Fifty years ago Gavin Maxwell went to live in an abandoned house on a shingle beach on the west coast of Scotl&. A haven for wildlife
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Young Samurai: The Ring of Earth" is the fourth book in this blockbuster series by Chris Bradford. Jack Fletcher is on the run with no sensei to guide him he has just his wits & his swords against many new & unknown enemies as he journeys along the treacherous road to the port of Nagasaki & perhaps home... But the Shogun's samurai are hot on his trail. Barely escaping their clutches Jack runs headlong into a trap. Kidnapped by ninja & led to their village deep in the mountains Jack has no means of escape. The only question is who will kill him first
- the ninja or samurai? "A fantastic adventure that floors the reader on page one & keeps them there until the end". (Eoin Colfer). Chris Bradford has trained in karate kickboxing & samurai swordsmanship. He earned his black belt in Zen Kyo Shin Taijutsu the secret fighting art of the ninja. Before writing the " Young Samurai" series he was a professional musician & songwriter & has performed for HRH Queen Elizabeth II."
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Young Samurai: The Ring of Fire" is the sixth book in this blockbuster series by Chris Bradford. Jack Fletcher faces his toughest challenge yet. After a snowstorm forces him to take shelter Jack comes across a village in need of protection from raiding mountain bandits. Torn between moving on or helping Jack is persuaded to stay & fight the villagers' cause. But Jack is the first & only samurai to do so. Now he must enlist other warriors to the villagers' aid before the bandits return to steal their harvest. No easy task when the reward is so little & he is a foreigner. If only he had his friends to call on... Using the " Ring of Fire" can Jack overpower the bandits & win? "A fantastic adventure that floors the reader on page one & keeps them there until the end". (Eoin Colfer). Chris Bradford has trained in karate kickboxing & samurai swordsmanship. He earned his black belt in Zen Kyo Shin Taijutsu the secret fighting art of the ninja. Before writing the " Young Samurai" series he was a professional musician & songwriter & has performed for HRH Queen Elizabeth II." ...

Moto GP is enjoying a period of unprecedented popularity & Ring of Fire" details the acclaim the heroism & the pressures of riding motorbikes at speeds of more than 200mph. This is a world where manufacturers invest millions & the world champion celebrates by staging mock jail breaks & giving pillion rides to a blow-up doll. One rider warms up for major races by singing Hank Marvin songs on his karaoke machine & a rising Italian star sees the world in terms of black & white energy tubes. Another sees nothing strange in racing with two broken ankles. Ring of Fire covers the recent history of Moto GP from American Nicky Hayden spectacularly overturning established champion Valentino Rossi in 2006 through the emergence of wild young Australian Casey Stoner as the new champion in 2007 to the fierce rivalry between them & Spaniards Dani Pedrosa & Jorge Lorenzo in what would prove to be one of the most closely-contested years of racing in 2008. It gives a behind the scenes look at World Superbike Champion James Toselands attempts to break into this elite & looks back at the tradition of reprobates romance & debauchery in the paddock dating back to the 60s & stars like Mike Hailwood & Giacomo Agostino. Rick Broadbent introduces us not just to the stars & the multi-million pound contracts but also to the officals mechanics doctors team owners & fans who make up this white-knuckle ride of a sport. By turns funny sad shocking & uplifting " Ring of Fire" brings us face to face with those who battle to emerge unscathed or who just ignore the pain & ride to win against all odds." ...

Fans of Jonathan Strouds Bartimaeus books will devour this book
- a cracking adventure brimming with magic intrigue & a treasure
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An unexpected glitch in his plan... Working late is nothing new for tycoon Alex
- & its the perfect excuse to get close to office-cleaner
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Panina Manina a trapeze artist falls & breaks her neck. As the ringmaster bends over her he notices an amulet of amber around her neck the same trinket he had given his own lost child who was swept away in a torrent some sixteen years earlier. This tale is narrated by Petter a precocious child & fantasist & perhaps Jostein Gaarders most intriguing character since Sophie. As an adult Petter makes his living selling stories & ideas to professionals suffering from writers block. But as Petter sits spinning his tales he finds himself in a trap of his own making. ...

The Rings of Saturn" begins as the record of a journey on foot through coastal East Anglia. From Lowestoft to Bungay Sebalds own story becomes the conductor of evocations of people & cultures past & present: of Chateaubriand Thomas Browne Swinburne & Conrad of fishing fleets skulls & silkworms. The result is an intricately patterned & haunting book on the transience of all things human." ...

Piersons puppeteers strange three-legged two-headed aliens have discovered an immense structure in a hitherto unexplored part of the universe. Frightened of meeting the builders of such a structure the puppeteers set about assembling a team consisting of two humans a puppeteer & a kzin an alien not unlike an eight-foot-tall red-furred cat to explore it. The artefact is a vast circular ribbon of matter some 180 million miles across with a sun at its centre
- the Ringworld. But the expedition goes disastrously wrong when the ship crashlands & its motley crew faces a trek across thousands of miles of the Ringworlds surface.
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Rio De Janeiro Stroll barefoot on the world-famous Ipanema & Leblon beaches Reach the top of Pao de Acucar by ropes then take the cable car down Learn to shake it like the locals in a samba school Indulge in feijoada" (pork & black-bean stew) the requisite Saturday feast In This Guide: One expert author + 50 days of in-depth research = our bestselling guide to Rio Dedicated Carnaval chapter gets you to the heart of the festivities More than 150 mouth-watering restaurant reviews for all budgets plus extensive nightlife options" ...