After facing a rain of bouncing boulders the size of Volkswagens, an exploding whale forty years in the making, and the worst latte in the history of the world, Jackson Poe no longer believes in coincidence. Someone wants him dead. Taking a break from his free— far more often than he’d like —lance writing career, Poe finds himself on assignment to the Surfland, Oregon, tourism bureau, where the director seems to do everything possible to kill Poe and business. So Poe teams up with a tchotchke-loving cyber geek, a barista with a wicked fastball and a narcoleptic dog in a race against time and escalating explosives as Poe fights to save his town, the coffee shop he loves, and his own skin. The BEACH is BACK, and so is America’s wettest, weirdest town, as a rain of mystery and hilarity falls once more. “Oregon’s answer to Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry.” —Sheldon McArthur, North by Northwest Books “A non-stop laugh you cannot put down.” —Sheldon McArthur, North by Northwest Books, on The Beach is Back

The irresistible novel that was adapted into a major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The Khao San Road, Bangkok -- first stop for the hordes of rootless young Westerners traveling in Southeast Asia. On Richard's first night there, in a low-budget guest house, a fellow traveler slashes his wrists, bequeathing to Richard a meticulously drawn map to "the Beach." The Beach, as Richard has come to learn, is the subject of a legend among young travelers in Asia: a lagoon hidden from the sea, with white sand and coral gardens, freshwater falls surrounded by jungle, plants untouched for a thousand years. There, it is rumored, a carefully selected international few have settled in a communal Eden. Haunted by the figure of Mr. Duck -- the name by which the Thai police have identified the dead man -- and his own obsession with Vietnam movies, Richard sets off with a young French couple to an island hidden away in an archipelago forbidden to tourists. They discover the Beach, and it is as beautiful and idyllic as it is reputed to be. Yet over time it becomes clear that Beach culture, as Richard calls it, has troubling, even deadly, undercurrents. Spellbinding and hallucinogenic, The Beach by Alex Garland -- both a national bestseller and his debut -- is a highly accomplished and suspenseful novel that fixates on a generation in their twenties, who, burdened with the legacy of the preceding generation and saturated by popular culture, long for an unruined landscape, but find it difficult to experience the world firsthand.

A Newly Expanded edition of the hugely acclaimed Beach Boys compendium, which collects all of the best articles, interviews and reviews from their five decades of music, along with a number of inspiring pieces specially commissioned for this volume. Since the book's first edition, the Beach Boys' world has endured the tragedy of Carl Wilson's premature death and the triumph of a re-energised Brian Wilson performing 'Pet Sounds' live in its entirety with a thrilling young band. Brian also appeared to much acclaim at the Queen's Golden Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace. In line with these events, the new edition is expanded to include a revealing Carl Wilson interview by Geoffrey Himes, a tribute to one of the most underrated members of the band, as well as a new interview with 'Pet Sounds' lyricist Tony Asher and an essay on the resurgence of Brian Wilson by editor Kingsley Abbott. Book jacket.

Back to the Beach chronicles a necessary going-back journey to a favorite place that helps us to move forward in an ever-changing world.

No nonsense Nikki Nolan is tired of being the bridesmaid and never the bride. Cupid has flat out lost his aim. Or maybe he confused Nikki’s younger sister with her, since Caren’s getting married—again! But the real kicker? Nikki has two weeks to plan the wedding of the century…and in Hawaii, no less! So she coerces tourist agent and bad boy of Waikiki, Mark Wheaton, to co-plan the event. With access to an extensive network of contacts, Mark is the perfect person to help, even though she suspects he’s more interested in luring her into his bed than picking out flower arrangements. Will Cupid finally hit his mark, or will Nikki remain unhappily single?

An American expatriate in Rome unearths his family legacy in this sweeping novel by the acclaimed author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini A Southerner living abroad, Jack McCall is scarred by tragedy and betrayal. His desperate desire to find peace after his wife’s suicide draws him into a painful, intimate search for the one haunting secret in his family’s past that can heal his anguished heart. Spanning three generations and two continents, from the contemporary ruins of the American South to the ancient ruins of Rome, from the unutterable horrors of the Holocaust to the lingering trauma of Vietnam, Beach Music sings with life’s pain and glory. It is a novel of lyric intensity and searing truth, another masterpiece among Pat Conroy’s legendary and beloved novels. Praise for Beach Music “Astonishing . . . stunning . . . The range of passions and subjects that bring life to every page is almost endless.”—The Washington Post Book World “Magnificent . . . clearly Conroy’s best.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Blockbuster writing at its best.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review “Pat Conroy’s writing contains a virtue now rare in most contemporary fiction: passion.”—The Denver Post “A powerful, heartfelt tale.”—Houston Chronicle

"The most shocking fiction I have read in years. What is shocking about it is both the idea and the sheer imaginative brilliance with which Mr. Shute brings it off." THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE They are the last generation, the innocent victims of an accidental war, living out their last days, making do with what they have, hoping for a miracle. As the deadly rain moves ever closer, the world as we know it winds toward an inevitable end....

From New York Times bestselling author Joanne DeMaio comes the much-anticipated sequel to The Beach Cottage. Winding to the sea is a nearly hidden dirt road. Acres of wooded forest engulf it. Reaching skyward alongside that road are towering trees, their branches gloved in icy white. In the middle of winter, few turn onto this tucked-away Connecticut road. Truthfully, most wouldn't know it leads to a secluded beach community. Mack Martinelli sure does, though. He fell even more in love with his wife Avery there. As Mack steers his pickup down the frost-heaved road, night settles in. Salt air presses close. It's been a long time, but he's finally ready to come Back to the Beach Cottage.

Already delayed at the point of origin, having missed a connecting flight, required to spend another night in an interim hotel in a foreign country, and now this! It was as if destiny was preparing him well for this journey of unknowns that he had embarked uponAs Gyana sat in the room alone and looked at the single window with bars, it felt like being in a jail, waiting to be rescued from suspicion. Will they be able to verify his paperwork and identity? Will they do it in a timely manner to enable him to continue with his travel plans? What will happen if they are not able to verify the documents? A multitude of questions played havoc on his mind, with no answers in sight. excerpt from Smile with Knowledge Describing the ground realities faced by an Indian couple when they moved from India to the United States in the early 90s in an age without internet or cell phones, this is a first hand account of the life as foreign students in the U.S., along with its myriad perks and challenges. Relating a true story of success while balancing life on a shoestring budget, this is also a tale of small hopes, small pleasures, small battles, and small victories, and yet how all these small things together formed a memorable journey that was larger than life.