Author travels to see the real, unexplored Maldives, one of the most beautiful places on earth, recently opened to tourists..

‘Rich and valuable’ ANJAN SUNDARAM ‘Honest ... written in sharp, rippling prose’ ANDREW FIDEL FERNANDO ‘A brave and timely effort’ JASON BURKE ‘Immersive and eye-opening’ HASSAN UGAIL ‘A moving, personal and heartfelt tale of the real Maldives: far deeper and more sinister waters than the azure lagoons of the resorts for which it is famed’ JJ ROBINSON In the autumn of 2011, the postman-turned-journalist Daniel Bosley embarked on an unexpected adventure which started as an internship in London’s Maldives High Commission – the diplomatic mission of the Indian Ocean tourism hotspot. Little did he know that he would soon set off on an odyssey through an imperilled island nation undergoing one of the most tumultuous periods in its history. Over the next seven years, Bosley worked as a journalist in the Maldives, reporting on its volatile political landscape and shattering the picture-perfect view of this supposed paradise. Taking us into a nation of a thousand isles, he reveals a shaded past of sultans, imperialists and Western explorers before a modern-day dictatorship was finally overturned by a democracy that immediately plunged into turmoil. While dissenters and intrepid reporters faced abduction, imprisonment, and even death, the climate crisis and Islamist zealots posed ever greater threats to the country’s vulnerable environment and its ancient culture. As the editor of the Maldives’ main English-language news website, Bosley witnessed some of these events first-hand, his personal distress assuaged only by the love and hope he would come to find – against all odds – within these isolated atoll communities. Richly observed and infused with empathy and essential humour, Descent into Paradise thoroughly alters our understanding of the Maldives, a place where magical waters and surreal skies hide unthinkable dangers even as the struggle for justice risks submersion.

Why do people love trains so much? Tom Chesshyre is on a mission to find the answer by experiencing the world through train travel—on both epic and everyday rail routes, aboard every type of ride, from steam locomotives to bullet trains, meeting a cast of memorable characters who share a passion for train travel. Join him on the rails and off the beaten track as he embarks on an exhilarating whistle-stop tour around the globe, from Sri Lanka to Iran via Crewe, Inverness, the Australian outback, and beyond.

Authors, artists and amblers have always felt the pull of the Thames, and now Tom Chesshyre is following in their footsteps. He’s walking more than 200 miles from the Cotswolds to the North Sea. Seeing some familiar sights through new eyes, Chesshyre explores the living present and remarkable past of England’s longest and most iconic river.

Being in a coma has helped to open Charlotte Grey’s eyes for the very first time . . . As she hovers somewhere between life and death, Charlotte finally realizes what a complete mess she’s made of her time on Earth—including the five years she’s wasted on worthless, faithless James Kane. The afterlife should be paradise compared to that—except “heaven” seems to be nothing more than a big retirement home in the sky, with lots of bingo and bridge and absolutely no sign of Elvis, Princess Di, Kurt Cobain, or anyone else worth spending eternity with. Charlotte would rather return to Earth, thank you very much. But the only way she can get there is as a bona fide guardian angel . . . and the lost soul she’s assigned to is none other than the James Kane, who tore her heart out and stomped on it. Still, Charlotte’s determined to use her second chance to really start living, Kane or not, and have some fun . . . for once in her afterlife.

24 tales. 24 choices. 24 consequences. “For all young adults and young-at-heart adults!” We often look at life as black and white. What happens when life throws such situations in our face, which are neither black nor white? These tales will compel you to travel to grey areas and challenge your ethics and moralities. What’s right and what’s wrong are often nothing but mirages. Our beliefs often come crashing down like a pack of cards when life happens. Through the pages of Desires & Destinies, you’ll find yourself living with the characters and debating the choices you’d make if you were in their place. The bouquet contains some tales that are based on naked realities, some are pure fantasies, while the rest are in the twilight zone where they merge. We welcome you to the journey of rediscovering yourself through these tales.

Adventures of a Choirboy is a detailed account of Mohammed Alis Out-of-Body Experience (OBE). As a teenager, Alis adventures took him into the spiritual realm or the world of the spirit as some call it. OBE is a situation in which a persons spirit (the inner man), moves temporarily out of his or her physical body, the same way an astronaut striped off his space suit would stand beside his empty suit. OBE was a rare and strange phenomenon, so Ali kept this experience to himself, until he discovered through books that: OBE is a universal subject, although, some consider it a purely spiritual phenomenon; some aspects of it (OBE) has been scientifically proven through experiments. Prominent amongst the books are Kenneth E Hagins The Threefold Nature Of Man and Perry Stones Secrets from Beyond the Grave. Much later, Ali was introduced by TL Lizzy to EA Adeboyes Abundant Life After Death; Open Heavens Daily Devotionals of 26th February 2016 and Kenneth E Hagins I Believe in Visions. In this compelling book, Ali recounts for the first time his adventures out of his physical body. This true life story also provides answers to some unvoiced inquiries that only a few would ask their Rabbis, Pastors, Imams or Spiritual Mentors. Such as: Is the inner man a myth or a reality? How does human spirit look like? How is the world of the spirit look like? What is OBE and what do our scriptures say about it? [email protected] PRAISES FOR THE BOOK Need a book as gift for a loved one or to be stocked in libraries, hospitals, childrens and aged peoples homes ? Go for The Adventures of a Choirboy! - TL Lizzy. The Adventures of a Choirboy rekindles memories of our teenage choir days. Back then, Ali (author), Von (now Bishop) and I, often looked forward to joining our Pastor in mid night prayers, in our small church in the woods. To keep warm and awake during the cold windy nigh; we enjoyed hot tea and breads. We were young, healthy, adventurous and reverenced God. IOB Donald.

A 40-year project in the making, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is the first historical thesaurus to include almost the entire vocabulary of English, from Old English to the present day. Conceived and compiled by the Department of English Language of the University of Glasgow, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is a groundbreaking analysis of the historical inventory of English, allowing users to find words connected in meaning throughout the history of the language. · The largest thesaurus resource in the world, covering more than 920,000 words and meanings, based on the Oxford English Dictionary · The very first historical thesaurus to be compiled for any of the world's languages · Synonyms listed with dates of first recorded use in English, in chronological order, with earliest synonyms first · For obsolete words, the Thesaurus also includes last recorded use of word · Uses a specially devised thematic system of classification · Comprehensive index enables complete cross-referencing of nearly one million words and meanings · Contains a comprehensive sense inventory of Old English · Includes a free fold-out color chart which shows the top levels of the classification structure · Made up of two volumes: The main text, comprising numbers sections for semantic categories, and the index, comprising a full A-Z look up of nearly one million lexical items The Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is a unique resource for word-lovers of all types-linguists and language specialists, historians, literary commentators, among others-as well as being a fascinating resource for everyone with an interest in the English language and its historical development. It is a perfect complement to the OED itself, allowing the words in the OED to be cross-referenced and viewed in wholly new ways.

Time Chords tells two deeply-felt stories based on true events: Stones: October, 1940. Joseph, an 8-year-old boy living on a farm in upstate New York is blindsided, then attacked and stoned by his classmates, an action set up by a manipulative, anti-Semitic teacher. Drowning: July, 1943, portrays the boy's first encounter with death. Joseph leads two rabbi's sons, breaking into a weeds grown-wild deserted lake closed for the war. Another boy appears and a macho war game ends in a tragic drowning. Followed by a fierce interrogation and, wrestling with guilt, a search for elusive truth.