Band of Gold is the exciting story of singer and actress Freda Payne. While she is best known for her 1970 Number One hit "Band of Gold", and her 1971 Grammy nominated album, Contact, her story is an inspiring adventure, lived alongside the "who's who" of the show business world including Duke Ellington, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey, Omar Sharif, Quincy Jones, Liza Minneli, and Sarah Vaughn. Freda's compelling memoir is a celebration of a glamorous life well-lived.

Book three in the best-selling Smuggler's Wife series by one of our leading historical novelists. Kitty Farrell, headstrong and passionate as ever, is heartbroken over the apparent death by drowning of her husband Rian. Alone and grieving on the goldfields of Ballarat she turns to Rian's long-time shipmate Daniel, who has loved her from afar for many years. The consequences will be disastrous and challenge every character in this brilliant third instalment in Deborah Challinor's extraordinary Smuggler's Wife series. Vividly drawn, meticulously researched and driven by a powerful page-turning narrative, Band of Gold will resonate in the hearts of readers for a long time. 'Challinor is extraordinarily talented.' - New Zealand Books

The McCallister family settles in the northern section of the Oregon Territory in the year of 1853. There they settled and, through many tribulations and sacrifices, they came to love this wild and undeveloped country. Author Patricia N. Richards delivers an auspicious fiction debut that is romantic, compelling, and graceful.

"Robert Clive's suicide (1774), Rajah Nandakumar’s hanging (1775), to Ellenborough’s grabbing of the Gwalior throne (1843), and Ram Mohan Roy's embassy on behalf of Akbar II, and his untimely death in England (1833); the Gurkha Wars (1814-16) and the First Afghan War (1838-1842) — started, unnecessarily, in the midst of the ferocious famine of 1837— One ring and one narrative, binds them all together. The stage is set in 19th-century India—a time when racial prejudice is beginning to harden with the support of the law makers. What seems to be an innocent circus performance presentation turns into a real life police arrest and the account of the struggles of an English-Indian boy starts to unfold. Accused of being a thug and of murdering an Englishman, an officer of the East India Company army, Jonathan Lord, aka Gora Mirza, is forced into signing a confession under the Thugee Act of 1836, made a fugitive from British justice, and hunted down and hanged. Gora Mirza’s tragic end is not his alone, but one bound up with several other individuals—a senior officer, two English soldiers, a teenaged Indian widow, a nawab, a rajah and many others. Marcus, a German diarist, records it all. The story—the mystery and the chase; and the spine-chilling end—is in the matrix of the historical events of the time. Does the ring find its rightful owner…? "

Kelsey Waters, a wedding consultant to the stars, doesn’t believe in love or marriage. But that all changes when she catches the bouquet at her cousin’s wedding, and her life takes a magical turn worthy of some romantic fairy tale. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last. To her dismay, her prince charming is already married. To make matters worse, she has to spend the next two weeks working closely with him on his sister’s private wedding. Can Kelsey survive two weeks beside this handsome romantic? Or will she succumb to her inner desires with reckless abandon?

When Beth Bernstein’s mother unexpectedly passed away, Beth’s life was forever changed, as she knew that she’d lost not only her best friend, but also a big part of herself. In this heartwarming and moving memoir, Beth learns how to link together the platinum memories of the jewelry handed down to her by the woman who taught her how to love, overcome obstacles, and (most important) accessorize. As a young girl, Beth learned that not all engagements came with a ring. The unconventional engagement watch Beth’s father gave her mother, her mom’s postdivorce transformation from wearing Jackie O pearls to donning love beads--each piece of jewelry represents an intimate memory, a reminder to rise above life’s challenges and enjoy its triumphs. And there are also Beth’s own experiences with rocky romances, of the too many engagement rings she fell in love with and the too few men who could commit. She tells the story of these relationships with sparkles of hilarity and glimmers of hope, conjuring up lost keepsakes and fiery moments--until she realizes that the brightest gems are the ones you give yourself, and finds freedom she never thought possible.

Do you want to be in a band? Well, here's how! First, bug your two older sisters to start a band, and then beg them to join. (It helps if they already know how to sing and play guitar.) Then there are some tricky parts, like getting over STAGEFRIGHT and practicing until the tips of your fingers ache and playing gigs at not-so-big-time music clubs. At least, that's the way our little sister narrator explains it in her "guide" on how to start a band, based on the real-life experiences of author Suzzy Roche.

Julia Donaldson tells the tale of the misfortunate characters Bonny and Sandy, who are forever arguing. One day a little man comes to stay, and it looks as though their luck has changed. Julia Donaldson tells the tale of the misfortunate characters Bonny and Sandy, who are forever arguing. One day a little man comes to stay, and it looks as though their luck has changed. Pages 14-15 contain a flow chart, giving the opportunity to summarise and discuss the events of the story. Purple/Band 8 books offer developing readers literary language with some challenging vocabulary. Ideas for Guided Reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

When the "Gold Fever" epidemic sweeps the nation in 1849, people drop everything to chase the dream of striking it rich. Follow one family's itch for adventure from California to the Rockies to the Yukon - and discover a Christmas gift more valuable than gold. When Jeb Monroe succumbs to the fever, it's "California or bust." Will the rich banker's daughter, Aggie Wells, accept the spiritual riches Jeb has to offer before he must leave, penniless? The first time Jarrod McLeod dips his pan in the river, he strikes gold- in the form of a wedding band! Though he finds the woman to whom it belongs, she refuses to take the ring back. Will Angel Taylor also refuse Jarrod's proffered Christmas gift? Promised in marriage to a stranger, Charlotte Vance is headed to the Klondike - and struggling to control her feelings for Gabe Monroe, the brother of her betrothed. What will become of Charlotte when both men refuse to marry her? Traveling to Alaska to claim an inheritance from her father's business partner, Alexandra Peters receives a less-than-cordial welcome from Philip Monroe. What will it take for Alexandra to thaw the ice encasing Philip's heart. Four Christmases in gold country prove life's most priceless gifts come not in the form of polished gold - but from the vast riches of a loving heart.

Stevie Nicks is a legend of rock, but her energy and magnetism sparked new interest in this icon. At 68, she's one of the most glamorous creatures rock has known, and the rare woman who's a real rock ‘n' roller. Gold Dust Woman gives "the gold standard of rock biographers" (The Boston Globe) his ideal topic: Nicks' work and life are equally sexy and interesting, and Davis delves deeply into each, unearthing fresh details from new, intimate interviews and interpreting them to present a rich new portrait of the star. Just as Nicks (and Lindsay Buckingham) gave Fleetwood Mac the "shot of adrenaline" they needed to become real rock stars—according to Christine McVie—Gold Dust Woman is vibrant with stories and with a life lived large and hard: —How Nicks and Buckingham were asked to join Fleetwood Mac and how they turned the band into stars —The affairs that informed Nicks' greatest songs —Her relationships with the Eagles' Don Henley and Joe Walsh, and with Fleetwood himself —Why Nicks married her best friend's widower —Her dependency on cocaine, drinking and pot, but how it was a decade-long addiction to Klonopin that almost killed her — Nicks’ successful solo career that has her still performing in venues like Madison Square Garden —The cult of Nicks and its extension to chart-toppers like Taylor Swift and the Dixie Chicks