Reader's Digest Condensed Books--Volume 4, 1986

***Silversword*** by Phyllis A. Whitney As a child, Caroline Kirby was torn away from her Hawaiian home when a tragic riding accident claimed her parents' lives. Now the islands beckon her back, and she soon discovers an explosive family secret. As Caroline begins to probe, she uncovers frightening fragments from the past. Will the truth Caroline seeks place her own life in jeopardy?

***Texas*** by James A. Michener A sweeping panorama of the bold land, its proud people, and its tumultuous history. Here are the early Spanish missionaries who brought civilization to the wilderness, the heroic settlers who fought and died at the Alamo, the hard-riding Texas Rangers who kept the peace, the Indians and the border raiders, the cotton planters and the cattle barons, the oil tycoons and real estate magnates. All were indomitable men and women who came at different times from different backgrounds to make the harsh frontier their own.

***Bracken*** by Elizabeth Webster Jake Farrant is a sophisticated London newspaperman. When he learns he has only months to live, he retreats to the countryside, determined to spend the rest of his time in solitude. Instead, he becomes friendly with Bracken, a beguiling Gypsy boy with an affinity for helping sick and wounded animals. Together they share the struggles and triumphs of the creatures around them. Soon, with the help of the wise and caring boy, Jake's spirit begins to soar and he finds his own personal triumph.