Autobiography: general Books

Book SynopsisNamed One of the Best Books of the year by:Esquire, Refinery29, BookRiot, Medium, Electric Literature, The Brooklyn Rail, Largehearted Boy, The Coil and The Cut.Winner of the Lambda Literary Jeanne Cordova Prize for Lesbian/Queer NonfictionFinalist, Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir/BiographyFinalist, Publishing Triangle's Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian NonfictionAn Indie Next PickA fierce and dazzling personal narrative that explores the many ways identity and art are shaped by love and loss.In her critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart, Melissa Febos laid bare the intimate world of the professional dominatrix, turning an honest examination of her life into a lyrical study of power, desire, and fulfillment. In her dazzling Abandon Me, Febos captures the intense bonds of love and the need for connection -- with family, lovers, and oneself. First, her birth father, who left her with only an inheritance of addiction and Native American blood, its meaning a mystery.As Febos tentatively reconnects, she sees how both these lineages manifest in her own life, marked by compulsion and an instinct for self-erasure. Meanwhile, she remains closely tied to the sea captain who raised her, his parenting ardent but intermittent as his work took him away for months at a time. Woven throughout is the hypnotic story of an all-consuming, long-distance love affair with a woman, marked equally by worship and withdrawal. In visceral, erotic prose, Febos captures their mutual abandonment to passion and obsession -- and the terror and exhilaration of losing herself in another.At once a fearlessly vulnerable memoir and an incisive investigation of art, love, and identity, Abandon Me draws on childhood stories, religion, psychology, mythology, popular culture, and the intimacies of one writer's life to reveal intellectual and emotional truths that feel startlingly universal.

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Book SynopsisWhen you find your husband lying dead, you think you will not forget a single detail of that moment. As an archaeologist, I like to get my facts right, and I will try my best to do so, but five years have passed since that day in 2016 and I am excavating my own unreliable memory. I cannot go back and check.'Extraordinary, unflinching, wonderful, moving' - Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina'This memoir has been compared to The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, and I can see why . . . In the end, there is so much love in this book. In writing such a meticulously honest book, she memorialises her cant-hating husband in the best way possible. I think he would be proud of her too.' The TimesSarah Tarlow's husband Mark began to suffer from an undiagnosed illness, leaving him incapable of caring for himself. One day, about six years after he first started showing symptoms, Mark waited for Sarah and their children to leave their home before ending his own life.Although Sarah had devoted her professional life to the study of death and how we grieve, she found that nothing could have prepared her for the reality of illness and the devastation of loss.Fiercely vulnerable, deeply intimate and yet authoritative, The Archaeology of Loss describes a universal experience with an unflinching and singular gaze. With humour, intelligence and urgency, it is in its very honesty that it offers profound consolation.'This book is a companion for anyone navigating the hardships of loss and uncertainty' - Octavia Bright, author of This Ragged Grace'A tender and big-hearted embrace of a book . . . A poetic excavation of loss, grief and ritual.' - Graham Caveney, author of The Boy with the Perpetual NervousnessTrade ReviewExtraordinary, unflinching, wonderful, moving -- Nina Stibbe, author of Love, NinaBracingly candid . . . Digs away at our collective fantasy that in dying or caring for the dying we are at our best. In reality, in either role we are often withdrawn, in pain, resentful, bad-tempered: our worst . . . addictively unsentimental * The Times *Scrupulously honest . . . Threaded through with tantalizing glimpses of the world of archaeology, Tarlow’s book is a raw, courageous examination of a sad ending to an uneasy relationship. * Times Literary Supplement *In Archaeology of Loss Sarah Tarlow has harnessed the consoling power of unvarnished truth. Direct, honest and deeply compassionate, this book is a companion for anyone navigating the hardships of loss and uncertainty, but it's also a celebration of all that love can stretch to hold. Informed by both Tarlow's lived experience and perspective as an archaeologist, it asks vital questions about what it means to live and die well. I found it both thought-provoking and moving. -- Octavia Bright, author of This Ragged GraceThe narrator has the scholar’s inability to soften or sweeten what she knows, which is that we don’t always love the dying and the dead, and that rage and mixed feelings are at least as interesting as sorrow. Look elsewhere for cheeriness; the pleasures offered here are those of intelligence and complexity in the hard times that will come to many of us. -- Sarah Moss * The Guardian *Brave, bold and exquisitely told and with such vibrancy and force, The Archaeology of Loss is a personal story of love, grief, and pain perfectly framed by the author's deep knowledge of the archaeologies of death and mourning. -- Helen Paris, author of Lost Property A wonderful work of memoir . . . powerful, fiercely honest, grippingly written and utterly immersive. -- Harry Whitehead, author of The Cannibal SpiritA tender and big-hearted embrace of a book, one that holds whole worlds in its arms: courtship, scholarship, reflections on death and its rituals. Here is an archeologist welding her intellectual acumen to her experience of her husband's terminal illness. A poetic excavation of loss, grief and ritual. -- Graham Caveney, author of The Boy with the Perpetual NervousnessA meticulously clear yet tender self-excavation exploring love and bereavement, today and through time, from a brilliant archaeologist. -- Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of KindredProfound and poignant . . . beautifully written. -- Melanie Giles * Antiquity *

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Book SynopsisApproaching retirement and frustrated with her job, Siobhan Daniels made a BIG decision: to start living life on her own terms. Rather than hiding from life’s challenges, she bought a motorhome and drove off to find them.Retirement Rebel is Siobhan’s honest and uplifting story of how one woman stepped off the merry-go-round of life, slowed down and started enjoying the journey. Of how she sold up, packed up and hit the roads of the UK with no real plan, embarking on a positive-ageing adventure and hoping to inspire women across the country with her message that retirement could actually be the start of life’s adventures. With no shortage of mishaps and hardships along the way – not least being commanded to ‘stay at home’ during the Covid lockdowns, despite always being at home wherever she was – Siobhan’s story can inspire us all. Her message is that we can make simple lifestyle changes to feel happier and more fulfilled. Because at the end of the day, age shouldn’t be a barrier to having an adventure.Table of Contents1 Bereavement2 Taking on the World3 The London Marathon, Yorkshire Three Peaks and Malawi4 This is Really Happening5 Packing Up6 Dora the Explora7 Getting to Grips with Life on the Road8 Best Friends’ Trip9 Mother and Daughter: Time to Pause and Reflect10 Loch Morlich: My Life-changing Moment11 Stopped in My Tracks12 Go Home?! This is My Home!13 Volunteering on the Farm14 I Was Ready for My Dream to Come True15 What I Have Learnt and What Next

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Book Synopsis"My mentor and former boss Alf Wight said that the life of a vet is never dull and how true he was. It is funny looking back that he found fame through his James Herriot books, and now his former surgery and myself have been taken to the nation’s heart once again through our show The Yorkshire Vet. "It just shows what a nation of animal lovers we are and these past few years have been particularly challenging for all of us with the Coronavirus outbreak. But what it has shown me is the comfort and support our pets give us in times like these. All the same, it was this, along with recent changes to my working life that gave me an opportunity to reflect, so I want to look back at some of my favourite cases and share them with you."

