The Four Nations Tournament

Four Nations. One Champion. After a long Autumn, Conryu Koda is ready for a rest. His hopes are dashed when Chief Kane asks for another favor. Ratings are down for the Four Nations Tournament and having the world’s only male wizard participate is just the thing to give them a boost. An exhausted Conryu has no interest in playing in an event broadcast world wide. Unfortunately for him, everyone else thinks it’s a great idea. Before he knows it he’s off to London for the games. But Conryu isn’t the only one visiting the city. The sinister Lady Tiger is in town and she’s got her eye on the other half of the broken elf artifact. Throw the stunning Heather James, scheming Malice Kincade, and an army of fanatics into the mix and ratings will be the least of Conryu’s worries. Get The Four Nations Tournament now.

The first official history of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, celebrating nearly four decades of the team's athletic excellence and cultural impact and featuring 250 full-color photographs Telling the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's story in eye-popping photos and expert prose, Pride of a Nation is a lavish tribute to one of the most beloved teams in sports, revisiting their historic four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, as well as unforgettable players across the generations, such as Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario, Mallory Pugh, and more. Drawing from full access to U.S. Soccer's photo and print archives, this beautifully illustrated tribute includes: A foreword by Julie Foudy, two-time World Cup and Olympic Champion One-of-a-kind action shots and behind-the scenes photos Original essays by award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker Gwendolyn Oxenham exploring the evolution of the women’s game and its world-changing impact on the culture at large Exclusive player polls ranking the best teams of each decade and the All-Time Best XI Excerpts of the best previously published writing and prize-winning reporting about the epic games and greatest players over the past forty years Stats, records, illuminating trivia, and more Honoring the fierce athleticism and unshakeable spirit of the charismatic pioneers who planted the U.S. women’s soccer flag in 1985, and those who have made the rest of the world salute it ever since, this incisive and entertaining book will be a keepsake for soccer lovers everywhere.

Boxing - Training, Skills and Techniques is essential reading for both recreational and competitive boxers, and all those who wish to take up amateur boxing, or participate in a boxing-based programme. It offers practical advice on the many crucial factors that need to be taken into account if the boxer is to maximize his, or her, performance and potential. Topics include: an overview of the history of boxing; the amateur code; boxing weights; recreational boxing; equipment and attire; a detailed consideration of both basic and advanced techniques; the role of the coach; fitness training; gym work; running; conditioning; speed and agility training; making the weight and nutrition; planning the season, and much more.

Winner of the prestigious Prix Femina, The Boy is an expansive and entrancing historical novel that follows a nearly feral child from the French countryside as he joins society and plunges into the torrid events of the first half of the 20th century. The boy does not speak. The boy has no name. The boy, raised half-wild in the forests of southern France, sets out alone into the wilderness and the greater world beyond. Without experience of another person aside from his mother, the boy must learn what it is to be human, to exist among people, and to live beyond simple survival. As this wild and naive child attempts to join civilization, he encounters earthquakes and car crashes, ogres and artists, and, eventually, all-encompassing love and an inescapable war. His adventures take him around the world and through history on a mesmerizing journey, rich with unforgettable characters. A hamlet of farmers fears he’s a werewolf, but eventually raise him as one of their own. A circus performer who toured the world as a sideshow introduces the boy to showmanship and sanitation. And a chance encounter with an older woman exposes him to music and the sensuous pleasures of life. The boy becomes a guide whose innocence exposes society’s wonder, brutality, absurdity, and magic. Beginning in 1908 and spanning three decades, The Boy is as an emotionally and historically rich exploration of family, passion, and war from one of France’s most acclaimed and bestselling authors.

