Thomas Mc Guane`s obsession with fish has taken him from the river in his backyard to the holiest waters of the fly-fisher`s world. As he travels the fish take him to many & various subjects ripe for random speculation: rods & reels, the classification of anglers according to the flies they prefer, family & memory
- right down to why fishermen lie. The Longest Silence sets the heart pounding for a glimpse of moving water, & demonstrates what a life dedicated to sport reveals about life.
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Andrew Mc Carthy explores the tumultuous, complicated, & circuitous route he`s travelled to finally settle down with one woman, whom he married last August. Telling this story through the lens of a series of seven exotic trips he`s recently taken all over the world (Patagonia, the Amazon, Costa Rica, Baltimore, Vienna, Kilimanjaro, Galway), he`ll write about his wanderlust-and other lusts-and connect his obsession with travel with his phobia of commitment. The story will culminate with one of the most momentous-and terrifying-days of his life: his wedding day. A thoughtfully observant writer, Mc Carthy touches on his personal life, his acting career, & his fascination with travel in a truly captivating manner. Genuine & spirited, The Longest Way Home is the fascinating story of how one man`s insight into his relationships with both the people closest to him & the places very new to him allowed him to fully commit to another person. ...

Ella`s mum is in a deep coma, having just had a new baby. That means Ella has to live with Jack, her hopeless stepfather, & cope with her tiny newborn brother, as well as worrying about Mum. The only thing that`s going right is her school project. It`s all about whales & how they sing out to each other to attract a mate
- sometimes for hours. Maybe a whale song could reach Mum, wherever she is, & bring her back to Ella & baby Samson. Surely it`s worth a try?
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Scott`s ` Northern Party` played an important role in his iconic last expedition, but how did they survive? Their tents were torn, their food was nearly finished & the ship had failed to pick them up as winter approached. Stranded & desperate, the six men dug out an ice cave with no room to stand upright. Circumstances forced them closer together & somehow they made it through the longest winter. Working from diaries, journals & letters written by expedition members, Meredith Hooper tells the intensely human story of Scott`s other expedition. ...

A tragic love story about two sisters who cannot live with or without each other. Far out on the plains of northern Norway stands a house. It belongs to two middle-aged sisters. They seldom venture out & nobody visits. The older needs nursing & the younger keeps house. Then, one day, a man arrives...------- Why Peirene chose to publish this book: ` This is a tragedy about a woman who yearns for love but ends up in a painfully destructive conflict with her sister. It is also a story about loneliness
- both geographical & psychological. Facing the prospect of a life without love, we fall back into isolating delusions at exactly the moment when we need to connect.` Meike Ziervogel, Publisher
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Imagine living in a box at the bottom of the sea for a month at a time. Locked away in a saturation chamber, plumbed to depths of more than 500 feet, this has been David Beckett`s love, life & work for all his adult life. Destined to become a pig farmer in the late 1960s, a twist of fate saw David become an air diver, & within a short space of time he progressed to saturation diving. He would brush with death on more than one occasion
- not least when helping to recover 47 bodies of the victims of the Sumburgh chinook disaster in Scotland`s Shetland Islands
- & when called in to assist with the deadliest peacetime shipwreck in Europe, as the MS Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994 & claimed 852 lives. Amongst the depths of despair, there are many lighter moments, including treasure hunting in the Philippines, almost clinching a contract to salvage the bursar`s safe from the Titanic & surviving a 24-hour typhoon which brought 80-foot waves crashing down on his boat. The Loonliness of a Deep Sea Diver is gritty, sometimes comical & offers a unique glimpse into a life at sea, much of it at the bottom.

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A shocking investigative journey into the way the resource trade wreaks havoc on Africa, ` The Looting Machine` explores the dark underbelly of the global economy. Africa: the world`s poorest continent &, arguably, its richest. While accounting for just 2 percent of global GDP, it is home to 15 per cent of the planet`s crude oil, 40 per cent of its gold & 80 per cent of its platinum. A third of the earth`s mineral deposits lie beneath its soil. But far from being a salvation, this buried treasure has been a curse. ` The Looting Machine` takes you on a gripping & shocking journey through anonymous boardrooms & glittering headquarters to expose a new form of financialized colonialism. Africa`s booming growth is driven by the voracious hunger for natural resources from rapidly emerging economics such as China. But in the shadows a network of traders, bankers & corporate raiders has sprung up to grease the palms of venal local political elites. What is happening in Africa`s resource states is systematic looting. In country after country across the continent, the resource industry is tearing at the very fabric of society. But, like its victims, the beneficiaries of this looting machine have names. For six years Tom Burgis has been on a mission to expose corruption & give voice to the millions of Africans who suffer the consequences of living under this curse. Combining deep reporting with an action-packed narrative, he travels to the heart of Africa`s resource states, meeting a warlord in Nigeria`s oil-soaked Niger Delta & crossing a warzone to reach a remote mineral mine in eastern Congo. The result is a blistering investigation that throws a completely fresh light on the workings of the global economy & will make you think twice about what goes into the mobile phone in your pocket & the tank of your car. ...

A shocking investigative journey into the way the resource trade wreaks havoc on Africa, ` The Looting Machine` explores the dark underbelly of the global economy. Africa: the world`s poorest continent &, arguably, its richest. While accounting for just 2 percent of global GDP, it is home to 15 per cent of the planet`s crude oil, 40 per cent of its gold & 80 per cent of its platinum. A third of the earth`s mineral deposits lie beneath its soil. But far from being a salvation, this buried treasure has been a curse. ` The Looting Machine` takes you on a gripping & shocking journey through anonymous boardrooms & glittering headquarters to expose a new form of financialized colonialism. Africa`s booming growth is driven by the voracious hunger for natural resources from rapidly emerging economics such as China. But in the shadows a network of traders, bankers & corporate raiders has sprung up to grease the palms of venal local political elites. What is happening in Africa`s resource states is systematic looting. In country after country across the continent, the resource industry is tearing at the very fabric of society. But, like its victims, the beneficiaries of this looting machine have names. For six years Tom Burgis has been on a mission to expose corruption & give voice to the millions of Africans who suffer the consequences of living under this curse. Combining deep reporting with an action-packed narrative, he travels to the heart of Africa`s resource states, meeting a warlord in Nigeria`s oil-soaked Niger Delta & crossing a warzone to reach a remote mineral mine in eastern Congo. The result is a blistering investigation that throws a completely fresh light on the workings of the global economy & will make you think twice about what goes into the mobile phone in your pocket & the tank of your car. ...

” Mister! He said with a sawdusty sneeze, I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees.” The Lorax is the original eco warrior & his message rings loud today. In this fable about the dangers of destroying our forests, he tries to save the Truffula trees from the greedy once-ler`s axe. The Lorax is a hilarious story with typical zany humour & silly rhymes, that packs a punch with its ecological message without feeling heavy-handed or worthy. The Dr Seuss blend of zany pictures & unique rhyme, rhythm & repetition mean that all ages will love & learn from this wonderful book. ...