The Hummingbird and the Sea


Book Description

FREE How far will a person go to gain freedom? When Samuel Bellamy, an enigmatic Englishman on the run from the Crown, seeks refuge in Eastham, Massachusetts, the life of Maria Hallett begins to tragically unravel. Stepping outside the boundaries of her pious and unforgiving Puritan community, she faces censure and judgement from her family and church. Eventually Maria is pushed to the limits of her sanity when a trusted, childhood friend betrays her in the most heinous and violent of ways. Based on the true story of pirate “Black Sam” Bellamy, The Hummingbird and the Sea is a powerful tale of love, faith, hidden passions and the eternal search for freedom. Perfect for fans of Outlander and Hour of the Witch.




The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane


Book Description

A thrilling new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa See explores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter who has been adopted by an American couple. Li-yan and her family align their lives around the seasons and the farming of tea. There is ritual and routine, and it has been ever thus for generations. Then one day a jeep appears at the village gate—the first automobile any of them have seen—and a stranger arrives. In this remote Yunnan village, the stranger finds the rare tea he has been seeking and a reticent Akha people. In her biggest seller, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, See introduced the Yao people to her readers. Here she shares the customs of another Chinese ethnic minority, the Akha, whose world will soon change. Li-yan, one of the few educated girls on her mountain, translates for the stranger and is among the first to reject the rules that have shaped her existence. When she has a baby outside of wedlock, rather than stand by tradition, she wraps her daughter in a blanket, with a tea cake hidden in her swaddling, and abandons her in the nearest city. After mother and daughter have gone their separate ways, Li-yan slowly emerges from the security and insularity of her village to encounter modern life while Haley grows up a privileged and well-loved California girl. Despite Haley’s happy home life, she wonders about her origins; and Li-yan longs for her lost daughter. They both search for and find answers in the tea that has shaped their family’s destiny for generations. A powerful story about a family, separated by circumstances, culture, and distance, Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane paints an unforgettable portrait of a little known region and its people and celebrates the bond that connects mothers and daughters.




Time of Wonder


Book Description

Winner of the Caldecott Medal! For fans of Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, and Make way for Ducklings. "Out on the islands that poke their rocky shores above the waters of Penobscot Bay, you can watch the time of the world go by, from minute to minute, hour to hour, from day to day . . ." So begins this classic story of one summer on a Maine island from the author of One Morning in Maine and Blueberries for Sal. The spell of rain, the gulls and a foggy morning, the excitement of sailing, the quiet of the night, the sudden terror of a hurricane, and, in the end, the peace of the island as the family packs up to leave are shown in poetic language and vibrant, evocative pictures.




The Island of Sea Women


Book Description

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A mesmerizing new historical novel” (O, The Oprah Magazine) from Lisa See, the bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju, are best friends who come from very different backgrounds. When they are old enough, they begin working in the sea with their village’s all-female diving collective, led by Young-sook’s mother. As the girls take up their positions as baby divers, they know they are beginning a life of excitement and responsibility—but also danger. Despite their love for each other, Mi-ja and Young-sook find it impossible to ignore their differences. The Island of Sea Women takes place over many decades, beginning during a period of Japanese colonialism in the 1930s and 1940s, followed by World War II, the Korean War, through the era of cell phones and wet suits for the women divers. Throughout this time, the residents of Jeju find themselves caught between warring empires. Mi-ja is the daughter of a Japanese collaborator. Young-sook was born into a long line of haenyeo and will inherit her mother’s position leading the divers in their village. Little do the two friends know that forces outside their control will push their friendship to the breaking point. “This vivid…thoughtful and empathetic” novel (The New York Times Book Review) illuminates a world turned upside down, one where the women are in charge and the men take care of the children. “A wonderful ode to a truly singular group of women” (Publishers Weekly), The Island of Sea Women is a “beautiful story…about the endurance of friendship when it’s pushed to its limits, and you…will love it” (Cosmopolitan).




The Theory of Hummingbirds


Book Description

"Hummingbirds and angels don’t need two good feet. They have wings." That's what Alba's mother always says. Of course, Alba doesn't have wings or two good feet: she has Cleo. Cleo is the name Alba has given to her left foot, which was born twisted in the wrong direction. When she points this out, though, her mother just smiles like the world has some surprise in store Alba doesn't know about yet. Well, Alba has her own surprise planned. After one final surgery and one final cast, Cleo is almost ready to meet the world straight on--just in time to run in the sixth grade cross-country race. Unfortunately, Alba's best friend Levi thinks there's no way she can pull it off. And she thinks there's no way he's right about the school librarian hiding a wormhole in her office. Tempers flare. Sharp words fly faster than hummingbirds. And soon it looks like both friends will be stuck proving their theories on their own.




