Driftwood

Winner, Evelyn Richardson Award for Non-Fiction and Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing Finalist, Dartmouth Book Award for Non-Fiction, and the Margaret and John Savage Award for Best First Book (Non-fiction) A Hill Times' 100 Best Books in 2020 Selection On Canada's History Bestseller List Growing up on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Tyler LeBlanc wasn't fully aware of his family's Acadian roots -- until a chance encounter with an Acadian historian prompted him to delve into his family history. LeBlanc's discovery that he could trace his family all the way to the time of the Acadian Expulsion and beyond forms the basis of this compelling account of Le Grand Dérangement. Piecing together his family history through archival documents, Tyler LeBlanc tells the story of Joseph LeBlanc (his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather), Joseph's ten siblings, and their families. With descendants scattered across modern-day Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the LeBlancs provide a window into the diverse fates that awaited the Acadians when they were expelled from their homeland. Some escaped the deportation and were able to retreat into the wilderness. Others found their way back to Acadie. But many were exiled to Britain, France, or the future United States, where they faced suspicion and prejudice and struggled to settle into new lives. A unique biographical approach to the history of the Expulsion, Acadian Driftwood is a vivid insight into one family's experience of this traumatic event.

Who is Last? Fame is rare in Driftwood--it's hard to get famous if you don't stick around long enough for people to know you. But many know the guide, Last, a one-blooded survivor who has seen his world end many lifetimes ago. For Driftwood is a strange place of slow apocalypses, where continents eventually crumble into mere neighborhoods, pulled inexorably towards the center in the Crush. Cultures clash, countries fall, and everything eventually disintegrates. Within the Shreds, a rumor goes around that Last has died. Drifters come together to commemorate him. But who really was Last? Lying liar, or heroic savior? A mercenary, a charlatan, a legend? A man, an immortal--perhaps even a god? Discover Marie Brennan (The Memoirs of Lady Trent)'s incomparable Driftwood, a realm of fragments cohered into a myth that encompasses realities.

'I feel like I'm losing my best mate . . .' Hannah and Joey have been best friends forever - just the two of them. But when Joey's new foster brother, Paul, turns up, everything changes. Hannah's world is turning upside down. Can you rescue a friendship when it's drowning? Can you save a friend in trouble - if they don't want to be saved?

A "BEST BOOKS OF 2020" WINNER ~ KIRKUS REVIEWS WINNER "BEST FIRST BOOK 2021" ~ INDIE REVIEW DISCOVERY AWARDS If You’ve Ever Dreamed of Running Away to Paradise, Driftwood Will Spark Your Secret Wanderlust This captivating book follows modern-day nomads escaping the rat race in search of a fresh start. Fleeing boredom, bad marriages, and dead-end jobs, these adventurers wander south to Playa Paraiso—a lush, unspoiled village on Mexico’s idyllic Caribbean coast. There they find the unpredictable, hedonistic, and sometimes frightening world of the tropics. At the center of this extraordinary group is Poppa, the irreverent and savvy owner of the local beach bar. As he tries to make sense of his own vagabond existence, he offers his fellow expats booze, advice, and the occasional helping hand. It is Poppa who tells the tales of these intriguing runaways, as together they encounter true loves, vicious drug dealers, charming rogues, clueless do-gooders, and a devastating hurricane. Against a backdrop of stunning blue water and endless white sand, they experience the heart’s tug of war between the need for a place to call home and the desire for the freedom to roam. Author Anthony Lee Head is very familiar with the dream of living in paradise portrayed in Driftwood: Stories from the Margarita Road. After leaving a long career as a San Francisco trial lawyer, he moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico where for ten years he and his wife ran a small hotel and margarita bar near the beach. Travelers, wanderers, explorers, and dreamers alike will see themselves in these unforgettable characters, all the while craving an icy boat drink on a sprawling beach. But be careful: if you stick your feet in the sand and come along on this journey, you may not want to go home again. "... Joseph Conrad collides with Jimmy Buffett in a journey through the dark heart of Mexico's Riviera Maya." ~ Bob Calhoun, bestselling author and journalist "Truly wonderful and moving tales; the author is a writer to watch." ~ Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Beneath the 'palm and balmy breezes' tone, a deep, empathetic humanity affords each character and event vivid authenticity." ~ Peter Coyote, bestselling author and actor

On the 2014 CLA Book of the Year for Children Award shortlist New middle-grade fiction from the award-winning author of The Glory Wind Adam's summer is off to a disappointing start. His so-called "best friend" has bailed on him, choosing to stay behind to care for a sick dog, instead of joining Adam and his family at the seaside campground as planned. Adam is furious with Billy for abandoning him, impatient with his mother for her artistic obsessions, and embarrassed by his dad's lame attempts at being funny. At least an ever-changing cast of new summer friends proves to be an entertaining distraction: Joey, the shoe-thief with the cute sister; the mischievous Linden twins; enigmatic Nevin; and Ethan, the adventurer. But it is Theo, the blind gentleman up on the hill, with his magical stories of driftwood, who helps Adam to see the true nature of friendship -- and forgiveness.

A pioneering woman naturalist recounts a magnificent story of adventure and survival in northern British Columbia. Winner of the John Burroughs Medal for excellence in nature writing, the book reveals the daily pleasures and insights sparked by living close to the wild, as well as the isolation, hardships, and struggles.

Guide to constructing 19 driftwood items including furniture and decorative objects.

‘We are spread out in every direction of the wind.’ – Karl Duldig 1941 In 1938 sculptor Karl Duldig, his wife Slawa Horowitz-Duldig – inventor of the modern foldable umbrella – and their baby daughter Eva, left their home in Vienna for an uncertain future. They found a brief refuge in Singapore before arriving in Sydney on 25 September 1940. Australia was at war: they were classified as enemy aliens and interned in an isolated camp in northern Victoria. Karl said, ‘A game of tennis saved my life’. The story follows the family’s narrow escape from Nazi Austria, as well as the recovery of all their Viennese art and other possessions after the war. Spanning three continents and three generations, it poignantly captures both the loss that families encounter when they are dislocated by war and the challenges they face when adapting to a new way of life. ‘This book offers an insight into the cultural life of Australia at a time of enormous change, politically and artistically; a profound lesson in the experience of emigration in the worst of circumstances, but also the transforming contribution to the life of the nation through the talents of immigrants like Karl and Slawa Duldig.’ – Dr Gerard Vaughan AM (Director, National Gallery of Australia) - Awarded a Commendation in the History Publication category of the 2017 Victorian Community History Awards.