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Book SynopsisFeatured in multiple “must-read” lists, No One Tells You This is “sharp, intimate…A funny, frank, and fearless memoir…and a refreshing view of the possibilities—and pitfalls—personal freedom can offer modern women” (Kirkus Reviews).If the story doesn’t end with marriage or a child, what then? This question plagued Glynnis MacNicol on the eve of her fortieth birthday. Despite a successful career as a writer, and an exciting life in New York City, Glynnis was constantly reminded she had neither of the things the world expected of a woman her age: a partner or a baby. She knew she was supposed to feel bad about this. After all, single women and those without children are often seen as objects of pity or indulgent spoiled creatures who think only of themselves. Glynnis refused to be cast into either of those roles, and yet the question remained: What now? Th

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Book SynopsisAn illustrated edition of Gertrude Stein''s most well-known work, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, bursting with the bright, sophisticated, and fanciful images of artist Maira KalmanConsidered one of the richest and most irreverent biographies in history, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas was written by Gertrude Stein in the style and voice of her life partner, Alice B. Toklas. Published in 1933 and narrated by Alice, this autobiography begins with her initial move to France in 1907, the day after which she meets Gertrude, sparking a relationship that lasts for nearly four decades. Recounting the vibrant and literary life the two make for themselves among the Parisian avant-garde, Alice opens the doors to the prominent salons they held in their home at rue de Fleurus, hosting fellow expatriate American writers such as Ernest Hemingway, T. S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound as well as artists Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Man Ray, and speaks of the twilight of the Paris belle epoque. In this edition, the wildly talented Maira Kalman brings this glittering Parisian world to life, and celebrates Stein and Toklas in vivid color. Her whimsical and inimitable illustrations complement the wit and humor of Stein’s narrative, and elevate the exciting intrigues of these famous women and their friends. Inviting readers to experience this book in a completely new way, the illustrated edition of The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas will prompt a contemporary reading of this cherished and singular classic.

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Book SynopsisA Short History of Falling like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and When Breath Becomes Air is a searingly beautiful, profound and unforgettable memoir that finds light and even humour in the darkest of places.Now with a Foreword by Joe's widow, Gill HammondWe keep an old shoebox, Gill and I, nestled in a drawer in our room. It's filled with thirty-three birthday cards for our two young sons: one for every year I'll miss until they're twenty-one. I wrote them because, since the end of 2017, I've been living with and dying from motor neurone disease.This book is about the process of saying goodbye. To my body, as I journey from unexpected clumsiness to a wheelchair that resembles a spacecraft, with rods and pads and dials and bleeps. To this world, as I play less of a part in it and find myself floating off into unlighted territory. To Gill, my wife. To Tom and Jimmy.A Short History of Falling is about the sadness (and the anger, and the fear), but it's about what's beautiful tooTrade Review‘it is Hammond’s curiosity about death and his desire to report from the front line that makes this such a strangely invigorating read…his testimony deserves a place on the shelf beside When Breath Becomes Air and Late Fragments’ Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love,The Times ‘His voice is captivating, his observations are searing, and his book is a blessing. This book will inspire you even as it breaks your heart’ Kathryn Mannix, author of With the End in Mind ‘I loved this book, and read it in a day. It's surprising and uncommon and I don't think I'll ever forget it’ Sunjeev Sahota, author of The Year of the Runaways 'A Short History of Falling is a beautifully written reminder that life can be tragic as well as full of joy' Christie Watson, bestselling author of The Language of Kindness ‘Touching and tragic. It is very hard to imagine how anyone could write so lyrically,dispassionately and persuasively of their imminent demise and its effect on those around them’ James Le Fanu, author of Too Many Pills 'An inspirational, ultimately heartbreaking account of experiencing life as the nervous system fails, shared with courage and humour' Professor Stephen Westaby, author of Fragile Lives ‘It’s something of a cliché to call memoirs about a terminal illness life-affirming. But you will cherish everyone and everything you love, not to mention the capabilities of your own body, all the more dearly after reading this beautiful, devastating and stunningly written memoir’ Caroline Sanderson, Bookseller Book of the Month

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Book SynopsisTHE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERINDIE BOOK AWARDS NON-FICTION WINNER'EXTRAORDINARY' The Times, 'BEAUTIFUL' Dolly Alderton, 'SHATTERING' Observer, 'INCREDIBLE' Benjamin Zephaniah, 'UNPUTDOWNABLE' Sunday Times, 'ASTOUNDING' Matt Haig, 'POWERFUL' Elif Shafak At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a foster family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth.This is Lemn's story: a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph.Sissay reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation's best-loved poets, this moving, frank and timely memoir is the result of a life spent asking questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity.Trade ReviewA lyrical, painful and yet hope-filled memoir . . . Shattering, light-searching * * Observer * *Searing . . . Unputdownable . . . My Name Is Why is authentic and beautiful, a potential game-changer in public attitudes to children raised in care. It's about bureaucratic cruelty and what happens when love is absent. Don't miss it * * The Times * *An extraordinary story * * Sunday Times * *The most amazing thing about this book is that it's not made up. This actually happened. It is an incredible story -- BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAHI have never read a memoir like it. A blistering account of a young life in the hands of neglectful authorities. It's a quest for understanding, for home, for answers. Grips like a thriller. Astounding -- MATT HAIGThe great triumph of this work comes from its author's determination to rail against what he rightly diagnoses as this institutionally endorsed disremembering of black and marginalised experience. It is a searing and unforgettable re-creation of the most brutal of beginnings -- Michael Donkor * * Guardian * *Utterly devastating and beautiful . . . Breathtakingly written -- DOLLY ALDERTONThis is a deeply moving memoir that speaks with incredible poeticism. A staggering exposé of colonial theft and abandonment, this book is grippingly heartbreaking -- DAVID LAMMYA fascinating memoir . . . So powerful -- ELIF SHAFAKThe engaging transfiguring truth of My Name Is Why is like a baptism of truth - leaving you washed clean of lies and reborn in love. Profound in its kindness, intelligence and unselfish heart, this book is important and unputdownable -- JESSICA HYNES

