The Memoirs Of Stockholm Sven

In this "briskly entertaining" (New York Times Book Review), "transporting and wholly original" (People Magazine) novel, one man banishes himself to a solitary life in the Arctic Circle, and is saved by good friends, a loyal dog, and a surprise visit that changes everything. In 1916, Sven Ormson leaves a restless life in Stockholm to seek adventure in Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago where darkness reigns four months of the year and he might witness the splendor of the Northern Lights one night and be attacked by a polar bear the next. But his time as a miner ends when an avalanche nearly kills him, leaving him disfigured, and Sven flees even further, to an uninhabited fjord. There, with the company of a loyal dog, he builds a hut and lives alone, testing himself against the elements. The teachings of a Finnish fur trapper, along with encouraging letters from his family and a Scottish geologist who befriended him in the mining camp, get him through his first winter. Years into his routine isolation, the arrival of an unlikely visitor salves his loneliness, sparking a chain of surprising events that will bring Sven into a family of fellow castoffs and determine the course of the rest of his life. Written with wry humor and in prose as breathtaking as the stark landscape it evokes, The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven is a testament to the strength of our human bonds, reminding us that even in the most inhospitable conditions on the planet, we are not beyond the reach of love. #1 Indie Next Pick Finalist for the Vermont Book Award Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize

In this extraordinary adventure, a reluctant visitor to the Arctic thrives in the awesome and unforgiving landscape. In 1933, Christiane Ritter, a painter from Austria, travelled to Spitsbergen, an Arctic island north of Norway, to be with her husband. He had been taking part in a scientific expedition and stayed on to hunt and fish. “Leave everything as it is and follow me to the Arctic,” he wrote to his wife; but for Christiane, “as for all central Europeans, the Arctic was just another word for freezing and forsaken solitude. I did not follow at once.” Eventually she gave in, lured by his compelling stories about the remarkable wildlife and alluring light shows. She says: “They told of journeys by water and over ice, of the animals and the fascination of the wilderness, of the strange light over the landscape, of the strange illumination of one’s own self in the remoteness of the polar night. In his descriptions there was practically never any mention of cold or darkness, of storms or hardships.”

"Patrick Gale has written a book which manages to be both tender and epic, and carries the unmistakable tang of a true story. I loved it." -- Jojo Moyes A privileged elder son, and stammeringly shy, Harry Cane has followed convention at every step. Even the beginnings of an illicit, dangerous affair do little to shake the foundations of his muted existence - until the shock of discovery and the threat of arrest cost him everything. Forced to abandon his wife and child, Harry signs up for emigration to the newly colonised Canadian prairies. Remote and unforgiving, his allotted homestead in a place called Winter is a world away from the golden suburbs of turn-of-the-century Edwardian England. And yet it is here, isolated in a seemingly harsh landscape, under the threat of war, madness and an evil man of undeniable magnetism that the fight for survival will reveal in Harry an inner strength and capacity for love beyond anything he has ever known before. In this exquisite journey of self-discovery, loosely based on a real life family mystery, Patrick Gale has created an epic, intimate human drama, both brutal and breathtaking. This is a novel of secrets, sexuality and, ultimately, of great love.

Scott Finn worked his way out of Boston's toughest neighbourhood to become a rising star in the city's most elite law firm. When the body of Natalie Caldwell, one of his closest colleagues, and former lover, is found floating in Boston harbour - her heart surgically removed from her chest - it appears she is the seventh victim of 'Little Jack', the Jack-the-Ripper-style murderer terrorizing Boston. But police detective Linda Flaherty isn't so sure. With Natalie's death, Finn inherits a coveted, high-profile assignment that could clinch his career: one involving a terrorist train bombing. But as Finn learns more about the circumstances surrounding Natalie's death, the fabric of the life he has created begins to tear. Suddenly he finds himself the prime suspect in her murder. Finn needs to save himself, and the only way is to dig into the secrets of Natalie's life. The case leads Finn and Flaherty from the crime-ridden streets of Charlestown to Boston's courtrooms and morgues, and from the gilded enclaves of the power brokers to the darkest recesses of a serial killer's mind. 'A legal thriller to rival Grisham or Turow' - Lee Child

Discover these remarkable women throughout history with their amazing contributions. Be inspired by their courage, tenacity, dedication, and unwavering resolve to make a difference in big and small ways. We've all heard stories about women who made history from all walks of life, but rarely have we heard about the female daredevils, pioneering innovators, radical reformers, dedicated activists, leaders, wordsmiths, artists, veterans, and others like the women highlighted in this book. Barriers aren't there to stop progress but are meant to be broken. Extraordinary Women in History: 70 Remarkable Women who Made a Difference, Inspired, & Broke Barriers showcases some of the greatest women in history, paying homage to these trailblazers and will encourage everyone from all walks of life to dream big, never give up, and believe that barriers aren't there to stop progress but are meant to be broken. Inside this book, you'll learn about these female role models including some of the following: Junko Tabei the first female to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Lily Parr the unstoppable English star of women's football. Mary Eliza Mahoney the first licensed African American Nurse. Marie Curie the pioneer of Radioactivity. Harriet Tubman an icon for anti-slavery. Empress Suiko the first female regnant in Japan's recorded history. Hattie McDaniel the first African American to win an Oscar. Irena Sendler rescued 2,500 Jewish children in World War II. Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir was the most travelled woman of the Middle Ages. So what are you waiting for? Grab a copy now, scroll up, click "Buy Now" and be inspired, be encouraged by these women who made a difference.

In the late 1980s, Sven Lindqvist fell into conversation with an evangelical bodybuilder while relaxing in the sauna after his weekly swim. The conversation challenged Lindqvist's view of the sport as macho and vain and individualistic and led to his first attendance at the local gym. In Bench Press, Lindqvist takes us through his own journey in the gym, but also tells us the entertaining and bizarre history of bodybuilding and meditates on what its increased popularity tells us about contemporary society.