The Invisible Mile

Author: David Coventry
Publisher: Europa Editions
ISBN: 1609453980
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 254

Book Description
This acclaimed novel based on true events in the 1928 Tour de France “is a powerful story of grim determination and one man’s forlorn hope to conquer fear” (Publishers Weekly). In 1928, the Ravat-Wonder cycling team became the first English-speaking peloton to compete in the Tour de France. The riders, hailing from New Zealand and Australia, were treated as exotics and isolated by language and cultural barriers. Underfinanced and undertrained, the team faced one of the toughest routes in the race’s history: 5,476 kilometers over unsealed roads through a landscape heavy with the legacy of the Great War. 162 cyclists began the race that year; only 42 finished. A deeply introspective book, The Invisible Mile is narrated by a fictional, unnamed rider on the Ravat-Wonder team. Speaking no French and knowing few of his fellow riders, his race becomes a confrontation with memories of the Great War and a quest to understand his own place in its history. He rides on the alternating highs of cocaine and opium, pain and pleasure, victory and defeat. As he nears his final mile along the northern battlefields, trauma, exertion, and his personal demons take over. “Bruising, beautiful and ultimately transcendent, there’s a perfect thought on sport, humanity or endurance on just about every page.” —Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief

The Invisible Mile

Author: David Coventry
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781509850556
Category : Bicycle racing
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Based on a true story The Invisible Mile tells the poignant story of five Australian and New Zealand cyclists who in 1928 formed the first English-speaking team to ride in the Tour de France. They were gallant, under-resourced and badly outnumbered but taken deep to the heart by the French nation. The novel describes in a wonderful poetic and visceral voice what it was like to ride in this race (the chaos, danger and rivalries), the extraordinary lengths to which the riders pushed themselves, suffering horrific injuries, riding through the night in pitch dark, and the ways they staved off the pain, through camaraderie, through sexual conquest, through drink, and through drugs (cocaine for energy, opium for pain). Added to the team is the fictional narrator who is cycling towards his demons in a northern France still scarred by the First World War. His brother was a fighter pilot damaged by his experiences in France, his sister has died, and this self-imposed test of endurance is slowly and painfully bringing him to his final, invisible mile where memory eventually comes to collide with the past.

18 Miles

Author: Christopher Dewdney
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1773052233
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
“With wit and a humbling sense of wonder, this is a book that can be shared and appreciated by a wide audience who now religiously check their phones for daily forecasts.” — Publishers Weekly Starred Review “This terrific, accessible, and exciting read helps us to better understand the aspects of weather and the atmosphere all around us.” —Library Journal Starred Review We live at the bottom of an ocean of air — 5,200 million million tons, to be exact. It sounds like a lot, but Earth’s atmosphere is smeared onto its surface in an alarmingly thin layer — 99 percent contained within 18 miles. Yet, within this fragile margin lies a magnificent realm — at once gorgeous, terrifying, capricious, and elusive. With his keen eye for identifying and uniting seemingly unrelated events, Chris Dewdney reveals to us the invisible rivers in the sky that affect how our weather works and the structure of clouds and storms and seasons, the rollercoaster of climate. Dewdney details the history of weather forecasting and introduces us to the eccentric and determined pioneers of science and observation whose efforts gave us the understanding of weather we have today. 18 Miles is a kaleidoscopic and fact-filled journey that uncovers our obsession with the atmosphere and weather — as both evocative metaphor and physical reality. From the roaring winds of Katrina to the frozen oceans of Snowball Earth, Dewdney entertains as he gives readers a long overdue look at the very air we breathe.

Devil's Backbone: The Invisible Walls of Seven Mile

Author: George Caudill
Publisher: Kaiser & Tilly Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 436

Book Description
The script accompaniment to Devil's Backbone: The Invisible Walls of Seven Mile, an electrifying full-cast audio production from the creative team at Kaiser & Tilly Publishing and the immense imagination of author George Caudill. Journey to the twisted town of Seven Mile, a small town located along the banks of California's winding Russian River, where the fishing is great and the wickedness is greater. A demonic curse is secretly unleashed upon Seven Mile after an evil devil cult leader moves his flock from Indiana to the tiny little town to hold an extraordinary and fascinating "church service". All in attendance become stricken with an evil affliction that leads to a brutal murder, a disgraceful prank, and the obsession of a game - setting off events that divide this once peaceful town and disrupt the lives of two generations. The Great Seven Mile Divide, as it comes to be known, splits the town into two parts - each separated by the cool current of the Russian River and kept apart by their boundless hatred for one another. On one side of the river live the RIVER RATS, and on the other, the BLUE CATS. Anyone who dares to cross the lonely Seven Mile Bridge to the other side suffers harsh and brutal punishment for their betrayal. Can the children of Seven Mile, who strive for peace, finally reunite the town? Or will their possessed parents, who are hell-bent on keeping Seven Mile divided, continue their torturous and tormenting ways?