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Book Synopsis''I read the first chapters at such a pace that I almost had to remind myself to breathe.'' Sunday Times''Tense, powerful and gripping... her writing style is often nothing short of beautiful - evocative and emotional.'' Adam Kay, ObserverAt seven months pregnant, intensive care doctor Rana Awdish suffered a catastrophic medical event, haemorrhaging nearly all of her blood volume and losing her unborn first child. She spent months fighting for her life in her own hospital, enduring a series of organ failures and multiple major surgeries.Every step of the way, Awdish was faced with something even more unexpected and shocking than her battle to survive: her fellow doctors' inability to see and acknowledge the pain of loss and human suffering, the result of a self-protective barrier hard-wired in medical training.In Shock is Rana Awdish''s searing account of her extraordinary journey from doctor to patient, during whichTrade ReviewOutstanding... What marks it out is not the scale or urgency of the trauma, although I read the first chapters at such a pace that I almost had to remind myself to breathe. It is the writing. It sparks and crackles with a dark energy... The writing is not just intense, but intelligent... In Shock stands above other patient memoirs. -- James McConnachie * The Sunday Times *Tense, powerful and gripping... her writing style is often nothing short of beautiful - evocative and emotional. -- Adam Kay * The Observer *In Shock is both an enthralling page-turner and a haunting call to arms for the medical profession to practice with greater kindness, compassion and humility. Awdish captures beautifully how and why doctors, against our best selves, can lose sight of our patients in furious pursuit of the diagnosis, the save, the cure. Anyone – doctor or otherwise – whose life has been touched by illness will be transfixed by this deeply moving tale of catastrophic illness and everything it teaches us. -- Rachel Clarke, author of Your Life in My Hands: A Junior Doctor's StoryAwdish looks at the way we practice medicine with a combination of love and outrage. She writes beautifully about the secret, shameful feelings many doctors feel they have to hide and she shows us how we might do better. After reading this book, I feel like a different doctor. -- Gabriel Weston, author of Direct Red: A Surgeon's StoryA brave, powerful memoir about what it is like to be both a doctor and a patient... There is a widsom that literally comes from suffering. * The Times *There are few recent books to compare it to. Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, another physician’s account of illness, ended with his death. Awdish lives to tell the tale, but her cascade of medical problems is appallingly severe. Like [Adam] Kay’s, her writing is motivated by trauma, both her own and that of her medical colleagues…The dramatic story of her illness and recovery alone would make the book compelling, but in the growing genre of medical non-fiction, it is her reflections on medical practice that really stand out. -- Dr Alexander Van Tulleken * TLS *Compelling and insightful, this story of what a doctor learns through coming close to death is packed with both action and reflection. * Cathy Rentzenbrink, bestselling author of The Last Act of Love *Urgent and supremely eloquent... In Shock is a book to set alongside the likes of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, Direct Red by Gabriel Weston and, of course, Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air. -- Caroline Sanderson * The Bookseller *An extraordinary memoir. * Daily Mail *Awdish describes her experiences powerfully... In Shock is a reminder that the sick are not subhuman, doctors are not superhuman, and that medicine needs to be human in order to truly heal. -- Sarah Ditum * Mail on Sunday *In Shock is a notable, ambitious and welcome contribution to an emerging dialogue concerning the quality and orientation of acute hospital care. -- Paul D'Alton * Irish Times *Awdish's book is the one I wished we were given as assigned reading our first year of medical school, alongside our white coats and stethoscopes ... dramatic, engaging and instructive. * New York Times *Harrowing and enlightening... This is a story of darkness and light, horror and hope. It's not an easy read, but it is a fascinating one, and highly recommended. * The Sunday Business Post *Had me hooked right from the start. Incredible story, and even more incredible story-telling... has had an unexpected impact on me and will change the way I practice medicine from here on. * Dr Ranj Singh *

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Book SynopsisFrom one of our most beloved and bestselling authors, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s.Born in 1951 in the middle of the United States, Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Bryson is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24 carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generation, Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around the house wearing a jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel round his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing evildoers (in his head) as The Thunderbolt Kid.Using his childhood fantasy life as a springboard, Bill Bryson recreates the life of his family in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality. In a period that saw the inexorable rise of television, the opening of Disneyland, the testing of the atomic bomb, and the explosion of choice in everything from food to cars, Bill Bryson's days followed in reassuringly cosy succession, enlivened by modest triumphs and disasters.Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, The Rise and Fall of the Thunderbolt Kid is a modern classic, full of Bill Bryson's inimitable, pitch-perfect observations............................................................................................................................................'Seriously funny' The Sunday Times'A funny, effortlessly readable, quietly enchanted memoir' Daily Mail'A wittily incisive book about innocence, and its limits, but in no sense an innocent book... Like Alan Bennett, another ironist posing as a sentimentalist, Bryson can play the teddy-bear and then deliver a sudden, grizzly-style swipe' Independent'Outlandishly and improbably entertaining... inevitably [I] would be reduced to body-racking, tear-inducing, de-couching laughter' New York Times'Characteristic mixture of bemused wit, acerbic astonishment and sweet benevolence... His evocation of an era is near perfect: tender, hilarious and true' The TimesTrade ReviewA wittily incisive book about innocence, and its limits, but in no sense an innocent book... Like Alan Bennett, another ironist posing as a sentimentalist, Bryson can play the teddy-bear and then deliver a sudden, grizzly-style swipe... might tell us as much about the oddities of the American way as a dozen think-tanks -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *A funny, effortlessly readable, quietly enchanted memoir... Bryson also provides a quirky social history of America... he always manages to slam on the brakes with a good joke just when things might get sentimental * Daily Mail *Characteristic mixture of bemused wit, acerbic astonishment and sweet benevolence... Evocation of an era is near perfect: tender, hilarious and true * The Times *Outlandishly and improbably entertaining... inevitably [I] would be reduced to body-racking, tear-inducing, de-couching laughter * The New York Times *Seriously funny * The Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisSoon to be a limited Netflix series starring Zoe Saldana!This Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller is “a captivating story of love lost and found” (Kirkus Reviews) set in the lush Sicilian countryside, where one woman discovers the healing powers of food, family, and unexpected grace in her darkest hours. It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on. They built a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships, and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth. Eventually, they reconciled with Saro’s family just as he faced a formidable cancer that would consume all their dreams.From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother-in-law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s romance—an incredible love story that leaps off the pages. In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. “Locke’s raw and heartfelt memoir will uplift readers suffering from the loss of their own loved ones” (Publishers Weekly), but her story is also about love, finding a home, and chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and those who needed a powerful reminder that life is...delicious.Trade Review“This beautiful memoir takes us on Tembi’s personal journey of love, parenthood, and ultimately the loss of her husband, Saro. She learns to heal in the most beautiful way—through the support of three generations of women—and yes, there’s Italian food. Lots and lots of Italian food!”—Reese Witherspoon“An utterly incandescent love story. Tembi Locke has written a deeply personal tale brimming with hope and inspiration. There is both great beauty to be found within loss, and also the opportunity for transformation for those who let life truly break them open. In this unforgettable memoir, Tembi shows us how powerful—and ultimately uplifting—that journey can be. You will be forever changed for having turned these pages.” —Claire Bidwell Smith, author of Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief"How does your love for your husband grow as a newlywed, a wife, a caregiver, and a young widow? How do you survive a love that was worth waiting for out in the rain? To try, Tembi Locke climbs volcanoes, cooks, and communes with her husband’s family in a small town in Italy. Sicily, A Love Story is a heartbreaking, but reassuring memoir of forgiveness. And Locke is a strong, joyful woman; a veteran actor who it turns out is a poet." —Helen Ellis, bestselling author of American Housewife“A marvelous memoir about taking chances, finding love, and building a home away from home. In Sicily, a Love Story, Tembi Locke writes movingly about loss, grief, and the healing miracle of food.” —Laila Lalami, author of The Moor's Account. “In her literary debut, actor and TEDx speaker Locke offers a warm memoir of romance, wrenching loss, and healing...A captivating story of love lost and found.” —Kirkus Review“Tembi Locke's moving, vivid memoir is an epic cross-cultural romance, a tragedy, a tale of self-discovery and, best of all, a testament to the simple healing powers of good food.” —Shelf Awareness“Actress and TEDx speaker Locke movingly describes the process of grieving and finding solace during three summers in Italy after the death of her husband...Locke’s raw and heartfelt memoir will uplift readers suffering from the loss of their own loved ones.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisAfter travelling to Spain at the end of 1936 with the intention of working as a correspondent for a British socialist newspaper, thirty-three-year-old George Orwell decided to join the Republican efforts to overturn Franco’s Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Having enrolled in the POUM militias, the young writer was soon forced to experience first-hand the hardships and dangers of trench warfare, before becoming involved in the Barcelona May Day street fighting and nearly being killed by a bullet on his return to the front line. Orwell’s initial idealistic dreams of a victorious fight against fascism were gradually tainted by doubt and disillusionment as the divisions and infighting within the Republican coalition became apparent. Part war memoir, part tract, part exposé, Homage to Catalonia is a pivotal work in Orwell’s œuvre, and a key to understanding his political ideas and commitment to the socialist cause. Rejected by Orwell’s long-standing publisher, Gollancz, on political grounds, it is here presented in its original version, as published by Secker & Warburg in 1938.Trade ReviewA moving eyewitness account... [A] brilliant book - Noam Chomsky

