Memoirs Books

Book Synopsis''Vivid and poignant ... A powerful memoir of a particularly unusual childhood'' ObserverIn the turbulent late seventies, six-year-old Susanna Crossman moved with her mother and siblings from a suburban terrace to a crumbling mansion deep in the English countryside. They would share their new home with over fifty other residents from all over the world, armed with worn paperbacks on ecology, Marx and radical feminism, drawn together by utopian dreams of remaking the world. They did not leave for fifteen years.While the Adults adopted new names and liberated themselves from domestic roles, the Kids ran free. In the community, nobody was too young to discuss nuclear war and children learned not to expect wiped noses or regular bedtimes. Instead, they made a home in a house with no locks or keys, never knowing when they opened doors whether they'd find violent political debates or couples writhing under sheets.Decades later, and armed with hindsight, Crossman asks what happens to children who are raised as the product of social experiments. Revisiting her past, she turns to leading thinkers in philosophy, sociology and anthropology to examine the society she grew up in, and the many meanings of family and home. ''Ambitious, compelling ... The diarist's sense of urgency and the child's creative use of language have stayed with her, often producing vivid prose'' Financial Times

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Book SynopsisThe poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice.Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a post-war Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst his mother was forced to steal bread to feed her starving children. Life was tough and from the moment Jeff could walk he learned to go door to door, begging rags from the rich, which he sold down the markets. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, and found himself, before the age of thirty, a millionaire.Then, after a cruel twist of fate left him penniless, he, his wife and children were forced out of their beautiful home . . .With nothing but holes in his pockets, Jeff had no alternative but to go back down the markets and start all over again. Did he still have what it took? Could he really get back everything he had lost?A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams is the heartwarming true story of a little boy who had

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn absolutely fascinating book ... Really interesting stories and insights * RTÉ Radio 1 *An absolute must-read ... as page turning as a crime novel * Irish Examiner *

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Book Synopsis''He''s one of the best players I''ve ever played with. As a forward, I''d say he''s the best.'' Johnny SextonSeán O''Brien does not come from a traditional rugby background. He grew up on a farm in Tullow, far from the rugby hotbeds of Limerick and Cork or the fee-paying schools of Dublin. But as he made his way up through the ranks, it soon became clear that he was a very special player and a very special personality. Now, Seán O''Brien tells the remarkable and unlikely story of his rise to the highest levels of world rugby, and of a decade of success with Leinster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.Trade ReviewA really, really honest and revealing read -- Matt Cooper * Today FM *Fuel is about revelation - not so much the late-night, boozy, tops-off revelation, although there is a good bit of that. It's more about the baring of his vulnerabilities and driving forces * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis''Like nothing else you will read'' Hilary MantelTop 25 History Books of the Year, The Times - the perfect gift for book lovers this Christmas!Every day a beloved father dies. Every day a lover departs. Every day a woman turns forty.All three happening together brings a moment of reckoning.Medieval historian Elizabeth Boyle made sense of these events the best way she knew how - by immersing herself in the literature that has been her first love and life''s work for over two decades.Fierce Appetites is the exhilarating and deeply humane result. Not only does Elizabeth Boyle write dazzling accounts of ancient stories, familiar and obscure, from Ireland and further afield, but she uses her historical learning to grapple with the raw and urgent questions she faces, questions that have bedevilled people in every age. She writes on grief, addiction, family breakdown, the complexities of motherhood, love and sex, memorTrade ReviewA book of blazing honesty that allows all the gorgeous complexity of the past into our messy present to remind us we've always been like this -- Max PorterReally REALLY good -- Siobhán McSweeneyBoyle has the skill to move us between the raw and the refined, the mind and the body, the past and the present, the mundane and the marvellous without ever losing control of her dark materials -- Fintan O'TooleAn astounding piece of writing -- David PerryJust as brilliant and hard to define as everyone says it is. You should read it. You will both learn things and be entertained -- Jan CarsonAn eloquent plea for the value of curiosity and the life of the mind, standing up the robustness of scholarship against the frailty of individuals, the resilience of myth against brittle daily preoccupations. It's an agile story, irreverent, capacious and constantly surprising: like nothing else you will read -- Hilary MantelPure nectar for the imagination, and it's my book of 2022 -- Clodagh Finn * Irish Examiner *Bracingly honest, fiery, funny, scholarly, Fierce Appetites really is a wildly good book -- Hilary FanninI just love it -- John ConnollyUnusual, arresting and genuinely enriching -- Sharon Arbuthnot * Irish Times *Highly original . . . engagingly candid [and] thought-provoking -- Martina Devlin * Irish Independent *I loved this luminous, radical book about bodies in time. It is a deeply personal history, that simultaneously brings medieval myth and poetry to breathing, bleeding life. An education for the mind and the heart -- Clare PollardFiercely smart, strange, surprising -- Jennifer O'Connell * Irish Times *Extremely intriguing . . . I found myself completely absorbed. Fascinating -- Ryan TubridyEverything is illuminated, magnified, revisioned: sexual desire, motherhood, family. Her writing is unorthodox, unnerving, and very exciting -- Tanya Shadrick, author of The Cure for SleepAn outstanding achievement. Fierce Appetites defies easy categorization, is brilliantly written and simply deserves to be read -- Darach Ó SéaghdhaI absolutely loved this utterly original book. Immersing myself in Elizabeth Boyle's considerable brain was a true privilege, and the way she uses medieval narratives to unpick her own present was endlessly surprising and beautiful. I read it in two sittings, devouring her perspective on life, love, loss -- Clover Stroud[A] marvellous, astonishing, funny, moving, wise, reflective, deeply scholarly, fascinating book -- Aidan O'SullivanAll twelve essays are freighted with that fierceness the title trumpets * RTÉ Guide *This book is extraordinary . . . a wonderful work of women's memoir -- Sinéad Crowley

