Life On Paradise Island

Introduces the basic principles of economics by letting students examine problems relating to the salary and expenses of the citizens of an imaginary island.

Four best friends—Check. One unforgettable week in Kauai—Check. Sun, surf, and hula girls in bikinis—Check. A creepy mansion on the forbidden side of the island…. Check? Sam and Colby’s vacation in paradise goes from enchanting, to weird, to deadly, when Trey, an old acquaintance, insists they can’t leave without a visit to the legendary Nā Pali Coast. It turns out Trey has been living at the infamous Belle Estate, owned by a wealthy and eccentric widow—who locals believe is a witch. The only thing odder than how a twenty-three-year-old college kid from Utah ended up living in a remote and isolated mansion on the North Shore of Kauai is that he is romantically involved with a woman old enough to be their grandmother. Belle Estate’s walls hold an eerie sway over all who enter, and a dark, shadowy presence seems to be following them around the grounds. When an unfavorable change of plans forces them to stay overnight, Sam and Colby are in for the most terrifying encounter of their lives.

Elegant, brutal, and profound—this magnificent debut captures the grit and glory of modern Hawai'i with breathtaking force and accuracy. In a stunning collection that announces the arrival of an incredible talent, Kristiana Kahakauwila travels the islands of Hawai'i, making the fabled place her own. Exploring the deep tensions between local and tourist, tradition and expectation, façade and authentic self, This Is Paradise provides an unforgettable portrait of life as it’s truly being lived on Maui, Oahu, Kaua'i and the Big Island. In the gut-punch of “Wanle,” a beautiful and tough young woman wants nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps as a legendary cockfighter. With striking versatility, the title story employs a chorus of voices—the women of Waikiki—to tell the tale of a young tourist drawn to the darker side of the city’s nightlife. “The Old Paniolo Way” limns the difficult nature of legacy and inheritance when a patriarch tries to settle the affairs of his farm before his death. Exquisitely written and bursting with sharply observed detail, Kahakauwila’s stories remind us of the powerful desire to belong, to put down roots, and to have a place to call home.

Just one month after his 21st birthday, Peter Rudiak-Gould moved to Ujae, a remote atoll in the Marshall Islands located 70 miles from the nearest telephone, car, store, or tourist, and 2,000 miles from the closest continent. He spent the next year there, living among its 450 inhabitants and teaching English to its schoolchildren. At first blush, Surviving Paradise is a thoughtful and laugh-out-loud hilarious documentation of Rudiak-Gould’s efforts to cope with daily life on Ujae as his idealistic expectations of a tropical paradise confront harsh reality. But Rudiak-Gould goes beyond the personal, interweaving his own story with fascinating political, linguistic, and ecological digressions about the Marshall Islands. Most poignant are his observations of the noticeable effect of global warming on these tiny, low-lying islands and the threat rising water levels pose to their already precarious existence. An Eat, Pray, Love as written by Paul Theroux, Surviving Paradise is a disarmingly lighthearted narrative with a substantive emotional undercurrent.

A husband's secret life, a wife's new beginning: escape to the Caribbean with #1 New York Times bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. Irene Steele shares her idyllic life in a beautiful Iowa City Victorian house with a husband who loves her to sky-writing, sentimental extremes. But as she rings in the new year one cold and snowy night, everything she thought she knew falls to pieces with a shocking phone call: her beloved husband, away on business, has been killed in a helicopter crash. Before Irene can even process the news, she must first confront the perplexing details of her husband's death on the distant Caribbean island of St. John. After Irene and her sons arrive at this faraway paradise, they make yet another shocking discovery: her husband had been living a secret life. As Irene untangles a web of intrigue and deceit, and as she and her sons find themselves drawn into the vibrant island culture, they have to face the truth about their family, and about their own futures. Rich with the lush beauty of the tropics and the drama, romance, and intrigue only Elin Hilderbrand can deliver, Winter in Paradise is a truly transporting novel, and the exciting start to a new series. "I will just say that, 24 hours after I started this book, I purchased its sequel, What Happens in Paradise, and I did not leave either book to be enjoyed by strangers at the end of my vacation." —Elisabeth Egan, New York Times

Jennifer, Julie, Laurie and Joe were perfectly normal siblings, that is, until their vacation to Paradise Island. When their love for adventure leads them to a new realm that they weren’t meant to discover, the children find the fate of the world on their shoulders. Moreover, an unknown villain is lurking about, seeking power that the four can’t even begin to imagine. Will they be able to save Earth with the help of their new friend? Or will the monster of the depths take over? With thrilling action and awe-evoking sceneries, little do the children know that they are about to embark on a journey that will change reality as they know it.

Presented as a light philosophical commentary on living life on the wild side, PLEASURE ISLAND is a fable about the difficulty of keeping our dreams alive: even in paradise it's never easy. When our young narrator is handed down the Map Maker's legendary travel journal, he learns of the Map Maker's seminal journey to Pleasure Island, the wonderment and bewilderment, and of his struggle to keep paradise found from becoming paradise lost. The story reveals the secret behind the Map Maker's beautiful, evocative maps, and the reason he refused to travel in his later years, deciding instead to live vicariously through his own map creations. "A delectable dish of human foible, served with parsnips baked in irony oil, all topped with a sprinkling of satire-roasted fennel seeds." - Justin Hurwitz, Editor, The Harvard Lampoon

Dr. Kate Hartig writes "In his recently published first book From Barren Rocks to Living Stones Jon Magee recounts his teenage years living in Aden, Yemen, during the mid 1960s. In Paradise Island Jon travels back to an earlier period of his childhood. He reflects on his life as a young boy living with his family in Singapore during the 1950's. He discusses the trials and joy of British military family life living in what was once part of the British Empire. But like Jon’s memoirs of Aden, the 1950s in Singapore was also a period of considerable change as Britain was forced to accept the ending of its colonial powers in far away ‘exotic’ places. But for Jon, it was an ideal childhood full of adventure and new experiences, from new foods to strange plants and significantly new friends that cut across cultural barriers. Today, Singapore presents itself as a modern, bustling cosmopolitan city. With the kampongs (villages) and jungle areas now replaced by high- rise residential apartments and manicured parklands the perception of Singapore as a “paradise island” is possibly difficult to comprehend. But Jon’s memories brings back an earlier time when life was perhaps not so much simpler but different. So different that it was life changing. This story is set within the context of many journeys, Jon’s journey through early childhood, the family’s journeys between Singapore and Britain and most significantly his parents’ profound spiritual journey back to their saviour and God." Dr Kate Hartig (PhD) Jon Magee continues to reveal the wealth of story telling that is based upon life experiences within the world. This book, following on fom the action of Aden (Yemen),now details the search for truth, peace and sense of purpose lived out in Singapore in the 1950's.