Comprising over 2,500 acres of forest, wetlands, and rugged hills, Middlesex Fells, just seven miles north of Boston, is one of the nation's first state parks and contains the world's first public land trust, Virginia Wood. For centuries, the Fells provided rich hunting and fishing grounds for Native Americans. In 1632, Gov. John Winthrop and others explored the area and named the largest pond Spot Pond because of the many islands and rocks protruding through the ice. The Fells was used for farming and timber, and Spot Pond Brook became the focus of industrial activity, which culminated in 1858 with the Hayward Rubber Mills. In the 1880s and 1890s, Middlesex Fells was a key property in the Boston metropolitan park movement driven by conservationists Wilson Flagg, Elizur Wright, Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles Eliot, George Davenport, and Sylvester Baxter. In 1894, the Metropolitan Park Commission began acquiring Fells land. Electric trolleys crossed the Fells from 1910 to 1946, and in 1959, with the car culture in control, Interstate 93 was built through the area. Today, the Fells, as envisioned by its founders, is a forested haven for city dwellers.

The earl she loved to hate …until she stayed in his mansion! Sophie Gilbert has thwarted the standoffish new earl’s plans to sell his country estate and the quaint village that forms part of it. But when disaster strikes and he offers her refuge, she must reconsider everything about this vexing, determined man. After the heartbreak in her past, it’s a revelation to feel her pulse racing and her body yearning for his touch… From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past. A Very Village Scandal Where love can be found at every turn Book 1: The Earl's Inconvenient Houseguest

Richard Bentley has power over women; and they over him. His bookshop holds power in its stories. Then one day, a Heath-on-the-Wold woman wants her own power. What is Penelope White willing to do to get such power? This is the story of THE VILLAGE WIT. American Richard Bentley settles in rural England, looking for the contented life of a bookshop keeper and some fun with the local women. Heath-on-the-Wold seems the ideal place to get lost in work and forget the woman who fell out his life with the affliction of "marital boredom." Bentley hires Peggy White, a mid-forties townswoman who seems his match in sass and intellect. Soon, the rules of attraction open a new chapter in their lives. Who wants power? Who holds the power? THE VILLAGE WIT follows Richard and Peggy’s often humorous and sometimes dark odyssey through village life, love’s fall, sexual politics, and that place where memory and modern love-power-passion intersect. In the tradition of Iris Murdoch, Richard Ford, Margaret Atwood, and Norman Rush, THE VILLAGE WIT explores the effects of loss and the shadows found in passion's blood-red corners.

A genre-defying debut, this queer historical YA centers a wild and reckless trio who fly in the face of small-town tradition—full of compassion, love, and determination to live the lives of their choosing. It’s 1904 on an island just west of Norway, and Asta Hedstrom doesn’t want to marry her odious betrothed, Nils. But her mother believes she should be grateful for the possibility of any domestic future, given her single-sided deafness, unconventional appearance, and even stranger notions. Asta would rather spend her life performing in the village theater with her fellow outcasts: her best friend Gunnar Fuglestad and his secret boyfriend, wealthy Erlend Fournier. But the situation takes a dire turn when Nils lashes out in jealousy—gravely injuring Gunnar. Shunning marriage for good, Asta moves with Gunnar and Erlend to their secluded cabin above town. With few ties left to their families, they have one shot at gaining enough kroner to secure their way of life: win the village’s annual horse race. Despite Gunnar’s increasing misgivings, Asta and Erlend intend to prove this unheard-of arrangement will succeed. Asta trains as a blacksmith; Erlend cares for recovering Gunnar. But as race day approaches, the villagers’ hateful ignorance only grows stronger. With this year’s competition proving dangerous for the trio, Asta and Erlend soon find they face another equally deadly peril: the possibility of losing Gunnar, and their found family, forever.

Linking classical public health and intervention with evolving healthcare strategies and policies for the 21st century, The New Public Health provides a broad perspective on current issues & the kinds of solutions & expectations needed in the future.