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2022 NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE2022 NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKThe diary of one of France?s most important, award-winning writers during the year she had a passionate and secret love affair with a Russian diplomat.Getting Lost is the diary Annie Ernaux kept during the year and a half she had a secret love affair with a younger, married man, a Russian diplomat. Her novel, Simple Passion, was based on this affair, but here her writing is immediate, unfiltered. In these diaries it is 1989 and Annie is divorced with two grown sons, living outside of Paris and nearing fifty. Her lover escapes the city to see her there and Ernaux seems to survive only in expectation of these encounters, saying ?his desire for me is the only thing I can be sure of.? She cannot write, she trudges distractedly through her various other commitments in the world, she awaits his next call; she lives only to feel desire and for the next rendezvous. When he is gone and the desire has faded, she feels that she is a step closer to death.Lauded for her spare prose, Ernaux here removes all artifice, her writing pared down to its most naked and vulnerable. Getting Lost is as strong a book as any that she has written, a haunting, desperate view of strong and successful woman who seduces a man only to lose herself in love and desire.

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Book SynopsisDiagnosed with Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) at aged 12 and writing this memoir at age 37, Julia Daunt depicts the ins and out of PDA and its symptoms, while maintaining a positive outlook on what is possible to achieve. Co-written with professional specialist Ruth Fidler, it covers how PDA impacts Julia's life, including meltdowns, sensory issues and communication in relationships.Including examples of school reports and handwritten letters, a chapter written from Julia's partner's perspective and even an example of Julia's favourite recipe, this warm and personal look at living and thriving with PDA is informative and inspiring.Trade ReviewThis is a unique personal insight into PDA, following Julia and her family from early childhood to present day adulthood and relationship with her partner Paul. Julia is honest about the challenges throughout, with the benefits of a positive approach and acceptance shining through. PDA individuals, family members and professionals will all benefit from reading this book. -- The PDA Society trusteesBeing Julia is a hugely insightful and eye-opening account of living with PDA. Honest, from the heart and with humour, this book is very informative and will give hope to parents who are wondering what happens when their children become adults. Being Julia is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand more about PDA. -- Steph Curtis, parent of a PDA girl and blog writer at www.stephstwogirls.co.ukThis biography has been put together so it describes PDA like a text book whilst simultaneously telling Julia's individual story, making clear that it's her personal experience, and other PDA experiences will be different. Being a fellow adult PDAer, I had been excited to read Julia's biography, and quickly discovered astounding similarities between us, as well as differences, revealed in her honest account. I think this is what makes Being Julia so important: it shines a clear light, from the inside outwards, onto what PDA is. -- Sally Cat, adult PDAer author and illustratorTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. What is PDA?; 2. Childhood - the younger years; 3.Childhood: Growing up; 4. Making sense of my PDA; 5. My avoidance; 6. Sensory differences; 7. Language and communication; 8. Friendships and relationships; 9. Meltdowns; 10. Events and Appointments; 11. Julia through Paul's lens; 12. Now and next; References

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Book Synopsis'Someone has written that all art aspires to the condition of music. My experience is that all art, including all music, aspires to the condition of horse-racing.' This collection of essays leads the reader into the searching and wildly fertile imagination of Gerald Murnane, one of the masters of contemporary Australian writing, author of the classics Border Districts and Tamarisk Row, and winner of the Patrick White Literary Award. He writes of himself: as a boy making racehorses of his marbles, an obsession shared with Jack Kerouac; as a writer, working his first ten years in secret; as a reader, trying to understand the mystery of the right sentence by way of Virginia Woolf and Robert Frost; as a teacher, exploring the endless ways in which words can express the contours of our thoughts. From these vantage points Murnane sees the worlds of significance that lie within, or just beyond, the everyday details of Australian life. Carrying the reader with him across the valleys, plains and grasslands of his mind, this singular author creates an immersive landscape in which every word has its own space, shape and weight.Trade Review`As a writer, Murnane is [thus] a radical idealist' J.M. Coetzee ----`Strange and wonderful and nearly impossible to describe.' New York Times ---- `Murnane, a genius, is a worthy heir to Beckett.' Teju Cole

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Book SynopsisA heartfelt and moving recollection by Sandra Sabatini, the author of the classic Breath, of her encounters and training under the guidance of Vanda Scaravelli, whose book Awakening the Spine inspired generations of yoga practitioners. With photographs by David Darom.