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Book Synopsis''A gorgeously exuberant account. . . writing that is natural and vivacious . . . a fascinating and hugely enjoyable read.'' Bernardine Evaristo, from the IntroductionTravelling over from Jamaica as a teenager, Barbara''s journey is remarkable. She finds her footing in TV, and blossoms. Covering incredible celebrity stories, travelling around the world and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Germaine Greer and Michael Caine - her life sparkles. But with the responsibility of being the first black woman reporting on TV comes an enormous amount of pressure, and a flood of hateful letters and complaints from viewers that eventually costs her the job.In the aftermath of this fallout, she goes through a period of self-discovery that allows her to carve out a new space for herself first in the UK and then back home in Jamaica - one that allows her to embrace and celebrate her black identity, rather than feeling suffocated in her attempts to emulate whiteness and conform to the culture around her.Growing Out provides a dazzling, revelatory depiction of race and womanhood in the 1960s from an entirely unique perspective.A title in the Black Britain: Writing Back series - selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, this series rediscovers and celebrates pioneering books depicting black Britain that remap the nation.Trade ReviewA beautiful book. Her writing is just so dynamic and alive -- Bernardine EvaristoIt is a fascinating book, both for [Barbara Blake Hannah's] vivid descriptions of her new life in Britain . . . and for the painful recollections of the racism she faced . . . Wide-eyed wonder jostles with a vitriolic anger - sometimes in the same paragraph * The Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisAn invaluable companion for any writer seeking to make the writing life a more complex and cooperative ventureTrade Review“A small collection of illuminating, deeply endearing essays about the writing life.”—Ron Charles, Washington Post“Slender and rewarding, this essay collection finds the American poet embracing the mysteries of his craft, rather than striving to explain them away.”—Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer“Phillips’s poetry has a coiled elegance of syntax; his distinctive prose shares some of this tension as he grapples with the aesthetic and ethical challenges of his trade” —Rachel Hands, Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year 2023 “If this book was only for poets and writers, it would still be a wonder. But here, Phillips has revealed a map for why and how to pursue anything loved, as welcoming to someone honing a jump shot as a sentence, relevant to the poet and postal worker. More than a craft book, it is a reminder of the restlessness and recklessness that call many of us to keep doing the things we’re drawn to. A book equally rich for the seasoned writer as the novice, and one whose insight will call you to it, again and again.”—Reginald Dwayne Betts“These meditations are simply extraordinary. With abiding care for the mysteries of creation, bracing wisdom, and fierce honesty, Carl Phillips moves us all closer to ‘the native language of the interior self.’”—Lia Purpura“How I love the elusive textures of this book. Blurring essay and craft lecture, riff and reflection, My Trade Is Mystery is less a how-to than a meditation on the art. Writing is, first and foremost, a matter of being present, and here, Phillips brings a career’s attention to the subject, not instructing so much as engaging, asking the necessary questions about how to live a life in art.”—David L. Ulin

