Off Stroke How Paddling Saved My Life

The hard knocks of life keep piling up for Eje. Born into a country on the brink of civil war, he knows the real meaning of survival. After a decade living in Canada, things aren’t getting any easier but if he can keep his head down for his last year of high school he thinks there might be an out for him from his poverty-stricken neighborhood. Too bad fate likes to throw fastballs at Eje and he’s forced into an afterschool paddling program. The Aquatic club is filled with white kids, who like to run for fun and paddle for performance. Eje has talent but liking paddling doesn’t mean much when you’re another kid from the projects. Shannon used to live to paddle. After a drunk driver crashed into the car holding her and her mother, life has been anything but normal. Re-learning how to kayak isn’t fun, and trying to find out where she stands with her once BFF’s at the club reinforces how much has changed. Before the accident she’d never give a newbie paddler the time of day, but the minute she meets Eje all that changes. Unlike the guys at the club Eje’s mysterious without trying. When ultimatums threaten to end the afterschool paddle program and secrets get revealed will Eje and Shannon forget their friendship for the good of others or trust each other to do right? Two teens with little in common tackle prejudice and stereotypes to risk it all to help each other.

Get ready to be swept away in a world of magic and adventure with "Fairy Cursed" by Renee Field. Cael, the Damned Fairy, has been banished to Earth for centuries, living amongst humans but unable to die. His life changes when he visits Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and meets Tara, a determined woman opening her own jewelry store. When Cael reveals that Tara is half Fey, strange things start happening and a power she never knew existed takes hold of her. Their worlds are thrown into chaos when a 6th century king, thought long dead, shows up wielding Druid magic and seeking the Stone of Fal. With the power to destroy both realms, Cael and Tara must race against time to stop the king and his evil allies from unleashing destruction. But old enemies resurface and the truth of what happened in the Fey realm must be uncovered if they have any hope of success. Will Cael and Tara's love be enough to save both worlds or will the past destroy everything? Don't miss this thrilling tale of love, magic, and adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

"Siren’s Lure: A Mermaid's Tale of Secrets, High School, and the Chilling Depths of the Unknown. Unravel a web of mystery as a teenage mermaid battles sinister forces, confronts her siren heritage, and races against time to save her kidnapped parents from the clutches of an evil Sea Witch." In a twist of fate, I drowned, and everything changed. From the abyss, I emerged not as a victim, but as a mermaid. My parents hush about the incident, drowning my confusion in anti-psychotic pills. But I can't forget. High school is a torment, and my newfound ability to sense thoughts pushes everyone away, except Ash—a heartthrob hallucination turned real—who claims I'm a long-lost siren princess. As strange events unfold, my parents are kidnapped, and Ash becomes my protector, though doubt lingers. The hockey team's captain seeks more than friendship, and my life spirals out of control. I am determined to free my parents, even if it means returning to the ocean depths. Juggling high school and unraveling my mysterious powers, I discover a sinister Sea Witch threatening my family and the entire ocean realm. Time races against me. I'll fight, even if it means confronting the chilling Atlantic. Amidst the chaos, I cling to the hope that this isn't a psychotic episode—praying to wake up with legs instead of a tail. In this thrilling race against destiny, I must learn to control my powers before evil prevails, and my family is lost forever.

Jill Frayne’s long-term relationship was ending and her daughter was about to graduate and leave home. She decided to pack up her life and head for the Yukon. Driving alone across the country from her home just north of Toronto, describing the land as it changes from Precambrian Shield to open prairie, Jill finds that solitude in the wilds is not what she expected. She is actively engaged by nature, her moods reflected in the changing landscape and weather. Camping in her tent as she travels, she begins to let go of the world she’s leaving and to enter the realm of the solitary traveller. The wilderness begins to work its magic on her, and she begins to feel a bond with the land and a kind of serenity. In Starting Out in the Afternoon, Frayne struggles to come to terms with her vulnerabilities and begins to find peace. In beautifully spare but potent language, she delivers an inspiring, contemplative memoir of the middle passage of a woman’s life and an eloquent meditation on the solace of living close to the wild land. Eventually what has begun as a three-month trip becomes a personal journey of several years, during which she is on the move and testing herself in the wilderness. She conquers her fears and begins a new relationship with nature, exuberant at becoming a competent outdoorswoman.

“I had imagined what I would do if I encountered a bear... I thought it would happen— just not so soon and not so close up! I did not have a rifle, only a little axe and a knife to defend myself against an attack. I had been saved by my composure. It was an eloquent reminder to control my fear. If I had given into panic, if I had used my bear spray, what would have happened?... I had had that first memorable encounter and lived to tell about it.” At the beginning of her fifties, Diane moved her husband, family, and home to Yellowknife, leaving behind her Acadian homeland. She discovered a new life in the North, and her lifelong dreams reminded her that nothing was impossible. Simply and honestly, this extraordinary woman invites us into a universe where fear and personal limits have no place, following the paths travelled by adventurous women before her. This is the story of her unusual experiences. Paddling along the Mackenzie River and across the mythical Northwest Passage by herself? Working in a diamond mine? Driving on the dangerous ice road? Raising almost half a million dollars for an Indigenous women’s shelter? Nothing can stop Diane! For this remarkable woman, being over fifty is no reason not to try things other people think are foolish or dangerous. “Impossible is just a perception, which disappears when we do it.” This book may revive your own “impossible” dreams.

"Once in a great while, a miracle of a book comes along, a gift that both touches the heart and engages the mind. Reservation Restless is such a book."--Anne Hillerman, New York Times best-selling author of Rock with Wings and The Tale Teller