Beachcombers

BONUS: This edition contains a Beachcombers discussion guide and an excerpt from Nancy Thayer's Heat Wave. Abbie Fox hasn’t seen her father or two younger sisters in almost two years. But now Lily, the baby of the family, is sending Abbie urgent emails begging her to return home. Their middle sister, Emma, has taken to her bed, devastated after losing her high-powered job and breaking up with her fiancé. Also, Lily is worried that the beautiful, enigmatic woman renting their guesthouse has set her sights on their widowed father. The Fox sisters closed ranks years ago after the haunting, untimely death of their mother, but seeing their dad move on with his life forces each of them to take stock. Over the course of the summer, the sisters’ lives grow as turbulent as the unpredictable currents off the New England coast: Abbie breaks her own rules in the name of love, type-A Emma learns a new definition of success, and strong-minded Lily must reconcile her dreams with reality. At summer’s end, these unforgettable women will face profound choices—and undergo personal transformations that will surprise even themselves.

Millions of years before humans began visiting Atlantic and Gulf coast beaches, amazing creatures roamed this region. They are gone now but left behind fossil treasures you can pick up today. A Beachcomber's Guide to Fossils uses hundreds of color close-up photos and detailed descriptions to show you how to recognize these exciting finds. This field guide will help you uncover mysteries hiding among the seashells, sand, and driftwood. You'll learn to identify remnant bones and teeth from mammoths, sharks, armadillos, tortoises, and many other prehistoric giants.

From New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards comes a thrilling new novel of suspense and steamy seaside sensuality set in North Carolina's Outer Banks, where a serial killer combs the beaches filled with beautiful female tourists for his next victim. Christy Petrino hadn't planned on a vacation on Ocracoke Island, but when she learns her fiancé and boss, suave Michael DePalma, is a "made man" and the Philadelphia law firm where she works is a front for the mob, she breaks her engagement and quits her job. But no one walks away from the DePalma family business so easily. Only if she delivers a locked briefcase to a motel on Ocracoke Island will she—and her mother and sisters—be free. But after clandestinely making her drop-off late at night, Christy suspects she is being followed on the moonlit beach—and unwittingly runs into a new kind of terror. Now a witness at the center of a homicide investigation, Christy learns the police are hunting a serial killer they refer to as the "Beachcomber" because beautiful young women—women who, in fact, resemble her—have disappeared recently while vacationing at nearby beach communities. Christy doesn't know whom to fear more—a serial killer who believes she might be able to identify him, or the DePalma family, whose tentacles she can't seem to escape. Only when she's with Luke Rand, her big surfer-dude next-door neighbor, does she feel safe. But with Luke's asking so many questions about her ex-fiancé and his showing up almost too conveniently whenever danger strikes, she can't help but wonder if his interest in her is due to more than sexual attraction. Can she trust this handsome stranger to help her survive a hot and deadly summer? Karen Robards creates a tour de force of passion and suspense in this scintillating page-turner, the quintessential summertime read.

The Pacific Northwest coast is home to one of the most diverse displays of intertidal marine life in the world, including sponges, clams, snails, crabs, sea stars, sea anemones, jellies, fishes, seaweeds and more. The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest is a portable and easy-to-use reference for searching out and identifying the hundreds of species of seashore life found on the beaches of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Northern California and Southeast Alaska. Covering the Pacific Northwest’s most common shoreline-dwelling flora and fauna, the guide gives in each entry a detailed description of appearance and habitat accompanied by colour photos for easy identification of any creature you might encounter as you explore your local beach. Simple but essential information on tides and the various habitats within the intertidal zones is also provided to assist beachcombers in exploring safely with minimal ecological impact. The New Beachcomber’s Guide even contains up-to-date descriptions of the best beachcombing sites and when to visit them—you may even find your new favourite exploration grounds! Thoroughly revised and packed with handy and accessible information, this guide belongs in the beach bag or backpack of any avid naturalist, amateur beachcomber or adventurous family.