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER From award-winning TV writer Laura Belgray, a hilarious collection of full-body-cringe, watch-through-your-fingers life lessons her own husband calls “loser Sex and the City.” What does it take to grow up cool and popular, master adulthood, fast track your success, and always be your best? Laura Belgray wouldn’t know. Her wildly relatable coming-of-age stories include hate-following her 6th grade bully on social media decades later; moving home post-college to measure her self-worth in hookups with Upper West Side bartenders; dating a sociopathic man-baby; proving herself in the early ‘90s at New York’s coolest magazine (as the world’s worst intern); falling for get-rich-quick schemes on the Internet; and, most of all, saying “tough titties” to the supposed-to’s in life: driving a car, being on time, handing in your paperwork, learning to roast a chicken, and havi

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Book SynopsisA hilariously-honest, heartwarming essay collection about life, love, and discovering you have ADHD at age 35   Despite being a published writer with a family, a gaggle of internet fans, and (most shockingly) a mortgage, Emily Farris could never get her sh*t together. As she saw it, disorganization was one of her countless character flaws—that is until she was diagnosed with ADHD at age 35. Like many girls who go undiagnosed, Emily grew up internalizing criticisms about her impulsivity and lack of follow-through. She held onto that shame as she tried (and often failed) to fit into a world designed for neurotypical brains.  I'll Just Be Five More Minutes is a personal essay collection of laugh-out-loud-funny, tear-jerking, and at times cringey true stories of Emily's experiences as a neurodivergent woman. With the newfound knowledge of her ADHD, Emily candidly reexamines her complicated relationships (including

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Book SynopsisLessons and advice on navigating uncertainty while battling stage four cancer after divorce in midlife Amy Low resides in a room that is her last-her medical team is clear-eyed with her: there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, and the odds of long-term survival are scant. Miraculously, she''s lived four years with her diagnosis, and that life between life has changed her.Through the swirl of prolonged trauma and unbearable grief, a vantage point emerged-a window that showed her the way to relish life and be kinder to herself and others while living through the inevitable loss and heartbreak that crosses everyone''s paths. Instead of viewing joy and sorrow as opposites, she saw how both exist in harmony, full of mystery and surprise. Instead of seeing days as succeeding or failing, and physical selves as healthy or unwell, she''s learned to carry both achievements and afflictions in stride. And instead of bitterness and betra

