperate needs of others in our world. The players spent time among children who were living on the streets and finding their next meal at the garbage dump on the outskirts of town. In their few days together, these children, whom the athletes had hoped to help, transformed the players by touching their hearts and sharing their smiles. That trip was the beginning of a journey that would change the entire Auburn football team.
It is 1953 in rural Ontario, and a 5-year-old boy's cheeks are wet with drool. His eyes are focused on his red-faced father. Soon, his father's words are not relevant, for the young man has already received the only message that matters: this day will not be scored as a no-hitter. The boy, who thinks of himself as Ranger, wants to grow up and be just like the Lone Ranger. But his harsh and unavailable father seems determined to make his coming-of-age journey tumultuous, challenging and isolated. With a mother who could do little to balance the turmoil, he must rely on his imagination to transport him away from the strife and tension that hangs over his home like a dark cloud. As he rides his make-believe horse, Silver, down Main Street with his six-shooters strapped to his waist, he momentarily forgets the angry father who often stands over him with a belt and threatens to rob him of his spirit. In this moving tale, a young boy engaged in a quiet war of wills with his father must learn how to survive and thrive as he grows into a man and realizes the true meaning of forgiveness.
