We all have things we d like to do one day but work, family, school, money, & responsibilities get in the way. This invaluable guide to fun, fantastic, & life-affirming activities features an eclectic range of ideas such as self-improvement, sports-related endeavors, natural wonders, cultural experiences, culinary delights, & more. From glassblowing in the Czech Republic to swimming with dolphins in New Zeal&, The Bucket List is the perfect gift for the passionate traveler an around-the-world, continent-by-continent listing of beaches, museums, monuments, islands, inns, restaurants, mountains, & more. Each activity is location-specific & as geographically unique as bird-watching in Kenya or driving through clouds in Sri Lanka, as well as other to-dos that can be done anywhere, such as sketching a sunset behind an architectural monument. In addition to classic outdoor pursuits, the book contains advice on how to achieve some of the most popular goals for people of all ages: direct a movie, learn to play an instrument, make pottery, protect an endangered species, name a star, try a new cuisine, or learn a new language. Whether you are more active or laid-back, serious-minded or lighthearted, you are bound to discover new, stimulating activities. ...

A fun, whimsical fill-in-yourself book to help you create your ultimate bucket list. Have you ever thought about what you want to do before you turn 20, 30, 40, or before you die? Write them down in a list & there you have it
- your very own bucket list! But how do you start fulfilling those wishes, & how do you make the whole endeavour more exciting? That`s where this book comes in. This playful interactive guide gives you 500 cool, spectacular & often very simple ideas for your bucket list, always presented in an original way. Tick things off within its pages, & add your own exciting ideas as they come to you to create a unique document of your own hopes for the future. This is the perfect book to boost your creativity & make all your dreams come true!
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Julie Otsuka`s ” The Buddha in the Attic”, the follow-up to ” When the Emperor Was Divine” was shortlisted for the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction & the 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, & winner of the Pen Faulkner Award for Fiction 2012. Between the first & second world wars a group of young, non-English-speaking Japanese women travelled by boat to America. They were picture brides, clutching photos of husbands-to-be whom they had yet to meet. Julie Otsuka tells their extraordinary, heartbreaking story in this spellbinding & poetic account of strangers lost & alone in a new & deeply foreign l&. ” Sweeping, symphonic, empathic.. .subtle, infinitely skilful.. .an exhilarating, compulsive read. Otsuka`s haunting, heartbreaking conclusion, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, is faultless”. (” Daily Mail”). ”A tender, nuanced, empathetic exploration of the sorrows & consolations of a whole generation of women.. .the distaff equivalent of a war memorial”. (” Daily Telegraph”). ”A haunting & heartbreaking look at the immigrant experience... Otsuka`s keenly observed prose manages to capture whole histories in a sweep of gorgeous incantatory sentences”. (” Marie Claire”).” An understated masterpiece.. .she conjures up the lost voices of a generation of Japanese American women without losing sight of the distinct experience of each”. (” San Francisco Chronicle”). Julie Otsuka was born & raised in California. She is the author of the novel ” When the Emperor Was Divine”, & a recipient of the Asian American Literary Award, the American Library Association Alex Award, & a Guggenheim fellowship. Her second novel, ” The Buddha in the Attic”, was nominated for the 2011 National Book Award. She lives in New York City. ...

Karim lives with his Mum & Dad in a suburb of south London & dreams of making his escape to the bright lights of the big city. But his father is no ordinary Dad, he is `the buddha of suburbia`, a strange & compelling figure whose powers of meditation hold a circle of would-be mystics spellbound with the fascinations of the East. Among his disciples is the glamorous & ambitious Eva, & when `the buddha of suburbia` runs off with her to a crumbling flat in Barons Court, Karim`s life becomes changed in ways that even he had never dreamed of. ...

” My name is Karim Amir, & I am an Englishman born & bred, almost...” The hero of Hanif Kureishi`s debut novel is dreamy teenager Karim, desperate to escape suburban South London & experience the forbidden fruits which the 1970s seem to offer. When the unlikely opportunity of a life in the theatre announces itself, Karim starts to win the sort of attention he has been craving
- albeit with some rude & raucous results. With the publication of Buddha of Suburbia, Hanif Kureishi landed into the literary landscape as a distinct new voice & a fearless taboo-breaking writer. The novel inspired a ground-breaking BBC series featuring a soundtrack by David Bowie.
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This title is about the `other` decimated twin Wonders of the World & the tragic country of Afghanistan. The Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, carved in the sixth century AD, represented two aspects of the Buddha, universal & historical. In March 2001 the Taleban destroyed them. They were massive, 55m & 38m tall, hewn out of the solid rock face & it took weeks to bring them down. The Buddhas have a remarkable story to tell, from their creation at a time when Greek culture left behind by conquest influenced Buddhism to their role in the lead up to the destruction of two other colossi from a different era in New York in that same year. This title about the Buddhas is also a book about Bamiyan, a place that occupies one of the most strategic positions on earth & is also stunningly beautiful. & about the remarkable Hazara people who live in that valley & have played a central historical role in the history of the whole region. It is rare that a historical account of an extraordinary monument can also be of urgent contemporary relevance. ...

The Buenos Aires is a clear & elegant 10“ illuminated globe featuring the innovative dual-mapping system. You can view political borders in contrasting colours when the globe lamp is turned off & physical features when the light is turned on. The cartography offers a wealth of current information & the map image is printed on a strong plexiglass ball for durability, giving it a shiny finish. The globe features a half meridian in silver plastic, a silver base in conveniently heavy plastic & an adjustable world time zone disk. This globe is suitable for people of all ages as it is an ideal reference globe & an inspiring learning aid. ...

When Pepe Carvalho`s uncle asks him to find his son, Raul, in Buenos Aires, Pepe is reluctant. All he knows about Argentina is `tango, Maradona, & the disappeared` & he has no desire to find out more. But family is family & soon Carvalho is in Buenos Aires, getting more caught up in Argentina`s troubled past than is good for anybody. As he gets nearer to finding Raul, he begins to realise the full impact of the traumas caused by a military junta who went so far as to kidnap the children of the political activists they tortured. A few excellent tangos, bottles of Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon & a sexy semiotician are no compensation for the savage brutality Carvalho experiences in his attempt to come to grips with Argentina`s recent history. ...

For over thirty years, Jeannie & Sam Chesterton have lived high in the hills of Spain`s western Andalusia at Finca Buenvino, their welcoming pink farmhouse, which they have run as a guesthouse
- achieving international acclaim for their cooking & also their cookery courses. On their 100-acre estate the Chestertons grow their own organic vegetables, fruits & chestnuts, & raise Iberian pigs which are killed for jamon Iberico, salchichon, & chorizo. violet Andalusian hens, a rare breed which they are helping to conserve, produce fresh eggs for breakfast, & homemade breads & jams are always on the table in the morning. Dinners are a social occasion, with summer dining under the stars, or in winter guests assemble at the table in the panelled dining room. Talk of food is of the essence always!
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Little boy bugs & little girl bugs are so completely different, they just can`t get along.. .can they? See what happens when Little Speckled Bug meets a mysterious new neighbour bug who has a strange but happy effect on him Written & illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna, whose charming style of texture, applique & collage has never before been used in children`s books. A simple narrative with lovable characters that celebrates the differences & similarities between girls & boys. The Bug Next Door is one in a series of books by Beatrice Alemagna about the adventures of the little bugs. Other titles: Bugs in a Blanket (June 2009); Bugs in the Garden (August 2011). ...