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Book SynopsisJonathan Raban was the author of over a dozen books, both fiction and non-fiction, including Passage to Juneau, Bad Land, Hunting Mister Heartbreak, Coasting, Old Glory, Arabia, Soft City, Waxwings and Surveillance.Over the span of six decades, he won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Royal Society of Literature's Heinemann Award, the Thomas Cook Award, the PEN West Creative Nonfiction Award, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award, and the Governor's Award of the State of Washington. His work appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Harpers, The New York Review of Books, Outside, Atlantic Monthly, New Republic, The London Review of Books, and other magazines.In 1990 Raban, a British citizen, moved from London to Seattle, where he lived with his daughter until his death in 2023.Trade Review[Jonathan Raban] is a master, as he has shown in his legendary travel writing, of summoning place and people with vivid economy . . . Father and Son is an exquisite, sometimes lunatic tension between powerful emotions and carnage on one side, and on the other, the conventional codes of what must remain unsaid. This . . . is a gorgeous achievement.” -- Ian McEwanBlessed with a lyrical, flowing style . . . Raban was noted for his pitch-perfect ear for dialogue and flights of the imagination, but also for evocative powers and sardonic humour. He is frequently melancholic and meditative, but his distinct writing is characterised by precision and clarity. * Irish Times *Father and Son is a fine achievement, a wide-ranging and compelling account with the author's hallmarks of intelligence, erudition, humour and honesty * Times Literary Supplement *Any book, [Raban] thought, should roam as freely as it likes and this final volume is an illustration of that . . . and that’s what makes his memoir so lively, even when it stares death in the face. -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *Everything that’s matchless about Raban’s work — his hyperacute eye for detail, his powers of synthesis, his mordant sense of humor, his vast reservoirs of knowledge and his love of travel — is there. * Los Angeles Times *Father and Son is a deeply moving career capstone . . . Raban's finest and most moving book . . . It is poignant and crushing . . . I wept. * The Washington Post *Reading his father's wartime letters changed how Jonathan Raban understood their relationship. A stroke changed how he understood himself . . . As full of eloquence as it is free of sentimentality, [this] memoir is a parting gift from a figure of insight and fierce independence... the pages turn quickly because the lines are so raw. * The Wall Street Journal *[Jonathan Raban] was the kind of writer we don't have in quantity . . . It's our luck that he left this lively and bittersweet memoir behind . . . We find ourselves inside the mind of an outraged, indefatigable commentator on life . . . Every writing day, he asked himself two questions: 'What have I lost?' and 'Am I fooling myself?' . . . [The] result of his labors makes the responses clear: a) very little, and b) no.Blessed with a lyrical flowing style, Jonathan Raban . . . was noted for his pitch-perfect ear for dialogue and flights of the imagination, but also for evocative powers and sardonic humour. . . A quixotic and nomadic seafaring writer, Raban was fascinated by the lives of the people he met . . . [In] his posthumous memoir . . . his thought-provoking approach, with trademark whimsy, illustrates his watchful eye. * The Irish Times *Raban’s posthumously published final work follows an English father and son whose lives take diverging paths . . . The war chapters, which excerpt correspondence between Raban’s parents, are compelling, but it is Raban’s reckoning with his own frailty that carries the emotional weight of the book. * The New Yorker *Jonathan Raban, who died earlier this year, left this memoir almost complete. It tells two stories, artfully braided . . . [and] with Raban’s interpolations, the Anzio pages [about his father] read like a military thriller....He was a master of close observation and wry self-deprecation, and had a cameraman’s ability to switch to a wide-angle lens in a heartbeat. * The Spectator *The late travel writer and novelist’s study of his dad . . . offers a beautifully written portrait rather than judgment. * The Observer *[Raban's] keen observational eye, wry sense of humor, and brilliant ability to prise apart the nonsense and find the tiny seed of truth at the heart of any situation were unique among his peers. -- Paul Constant * Seattle Times *

