![]() And not just because of the cream teas, a noble history, and an extra day off at Christmas. Yet, despite Britain’s occasional failings and more or less eternal bewilderments, Bill Bryson is still pleased to call our rainy island home. Following (but not too closely) a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, by way of places that many people never get to at all, Bryson sets out to rediscover the wondrously beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly unique country that he thought he knew but doesn’t altogether recognize any more. Now, to mark the 20th anniversary of that modern classic, Bryson makes a brand-new journey around Britain to see what has changed. The hilarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, was taken to the nation’s heart and became the best-selling travel book ever and was voted in a BBC poll the book that best represents Britain. ![]() ![]() ![]() Twenty years ago Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() When the kid turned towards us, he had it pointing directly at us! Needless to say, this was a common sight – the mishandling of the weapons by kids – thankfully not all were on opposite sides of the road from their targets. As we approached, one of the men waved us through while a kid about 10 was holding a rifle. As we drove along the hillside to find a place to set up, we encountered a group who actually had all their weapons set up on one side of the dirt road and their targets on the other side. Those who know us know this is very normal behavior for us! It was a very spur of the moment outing – a discussion that there was an outdoor shooting area near Barstow at breakfast with friends, deciding we had nothing else to do, gathering all our stuff, and driving out. We were VERY DISAPPOINTED! We would NOT recommend this location. BLM website says it doesn’t have any designated shooting sites. We originally thought BLM but now think it might be the county of San Bernardino. I’m not sure which agency has control over this area. This one is the Hodge Road Outdoor Shooting Area near Barstow, California. ![]() We ventured to our second Public Land recently. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This story is enmeshed with the elaborately reimagined life of historical figure Zebulon Baird Vance: his early success in law and party politics, his time in Congress, his stint as commander of North Carolina troops, and his election (and subsequent re-election) as governor of North Carolina during the Civil War. Their tour of duty is cut short by a deliberate scheme to get themselves discharged, and they move on to become do-gooder outlaws, known throughout the Appalachians. Not content to wait out the war at home, spitfire Malinda cuts her hair and enlists herself as "Sam," Keith's younger brother. Tough, resilient Malinda Blalock is dismayed when her husband, Keith, leaves their Appalachian mountain farmstead to join up with the Confederate Army in hopes of earning money. Bestselling North Carolina writer McCrumb ( The Songcatcher, etc.) returns with another epic ballad of a novel, a multi-tiered Civil War story that links past and present with an otherworldly twist. ![]() ![]() When George Clooney Tanuwijaya's father (who is obsessed with American celebrities) fears he no longer understands how to get through to his son, he decides to take matters into his own hands. ![]() "A delightful, hilarious, captivating love letter to Indonesia, and coming of age in a large meddlesome family, and the thrill of finding your person where you least expect it!"-Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love HypothesisĪ laugh-out-loud YA rom-com about a girl who's whisked from LA to her mother's native Indonesia to get back to her roots and finds herself fake-dating the son of one of the wealthiest families there, from the bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties and The ObsessionĪfter Sharlot Citra's mother catches her in a compromising position, she finds herself whisked away from LA to her mother’s native Indonesia. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*** ***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Family / Multigenerational, Young Adult Fiction / People & Places / Asia, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy ![]() ![]() Purchase Here Buy on Amazon US - Buy on Apple - Buy on Kobo - Buy on Google - Buy at Barnes and Noble - Buy on Waterstones - Buy on Audible - Buy on Amazon UK Published by Random House Children's Books ![]() ![]() ![]() In eight fascinating chapters Robert Hughes explores the cultural fruit of nineteenth-century industrialism, the legacy of World War I, art in the lyric mode, the glorious failure of modern architecture, the outbreak of irrationality, the art of extreme emotion, art gripped by the media, why the avant-garde is no more, and where, if anywhere, art goes from here. Written by one of the most widely read and respected art critics of our time as an outgrowth and expansion of his major eight-part BBC Time-Life television series, it recounts the origins of modern painting, sculpture, and architecture discusses the careers of the major artists shows how their work was shaped by the cataclysmic events of the new century makes plain why modernism has today very nearly run its course – and does all this with verve, command of anecdote and scholarship, and a critical poise that is nothing short of dazzling. ![]() ![]() In the splendid tradition of Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man, here is a magnificent account - authoritative, lively, richly and beautifully illustrated - of the hundred-year history of modern art. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Doing so, however, will put Kitty in extreme danger and possibly get many others killed as well. ![]() Now the Blackcoats intend to launch a major attack, and they want her to use her unique position to steal codes that will allow them to unlock advanced weaponry. In constant danger, she sleeps in an overcrowded dormitory, eats terrible food and works in a highly unpleasant job that furthers the book’s dystopian theme. Kitty runs afoul of the powers that be in her new palatial home and finds herself shipped to Elsewhere, the deadly, inescapable detention area for criminals and other undesirables. Kitty Doe, born, she believes, an Extra into a nation that rigidly ranks its citizens into lifelong roles, has taken the place of Lila, the daughter of the autocratic prime minister of the United States, surgically Masked to look like her. This second installment in the Blackcoat Rebellion series dives further into the book’s dystopia, rounding out the imaginative future America outlined in Pawn (2013). ![]() ![]() ![]() Inspired by her mom's research, and fueled by her love of food, Haile learned everything she could about nutrition. Haile's family began looking into ways to improve his condition without having to rely on medication with dangerous potential side effects. When her father developed Type 2 diabetes, eight-year-old Haile Thomas began a journey that would change her family's dietary habits, improve her dad's health, and radically transform her life. "Thomas's body positive, social and economic justice-oriented ethos, rich writing, beautiful photography, and accessible recipes are perfect for anyone looking for an antidote to the typical vegan evangelism that often shames people for their food choices." - Shondalandīy a superstar nineteen-year-old activist and motivational speaker, a unique cookbook and inspiring guide that combines 80 delicious, wholesome, super-powered plant-based recipes with a "7 points of power" manifesto to inspire the next generation of leaders toward self-reflection, critical thinking, and unlearning toxic ideas. ![]() Nominee, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work ![]() ![]() Unicorn Day delights in everything that's special unicorns, celebrations, and most importantly, friendship. ![]() ![]() Will the unicorns welcome all and continue their fun in all its glittery glory? But when it's revealed there's an impostor in their midst, the party comes to a screeching halt. The unicorns are celebrating their favorite day of the year, complete with rainbows, cupcakes, butterflies, and all sorts of joyful things. The most important rule of Unicorn Day is to have fun, fun, fun! This clever, colorful, and over-the-top picture book about unicorns and unique-corns is a MUST for all unicorn lovers! Hooray! Hooray! It's Unicorn Day! Thelma the Unicorn meets Uni the Unicorn in this rainbow-packed kids book guaranteed to delight you with its heartfelt message of inclusivity and dazzling glittery pictures. Aircraft & Spacecraft: General Interest.Ships, Boats & Waterways: General Interest.Road & Motor Vehicles: General Interest.Fishing, Field Sports & Outdoor Activities. ![]()
![]() So that’s what I did! □□ I love this girl. Then she told me to help her write a blog. □□ Obviously she can’t read this book yet so after she said she was “finished” I told her what the book was about and then asked her how she liked it. Won’t they story of best buddies Mags and Noel, whose lives are on the giddy brink of change. ![]() My 4 year old daughter asked me tonight, “Do you want me to write a blog or start my book?” I told her to write a blog she should read her book first. What she’s not expecting is to be last in line if only three people, to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels.” ![]() So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she’s expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does. “ If you broke Elena’s heart, Star Wars would spill out. ![]() ![]() They’re strangely likable, but I may feel this way because I picture Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo per the movie adaptation. Their characters are standard-they’re jaded, seen-it-all professional types, who warm to one another when faced with an absurd situation. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule arriving on the island just ahead of the storm. Because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on the island, hints of radical experimentation and covert government machinations add darker, more sinister shades to an already bizarre case. ![]() Multiple murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept under constant surveillance in a locked, guarded cell. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new partner, Chuck Aule, come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate an unexplained disappearance. I find something fresh each time through, and I’ve yet to read it in more than one sitting. It’s perfect for a sick day: it has large print, it reads quickly, and it’s absorbing enough to distract from flu-y aches and fever. ![]() Dennis Lehane’s Shutter Island is a horrifying book that I’ve read three times now. ![]() |