Treasured Island

Inspired by the discovery of his childhood copy of Treasure Island, Frank Barrett embarks on a literary quest around Britain, from Eliot's East Coker to Austen's Bath, Winnie-the-Pooh's Hartfield to Dracula's Whitby. Armed with a lifetime of reading and his National Trust membership, Frank is on a personal odyssey through the Britain that has inspired so many writers to capture it in lines or verse, the homes that they lived in, the museums that remember them. There will be rain, there will be truculent tour guides, there will be satnav misdemeanors, (there may even be tuberculosis), but Frank will carry on regardless. Where? To the lighthouse.

Not only the British writer himself, already famous for novels and poems, but his family with him took to the sea between 1888 and 1890 to search Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia for Robert's health and adventure. Writer and film maker Holmes (emeritus anthropology, Wichita State U. Kansas) has

Ryker wakes up face down in beach sand, the sky is blue, the sea placid. But his clothes are ripped and torn, he has one boot on, driftwood abounds, all testimony to the sea's devastating fury. But where is Tiara? After hours of wondering about the island, he spots her in what seems to be captivity of a giant, with muscles and beads on his wrists and chest. Ryker believes he will have to fight this giant. He rushes forward to unleash a blow to the giant's stomach, then recoils in pain holding his fist. Tiara informs Ryker happily that the giant he just attacked is "Hoppy," whom they both come to find possesses supernatural powers. Turns out that Hoppy is there not by accident, but to provide a Divine protection to the couple. Hoppy is a gift of luck, providing protection, guidance, and a culinary artistry, and the tumultuous shipwreck that led them there recedes into memory. Ryker and Tiara find that maybe after all Hoppy might just have the power to grant them three wishes.

Islands represent adventure, mystery, wilderness and escapism. Surrounded by water, they're somewhere to run away to, to be marooned on, to find a paradise... The British Isles includes some 194 inhabited islands (out of a total of over 6,000), ranging from remote lost worlds to famous and popular holiday spots. And Treasured Islands includes them all, in one enticing package. This wonderfully comprehensive and inspiring guide starts off with a Best of... section, highlighting the ten best islands for foodies, wildlife, adrenaline-junkies and pure escapism. Then, region by region, the author explores the UK's most wonderful islands, including: Shetlands, Fair Isle, Orkneys, Outer Hebrides, Inner Hebrides, Isle of Arran Lindisfarne, Isle of Man, Walney Island Anglesey, Pembrokeshire Island Foulness and Canvey Islands Isle of Sheppey, Lundy Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Channel Islands, Islands of Ireland Tidal Islands (to include Burgh Island, Holy Island and St Michael's Mount) Inland Islands (to include Eel Pie, Derwent Isle and Peel Island in the Lake District) Remote Islands Illustrated with beautiful colour photography, the text ensures you won't miss out on must-see attractions, wildlife and natural features, local food specialties, sporting activities, best places to stay and eat, and all-important transport links to and from the mainland, and other nearby islands. For some light relief, there are interesting historical and cultural anecdotes woven through, giving a fascinating insight into the way of life on these sometimes remote settlements.

While going through the possessions of a deceased guest who owed them money, the mistress of the inn and her son find a treasure map that leads to a pirate fortune as well as great danger.

WITH NEW AND UPDATED MATERIAL Billionaire Warren Buffet, currently the third wealthiest man in the world, paid the lowest rate of tax among his office staff, including his receptionist. In 2006 the world's three biggest banana companies did nearly £400 million worth of business in Britain but paid just £128,000 in tax between them. In January 2009, US law enforcement fined Lloyds TSB $350 million after it admitted secretly channelling Iranian and Sudanese money into the US banking system. Tax havens are the most important single reason why poor people and poor countries stay poor. They lie at the very heart of the global economy, with over half the world trade processed through them. They have been instrumental in nearly every major economic event, in every big financial scandal, and in every financial crisis since the 1970s, including the latest global economic downturn. In Treasure Islands, Nicholas Shaxson shows how this happened, and what this means for you.

Second in the USA-Today bestselling PACIFIC HORIZONS series! In these connected romantic novels, characters facing tragedy, heartbreak, and painful family secrets are drawn to the wild beauty of the natural world. Breaching whales and howling wolves refresh their spirits, but only human love can heal their souls… One horrible night fifteen years ago, a little girl named Maddie was taken away from the island paradise she treasured, the townspeople she loved, and the playmate who shared her soul. Now, she’s coming back to them. Maddie was only a child in those idyllic, carefree days when she and her best friend Kai swam in the ocean, fished, hiked, and stargazed on the tropical island of Lana'i. At twenty-five, she realizes that her memories of those elementary-school days may have been romanticized, given that the months following her mother’s sudden death and her own unwilling departure from Lana'i were the worst of her life. But she has never given up her dream of returning to the people she cared about. Not when warm images of the boy Kai’s face continue to haunt her mind. Having contrived to do post-doctoral research studying feral cats on the neighboring island of Maui, bold-from-birth Madalyn Westover isn’t afraid to show up out of nowhere and say hello. Nor is she afraid to track down Kai, despite several nebulous warnings about how much he has changed. But when she realizes that every man, woman and child in Lana'i City seems to have mysterious knowledge about her own family which she does not, Maddie doesn’t feel so brave anymore. And when reality crashes into fantasy full force, she must decide in whom and what she can trust to find her own true home. Praise for romantic fiction by Edie Claire: LONG TIME COMING “Emotionally gripping, suspenseful and superb… I was held in wonderment over much of this story and realized early on to expect the unexpected. This is a story of trust, love, friendship and healing. Ms. Claire is an author I hope to see more of in the future. If Long Time Coming is any indication of her writing talent, I will be first in line at the bookstores to get more of her work. This is a positively splendid tale from start to finish and is highly recommended.” Reviewer’s Choice Award -- Road to Romance “Two words. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Edie Claire has written a wonderful novel about friendship, love, guilt and death… Utterly riveting.” Rating: 10/10 -- Contemporary Romance Writers MEANT TO BE “One of the best books I have read this year... An element of suspense runs through the pages, and the endearing tale builds to a crescendo of excitement and thrill while warming the heart. Meant To Be is a powerful story of love, healing, discovery and truth... I closed the covers wishing I could stay inside the green world of Meara and Fletcher's mountain. Ms. Claire has woven a tale that touched my soul and will live as a cherished keeper to read again and again. I am pleased to award Meant To Be our finest honor, RRT's Perfect 10.” Perfect 10 Award -- Romance Reviews Today “Meant to be written, read and remembered in your heart decades after you've turned the last page. Edie Claire is an exceptional author and keeper of the heart.” -- Writers Room Magazine