My Lucky 13

Lucky. The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work, at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games and the team owner is talking about trading me. I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be. Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game—that’s three goals in one game for you non-hockey lovers. Now, I have to track her down and bribe her to do it again before every game. Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking about it. I find her and when I get to know her better, I end up spending more time thinking about her than my game, but she’s made it clear she wants no part of me. She’s going to learn that I didn’t become a professional hockey player without having to fight for what I want.

It is said, When the camp bug bites youre hooked for life! Nancy and her husband Tom caught that bug during their youth and jumped at the opportunity to own and direct a summer camp in southern Maine when they retired. Retired again, they enjoy life at their cottage off Cape Cod, where Nancy, always a story teller, writes about a new campers experiences at a camp called, Hideaway somewhere in northern Maine. Its a must read for new campers and their parents. And fun for seasoned campers to remember their own first summer. The Armstrongs still serve as Visitors for the American Camping Association, Accreditation, each summer.

Lucky 13?! by Franz Kratschmer This book begins with a short journey through the meaning of the number "13" in human societies, religions, and cultures. Then this is followed by some historic dates on which certain things happened on the thirteenth day. As the number "13" has played an important role in Franz Kratschmer's life, he decided to start his personal history with his grandfather, who sailed the world in the late nineteenth century. Some of the countries his grandfather visited would later be part of Franz's journeys. This included Brazil, Africa, Indonesia, and Australia. The reader will be taken on a voyage that started off during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, passing both World Wars, the liberation of the Austrian capital of Vienna on April 13, 1945, and the author's birth four years later. His career in the Austrian military was followed by becoming a civilian peacekeeper of the United Nations in the Middle East and East Timor (Timor-Leste) for more than twenty-three years. About the Author The author is married and has two sons. His wife, Vera Lucia Ataide, and youngest son, Karl, were born in Brazil. Franz and his firstborn son, Francisco, are Viennese (Austrians). The latter is also an Australian citizen. Mr. Kratschmer's main areas of interest are the Chinese economic expansion and the European Union. As a former peacekeeper of the United Nations, he believes that the traditional peacekeeping operations need to be reviewed and redesigned, with a view to enforcing humanitarian missions under the protection of UN forces.

Wait, young Douglas’s grandfather says as the bobber twitches on the surface of Little Lake. Be patient. And so begins an encounter with the promise and wonder of nature that will last a lifetime. Deep Woods, Wild Waters traces the winding path that carried Douglas Wood from one wonder to the next, through a landscape of rocks, woods, and waters, with stops along the way for questions and reflections that link human nature to the larger mysteries of the natural world. Like life itself, the author’s way is not linear. One landmark leads back to a favorite campsite, another prompts him to consider the “gospel of rocks,” another launches him into the wilderness beyond the stars—a contemplation of time and space and humanity’s place in all of it. The creator of thirty-four books, including the classic Old Turtle, and an expert woodsman and wilderness canoe guide, Wood brings all his storytelling and bushwhacking skills to bear as he takes us hurtling down wild rapids, crossing stormy lakes, or simply navigating the treacherous currents and twisty trails of everyday life. A warm, generous, and knowing guide, Wood maps a journey that, as he says, “anyone can take, through a landscape anyone can know.” Turning the pages, hiking the portages, running the rapids, or scanning the wild country from high promontory, he invites us to say, in a soul-satisfying moment of recognition, “I know that place.”

The 1950's were idyllic, yet challenging times. In this insightful and often humorous semi-autobiographical novel, Osburn portrays life as a teenager in rural eastern Arkansas as anything but boring. However, would his conservative upbringing, revivals, and the Scout Oath see him through? While things were looking up after the war, time-honored ways were up for grabs. Federal intervention in desegregation shook old foundations. Rock and roll was attracting a generation of accepting musicians across racial barriers. Emerging counter-culturalism was beginning to challenge traditional values. In the face of modernism, old time religion was entrenching. Unavoidable questions demanded rethinking everything held sacred by the Southern mind-set --the status quo, prosperity, segregation, the political system, religion, social classes. Where might "the thin edge of the wedge" lead? In this engaging anecdotal account, a boy is caught in the cultural lag that kept diehard Southern culture from dealing with the harsh realities of a changing world. His coming to terms with critical issues of the time is an interesting search for values and, half a century later, is loaded with contemporary relevance.

THIRTEEN IS MY LUCKY NUMBER is a vividly detailed memoir of a native Pole who was in high school when the Nazis invaded his country. Author Biega worked with the underground to harass the Germans, an activity that culminated in a 63-day uprising against the Nazi occupiers in 1944. It ultimately was crushed because the Soviets refused to help. He was wounded in a skirmish, & sent to a POW camp in eastern Germany. After the war ended, he walked three days to freedom. His language skills allowed him to work as a translator for the Americans & a liaison officer with the Polish army in exile in London. For four years he lived with his wartime bride through the scarcity of postwar London, working & waiting for a precious immigration visa to the United States. When it came, Biega joyfully became a part of a stream of immigrants that worked very hard to achieve success. The second part of this book is a portrait of a growing family in 1950s America, remembering their Polish roots but profoundly grateful for their American opportunity. It's a fascinating look at an aspect of World War II few Americans are familiar with, & a study of how hard work, optimism & luck can bring great rewards. To order Syrena Press, P.O. Box 490, Plainsboro, NJ 08536-9998 or Professional Press, 1- 800-277-8960, P.O. Box 4371, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4371.

I never felt truly desired by a man—until him. The second he stepped foot into my small town Alaskan inn, his gaze swept over my curvy figure with desire, igniting a flame I thought was dead. He flirted with me, and I might’ve left two chocolates on his pillow at turndown, but that’s where it stayed. Over the years, he’s floated in and out of town while a friendship developed between us. It’s probably for the best because I’m not a one-night stand kind of woman. Which is funny because when he propositions me to be his fake fiancé in order to end a family feud, it turns out I am the kind of woman willing to pretend to be the one he’s in love with.

The perfect man for me is the one who broke my heart. #thanksbutnothanks Once bitten. Twice shy. Yeah, I wish. I’m on a mission to find myself a nice, solid, respectable man. The only problem is nice, solid, and respectable comes in a meh package and is B-O-R-I-N-G as hell. It’s been established. I have one type. Bad Boy. I tried the other flavors, I really did. But there’s nothing like the allure of a man who takes what he wants without apology. As if my love life isn’t dramatic enough, Dean Bennett walks into my life again thinking he’s going to win me back with his charm and charisma. He might come in a different package, but under that expensive suit he’s still the same cocky, arrogant, pompous prick who only cares about numero uno. I’m not that naïve young girl anymore so I have to ignore the fact that the way he looks at me practically sets my panties on fire. Everyone deserves a second chance to right a wrong. The problem? He’s not just an ex-boyfriend… He’s my ex-husband. Note to readers: This book was previously titled Afternoon Delight (Charity Case #2).