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Book SynopsisA book about intense physical and personal experience, narrating how Victoria Whitworth began swimming in the cold waters of Orkney as a means of escaping a failing marriage. This is a memoir of intense physical and personal experience, exploring how swimming with seals, gulls and orcas in the cold waters off Orkney provided Victoria Whitworth with an escape from a series of life crises and helped her to deal with intolerable loss. It is also a treasure chest of history and myth, local folklore and archaeological clues, giving us tantalising glimpses of Pictish and Viking men and women, those people lost to history, whose long-hidden secrets are sometimes yielded up by the land and sea.Trade ReviewThere's no shortage of books about wild swimming... Perhaps the most intriguing of the lot is Swimming with Seals' * Scotland on Sunday *onderfully evocative... Fascinating... The writing is consistently alert and engaging' * Scotsman *Attentive, astute and beautiful... I adored it' -- Amy Liptrot, author of The OutrunI finished this book wanting to find a cold lido, or jump into a lake, or walk into the cold sea and stay there for as long as I could stand it, and then do it again * Guardian *Each little "dreamlike postcard" in this captivating book takes you deeper into the world novelist Victoria Whitworth experienced as a sea-swimmer in the wild waters of Orkney' * Sainsbury's Magazine *The author's descriptions of the coastline in Orkney and the savannah in Kenya, where she spent some of her childhood, are sharp and original... enjoy wallowing in the richness of her theological, philosophical and literary knowledge' * The National *An eloquent celebration of swimming in the cold waters of Orkney and a fascinating memoir * Half Man Half Book *A tale of redemption through nature and water's powerful ability to heal * Outdoor Photography *Intelligent, wide-reaching memoir... somehow refreshing, and calming, even in its introspection' * The Bookseller. *Absorbing and thrilling -- Ella Foote, Outdoor SwimmingThe first thing that hooked me into this story was the sea... An unusual [memoir]' * Evening Standard *She writes beautifully of selkies and mermaids * Guardian *This isn't really a book about swimming at all, but a book about how we are controlled by the voices of the dead; about how the whole of life is necessarily a seance. That's a humbling perspective * Five Books *An extraordinary book * TLS *An intensely painful and personal memoir... This tapestry of myth, folklore and history, woven alongside her own story, imbues it with extra meaning and emotion. You'll be raring to jump into the freezing cold sea after reading this' * Scotland Magazine *

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Book SynopsisEric Ngalle thought he was leaving Cameroon for a better life... Instead of arriving in Belgium to study for a degree in economics he ended up in one of the last countries he would have chosen to visit - Russia. Having seen his passport stolen, Eric endured nearly two years battling a hostile environment as an illegal immigrant while struggling with the betrayal that tore his family apart and prompted his exit. This painfully honest and often brutal account of being trapped in a subculture of deceit and crime gives a rare glimpse behind the headlines of a global concern.

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Book SynopsisIn Superyacht Captain, a professional at the zenith of the world''s most lavish and exclusive industry gives a rare insight into a career that is entertaining, instructive and at times daunting in its scale.The tale of an ordinary boy whose career takes him on a most extraordinary journey, this book begins with Brendan messing about in boats in a sleepy coastal Australian town, and ends with him becoming one of the most successful and respected superyacht captains in the World the consummate ''Billionaire''s Captain''. Spanning two decades and circling the globe, his story intimately draws readers into the real world of superyachts, their crew and their owners. It is Brendan's love letter to an industry he respects and holds so dear to his heart.It''s the story of stepping out and embracing uncertainty - failing, learning and repeating - weaving in in the lessons he's learned as he's progressed from deck hand to captain, Brendan''s insights are valuable for anyone leadTrade ReviewSuperyacht Captain is the Kitchen Confidential of yachting. -- Evan Osnos, Winner of the American Book Award, and author of Age of AmbitionA realistic view that gets beyond both the glamour and horror stories...a rewarding read for any any Nautilus member considerign a shift into the superyacht industry. * Nautilus Telegraph *the writing is vivid, the experiences fascinating, and the insights of interest even to skippers of more modest vessels. * Yachting Monthly *Table of ContentsPrologue PART 1: My journey: before the captain was the boy You can have the shoes What’s ‘porn’ in Russian? There is no second place To lead to excel The tuck and tape How much for the flag? Greed is good PART 2: Best of the best Learning the ‘why’ It’s not about the boat Wind of change Master under God Run, Forrest, run Advancing my journey Will it be rough tonight? Making better decisions A defining moment A personal board of directors Is that the Prince? I thought he was taller Parties and paparazzi Everything has a purpose Fantasy staff game Waitlessness The illusion of normalcy Saint-Tropez sunset Bubbles and troubles Driving Miss Daisy Ego is the enemy Is that Santa? The helicopter view When perfect is not good enough Time to say goodbye Endnote

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature • Named a Best Book of 2022 by Kirkus, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness • Named a Best Book of July by Buzzfeed • A Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction 2022 Summer Read • Observer Book of the Week • Lammy Finalist“The most beautiful prose I’ve read in years.”—Alexander Chee, The Atlantic • Rapturous...Hewitt beautifully illuminates his own darknesses so that we might also see our own.—Melissa Febos, The New York Times Book Review • “Exquisitely written.”—Claire Messud, Harper’s MagazineWhen Seán Hewitt meets Elias, the two fall headlong into a love story. But as Elias struggles with severe mental illness, they soon come face-to-face with crisis.All Down Darkness Wide is

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Book SynopsisSue Klebold is the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two shooters at Columbine High School in 1999 who killed 13 people before ending their own lives, a tragedy that saddened and galvanized the nation. She has spent the last 15 years excavating every detail of her family life, and trying to understand the crucial intersection between mental health problems and violence. Instead of becoming paralyzed by her grief and remorse, she has become a passionate and effective agent working tirelessly to advance mental health awareness and intervention.Trade ReviewGripping, troubling and compelling * Guardian *Should be required reading for parents of adolescents ... a book of nobility and importance * The Times *Unsparing and intelligent ... an immensely powerful read * Sunday Times *As harrowing as it is important * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisBest known for his academt award-winning role as Dith Pran in "The Killing Fields", for Haing Ngor his greatest performance was not in Hollywood but in the rice paddies and labour camps of war-torn Cambodia. Here, in his memoir of life under the Khmer Rouge, is a searing account of a country's descent into hell. His was a world of war slaves and execution squads, of senseless brutality and mind-numbing torture; where families ceased to be and only a very special love could soar above the squalor, starvation and disease. An eyewitness account of the real killing fields by an extraordinary survivor, this book is a reminder of the horrors of war - and a testament to the enduring human spirit.Trade ReviewProfound, personal, and proud . . . one of the more important autobiographies of our time. * Los Angeles Times *Ngor shows the awful price he paid to play his role so brilliantly. His well-crafted book makes an unimaginable horror come to life. * Washington Post Book World *A superb book . . . perhaps the best . . . so far . . . on what it is like . . . to live under the still inexplicable horrors of the Khmer Rouge. * Sunday Times *The best book on Cambodia ever published. * Chicago Tribune *A terrible and thrilling story. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book Synopsis21ST ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY IRVINE WELSHHe was Britain's most wanted man. He spent seven years in America's toughest penitentiary. You'll like him.During the mid 1980s Howard Marks had forty three aliases, eighty nine phone lines and owned twenty five companies throughout the world. At the height of his career he was smuggling consignments of up to thirty tons of marijuana, and had contact with organisations as diverse as MI6, the CIA, the IRA and the Mafia. Following a worldwide operation by the Drug Enforcement Agency, he was arrested and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison at the Terre Haute Penitentiary, Indiana. He was released in April 1995 after serving seven years of his sentence. Told with humour, charm and candour, Mr Nice is his own extraordinary story.'The story of a remarkable life, lived by the very brilliant and exceptionally wonderful Mr Nice'Irvine Welsh'Frequently hilarious, occasionally sad, and often surreal'GQ'A man who makes Peter Pan look like a geriatric'Loaded'A folk legend'Daily MailTrade ReviewFrequently hilarious, occasionally sad, and often surreal * GQ *A folk legend... Howard Marks has huge charisma. He sounds like Richard Burton and looks like a Rolling Stone * Daily Mail *A man who makes Peter Pan look like a geriatric with sleeping sickness * Loaded *Racy...with plenty of globe trotting colour * Independent *