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Book SynopsisBeing a practicing Muslim in the West is sometimes challenging, sometimes rewarding and sometimes downright absurd. How do you explain why Eid never falls on the same date each year; why it is that Halal butchers also sell teapots and alarm clocks; how do you make clear to the plumber that it''s essential the toilet is installed within sitting-arm''s reach of the tap? Zarqa Nawaz has seen and done it all. And it''s not always easy to get things right with the community either: Zarqa tells of being asked to leave the DBW (Dead Body Washing) committee after making unsuitable remarks; of undertaking the momentous trip to Mecca with her husband, without the children, thinking (most incorrectly) that it will also be a nice time to have uninterrupted sex; of doing the unthinkable, and creating Little Mosque on the Prairie, a successful TV sitcom about that very (horrified, then proud) community. You have to laugh.Trade ReviewA sort of Muslim Miranda * Sunday Times *She's sarcastic and irreverent but warm-hearted, and her writing has something of the great Nora Ephron's about it - she's witty and quick, but never takes herself too seriously * Independent *Nawaz tells it like it is in this hilarious, frank and enlightening memoir about growing up Muslim. The bit where, as a moody teenager, she decides to wear the hijab purely to 'out-Muslim' her mother is brilliant * Glamour *Muslim readers will find in Nawaz a passionate advocate for women's rights within the community and a fierce defender of her faith as one of peace. The non-Muslim reader will find her an accessible and entertaining guide to the practicalities of her religion * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring and entertaining testament to the power of friendship, from the hosts of the hit podcast Call Your Girlfriend''Deeply compelling'' ROXANE GAY A New York Times bestsellerA close friendship is one of the most important relationships a human life can contain. But most people don''t talk about what it takes to stay close for the long haul.Now two friends, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, tell the story of their messy and life-affirming Big Friendship in this honest and hilarious book. Through interviews with friends and experts, they also come to understand that their struggles are not unique. This book is a call to value your friendships in all of their complexity, to actively choose them and sometimes, fight for them. ''A deeply funny and immensely heartfelt look into what makes a friendship last despite time, distance, trials and major life changes'' ELLE''An inspiraTrade ReviewIn a culture that primarily values romantic or familial relationships, Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close is a necessary corrective. Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman offer a deeply compelling book that is part clear-eyed and poignant memoir of a big, invaluable friendship and part frank manifesto on how to nurture the important friendships in our lives in good times and bad. In each chapter, Sow and Friedman demonstrate how they navigate the nuances of their long-standing friendship with elegance, warmth, and generosity. This is the kind of book that makes you want to reach out to your best, biggest friends to say thank you, thank you, thank you for walking in this world with me. As with your big friendships, this unforgettable book is one you will want to keep close. * Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist *Big Friendship is a loving, thoughtful and extremely frank examination of the rich and rocky terrain of women's friendships. It takes as its subject the committed social bonds that sustain and frustrate us as much (or more!) as any of the sexual and familial ties that we've been trained to take more seriously. Here, friendship gets the emotional and intellectual respect it deserves; and like any truly great love story, Ann's and Amina's is a page turner. I love this book. * Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad and All the Single Ladies *At its heart, this book is about the power of friendship. In a wonderful and intimate portrayal, Big Friendship shines a light on how being a friend can be just as eye-opening, challenging, and joyful as being a parent or a partner -- and how it can make you your best self. Aminatou and Ann's story is as universal as it is revolutionary. * Hillary Rodham Clinton *Love can be passionate-transformative, painful, enlivening, bone-deep-without being erotic. In this openhearted book, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman show us how a friendship can be as rewarding and enduring as a marriage, and they urge us to value it accordingly-as they clearly do. These women we love to listen to give us the gift of a look inside their intimacy, with all its challenges, and it is an inspiration. * Ariel Levy, author of The Rules Do Not Apply *A rich exploration of friendship by the talented women behind the Call Your Girlfriend podcast . . . The authors are well equipped to deliver honest and helpful advice to anyone struggling to maintain a healthy union over time and distance. A soul-searching reflection that delivers an emotional journey to amplify the self-help tips. * Kirkus *Friends and hosts of podcast Call Your Girlfriend, Sow and Friedman celebrate the power of this underappreciated bond. A life-affirming guide to creating and preserving great friendships * Elle *Big Friendship could well be the feel-good, non-fiction book of 2020. From the hosts of hit podcast Call Your Girlfriend, Big Friendship examines how to nurture friendships for the long haul - close friends are the key to happiness, after all. The authors tell the story of their own decade-long friendship, the joys and the pitfalls, and it's a clear reminder of how important friendship is - and will make you want to call you pals after for a chat * Evening Standard *[A] thoughtful and highly readable story * New York Times Book Review *Big Friendship is an anatomy of the way one particular friendship works, but it is also an argument for taking all amicable relationships more seriously, for understanding them in the terms we usually reserve for romance (the authors share their "meet cute" and discuss the "spark" and "chemistry" between them), and for appreciating the sometimes difficult and time-consuming work it takes to maintain these friendships * Vogue *Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman are the patron saints of friendship * Bustle *