A field guide to shells, sand dollars, sea glass, and more that “inspires a new appreciation for the wonders of the shore” (Providence Journal). The Beachcomber’s Companion is a charming illustrated guide to collecting and identifying shells and other coastal treasures. Each of the entries includes fascinating descriptions, fun tidbits, and detailed artwork that makes it easy to identify your own beach discoveries. A handy resource section offers tips on how to prepare before setting out on a shoreline adventure, from the beachcomber’s commandments to must-have items for every beachcombing toolkit and advice on preserving shells. Awash with information and gorgeous watercolor illustrations, this is an essential companion for all who love the ocean’s shore, asbreezy, inviting, and delightful as a day at the beach. “Loaded with interesting information, charming anecdotes, and useful hints.” —Dr. David L. Pawson, Emeritus Senior Scientist, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Ex-special ops legend Dane Blaise takes on a new partner for a kidnapping case, gorgeous Scotland Yard detective Shana George. Mistake? Maybe. Dane Blaise When he walks by you, you feel the heat of his energy and then you turn your head and meet his intense eyes. If you're a woman, you shiver with anticipation. If you're an enemy of any kind, you shiver with fear. Because you know he’s the kind of man who would lay down his life for the woman he loves. He’s a protector, the kind of man who would have been a swashbuckler with in the days of pirates, or a knight in shining armor in the days of castles and kings. Now, seemingly invincible and legendary, he leads the life of a loner mercenary. Unimpressed and un-phased by most, the last thing Dane needs or wants is a partner … Shana George. Shana is who every woman wants to be, strong and knock-out gorgeous, a wonder woman style crusader—protector of the helpless and fighter for justice. Working in law enforcement for Scotland Yard, she’s a match for any man with her confidence and skill—and long ago stopped looking for that man who would inspire her to lay everything on the line for him. Will Dane be that man? Will Shana be a match for the legendary Dane Blaise? The fireworks between them could get them killed before they have a chance to find the missing heiress and whoever is behind her kidnapping. And they need to find her alive before they let their relationship compromise everything. Or is it too late? Read book 1 of the thrilling and intense Beachcomber Investigations romantic detective series to see how it all started. Here's what readers are saying: "This is a magnificent introduction to what promises to be an' in-your-face' detective series! Ms. George and Mr. Blaise are reminiscent of Sam and Diane of "Cheers" fame. Lots of action! Would make a terrific TV series!!"--Amazon Reviewer "This was a book you don't want to put down! A contemporary type romance with unexpected twists and turns. A book I will keep and reread again."--Amazon Reviewer "I loved this book. Well written with great characters, loved Shana and Dane."--Amazon Reviewer

Bruno and the Beach is a lively, highly illustrated book celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Canada's longest running dramatic TV production, The Beachcombers, which aired on CBC TV from 1972 to 1990. The remarkable saga of The Beachcombers--or "Beach," as it was called by both industry insiders and locals of the seaside town of Gibsons, BC, where the series was located--would never have unfolded without the show's larger-than-life star, Bruno Gerussi (Nick Adonidas). His passionate battles to keep the show on air for nearly twenty years were as dramatic as anything that occurred on camera. Groundbreaking for its First Nations content and notable for an outstanding supporting cast that includes Robert Clothier (Relic), Pat John (Jesse) and Rae Brown (Molly), The Beachcombers is a Canadian treasure that became famous around the world. Generously illustrated with photos and memorabilia, Bruno and the Beach includes insiders' anecdotes, Beachcombers trivia, production crew pranks and personal stories of the folks who appeared on both sides of the camera. Written by co-creator Marc Strange and series actor Jackson Davies (Constable John Constable), this book offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of those who gathered at Molly's Reach and shaped a national pastime.

What can you find at the beach? Seashells, rocks, bits of seaweed. But look closer and you can find so many other seaside treasures!