A young woman’s secret may tear her rural Minnesota community apart, in this “emotional tale of star-crossed love, vengeance and regret” (Publishers Weekly). In the tumultuous days after World War I, Herman Richter returns from the front to find his only sister, Liesel, allied with Lester Sutter, the “slow” son of a rival clan who spends his days expertly trapping lake turtles. Liesel has sought Lester’s friendship in the wake of her parents’ deaths and in the shadow of her own dark secret. But what begins as yearning for a human touch quickly unwinds into a shocking, suspenseful tragedy that will haunt the rural town of New Germany, Minnesota, for generations. Woven into this “great, rattling, breathless mystery” (NPR’s Weekend Edition) are the intense, illuminating experiences of German immigrants in America during the war and the terrible choices they were forced to make in service of their new country or in honor of the old. It is a vibrant, beautifully wrought look at a fascinating piece of American history—and the echoing dangers of family secrets. “Historical fiction with a slight touch of magical realism, The Turtle Catcher is a moving portrait of difficult times and vividly realized characters” (Booklist) from “the most promising Minnesota writer in a generation” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). “One mark of a good book is that it keeps you up all night reading it. But if it’s nearly dawn and the book is closed and you still can’t sleep, the book’s either brilliant or scary as hell. Nicole Helget’s first novel, The Turtle Catcher, is both.” —MinnPost

The story of an ancient sea turtle and what its survival says about our future, from the award-winning writer and naturalist Though nature is indifferent to the struggles of her creatures, the human effect on them is often premeditated. The distressing decline of sea turtles in Pacific waters and their surprising recovery in the Atlantic illuminate what can go both wrong and right from our interventions, and teach us the lessons that can be applied to restore health to the world's oceans and its creatures. As Voyage of the Turtle, Carl Safina's compelling natural history adventure makes clear, the fate of the astonishing leatherback turtle, whose ancestry can be traced back 125 million years, is in our hands. Writing with verve and color, Safina describes how he and his colleagues track giant pelagic turtles across the world's oceans and onto remote beaches of every continent. As scientists apply lessons learned in the Atlantic and Caribbean to other endangered seas, Safina follows leatherback migrations, including a thrilling journey from Monterey, California, to nesting grounds on the most remote beaches of Papua, New Guinea. The only surviving species of its genus, family, and suborder, the leatherback is an evolutionary marvel: a "reptile" that behaves like a warm-blooded dinosaur, an ocean animal able to withstand colder water than most fishes and dive deeper than any whale. In his peerless prose, Safina captures the delicate interaction between these gentle giants and the humans who are finally playing a significant role in their survival. "Magnificent . . . A joyful, hopeful book. Safina gives us ample reasons to be enthralled by this astonishing ancient animal—and ample reasons to care." -- The Los Angeles Times

Today the baseball catcher is a familiar but uninspiring figure. Decked out in the so-called tools of ignorance, he stolidly goes about his duty without attracting much attention. But it wasn't always that way, as Peter Morris shows in this lively and original study. In baseball's early days, catchers stood a safe distance back of the batter. Then the introduction of the curveball in the 1870s led them to move up directly behind home plate, even though they still wore no gloves or protective equipment. Extraordinary courage became the catcher's most notable requirement, but the new positioning also demanded that the catcher have lightning-fast reflexes, great hands, and a cannon for a throwing arm. With so great a range of needed skills, a special mystique came to surround the position, and it began to seem that a good catcher could single-handedly make the difference between winning and losing.

Fraternal twins, separated at birth, are raised in the same small town, where they struggle for freedom from their families, their destinies, and, sometimes, each other--all with the underground railroad as a haunting presence in their lives

Is your dog an old soul who came back to guide you? A wise Hindu woman, Nanibala, believed that a pet who comes to you in an unusual way is an ancestor. Her son, from India, and daughter-in-law, from Indiana, observed the humanlike virtues displayed in their beloved dog. They wondered if their pets soul once belonged to a forbearer, and if so, did he or she come from India or Indiana? Weaving together fact, supposition, and imagination, Nanibalas Belief explores the virtues of nineteen fascinating men and women from opposite sides of the world. Defining moments in seven generations of parallel lives are revealed through linked short stories. If you like cross-cultural and inter-generational works of historical or visionary fiction, you will enjoy Nanibalas Belief.

* Color photographs and overview map * Compact, portable format * Handy trip-finder with categories such as snorkeling/scuba, multi-day backpacking, sea kayaking, indigenous culture, and archeological/historical interest Costa Rica is famous for its incredible biodiversity, which draws naturalists, explorers, and hikers from every corner of the globe. With complete profiles of forty-six accessible parks and preserves, including five newly protected areas, Costa Rica's National Parks and Preserves, 3rd Ed. guides visitors through this unique, exotic terrain. Explorers will find descriptions of hikes, nature walks, and water trails, plus information on each park's facilities, attractions, and history. Thoroughly updated, sidebars on flora and fauna are new to this edition, accompanied by beautiful illustrations to help readers identify different species. A complete planning section details when to go, what to expect, what to bring, and what health precautions to take.