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Book Synopsis''An inspiration to anyone who still finds old age too distressing a prospect to take seriously'' The TimesOld age is no longer a blip in the calendar, just a few declining years before the end. Old age is now a major and important part of life: It should command as much thought - even anxiety - as teenagers give to exam results and young marrieds how many children to have . . . I am in my 80s and moving towards the end of my life. But in a more actual sense, I have moved from my dear home of 50 odd years into another . . . the home where I will be until the end. Writing here of how it has happened is in a sense a reconciliation with what cannot be avoided, but which can be confrontedWhen Joan Bakewell, Labour Peer, author and famous champion of the older people''s right to a good and fruitful life, decided that she could no longer remain in her old home, she had to confront what she calls ''the next segment of life.''Disposing of Trade ReviewAn inspiration to anyone who still finds old age too distressing a prospect to take seriously -- Sarah Ditum * The Times *At 88 years old, broadcaster and Labour peer Joan Bakewell shows little sign of slowing down her work rate, yet she has had to confront her age in another way - downsizing * Radio Times *The broadcaster's account of downsizing and ditching a lifetime of objects is wonderfully told * Observer *Pertinent thoughts on the subject of growing old and making life-changing decisions * Choice Magazine *Bakewell's book is an eloquent poetry of departures. Her prim image is undercut here by suggestions of intricate personal mystery, fun and brightness concealing, perhaps, her life's darker corners. * Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis''I SAVOURED EVERY WORD'' ABI DARÉ A REDEMPTIVE TALE OF THE POWER AND WISOM OF WOMEN''S BODIES'' LEAH HAZARD''MAGNIFICENT: A WORK OF TRUTH'' SUSIE ORBACH''FILLED ME WITH HOPE'' DR ELINOR CLEGHORN''SO MANY WOMEN WILL FEEL LESS ALONE AFTER READING THIS BOOK'' KATIE WARD Following the birth of her first children, twin boys, Jessica Cornwell collapsed in a fever. Rushed back to hospital, she was initially dismissed, before a life-threatening infection was diagnosed. Alone, recovering, watching her body bruise and break, a curious thing happened: she stopped feeling.At home, the numbness remained. Nursing her boys through jaundice, learning to breastfeed, slowly re-emerging into a world where other mothers seemed to cope, Jessica hid her secret - she felt no love, only fear. Worse, vivid memories began to surface, of moments in her past she thought buried.Jessica began to name, one by one, the shadTrade ReviewA hauntingly beautiful and unflinching, yet graciously shared experience of birth and mother hood. I savoured every word from the very first page, and half way through, was calling my best friends and asking them to pick this up and read! * Abi Daré, author of The Girl with the Louding Voice *An unflinchingly honest exploration of birth trauma, and ultimately a redemptive tale of the power and wisdom of women's bodies * Leah Hazard, author of Hard Pushed *This is a magnificent book which is an odd thing to say about the work of such acute sorrow. It is also a work of truth, understanding, scholarship and hope. A major contribution to women's experience. * Susie Orbach, author of In Therapy *An astonishing memoir. It is about the intersection between birth trauma and sexual trauma, medical misogyny, and trying to find a way to be a mother while dealing with something unspeakable. It is hugely important, courageous, and beautifully written. A rallying cry. * Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, author of The Tyranny of Lost Things *A feat of strength. Jessica Cornwell doesn't shy away from the conflicting forces at work on women's bodies. She is open about the struggles faced during pregnancy and in early motherhood; has searched for answers to explain a legacy of undisclosed trauma in maternity care; and shows the jagged, uncomfortable journey towards recovery that PTSD survivors undertake if they are to live in the present, fully themselves. Her story is impossible to ignore. So many women will feel less alone after reading this book. * Katie Ward, author of Girl Reading *Cornwell puts words to experiences that are often rendered beyond words because they are of traumas that are minimised, shamed or shunned. Her prose is presented with with arresting beauty and I know her book speaks for countless others. I'm so glad she wrote it. * Julia Bueno, author of The Brink of Being *Birth Notes is a riveting and deeply moving examination of birth trauma and post traumatic stress in a world where new mothers and their needs are too often ignored or dangerously minimized. The misogyny laden origins of psychiatry and the medical profession are also explored, vignettes and historical information interspersed throughout a memoir as skilfully and beautifully written as I have read. * Michelle Bowdler, author of Is Rape a Crime? A Memoir, an Investigation and a Manifesto. *A luminous, visceral reel of life after birth and trauma. At once devastating, validating, tender and raw, Cornwell guides us through the foundations of the hardest moments of her life with honesty and invitation. Despite its sensitive contents, I often found it impossible to put down, her words endlessly comforting in their openness. I'll be taking her words forward with me, as a talisman for what may be waiting around the corner for many of us. Anyone interested in personal histories of birth, trauma and embodiment should read this vital book for its company and consolation. * Caitriona Morton, author of How We Survive *While reading this stunning book, a sentence from Virgina Woolf's Room of one's own came into my mind, for Birth Notes "lights a torch in that vast chamber where nobody has yet been". Jessica Cornwell explores a chamber unspoken of, cornered with spiders and nightmarish visions, where blood and milk blend, where mothers are denied words and care. This book will change lives, for it is a quest, a fight, a light, casting away hundred-years-old shadows. It is a book of love. * Adélaïde Bon, author of The Little Girl on the Ice Floe *Vivid, beautiful and brave, this book undid me - and filled me with hope. * Dr Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women *

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Book SynopsisA powerful and urgent memoir of loss, exile and hope by Uyghur activist Gulchehra Hoja''This gripping memoir conveys the courage and cost of telling a truer story'' