"This gripping novel is as good at describing the magnificent seascapes and the unforgiving elements as it is at examining the inner lives of the besieged crew, toiling ceaselessly against implacable nature" -Financial Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR "Gripping and Exciting" The Sunday Times BOOKS OF THE YEAR In February 1959, several Icelandic trawlers were caught in a storm off Newfoundland's Grand Banks. What happened there is the inspiration for this novel. Not since The Perfect Storm has there been a book which captures the sheer drama and terror of a crisis at sea. Karason is an exceptional storyteller, an Icelandic Erskine Caldwell or William Faulkner. The side trawler Mafurinn is hit by a major storm just as they prepare to turn for home. Thirty-two men aboard, and a hold full of redfish. The sea is cold enough to kill a man in minutes, and the trawler quickly ices up in the biting frost and violent tempest. The heavy icing weighs down the already fully laden craft, which is pummelled by one breaker after another - and here, out on the open sea, there is no exit route. Distress signals from other ships in the same circumstance and be heard from the fishing grounds around them. It is a battle of life and death. Translated from the Icelandic by Quentin Bates

Stormbirds of New Orleans depicts vivid characters like gorgeous Cajan Minette of the Bayous, swash-buckling Roger fighting the slave-hunters, the giant educated black slave Desserone and the cult of Dombala, Lillie, Paul’s bewitching quadroon mistress, the rich, powerful Don Lopez, scheming to get Minette from Roger, his bastard unscrupulous daughter Norma, La La of Voodoo medicine and her terrible gris-gris, Captain Lafitte and the pirates of Barataria. Enemy British Major Hadley, General Jackson and the Battle of Orleans, the final duel at The Oaks.

"The story centers on two young women: Voltairine, a dancer who no longer dances but whose body is still haunted by the movement of dance, and her soulmate Emile, a young woman recovering from unexpected cardiac arrest.... Later, at the cinematheque, Voltairine and Emile meet a young girl whom they call "the little girl at the end of the lane," who is obsessed by the Haymarket Affair of 1886.... We Are the Birds of the Coming Storm explores repression, revolt, and madness, telling a story that is not only revolutionary but also cautionary--of three women who let their spirits fly like birds as the daunting storm ascends."--online abstract

"In this elegant narrative, celebrated naturalist Ted Floyd guides you through a year of becoming a better birder. Choosing 200 top avian species to teach key lessons, Floyd introduces a new, holistic approach to bird watching and shows how to use the tools of the 21st century to appreciate the natural world we inhabit together whether city, country or suburbs." -- From book jacket.

First-ever birding guide to this celebrated site. Insider advice on 33 popular places and lesser-known hot spots. Describes birding opportunities any time of the year.

Cat Taylor is furious when her cousin steals her father’s ashes to scatter on the mountain—but when they get caught in a blizzard, can the two work together to survive? Cat Taylor’s father and uncle, a famous search-and-rescue team, died on Storm Mountain two years ago, and Cat and her mother still can’t seem to move on. When her mom goes away on business for the weekend, Cat thinks she has the house to herself—until her cousin Ty suddenly shows up at her door, claiming his dad visited him in a dream and told him to scatter the two brothers’ ashes at the mountain’s summit. Cat refuses; how can Ty ask her to let go of her dad? But when she wakes up the next morning, Cat discovers that Ty has gone to Storm Mountain—and he took her father’s ashes with him. Determined to stop Ty before he does something crazy, Cat races up the mountain after him. But when a huge snowstorm rolls in and traps them, Cat and Ty realize they could be in more danger than they ever imagined.