The Black Mile

Author: Mark Dawson
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781482051346
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 422

Book Description
London, 1940: the Luftwaffe blitzes London every night for fifty-seven nights. Houses, shops and entire streets are wiped from the map. The underworld is in flux: the Italian criminals who dominated the West End have been interned and now their rivals are fighting to replace them. Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, the Black-Out Ripper sharpens his knife and sets to his grisly work. Henry Irving is a disgraced reporter on a Fleet Street scandal rag. Genius detective sergeant Charlie Murphy is a fresh face in the Metropolitan police, hunting corrupt colleagues but blinkered by ambition and jealousy. His brother, detective inspector Frank Murphy, searches frantically for his runaway daughter, terrified that she will be the killer's next victim. As the Ripper stalks the terrified streets, the three men discover that his handiwork is not quite what it seems. Conspirators are afoot, taking advantage of the chaos to settle old scores. The murders invade the lives of the victims and victimizers on both sides of the law, as everyone is sucked deeper and deeper into Soho's black heart. Based on a little known true story, The Black Mile is a rollercoaster ride of a novel that was previously the most downloaded novel on the Kindle Store. If you enjoy the thrillers of James Elroy, Peter James and Dennis Lehane, you'll love THE BLACK MILE. PRAISE FOR MARK DAWSON 'A brilliant debut novel from a very promising writer.' Subject 'Ultra-addictive, super-stylish - a viciously good novel.' Toby Litt. 'A talent to be watched.' Birmingham Post PRAISE FOR THE BLACK MILE 'This is far and above the best small/independently published novel I have ever had the pleasure of reading.' The Kindle Book Review 'Dawson has shown himself to be a true master of suspense'. Siobian Minish 'A first class historical mystery.' Luke Walker 'This book is worth it for the arcane London slang alone. Fascinating. If want to get a feel for what it was like during the early part of WWII this will knock you out. If you like character development you'll love it. If you like peeking in on the lives of people in a long gone world -- you really love it.' David E Johnson

The Emerald Mile

Author: Kevin Fedarko
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1439159866
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 448

Book Description
The epic story of the fastest boat ride in history, on a hand-built dory named the "Emerald Mile," through the heart of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado river.

There's No Traffic on the Extra Mile

Author: Rickey Minor
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781592404186
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 206

Book Description
An "American Idol" music director draws on his experiences to reveal the secrets of personal success, from delivering more than what is expected and working with a mentor to setting realistic goals and recognizing personal readiness.

The Invisible Mountain

Author: Robert P. Vande Kappelle
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1608998606
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 175

Book Description
In 1989 Dr. Robert Vande Kappelle cycled solo cross-country. The 3,400-mile trip was the seed project for the Washington County (Pennsylvania) chapter of Habitat for Humanity. For forty-two days he went "Homeless for Habitat," placing himself and his personal needs in the hands of strangers he met along the way. At the beginning he cycled across some of the most mountainous--and spectacular--terrain in America. After he crossed the Rockies, a nagging headwind arose, which only intensified with time. That, coupled with a deteriorating bicycle--along one of the most desolate stretches of the journey--produced spiritual testing of epic proportions.He was tempted to compromise the integrity of the trek, then to quit the trek, and finally to curse his circumstances. He sensed he was climbing an invisible mountain, whose top could not be reached. After venting his anger and frustration, he discerned that tailwinds and flat terrain rarely evoke wisdom. Insight flows freely, however, from the watershed atop life's invisible mountains.The Invisible Mountain narrates the account of that trek. The story examines the trek as adventure, spiritual odyssey, and as metaphor for the journey of life.In the words of Millard Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International and The Fuller Center for Housing: "Ride with [Bob Vande Kappelle] as you read. You will enjoy the trip and you will gain all sorts of insights . . . and perhaps most importantly, you will learn about yourself and grow spiritually as you experience vicariously the wonderful adventure of this 'journey of faith.'"

The Invisible Woman

Author: Herbert Quick
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Frontier and pioneer life
Languages : en
Pages : 524

Book Description

The Vanishing Half

Author: Brit Bennett
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525536965
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 401

Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE* VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR 2021 WOMEN'S PRIZE FINALIST “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” —Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal “A story of absolute, universal timelessness …For any era, it's an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it's piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be….” – Entertainment Weekly From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.