Ogata Shingo is growing old, & his memory is failing him. At night he hears only the sound of death in the distant rumble from the mountain. The relationships which have previously defined his life
- with his son, his wife, & his attractive daughter-in-law
- are dissolving, & Shingo is caught between love & destruction. Lyrical & precise, ” The Sound of the Mountain” explores in immaculately crafted prose the changing roles of love & the truth we face in ageing.

...

No sooner does he get to know Ricardo Laverde in a seedy billiard hall in Bogota than Antonio Yammara realises that the ex-pilot has a secret. Antonio`s fascination with his new friend`s life grows until the day Ricardo receives a mysterious, unmarked cassette. Shortly afterwards, he is shot dead on a street corner. Yammara`s investigation into what happened leads back to the early 1960s, marijuana smuggling & a time before the cocaine trade trapped Colombia in a living nightmare. ...

Only once in his life had Sean met a man whose strength matched his own
- & now, again, they were pitted against each other..
...

Set in a remote fishing village in Japan, The Sound of Waves is a timeless story of first love. It tells of Shinji, a young fisherman & Hatsue, the beautiful daughter of the wealthiest man in the village. Shinji is entranced at the sight of Hatsue in the twilight on the beach & they fall in love. When the villagers` gossip threatens to divide them, Shinki must risk his life to prove his worth. ...

Three children are spending their summer on a wild Scottish isl&. Fraser is desperate for adventure; Hayley is fed up she`s even there; while Dunny spends his days staring out to sea. He hasn`t said a word in years. But everything changes with the discovery of two bodies on the beach: a whale & a man. Fraser & Hayley see a mystery-adventure to be solved, but Dunny is inconsolable. & in the end, it will take someone who listens to the sea to put it right. ...

The South Africa Reader is an extraordinarily rich guide to the history, cultures, & politics of South Africa. With more than eighty absorbing selections, the Reader provides many perspectives on the country`s diverse peoples, its first two decades as a democracy, & the forces that have shaped its history & continue to pose challenges to its future, particularly violence, inequality, & racial discrimination. Among the selections are folk tales passed down through the centuries, statements by seventeenth-century Dutch colonists, the songs of mine workers, a widow`s testimony before the Truth & Reconciliation Commission, & a photo essay featuring the acclaimed work of Santu Mofekeng. Cartoons, songs, & fiction are juxtaposed with iconic documents, such as the ” The Freedom Charter” adopted in 1955 by the African National Congress & its allies & Nelson Mandela`s ” Statement from the Dock” in 1964. A cacophony of voices
- of slaves & indentured workers, African chiefs & kings, presidents & revolutionaries
- invite the reader into ongoing debates about South Africa`s past & present & what, exactly, it means to be South African.

...

While writing a novel set in South America, John Hopkins travelled back there to ”reacquaint himself with the scene”. In 1972-3, he travelled by train, bus & boat from Mexico City to the centre of the continent, through Belize, Guatemala & Nicaragua & on to Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay & Argentina. Hopkins travelled slowly, deliberately, savouring every experience along the way. But the journey was fraught with his angst-ridden strivings to write his novel & with the troubled love he had for Madeleine, his travelling companion. In these heat-scorched, tequila-infused pages, Hopkins paints a sultry, exquisite portrait of South America & in so doing masters an art that he believed would forever elude him. ...

China`s rise has upset the global balance of power, & the first place to feel the strain is Beijing`s backyard: the South China Sea. For decades tensions have smouldered in the region, but today the threat of a direct confrontation among superpowers grows ever more likely. This important book is the first to make clear sense of the South Sea disputes. Bill Hayton, a journalist with extensive experience in the region, examines the high stakes involved for rival nations that include Vietnam, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, & China, as well as the United States, Russia & others. Hayton also lays out the daunting obstacles that stand in the way of peaceful resolution. Through lively stories of individuals who have shaped current conflicts
- businessmen, scientists, shippers, archaeologists, soldiers, diplomats
- Hayton makes understandable the complex history & contemporary reality of the South China Sea. He underscores its crucial importance as the passageway for half the world`s merchant shipping & one-third of its oil & gas. Whoever controls these waters controls the access between Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, & the Pacific. The author critiques various claims & positions (that China has historic claim to the Sea, for example), overturns conventional wisdom (such as America`s overblown fears of China`s nationalism & military resurgence), & outlines what the future may hold for this clamorous region of international rivalry.

...

China`s rise has upset the global balance of power, & the first place to feel the strain is Beijing`s back yard: the South China Sea. For decades tensions have smoldered in the region, but today the threat of a direct confrontation among superpowers grows ever more likely. This important book is the first to make clear sense of the South Sea disputes. Bill Hayton, a journalist with extensive experience in the region, examines the high stakes involved for rival nations that include Vietnam, India, Taiwan, the Philippines, & China, as well as the United States, Russia, & others. Hayton also lays out the daunting obstacles that stand in the way of peaceful resolution. Through lively stories of individuals who have shaped current conflicts--businessmen, scientists, shippers, archaeologists, soldiers, diplomats, & more--Hayton makes understandable the complex history & contemporary reality of the South China Sea. He underscores its crucial importance as the passageway for half the world`s merchant shipping & one-third of its oil & gas. Whoever controls these waters controls the access between Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, & the Pacific. The author critiques various claims & positions (that China has historic claim to the Sea, for example), overturns conventional wisdoms (such as America`s overblown fears of China`s nationalism & military resurgence), & outlines what the future may hold for this clamorous region of international rivalry. ...

Acutely sensitive to rhythms of the countryside, Edward Thomas`s lyrical, passionate, & sometimes political writing merges natural history with folk culture, & gives us a free-form record of the feelings & observations of one of the great poets of the English language. First published 1909 by J.M. Dent & Sons ...