Gypsy Joe is not only a story of redemption, but an uplifting account of a young gypsy determined to realize his dream. Joe Smith tells of his formative years travelling the country in a caravan and how he encountered crushing prejudice when his extraordinary talents as a golf boy prodigy became apparent.Disillusioned, he recounts a downward spiral and a life of criminality before pulling back from the brink and making the most of his life.The Observer selected the book as their Sports Book of the Year 2009 saying: "e;One of the best golf books written this year; although the cheque books come out for the scandal, this true story of thwarted ambition, criminality, violence and redemption has substance. A courageous story shot through with intelligence and humanity."e;"e;What comes across in this book is family loyalty, raw courage and violence but there is also intelligence and humanity."e;Chris Blackhurst -- Evening Standard, 23 June 2009

A superbly crafted collection of thirteen tightly plotted tales that treats readers to murder, mystery, and mayhem in the world of horseracing. “Few things are more convincing than Dick Francis at a full gallop.”—Chicago Tribune With his remarkable blend of unrelenting suspense, finely tuned narrative, and lean, stylish prose, New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis proves that he is as much a master of the short story as he is of the novel in this thrilling collection.

Weighing in with a balance of the visceral and the cerebral, boxing has attracted writers for millennia. Yet few of the writers drawn to it have truly known the sport—and most have never been in the ring. Moving beyond the typical sentimentality, romanticism, or cynicism common to writing on boxing, The Bittersweet Science is a collection of essays about boxing by contributors who are not only skilled writers but also have extensive firsthand experience at ringside and in the gym, the corner, and the ring itself. Editors Carlo Rotella and Michael Ezra have assembled a roster of fresh voices, ones that expand our understanding of the sport’s primal appeal. The contributors to The Bittersweet Science—journalists, fiction writers, fight people, and more—explore the fight world's many aspects, considering boxing as both craft and business, art form and subculture. From manager Charles Farrell’s unsentimental defense of fixing fights to former Golden Glover Sarah Deming’s complex profile of young Olympian Claressa Shields, this collection takes us right into the ring and makes us feel the stories of the people who are drawn to—or sometimes stuck in—the boxing world. We get close-up profiles of marquee attractions like Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., as well as portraits of rising stars and compelling cornermen, along with first-person, hands-on accounts from fighters’ points of view. We are schooled in not only how to hit and be hit, but why and when to throw in the towel. We experience the intimate immediacy of ringside as well as the dim back rooms where the essentials come together. And we learn that for every champion there’s a regiment of journeymen, dabblers, and anglers for advantage, for every aspiring fighter, a veteran in painful decline. Collectively, the perspectives in The Bittersweet Science offer a powerful in-depth picture of boxing, bobbing and weaving through the desires, delusions, and dreams of boxers, fans, and the cast of managers, trainers, promoters, and hangers-on who make up life in and around the ring. Contributors: Robert Anasi, Brin-Jonathan Butler, Donovan Craig, Sarah Deming, Michael Ezra, Charles Farrell, Rafael Garcia, Gordon Marino, Louis Moore, Gary Lee Moser, Hamilton Nolan, Gabe Oppenheim, Carlo Rotella, Sam Sheridan, and Carl Weingarten.

“These aren’t actors we’re looking for. It’s mug shots not auditions.” McNulty tried not to sound impatient. “It’s local extras. Head and shoulders to see what they look like. If you’re casting cowboys you don’t want to be hiring Indians.” The producer wasn’t appeased. “The reservation’s just over the hill. Indians is what we’re gonna to get. And I don’t want to get scalped.” “Larry. As long as I’ve known you, you’re the one does the scalping.” Palm Springs, California Jim Grant enlists Vince McNulty’s help with a sting operation where wanted criminals are invited to audition as extras in a Titanic Productions movie. The plan is almost derailed when McNulty and Grant can’t resist protecting a hotel receptionist from an angry biker but the plan goes off without a hitch. Almost without a hitch. Mission successful. Except the Palm Springs sting is a dry run for the main person Grant wants to arrest; a crime lord movie buff in Loveland, Colorado. And the angry biker and the worst snow in decades mean that this time there will be blood and death and a very big hitch.

Este libro es el Libro 9, Colección I del "Proyecto de Lectura de un Millón de Inglés Palabras" (the Million-Word Reading Project, MWRP), una colección de lecturas en inglés de nivel intermedio. Está destinado a lectores que ya han adquirido un vocabulario básico de 1500 palabras en inglés. Proyecto de Lectura de un Millón de Inglés Palabras (the Million-Word Reading Project, MWRP) es un programa de mejora de la lectura en inglés diseñado específicamente para estudiantes que aprenden inglés como segundo idioma o lengua extranjera (ESL/EFL). Está dirigido a lectores que ya dominan un vocabulario básico de 1500 palabras (equivalente a inglés principiante). Con aproximadamente 15 minutos de lectura diaria durante dos años, los lectores pueden alcanzar un nivel de inglés intermedio, dominar más de 3500 palabras y numerosas frases, así como adquirir habilidad en diversas estructuras de oraciones en inglés y la capacidad de leer obras literarias en inglés de dificultad general. La siguiente tabla proporciona información detallada sobre las estadísticas del texto para su referencia al elegir: Estadísticas del Texto Valor de legibilidad || 85.28 Número total de palabras || 31945 Número de palabras fuera de las 1500 || 1802 Tasa de palabras nuevas (%)|| 5.64 Tasa de repetición de palabras nuevas || 4.53 Resumen del Contenido Three girls and two boys who live in Tenth Street have formed the Tenth Street Reading Circle. They read detective mystery stories together. One day, Betty Bliss suggests forming a detective club. They will call themselves Tenth Street Yard, after the London Scotland Yard, and Betty will be Superintendent. At first, the two boys do not think girls can do good detecting, so they laugh at them and refuse to join the club. But after they have solved several cases successfully, the boys begin to admire the girls and want to join the club. After that, they succeed in solving a number of cases. The original stories are written by Ellis Parker Butler (1869-1937), famous American humorist, author of more than 30 books and more than 2,000 stories and essays.

The indomitable Baroness Bligh packs up her friends and family, along with her pets and the Chief Magistrate of Bow Street, for a relaxing country Christmas, which — as often is the case with Dulcie — turns out to be nothing of the sort. Ghosts, murder, forbidden trysts and romantic misunderstandings: what can a lady do but try and set things right? A Dulcie Bligh Adventure. Regency Romance by Maggie MacKeever; originally published by Vintage Ink Press