The Phone Box at the Edge of the World

The Phone Box at the Edge of the World
Author: Laura Imai-Messina
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2020-06-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 178658042X

'Absolutely breathtaking' Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo. We all have something to tell those we have lost . . . On a windy hill in Japan, in a garden overlooking the sea stands a disused phone box. For years, people have travelled to visit the phone box, to pick up the receiver and speak into the wind: to pass their messages to loved ones no longer with us. When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she is plunged into despair and wonders how she will ever carry on. One day she hears of the phone box, and decides to make her own pilgrimage there, to speak once more to the people she loved the most. But when you have lost everything, the right words can be the hardest thing to find . . . Then she meets Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss. What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking... The Phone Box at the Edge of the World is an unforgettable story of the depths of grief, the lightness of love and the human longing to keep the people who are no longer with us close to our hearts. Everyone is talking about The Phone Box at the Edge of the World 'A moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief and the small miraculous moments that persuade people to start looking forward again' Sunday Times 'Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour' Choice, Book of the Month 'A poignant, atmospheric novel dealing with love, coming to terms with loss and the restoration of one's self' Daily Mail 'A story about the dogged survival of hope when all else is lost . . . A striking haiku of the human heart' The Times 'Beautiful. A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving' Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author of After the End 'Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul' Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars 'Mesmerising . . . beautiful . . . a joy to read' Joanna Glen, Costa shortlisted author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope 'Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast expansive meditation on grieving and loss' Heat 'A perfect poignant read' Woman & Home

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden Read-Along

The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden Read-Along
Author: Heather Smith
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2019-10-10
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1459825187

★ “Smith spins a quietly moving narrative...Wada’s large-scale woodblock style illustrations are a perfect complement to the story’s restrained text...The graceful way in which this book handles a sensitive and serious subject makes it a first purchase."—School Library Journal When the tsunami destroyed Makio's village, Makio lost his father . . . and his voice. The entire village is silenced by grief, and the young child's anger at the ocean grows. Then one day his neighbor, Mr. Hirota, begins a mysterious project—building a phone booth in his garden. At first Makio is puzzled; the phone isn't connected to anything. It just sits there, unable to ring. But as more and more villagers are drawn to the phone booth, its purpose becomes clear to Makio: the disconnected phone is connecting people to their lost loved ones. Makio calls to the sea to return what it has taken from him and ultimately finds his voice and solace in a phone that carries words on the wind. The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden is inspired by the true story of the wind phone in Otsuchi, Japan, which was created by artist Itaru Sasaki. He built the phone booth so he could speak to his cousin who had passed, saying, "My thoughts couldn't be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind." The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the town of Otsuchi, claiming 10 percent of the population. Residents of Otsuchi and pilgrims from other affected communities have been traveling to the wind phone since the tsunami.

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood
Author: Haruki Murakami
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2010-08-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307762718

From the bestselling author of Kafka on the Shore: A magnificent coming-of-age story steeped in nostalgia, “a masterly novel” (The New York Times Book Review) blending the music, the mood, and the ethos that were the sixties with a young man’s hopeless and heroic first love. Now with a new introduction by the author. Toru, a serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. As Naoko retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman. Stunning and elegiac, Norwegian Wood first propelled Haruki Murakami into the forefront of the literary scene.

Capital Crimes

Capital Crimes
Author: Stuart Woods
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2004-04-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780451211569

Will Lee, the courageous and uncompromising senator from Georgia, is back—now as President of the United States—in the fifth book in the New York Times bestselling series that began with Chiefs. When a prominent conservative politician is killed inside his lakeside cabin, authorities have no suspect in sight. And two more deaths—seemingly isolated incidents, achieved by very different means—might be linked to the same murderer. With the help of his CIA director wife, Kate Rule Lee, Will is facing a perilous challenge: catch the most clever and professional of killers before he can strike again. From a quiet D.C. suburb to the corridors of power to a deserted island hideaway in Maine, Will, Kate, and the FBI will track their man and set a trap with extreme caution and care—and await the most dangerous kind of quarry, a killer with a cause to die for...

The Stranger in the Woods

The Stranger in the Woods
Author: Michael Finkel
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2018-01-30
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1101911530

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality—not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own. “A meditation on solitude, wildness and survival.” —The Wall Street Journal In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life—why did he leave? what did he learn?—as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.

