For Ethel Erickson Radmer, a child of the 1930s, life in Wisconsin was an adventure filled with imagination, fun, and curiosity. Hers was a simple life, without computers and cell phones. It was a time when people in a small town dropped in on each other to visit and paid their bills in person. It was a time when folks honored courtesy and neighborly affection. If you knew someone was in the hospital, you brought them flowersfrom your own garden. Ethel grew up in a railroad town that bustled with supplies and troops for World War II. To a small girl from a small town, a Green Bay & Western Railroad passenger car represented nothing short of freedom. But Ethel found joy in the simple thingsa playground for roller skating a golf course made just for picnics and sled-ding (and swinging clubs) nearby farmland and barns to explore and a meandering river to quiet her heart. It was a simpler time, but Ethel Erickson Radmer was no simple girl. Walking the Rails is everything a good memoir should begenerously detailed, disarmingly frank, and emotionally moving. With wit, irony, and generosity of spirit, Ethel Radmer has woven a heartwarming and lush tapestry of growing up in a loving American family during the difficult days of the Great Depression, World War II, and its aftermath. Dave Wood, past vice-president of the National Book Critics Circle, former book review editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and memoirist

Though it covers only 0.03 per cent of the world's territory, Costa Rica is home to six percent of plant and animal species. Intended for the socially conscious traveller, this guide offers tips and information. It includes map listings at all price levels for accommodation, food, and more; and information on working and studying in the region.

Kat Harper's Christmas reunion with her long-lost mother turns out to be nothing like she envisioned. Maybelle Harper has no qualms about flirting with Kat's police detective boyfriend, and she seems more interested in seeing old friends than her daughter. Worse yet, she hates cats. But Kat might have to put her disappointment aside when bigger problems arise—unwelcome gifts have been showing up on her doorstep, and she has no idea who has added her to his Christmas list.

Perfect for readers of Jon Krakauer and Douglas Preston, this "authentic and encyclopedic" book examines real-life cases of those who vanish in the wilderness without a trace (Roman Dial)—and those eccentric, determined characters who try to find them. These are the stories that defy conventional logic. The proverbial vanished without a trace incidences, which happen a lot more (and a lot closer to your backyard) than almost anyone thinks. These are the missing whose situations are the hardest on loved ones left behind. The cases that are an embarrassment for park superintendents, rangers and law enforcement charged with Search & Rescue. The ones that baffle the volunteers who comb the mountains, woods and badlands. The stories that should give you pause every time you venture outdoors. Through Jacob Gray's disappearance in Olympic National Park, and his father Randy Gray who left his life to search for him, we will learn about what happens when someone goes missing. Braided around the core will be the stories of the characters who fill the vacuum created by a vanished human being. We'll meet eccentric bloodhound-handler Duff and R.C., his flagship purebred, who began trailing with the family dog after his brother vanished in the San Gabriel Mountains. And there's Michael Neiger North America's foremost backcountry Search & Rescue expert and self-described "bushman" obsessed with missing persons. And top researcher of persons missing on public wildlands Ex-San Jose, California detective David Paulides who is also one of the world's foremost Bigfoot researchers. It's a tricky thing to write about missing persons because the story is the absence of someone. A void. The person at the heart of the story is thinner than a smoke ring, invisible as someone else's memory. The bones you dig up are most often metaphorical. While much of the book will embrace memory and faulty memory—history—The Cold Vanish is at its core a story of now and tomorrow. Someone will vanish in the wild tomorrow. These are the people who will go looking.

The new Rough Guide to Barcelona is the ultimate all-round guidebook to one of Europe's most vibrant, exciting and stylish cities. In full colour throughout, with dozens of colour photos, this guide not only gives you the finest coverage of Barcelona's historical sights and famous architecture, including the magnificent Gaudí creations like the Sagrada Familia, but also has a keen eye for offbeat attractions and in-the-know sights, from quirky museums to neighbourhood markets, city beaches to urban parks. There are up-to-date reviews of the best hotels, bars, restaurants and clubs for all budgets, so whether you're looking for a hideaway boutique hotel or the best gintonic in town, you'll find it in the Rough Guide. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Barcelona. Now available in PDF format.