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Book Synopsis**PRE-ORDER NOW: MURDER ISN''T EASY: THE FORENSICS OF AGATHA CHRISTIE, THE FASCINATING NEW BOOK BY CARLA VALENTINE**''Part memoir and part manifesto, Valentine''s book lifts the lid on daily life in the mortuary . . . Valentine bares her own soul . . . with visceral attention to physical and emotional detail'' - Wendy Moore, Guardian''A fascinating portrait . . . one seriously intriguing read'' - Glamour''A grisly topic, but a glorious read'' - Mail on SundayA day in the life of Carla Valentine - curator, pathology technician and ''death professional'' - is not your average day. She spent ten years training and working as an Anatomical Pathology Technologist: where the mortuary slab was her desk, and that day''s corpses her task list.Past Mortems tells Carla''s stories of those years, as well as investigating the body alongside our attitudes towards death - shedding light on what tTrade ReviewIt is an understatement to say that Valentine is passionate about embracing death ... Part memoir and part manifesto, Valentine's book lifts the lid on daily life in the mortuary ... [Valentine] bares her own soul ... with visceral attention to physical and emotional detail -- Wendy Moore Guardian a fascinating portrait ... one seriously intriguing read Glamour There are sections of Valentine's writing that fondly brought back my first post-mortem experience. Rather than listening to the pathologist's monologue about coronary arteries, I was mesmerised by the painstaking focus of the APT ... Valentine succeeds in presenting her trade as a caring one. -- Kate Womersley Spectator

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Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewHe can tell a good story against himself, and his pleasure in the beauty of the countryside in which he works is infectious. * The Daily Telegraph *Full of warmth, wisdom and wit. * The Field *It is a pleasure to be in James Herriot's company. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisBoth a gripping tale of adventure and a poetic meditation, Antoine de Saint Exupéry''s Wind, Sand and Stars is the lyrical autobiography of an aviation pioneer, from the author of The Little Prince. This Penguin Modern Classics edition is translated from the French with an introduction by William Rees.In 1926 de Saint-Exupéry began flying for the pioneering airline Latécoère - later known as Aéropostale - opening up the first mail routes across the Sahara and the Andes. Wind, Sand and Stars is drawn from this experience. Interweaving encounters with nomadic Arabs and other adventures into a richly textured autobiographical narrative, it has its climax in the extraordinary story of Saint-Exupéry''s crash in the Libyan Desert in 1936, and his miraculous survival. ''Self-discovery comes when a man measures himself against an obstacle,'' writes Saint-Exupéry. This book explores the transcendent perceptions that arise when life is tested to its limits.

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Book SynopsisFully updated to include a new introduction by Lynda Thomas, CEO of Macmillan Cancer Support.''I can''t bear not to be with these three most important people in my life. I can''t bear not to be there alongside Mark as my children grow up. My bright, funny, affectionate boys who are never embarrassed to say, love you mummy, and say it ten times day.'' Renowned as a much-loved and highly respected BBC journalist, Victoria Derbyshire has spent 20 years finding the human story behind the headlines. In 2015 she found herself at the heart of the news, with a devastating breast cancer diagnosis. With honesty and openness, she decided to live out her treatment and recovery in the spotlight in a series of video diaries that encouraged thousands to seek diagnosis and help. Victoria has kept a diary since she was nine years old and in DEAR CANCER, LOVE VICTORIA she shares her day to day experiences of life following her diagnosis and coming to Trade ReviewVictoria is exactly the type of friend everyone would want by their side after being diagnosed with cancer. Although her story is at times heartbreaking, it is also frank, funny and succeeds in demystifying an illness often discussed in hushed tones. -- Elizabeth Archer * DAILY EXPRESS *'This powerful account of Victoria Derbyshire's struggle to deal with her breast cancer diagnosis is told with honesty and courage that gives strength to those touched by cancer.' DAILY TELEGRAPH[Victoria Derbyshire] shares her day to day experiences of life folloiwng her diagnosis and coming to terms with a future that wasn't planned. From the moment she woke up to find her right breast had collapsed, to telling her partner and children, through to mastectomy and chemotherapy, we are there with her. * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *'Wonderful, courageous, spirited and just plain honest...a gift to all those folk who are suddenly blasted into the scary, bleak world of cancer.' Dame Julie Walters'Truly brilliant' Claudia Winkleman'A really good, searingly honest book...a must read' Lorraine Kelly'A powerful diary... highlighting the huge value of support.' Susanna ReidThe broadcaster - and mother of two - has written an affectingly honest diary of her treatment for breast cancer. * READERS DIGEST *

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Book SynopsisMartha is now in her thirties. Her daughter has left home and she is lonely and vulnerable. The hard knocks have taken their toll on her health, and as she looks into the years still lying ahead of her, she shakes her head, feeling she hasn't the heart or the strength to go on. As she teeters on the brink of a nervous breakdown, a phone call summons ghosts from the past. She discovers that one of the family is dead and the others need her help. Martha returns and when she comes face to face with the evil, psychotic Jackser, she can no longer suppress the nightmares of her childhood. A suicide attempt sees her admitted to the 'mad house', where a hunger strike takes her even nearer to death. But finally she sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Could love in an unexpected form pull her back from the brink?Trade ReviewBlunt, moving and laugh-out-loud funny * Irish World *

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Book SynopsisThe Girl and the Ghosts is the third book from well-loved foster carer and Sunday Times bestselling author Angela Hart.‘So, is it a girl or a boy, and how old?’ Jonathan asked as soon as we were alone in the shop.My husband knew from the animated look on my face, and the way I was itching to talk to him, that our social worker had been asking us to look after another child. Seven-year-old Maria holds lots of secrets. Why won’t she tell how she got the bruises on her body? Why does she run and hide? And why does she so want to please her sinister stepfather?It takes years for devoted foster carer Angela Hart to uncover the truth as she helps Maria leave the ghosts of her past behind.Trade ReviewPraise for Angela Hart:A true tear-jerking tale of love and compassion * Sunday Mirror *

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Book SynopsisTHE LITERARY SENSATION THAT STORMED THE WORLDTHE PHENOMENAL FRENCH BESTSELLER HAS SOLD 350,000 COPIESTHE BOOK THAT SPARKED THE VIRAL #METOOINCEST MOVEMENTA family's secret weighs on everyone...THE FAMILIA GRANDE is a tender, groundbreaking and lacerating memoir written by a sister who could no longer remain silent... Set in amongst the French intellectual elite in Paris and their lavender scented estates in Provence, it tells a story of a corrosive secret that sits in a family for decades and ultimately razes it and the political, literary elite that enabled its silence, to the ground.Already an international bestseller, it has touched a nerve across the globe and has brought about a powerful reckoning of incest, and its far-reaching trauma.The Familia Grande is a book of a generation.'The courage of a sister who could no longer keep quiet.' - EMMANUEL MACRON'Powerful.' - THE TIMES'Camille's battle to liberate herself from a painful family secret has touched a nerve across France' - THE NEW YORK TIMES

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Book SynopsisThe first memoir by an indigenous tribal leader in the Amazon, who fought Big Oil to preserve her tribe's territories, and thousands of acres of pristine rainforest.

