Family didn't seem to be important when I was a child. It was something we took for granted. When children played, there would be two parents watching, throwing a ball around and joking or sitting around the picnic table. Well, when I was a little child toddling around, what I remember most is my time with my family in Florida: my mom; my dad; my sister, Chris; and my brother, Mike. Family to me, at that time, meant having both parents around. I believe one of our favorite places to go was Clearwater, Florida. My Aunt Fran and Uncle Al lived on an outlet of Clearwater Bay, a few blocks away from the Gulf of Mexico. My dad would often take us fishing off my uncle's dock. Uncle Al had a boat that we would ride around in as well, and he would let us drive it?but under adult supervision, of course! Mom and Aunt Fran would stay back and either clean the fish that we caught (a dirty job nobody wanted) or just watch us having fun. Mom always liked being outdoors near the water. Along with boating and fishing, we loved looking at the barnacles that attached to the walls around the bay area and around the posts holding up the dock. Mom seemed to be the one most fascinated with these small and disfigured little creatures. She and the rest of us seemed to enjoy watching these creatures just to pass the time of day.

Reproduction of the original: The Long Roll by Mary Johnston

Dakota Territory, 1878. A harsh, yet beautiful land that holds out the promise of hope for settlers strong enough to survive...Jacob Cooper can hardly believe his good fortune. At last his dreams of staking a government claim and building a home of his own are about to come true. And best of all, his childhood sweetheart is now his lovely bride; traveling with him by covered wagon to the distant prairies. Leah Cooper wants only to be a good frontier wife; a perfect helpmate to the man she's loved for so long. But her privileged upbringing and overbearing parents have done little to prepare her for the hard work of everyday life on the claim. Discovering that she and Jacob are about to have a child of their own, Leah prays for the strength she desperately desires. Yet just as life seems to improve, a devastating tragedy on one winter's night sends Leah spiraling into darkness and Jacob searching for answers. When the storm passes, will Leah's heart survive the truth? And will Jacob lay down his pride to reconcile with his Savior...and his wife, before it's too late?

A comprehensive history of the continent, “full of engaging and attention-catching information about North America’s geology, climate, and paleontology” (The Washington Post Book World). Here, “the rock star of modern science” tells the unforgettable story of the geological and biological evolution of the North American continent, from the time of the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago to the present day (Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel). Flannery describes the development of North America’s deciduous forests and other flora, and tracks the migrations of various animals to and from Europe, Asia, and South America, showing how plant and animal species have either adapted or become extinct. The story spans the massive changes wrought by the ice ages and the coming of the Native Americans. It continues right up to the present, covering the deforestation of the Northeast, the decimation of the buffalo, and other consequences of frontier settlement and the industrial development of the United States. This is science writing at its very best—both an engrossing narrative and a scholarly trove of information that “will forever change your perspective on the North American continent” (The New York Review of Books).

At once a grand tour of the battlefields of North America and an unabashedly personal tribute to the military prowess of an essentially unwarlike people. • "[A] magisterial narrative history, enriched by an authorial voice."--The Washington Post Fields of Battle spans more than two centuries and the expanse of a continent to show how the immense spaces of North America shaped the wars that were fought on its soil.

He was brought in to save Nodoken, and now he may be the end of it all. Jacob Handsome was born in a small town in Saskatchewan. His life was full of challenges but he managed to pursue his dream and was accepted into the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine. While in medical school, Jacob is approached by Dell, the mayor of Nodoken, a small town in Newfoundland. Nodoken’s current doctor is dying of cancer, and the clinic is the only thing holding the small town together. Desperate to ensure Nodoken doesn’t become another ghost town lining Newfoundland’s shores, Dell promises to not only pay for Jacob’s salary, but also pay for his last years of med school and provide him with a house, cook, and maid in exchange for five years of his service. Jacob agrees. After only living and working a short time in Nodoken, Jacob discovers a unique and rich culture of the most clever, ingenious, mischievous, persistent, and hardy people you will ever meet. Finding similarities to his hometown in Saskatchewan, he begins to feel at home in the small town, cherishing its strength and community, and when he falls in love with single-mother Michelle and her daughter, Knell, he wants to plant his roots there. However, just as life falls into place for Jacob, he uncovers a secret about Nodoke —one that, if revealed, might bring about its doom. As captivating, clever, and mischievous as its characters, Nodoken celebrates life in Newfoundland by showing us “The Rock” doesn’t just refer to Newfoundland, it also refers to the people who live there, and the ocean isn’t just an enormous expanse of water, it’s the heartbeat of every Newfoundlander.