Penelope Down East

Penelope Down East is a collection of stories about sailing the Maine coast in a small catboat with no engine. This is cruising the way it was done a hundred years ago—and it takes a high level of seamanship to get anywhere. If the wind or the tide is against you, you must adapt, change plans, tack all day, or hole up in a harbor and wait for better conditions. It makes for delightfully unpredictable adventures. Cheney’s writing style is clear and familiar, like the old salt at the dock spinning yarns of his many voyages. He loves and appreciates all the beauties, big and small, of the Maine coast, and of his faithful boat. This book will appeal to native Mainers and to sailors anywhere in the world. --- “Bill Cheney is a fine sailor, storyteller, and wordsmith. Put together, it’s no surprise that he has given us a fine collection of sailing stories. If you have heard much about cruising the fabled coast of Maine and, as yet, have never done so, here is the vicarious experience you have been waiting for. If you have cruised this iconic, watery world, as I have, and want a companion to share many of your favorite bays, islands, harbors . . . and to introduce you to new experiences and places . . . here you will find your soul mate and guide.” —Roland Sawyer Barth, author of Tales of the Intracoastal Waterway: An Account of a Passage from the Florida Keys to Cape Cod in a Seventeen Foot Catboat “Bill Cheney is a skilled mariner and an even better essayist. His descriptions of life aboard an engineless catboat along the rugged Maine coast are vivid, tender, poetic, and sometimes wildly humorous. He speaks to us in every key. There is no one quite like him.” —Clinton Trowbridge, author of The Boat That Wouldn’t Sink and The Crow Island Journal ----- E-book bonus: All the photos and charts, of which there are many, are in full color in the e-book. ------

"the Competitive Cat" is a one of a kind resource for the modern catboat sailor. The book is geared for the reader who is interested in racing, yet the detailed descriptions, drawings and photographs will assist anyone sailing a catboat to enjoy their time in the boat to the maximum, with improved efficiency and safety. "the Competitive Cat" rightly starts you off with boat preparation tips, from bottom prep and maintenance, to standing and running rigging, with no details spared for the full care and feeding of your cat. Even if you have been sailing for decades, the Balance chapter will still have some surprises for you. Boat handling, reefing, sail trim, and a detailed discussion of racing rules as they apply to catboats, are all covered in an easy to understand format. There is a special chapter on Beetle Catboats. "the Competitive Cat" is unique; there is no other reference source like it. "the Competitive Cat" is a must for every catboat sailor's library.

TALES OF THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY is the lyrical account of a small boat sailor from Maine and Florida who decided to celebrate his 70th birthday by traversing the waters in between. He conscripted his wife and a few friends, each of whom took a leg on the passage from Key Largo to Cape Cod. A third of the voyage he sailed solo. What happened? Quite a lot! Read on....

“A powerful, moving and beautifully wrought novel about the ways in which lives are molded by personal memory and the collective past.” —The Boston Globe Winner of the Man Booker Prize Elderly, uncompromising Claudia Hampton lies in a London hospital bed with memories of life fluttering through her fading consciousness. An author of popular history, Claudia proclaims she’s carrying out her last project: a history of the world. This history turns out to be a mosaic of her life, her own story tangled with those of her brother, her lover and father of her daughter, and the center of her life, Tom, her one great love found and lost in war-torn Egypt. Always the independent woman, often with contentious relationships, Claudia’s personal history is complex and fascinating. As people visit Claudia, they shake and twist the mosaic, changing speed, movement, and voice, to reveal themselves and Claudia’s impact on their world. “Emotionally, Moon Tiger is kaleidoscopic, deeply satisfying. The all too brief encounter between Claudia and Tom will surely rate as one of the most memorable of contemporary fictional affairs. This is one of the best novels I have read for years.” —The London Sunday Telegraph “It pulls us in; it engages us and saddens us. It is also unexpectedly funny . . . It leaves its traces in the air long after you’ve put it away.” —The New York Times Book Review “One of the very best Booker winners . . . it asks hard questions about memory and history and personal legacy; it’s stylistically demanding and inventive . . . a wonderful book.” —The Guardian