The Lonely Phone Booth

The Lonely Phone Booth
Author: Peter Ackerman
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2013-06-06
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1567925057

Remember the days when phone booths stood on every street corner? If you had to make a call, you'd step inside the little booth, lift the phone off the hook, put a coin in the slot, listen for the click, push the buttons, and hear it ring? And for only 25 cents, in the quiet of the booth, you could call your grandmother, or let the office know you were running late, or get directions for a birthday party. . . This is the story of one of the last remaining phone booths in New York City, the Phone Booth on the corner of West End Avenue and 100th. Everyone used it — from ballerinas and girl scouts, zookeepers and birthday clowns, to cellists and even secret agents! The Phone Booth was so beloved that people would sometimes wait in line to use it. Kept clean and polished, the Phone Booth was proud and happy . . . until, the day a businessman strode by and shouted into a shiny silver object, "I'll be there in ten minutes!" Soon everyone was talking into these shiny silver things, and the Phone Booth stood alone and empty, unused and dejected. How the Phone Booth saved the day and united the neighborhood to rally around its revival is the heart of this soulful story. In a world in which objects we love and recognize as part of the integral fabric of our lives are disappearing at a rapid rate, here is a story about the value of the analog, the power of the people's voice, and the care and respect due to those things that have served us well over time. With his delightful, witty, and boldly colored illustrations that evoke Miroslav Sasek's mid-century modern aesthetic, Max Dalton simply and elegantly captures the energy and diversity of New York City and its inhabitants. A beauty to behold and a pleasure to read, The Lonely Phone Booth is sure to be a favorite among children and parents alike, and the real Phone Booth, which is still standing at West End Avenue and 100th Street, is worth a field trip!

Chiefs

Chiefs
Author: Stuart Woods
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2006
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780393014617

The compelling thriller that launched the career of best-selling novelist Stuart Woods in an anniversary hardcover edition.

The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson

The Lost World of Thomas Jefferson
Author: Daniel J. Boorstin
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 1993-08-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780226064970

In this classic work by one of America's most widely read historians, Daniel J. Boorstin demonstrates why and how, on the 250th anniversary of his birth, Thomas Jefferson continues to speak to us.

The Telephone Box Library

The Telephone Box Library
Author: Rachael Lucas
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2020-01-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1760789925

Burnt out after ten years at the chalkface, Lucy's taken a sabbatical from her job as a history teacher to focus on some research. She moves to a tiny Cotswolds cottage that comes with a reduced rent in exchange for keeping a daily eye on Bunty, an extremely feisty ninety-something. She arrives at the cottage with boxes, bags and her faithful West Highland terrier Hamish, but Bunty claims to know nothing about the agreement - it's been arranged by Margaret, her interfering daughter-in-law. Lucy's only goal is to relax and focus on doing some research on the women of nearby Bletchley Park. But the villagers of Little Maudley have other ideas, and she finds herself caught up in the campaign to turn the dilapidated telephone box at the heart of the village into a volunteer-run library. In the process, she makes friends with treehouse designer Sam, and finds herself falling for the charms of village life. Bunty slowly warms to Lucy, and confesses that the telephone box has special memories for her - it's the place where she used to exchange secret messages with a Canadian airman stationed near by during the war. But that's not the only secret Bunty has been keeping for all these years . . . Meanwhile Lucy's new friend Sam is trying to get to the bottom of the sudden change in his teenage daughter Freya. He's hoping that Lucy might help him uncover what's going on and why she is keeping secrets of her own. As Lucy and Sam uncover Bunty's story and the sleepy village's part in the war, their friendship grows and grows . . .

The Spire in the Woods

The Spire in the Woods
Author: Tony Lunedi
Publisher:
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2017-04-26
Genre:
ISBN: 9781521132517

After discovering the suicide of a schoolmate may be connected to a local legend, a young man embarks on a quest to discover the truth. Why had Robert Edward Kennan killed himself? Was it because of a failed relationship or something more insidious? Based on actual events, the Spire in the Woods is equal parts coming of age and ghost story. A candid account of one man's struggles with his mental health, his obsession with the supernatural, and the single biggest regret of his life.