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Book SynopsisOne determined man, a mob of baby kangaroo orphans and a story full of heart.

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Book SynopsisAn intimate and moving portrait of a family combined with an account of the events which swept through Africa in the post-independence period.Aminatta Forna's intensely personal history is a passionate and vivid account of an African childhood of an idyll that became a nightmare. As a child she witnessed the upheavals of post-colonial Africa, the bitterness of exile in Britain and the terrible consequences of her dissident father's stand against tyranny.Mohamed Forna, a man of unimpeachable integrity and great charisma, was a new star in the political firmament Sierra Leone as the country faced its future as a fledgling democracy. Always a political firebrand, he was one of the first black students to come to Britain after the war. In Aberdeen he stole the heart of Aminatta''s mother, to the dismay of her Presbyterian parents, and returned with her to Sierra Leone. But the new ways of Western parliamentary democracy were tearing old Africa apart, giving rise only to dictatorships and Trade Review‘This is a book of quite extraordinary power and beauty. Aminatta Forna has excavated not only her memory but the hidden recesses of the heart.’ Fergal Keane ‘An extraordinary and gripping story…Aminatta Forna’s book glows with compassion. A modern classic, of which her courageous father would have been proud.’ Peter Gowin, author of ‘Mukiwa’ ‘An engrossing account of pain, love and discovery that had the capacity not only to make me understand but also to move me to tears’ Gillian Slovo, author of ‘Every Secret Thing’ ‘I had tears in my eyes almost the whole way through, although it is the least sentimental of books…Aminatta Forna manages, quite brilliantly, to evoke not only all the honour and pity that is in her family’s story, but its beauty and tenderness too.’ Katie Hickman, author of ‘Daughters of Britannia’

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Book SynopsisThe national best-selling autobiography of Bill Graham, the colorful, larger-than-life architect of the modern concert industry

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Book SynopsisAn English and updated version of Hanner Amser, published in 2008. Nigel Owens is a familiar figure on stage and television, and is considered one of the best rugby referees in the world. But before reaching his current status in the world of professional rugby, he went through an excruciating personal crisis. A hardback version is also available. Reprint.

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Book Synopsis‘Security guards told the police that they were surprised by assailants who had somehow evaded the sophisticated security system. They could not say how many robbers there were…it appears to be one of the biggest robberies in U.S. history.’ New York Times, front page In 1993 $7.4 million was stolen from the Brink’s Armored Car Depot in Rochester, New York, the fifth largest robbery in US history. Sam Millar was a member of the gang who carried out the robbery. He was caught, found guilty and incarcerated, before being set free by Bill Clinton's government as an essential part of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. This remarkable book is Sam's story, from his childhood in Belfast, membership of the IRA, time spent in Long Kesh internment camps and the Brinks heist and aftermath. Unputdownable.Trade Review“On The Brinks tells the story of [Millar] an IRA activist imprisoned in the worst jails in Ireland, prior to one of the most famous robberies in American history. It this were fiction, it would be an excellent thriller, but it’s a true story, sustained by terrific writing.” * Rolling Stone Magazine *“The indomitable Irish. On The Brinks is an amazing book built in two stages. Belfast, firstly, New York, each other. Two cities for two extraordinary lives. The story of those years is terrible humiliation, torture, acts of barbarism, man reduced to the level of a beast. Between Nazi concentration camps and gulags, Long Kesh finds its place among these horrors.” * Le Figaro *“This man {Millar} is a true force of nature…with a strong will, a spirit unswervingly tough. On The Brinks is a piece of history narrated with humor, humility and simplicity. How can such a combination be possible? Yet it is true and an incredible story of Sam Millar, the indomitable Irish. Grab a copy now.” -- Corine Pirozzi * Huffington Post *“Mesmerizing and fascinating, On The Brinks is one of the most revealing and powerful memoirs you will ever read.” * New York Journal of Books *…many twists and turns…perfect for a film… * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisThe sequel to I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS'A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman' Barack ObamaMaya Angelou's volumes of autobiography are a testament to the talents and resilience of this extraordinary writer. Loving the world, she also knows its cruelty. As a black woman she has known discrimination and extreme poverty, but also hope, joy, achievement and celebration. In the sequel to her bestselling I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou is a young mother in California, unemployed, embarking on brief affairs and transient jobs in shops and night-clubs, turning to prostitution and the world of narcotics. Maya Angelou powerfully captures the struggles and triumphs of her passionate life with dignity, wisdom, humour and humanity.'She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace . . . She will always be the rainbow in my clouds' OPRAH WINFREY 'She was important in so many ways. She launched African American women writing in the United States. She was generous to a fault. She had nineteen talents - used ten. And was a real original. There is no duplicate' TONI MORRISONTrade ReviewA brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal womanThe poems and stories she wrote . . . were gifts of wisdom and wit, courage and graceShe moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace . . . She will always be the rainbow in my clouds -- Oprah WinfreyShe was important in so many ways. She launched African American women writing in the United States. She was generous to a fault. She had nineteen talents - used ten. And was a real original. There is no duplicate -- Toni MorrisonThis is the story of a great heroine who knows the meaning of a struggle and never loses her pride or dignity. Indeed, her story makes me proud of the human race -- John Oliver KillensEngrossing and vital, rich and funny and wise . . . Angelou writes like a song, and like the truth * New York Times Book Review *Angelou's stature as a writer, a woman, a black, grows, walks tall * Kirkus Reviews *

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Book SynopsisSUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERDear Leader contains astonishing new insights about North Korea which could only be revealed by someone working high up in the regime. It is also the gripping story of how a member of the inner circle of this enigmatic country became its most courageous, outspoken critic.Jang Jin-sung held one of the most senior ranks in North Korea's propaganda machine, helping tighten the regime's grip over its people. Among his tasks were developing the founding myth of North Korea, posing undercover as a South Korean intellectual and writing epic poems in support of the dictator, Kim Jong-il.Young and ambitious, his patriotic work secured him a bizarre audience with Kim Jong-il himself, thus granting him special status as one of the 'Admitted'. This meant special food provisions, a travel pass and immunity from prosecution and harm. He was privy to state secrets, including military and diplomatic policies, how the devastating 'Scrutiny' was effected, and the real position of one of the country's most powerful, elusive men, Im Tong-ok. Because he was praised by the Dear Leader himself, he had every reason to feel satisfied with his lot and safe.Yet he could not ignore his conscience, or the disparity between his life and that of those he saw starving on the street. After breaking security rules, Jang Jin-sung, together with a close friend, was forced to flee for his life: away from lies and deceit, towards truth and freedom.Trade ReviewA searing true story that takes the reader to some of the most frightening places on earth...utterly compelling...real lyricism...As an historical document, this is an enormously important book that deserves the widest possible readership. As a story of survival, it is an instant classic. * The Times *Extraordinary...exciting...A rare portrait of life and death in North Korea...This year a United Nations commission of enquiry found that the Kim regime has committed crimes against humanity. The commission warned China that its treatment of Koreans violated international law. It recommended that the case be tried by the International Criminal Court or a UN tribunal. One day that will happen, and this book will be part of the indictment. * Sunday Times *As one of the most prominent North Koreans in exile in South Korea, Jang Jin-sung is eminently placed to interpret North Korea...His memoirs change the way we look at the country...they offer a radically different explanation of who holds power in North Korea and the historical sequence of events leading up to this situation. As such they are an absolute must-read for those who wish to formulate a sensible action plan [for the country]. -- Remco Breuker, Professor of Korean Studies, University of LeidenA fascinating insider account… a testament to Mr Jang’s literary flair * Economist *Harrowing...important and convincing...A major contribution to understanding what appears to be a nation impossible to understand * Observer *