The Hummingbird


Book Description

From the author of the acclaimed debut novel The Curiosity comes an emotionally resonant tale about a woman who must take care of two wounded men – one, her soldier-husband, just home from the war in Iraq; the other, a dying World War II scholar-historian who harbors a long-buried secret. Deborah Birch is a seasoned hospice nurse whose daily work requires courage and compassion. But her skills and experience are tested in new and dramatic ways when her easygoing husband, Michael, returns from his third deployment to Iraq haunted by nightmares, anxiety, and rage. She is determined to help him heal, and to restore the tender, loving marriage they once had. At the same time, Deborah’s primary patient is Barclay Reed, a retired history professor and expert in the Pacific Theater of World War II whose career ended in academic scandal. Alone in the world, the embittered professor is dying. As Barclay begrudgingly comes to trust Deborah, he tells her stories from that long-ago war, which help her find a way to help her husband battle his demons. Told with piercing empathy and heartbreaking realism, The Hummingbird is a masterful story of loving commitment, service to country, and absolution through wisdom and forgiveness.




Flight of the Hummingbird


Book Description

A beautifully drawn comic book inspired by Japanese manga and Indigenous art and legend This powerful story about a brave hummingbird shares a message of environmental stewardship Hummingbirds have long been a symbol of wisdom and courage. In this breathtaking book, a hummingbird makes a valiant effort to put out a raging fire that threatens her forest home. She makes many trips over the burning woodland because her tiny beak can only hold one drop of water at a time. Her efforts show the other creatures in the forest that doing something—anything—is better than doing nothing at all. Will they join her in her fight to save their home? The hummingbird parable, which originates with the Quechuan people of South America, has become a talisman for environmentalists and activists worldwide committed to making meaningful change. This retelling, enlivened by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas’ fabulous Haida-Manga illustrations, is suitable for all ages of would-be activists. Although environmental responsibility often seems like an overwhelming task, The Flight of the Hummingbird shows how easy it is to start and how great the effect could be if everyone just did what they could.




The Little Hummingbird


Book Description

The hummingbird parable, with origins in the Quechuan people of South America, has become a talisman for environmentalists and activists who are committed to making meaningful change in the world. In this simple yet powerful story, the determined hummingbird does everything she can to put out a raging fire that threatens her forest home. The hummingbird--symbol of wisdom and courage--demonstrates that doing something is better than doing nothing at all. In this revised edition of the best-selling book, the parable is supplemented by an informative fact page about hummingbirds and evocative artwork by internationally renowned artist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas. Yahgulanaas's distinct and lively Haida Manga style complements the optimistic tale that encourages everyone to take responsibility for the planet.




The Hummingbird


Book Description

A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE GUARDIAN: 'DEEPLY PLEASURABLE' A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE SPECTATOR: 'WHAT A JOY' 'Magnificent' Guardian 'A towering achivement' Financial Times 'Inventive, bold, unexpected' Sunday Times 'Everything that makes the novel worthwhile and engaging is here: warmth, wit, intelligence, love, death, high seriousness, low comedy, philosophy, subtle personal relationships and the complex interior life of human beings' Guardian 'Not since William Boyd's Any Human Heart has a novel captured the feast and famine nature of a single life with such invention and tenderness' Financial Times 'There is a pleasing sense of having grappled with the real stuff of life: loss, grief, love, desire, pain, uncertainty, confusion, joy, despair - all while having fun' The Sunday Times 'Instantly immersive, playfully inventive, effortlessly wise' Observer 'Masterly: a cabinet of curiosities and delights, packed with small wonders' Ian McEwan 'A real masterpiece. A funny, touching, profound book that made me cry like a little girl on the last page' Leïla Slimani 'A remarkable accomplishment, a true gift to the world' Michael Cunningham 'Ardent, gripping, and inventive to the core' Jhumpa Lahiri Marco Carrera is 'the hummingbird,' a man with the almost supernatural ability to stay still as the world around him continues to change. As he navigates the challenges of life - confronting the death of his sister and the absence of his brother; taking care of his parents as they approach the end of their lives; raising his granddaughter when her mother, Marco's own child, can no longer be there for her; coming to terms with his love for the enigmatic Luisa - Marco Carrera comes to represent the quiet heroism that pervades so much of our everyday existence. A thrilling novel about the need to look to the future with hope and live with intensity to the very end. THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Over 300,000 copies sold Soon to be a major motion picture Winner of the Premio Strega Winner of the Prix du Livre Etranger Book of the Year for the Corriere della Sera




The Hummingbird and the Hawk


Book Description

"There is a valley, not far from here that needs you.” The voice painted a picture for Shinaka. “It is a green place, where creatures live in peace and harmony. I want very much for it to remain that way. The valley needs a keeper, one who will protect it and its inhabitants. I want you, Shinaka, to be the keeper and protector of the green valley. But you must vow to do it always and forever." Smiling Fawn asks her grandfather, Brave Wolf, to tell once more her favorite story, “The Hummingbird and the Hawk.” As a tribal elder, Brave Wolf shares with her the stories of their people to teach Smiling Fawn about the history of her family and her tribe. The people of the Armaha tribe have a rich tradition of legends handed down from generation to generation. The legends---filled with mystery, wonder, and adventure---help Smiling Fawn understand the beliefs her people guard and treasure. In these stories, she hears of Ahote, the Restless One, and of Ama and Dyami, and the struggles of the little humming bird Nuluk to find a new home for his flock. The important lessons revealed by the stories influence and shape Smiling Fawn's life as she blossoms from a young girl of seven---whom her grandfather calls "little one"---to a young woman of sixteen and learns what it means to be a respected member of the Armaha.