The Back Road

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Funny and heartbreaking, this New York Times bestselling debut perfectly captures the maddening confusion of adolescence and the prickly nature of family with irony and unerring honesty. Harley Altmyer should be in college having the time of his life. He should be free from the backwards Pennsylvania coal town he calls home, with its lack of jobs and no sense of humor. Instead, he’s constantly reminded of just how messed up everything is... Harley’s mother is in prison for killing his father, so he’s in charge of bringing up his younger sisters and working two jobs to pay the bills—and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for distractions. But lately, he’s getting more and more sidetracked by lusting after Callie Mercer, his middle-aged neighbor. As he struggles to keep it together, things begin to spin out of control. Soon Harley finds that as shattered as his family is, there are still more crushing surprises in store. “In Harley, O’Dell has created a hero who’s heartbreakingly believable; like Holden Caulfield, he uses caustic humor to hide his pain. Readers will care very much about him and his future, if indeed he has one.”—St. Petersburg Times

A girl lies close to death in a dark, deserted lane. A driver drags her body to the side of the road. A shadowy figure hides in the trees, watching and waiting. For Ellie Saunders last night's hit and run on the back road could destroy everything she has. She was out that night, but if she reveals where she was and why, her family will be torn apart. She is living on a knife-edge, knowing that her every move is being observed.... Ellie's new neighbour, former Detective Chief Inspector Tom Douglas has moved to the village for some well-deserved peace and quiet, but as he is drawn into the web of deceit his every instinct tells him that what happened that night was more than a tragic accident. As past and present collide, best-kept secrets are revealed and lives are devastated. Only one person knows the whole story. And that person will protect the truth - no matter what the cost. The Back Road is an electrifying thriller that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Explore Ontario's historic roads, each with unexpected side trips and a fascinating story. In his relentless quest for the unusual in a world of the mundane, modern-day explorer Ron Brown has traveled nearly every backroad in Ontario. This guidebook features 22 trips, each illustrated with photographs and accompanied by an easy-to-follow map. These trips range in length from afternoon outings to weekend excursions. And all lead to fascinating out-of-the-way places within easy driving distance of major cities in Ontario. Backroads of Ontario features: Ghost towns Charming villages Century-old mills and farmhouses Architectural curiosities Prime picnic spots An amethyst mine, and more. This completely revised and updated edition mixes new information with the old, including new attractions and new information on existing attractions as well as the most current routes and directions. It reveals an Ontario many of us scarcely know exists.

This first comparative study sketches the differences as well as the common threads that bind these groups together.

A collection of adventures by field researchers with the impulse to trade the comfort of a more sheltered career for the demanding work of a biologists working on the frontlines of wildlife studies, botany, and resource management.

Experience the hidden byways of America's prairies, steppes, and grasslands through the unerring eye of landscape photographer and educator David Skernick. Covering Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, these unforgettable panoramic images place the viewer directly into our country's vast interior, containing wild bison, longhorn cattle, freight trains, abandoned homesteads, and agricultural patterns with startling geometries. The journey also passes through parts of the iconic Route 66 that most travelers never see. Skernick, who leads photography workshops nationwide, lets us in on his camera strategies, with an appendix listing exposure, equipment, and panorama statistics for each image--enough to satisfy even the most technology-minded photographer.

A road trip around Australia, discovering towns and communities outside the mainstream - and the colourful inhabitants whose grit and humour will uplift and inspire you. Discover the resilient and inspiring people who live outside the big Australian cities - indeed off the beaten track altogether. Defined by their strength and humility, these are characters whose grit and good humour will uplift and inspire. Meet strong women like Joan Sinclair, still riding horses in her 80s; Heather Jones from the Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls; and Diane Reeves, a transgender former dairy farmer, shearer and truck driver. Visit historic places, such as Pine Creek, built on the sweat of Chinese workers, and Marree, where cameleers forged new paths far from home in this remote part of the world. 'They're proud communities like my hometown, full of surprises, fight and spirit,' says Heather Ewart, Back Roads presenter. For anyone curious about what lies beyond, Back Roads will transport you from your city doorstep and show you a land of surprise and determination.