In his 15-year career as one of the most popular figures in Welsh rugby, Martyn Williams has played against some of the giants of the sport. Known as ‘Nugget’ to the fans, Martyn has captained his country on many occasions and was a key player in two Welsh Grand Slam-winning campaigns. In Rugby Rivals he picks his personal top ten players from all the world rugby stars he’s ever played against. From Martin Johnson and Shane Williams to Jonah Lomu and Richie McCaw he gives an insight into what makes them tick and reveals what they are really like off the pitch. Rugby Rivals is a compelling read that will provoke debate among rugby fans and provide a great starting point to anyone interested in the game. Author Information Known as “Nugget”, Martyn Williams is one of the most popular figures in the rugby world. He first made his name as a young flanker for his home-town club Pontypridd in the mid-1990s.For the past 15 years has been a major player in the Welsh squad. He has featured in two Grand Slam-winning campaigns and was named Player of the Six Nations in 2005. He has captained his country on many occasions and has been on three British Lions tours, to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. After leaving Pontypridd in 1999, he joined Cardiff Blues and has been with the club ever since. In 2010 he was granted a testimonial.

A bodyguard… really? Sentinel city is quickly recovering from near destruction. Conryu Koda, the world’s only male wizard, and, many would say, savior of the city, is enjoying the last few days of his summer vacation. His enjoyment comes to a screeching halt when he gets a call from Orin Kane, the chief of the city's Department of Magic. Conryu arrives at the Department and is introduced to the stunning Anya Kazakov. She has information the Department wants and he's the price. Conryu agrees to protect her, not realizing what he’s getting into. Wrath of the Dragon Czar is a world spanning adventure that’ll take Conryu from the relative safety of the academy to the middle of a war between monsters on the other side of the planet. Get it now

A million miles away from the rich uplands of the Premier League lies the Poundland world of non-league football. A far grittier version of the beautiful game, it's a glorious ragbag of former EFL clubs on the down, impoverished minnows and ambitious outfits on the make, played by a mix of full-time, part-time and amateur performers. This is the inside story of life in the lower reaches of English football, seen through the eyes of a player with over a decade's experience in the Conference and National Leagues. Footballer X lifts the lid on never-before-told stories of dust-ups, bust-ups, backhanders and betting scandals, the players lucky enough to get contracts and the rest who live precariously from game to game. It's a story of constant financial struggle, big sacrifices and small victories from owners, fans and players alike. Our footballer is still playing, so the cloak of anonymity allows him to give us a true picture of what life is really like playing as a non-league footballer today.

This interesting book discusses the emergence and development of five extremely popular team sports OCo baseball, basketball, football-soccer, ice hockey and cricket OCo since the 1800s in 15 different countries. It addresses some of the most provocative, recent and unique economic and business issues associated with team sports in the various nations. For example, to what extent has each of these spectator sports prospered as industries, and will they expand into other regions of the world during the early to mid-2000s? This book answers these questions, and compares the performances of each country''s amateur, semiprofessional and/or professional sports leagues and their respective teams by providing detailed statistics and other relevant historical information."

This book focuses on the variety of strategies developed by women athletes in the Pacific Islands to claim contested sporting spaces – in particular, rugby union, soccer, beach volleyball, recreational sports and exercise – as a prism to explore grassroots women’s engagement with heavily entrenched postcolonial (hetero)patriarchy. Based on primary research conducted in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, the book investigates contested sporting spaces as sites of infrapolitics intersected primarily by gender and also by other markers of inequality, including ethnicity, sexuality, class and geopolitics. Contrary to historical and contemporary representations of Pacific Island women as victims of gender injustice, it explores how these athletes and those who support them actively carve out space for their transformative agency. Pacific IslandWomen and Contested Sporting Spaces: Staking Their Claim focuses on a region underexamined by sport or gender studies researchers and will be of key interest to scholars and students in Gender Studies, Sport Studies, Sociology and Pacific Studies as well as sport practitioners and policymakers.

Reach for the Racquet is the story of a young Sikh man, Meva Dhesi, who overcomes adversity following a horrific car accident and ultimately achieves his dreams of becoming a competitive badminton and Para badminton player. With the help of his amputee and badminton friends, Sikh religion, close family, and surrounding community, Meva found he could recover, rehabilitate, get fit, compete, and most important of all, succeed. His story is brought to life in witty, humorous prose. It will inspire anyone who is facing challenges and struggles to overcome and reach their goals. The sky's the limit!