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Book Synopsis‘It won’t happen to me. That’s what I thought when I got on the plane to Venezuela. But it did – I got caught.’Caught smuggling half a million euros’ worth of cocaine, Paul Keany was sexually assaulted by Venezuelan anti-drugs officers before being sentenced to eight years in the notorious Los Teques prison outside Caracas. There he was plunged into a nightmarish world of coke-fuelled killings, gun battles, stabbings, extortion and forced hunger strikes until finally, just over two years into his sentence, he gained early parole and embarked on a daring escape from South America . . .Aided by his extensive prison diaries, Keany reveals the true horror of life inside Los Teques: a shocking underworld behind bars where inmates pay protection money to stay alive, prostitutes do the rounds and vast amounts of cocaine are smuggled in for cell-block bosses to sell on to prisoners for huge profits. The Cocaine Diaries is a remarkable story, told by Keany with honesty, courage and even humour, despite knowing that every day behind bars might have been his last.

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Book SynopsisFor over fifty years, Freddie Foreman's name has commanded respect, and occasionally fear, from those who work to uphold the law - and those who operate just outside of it. With almost all of his compatriots - like the notorious Kray twins - now gone, Freddie is the last real gangster.A true entrepreneur and businessman, Freddie was one of the great personalities of the criminal underworld. A man of principle, protective of his family and unfailingly loyal to his friends, Freddie was someone who could be relied upon with complete confidence in all circumstances. Running with the Krays is the no-holds-barred account of life alongside the Kray twins - as well as dozens of other recognisable 'Faces' - and the exciting and glamorous world they lived.

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Book Synopsis‘I Found My Tribe is inspiring, humbling and a picture of what love really looks like’ Marian KeyesAn invocation to all of us to love as hard as we can, and live even harder, I Found My Tribe is an urgent and uplifting letter to a husband, family, friends, the natural world and the brightness of life.Ruth’s tribe are her lively children and her filmmaker husband, Simon, who has Motor Neurone Disease and can only communicate with his eyes. Ruth’s other ‘tribe’ are the friends who gather at the cove in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, and regularly throw themselves into the freezing cold water, just for kicks. ‘The Tragic Wives’ Swimming Club’, as they jokingly call themselves, meet to cope with the extreme challenges life puts in their way, not to mention the monster waves rolling over the horizon.‘Fitzmaurice tells her story in sparkling prose that is as sinewy as her new sea-strengthened body, and as admirable and boundless as her spirit’, Sunday Times‘Uplifting and life-affirming’ StylistTrade ReviewOne of the year’s most arresting, humbling and acute memoirs. It is a catch-in-the-throat, life-affirming work that you want to gulp down in one and recommend to all your friends. Fitzmaurice tells her story in sparkling prose that is as sinewy as her new sea-strengthened body, and as admirable and boundless as her spirit -- Helen Davies * The Sunday Times *I Found My Tribe is written with such lightness of touch that it’s life-affirming, powerfully so. Yes, sometimes I was breathless from stabs of pain, but this book reads almost like poetry. In beguiling, luminous words Ruth tells her story in a seemingly scattergun way… as the overall picture builds up like a mosaic made from shiny beautiful things… I Found My Tribe is inspiring, humbling and a picture of what love really looks like. An astonishingly beautiful book by an astonishingly beautiful person -- Marian KeyesUplifting and life-affirming, this is a manifesto to live as hard and as well as you can * Stylist *A powerful, emotional, poetic, funny, philosophical and courageous work of art ... a joyful, raw, urgent invitation to her readers to 'just dive' -- into the sea, and into life. Dive in, she urges, no matter what horrors life flings your way * Irish Times *Ruth Fitzmaurice's beautiful book is an enraptured cry at life's gifts and griefs ... Life-affirming and full of love, this book is a clarion call to live life to the full: to dive in for a swim and be brave -- Book of the Month * Psychologies Magazine *Fitzmaurice's brilliantly lyrical ear and gentle humour makes this a none-too-distant relative to the likes of Joan Didion and Cheryl Strayed * Irish Independent *A vivid and beautifully written work, that chronicles a life of joy and frustration and coping and celebration and swimming against the tide and all those points in between * RTE Guide *This debut is set to become a global bestseller -- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly meets Calendar Girls, with a splash of Roger Deakin. It is one of a number of recent books by women riding the crest of a wild-swimming wave. Fitzmaurice's memoir, though, is likely to be the one that exerts the greatest tidal pull -- Helen Davies * The Sunday Times *Deceptively simple prose, laced with clever imagery, emotional complexity and heart -- Róisín Ingle * Irish Times *A moving memoir of family life, coping with her husband's motor neurone disease and the icy joys of wild sea swimming -- Best Non-Fiction * Good Housekeeping *

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Book SynopsisLove & War in London is rooted in the extraordinary milieu of wartime London. Vibrant and engaging, Olivia Cockett's diary reveals her frustrations, fears, pleasures and self-doubts. She recorded her mood swings and tried to understand them, and wrote of her lover (a married man) and the intense relationship they had. As she and her friends and family in New Scotland Yard were swept up by the momentous events of another European war, she vividly reported on what she saw and heard in her daily life. Hers is a diary that brings together the personal and the public. It permits us to understand how one intelligent, imaginative woman struggled to make sense of her life, as the city in which she lived was drawn into the turmoil of a catastrophic war.

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Book SynopsisThe autobiography of Mary Quant—the inventor of the miniskirt—was originally published in 1966 at the height of Swinging London. After opening her groundbreaking boutique Bazaar on London’s King’s Road in 1955, Quant soared to international fame with her brand of witty style that fitted perfectly with modern city life. She was at the forefront of fashion’s democratization—seeking to eliminate snobbery and “make fashionable clothes available to everyone.” Her joyful, evocative autobiography captures the world in which she found inspiration—and which she ultimately helped to define and change.Trade Review‘breathless but absorbing’ -- Burlington Magazine, July 2019

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