Created & developed on Cape Cod in the mid-19th century but eventually popular throughout the country, the Cape Cod catboat is perhaps the most uniquely American of all sailing craft. The second edition of CATBOATS will be of interest to all involved with classic sailing craft, to those interested in yachting & workboat history, & to anyone curious about a very special aspect of the New England scene. The book covers the history of the catboat together with stories of people who have become involved with restoring, cruising, & racing these boats. The second edition features a collection of rare 19th century catboat photographs from the Hart Nautical Museum at MIT, these in addition to several photos in the first edition from the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities & other sources. The new book's Appendix also contains useful material on catboat racing techniques & a chapter on catboat lore replete with information on the use of catboats in a variety of New England fisheries. "Every sailor & those who love to read about people, boats & their affinity for the Cape will enjoy this thoroughly pleasing mix of solid information about catboats, the people who sail them & the legends & history that have grown around them."--CAPE COD TIMES. "...there is something about catboats that captures the imagination & sends the mind on an afternoon sail across sparkling waters, & that is exactly what Grayson has portrayed in this delightful book."--YACHTING. Devereux Books, 20 Vassar Rd., Box 503, Marblehead, MA 01945. (617) 631-3055.

A glimmering collection of new short fiction from the Booker Prize winner. “Lively writes with an astringent blend of sympathy and detachment, emotional wisdom and satiric wit.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times In such acclaimed novels as The Photograph, Family Album, and How It All Began, Penelope Lively has captivated readers with her singular blend of wisdom, elegance, and humor. Now, in her first story collection in decades, Lively takes up themes of history, family, and relationships across varied and vividly rendered settings. In the title story, a Mediterranean purple swamp hen chronicles the secrets and scandals of Quintus Pompeius’s villa, culminating with his narrow escape from the lava and ash of Vesuvius. “Abroad” captures the low point of an artist couple’s tumultuous European road trip, trapped in a remote Spanish farmhouse and forced to paint a family mural and pitch in with chores to pay for repairs to their broken-down car. Other stories reveal friends and lovers in fateful moments of indiscretion, discovery, and even retribution—as in “The Third Wife,” when a woman learns her husband is a serial con artist and turns a house-hunting trip into an elaborately staged revenge trap. Each of these delightful stories is elevated by Lively’s signature graceful prose and eye for the subtle yet powerfully evocative detail. Wry, charming, and keenly insightful, The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories is a masterful achievement from one of our most beloved writers.

A vibrant new novel from Penelope Lively—a wry, wise story about the surprising ways lives intersect Look out for Penelope Lively’s new book, The Purple Swamp Hen and Other Stories. When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike. A marriage unravels after an illicit love affair is revealed through an errant cell phone message; a posh yet financially strapped interior designer meets a business partner who might prove too good to be true; an old-guard historian tries to recapture his youthful vigor with an ill-conceived idea for a TV miniseries; and a middle-aged central European immigrant learns to speak English and reinvents his life with the assistance of some new friends. Through a richly conceived and colorful cast of characters, Penelope Lively explores the powerful role of chance in people's lives and deftly illustrates how our paths can be altered irrevocably by someone we will never even meet. Brought to life in her hallmark graceful prose and full of keen insights into human nature, How It All Began is an engaging, contemporary tale that is sure to strike a chord with her legion of loyal fans as well as new readers. A writer of rare wisdom, elegance, and humor, Lively is a consummate storyteller whose gifts are on full display in this masterful work.

Penelopeby M.J. Davis is the story of a girl who was orphaned at a young age. After living alone in the woods for a while, Penelope's brother comes to find her and builds them both a home. Penelope ultimately marries an Indian named Painted Pony who lights up her life with humor and love. After Painted Pony's tragic death in a buffalo hunt, Penelope gives birth to his son, whom she names Little Eagle. She raises him lovingly to respect the circle of life.

A compelling standalone novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Fall Away series—who never fails to deliver a “powerfully written contemporary love story”(Booklist). Former tennis player Easton Bradbury is trying to be the best teacher she can be, trying to reach her bored students, trying to forget her past. What brought her to this stage in her life isn’t important. She can’t let it be. But now one parent-teacher meeting may be her undoing.... Meeting Tyler Marek for the first time makes it easy for Easton to see why his son is having trouble in school. The man knows how to manage businesses and wealth, not a living, breathing teenage boy. Or a young teacher, for that matter, though he tries to. And yet…there is something about him that draws Easton in—a hint of vulnerability, a flash of attraction, a spark that might burn. Wanting him is taboo. Needing him is undeniable. And his long-awaited touch will weaken Easton’s resolve—and reveal what should stay hidden....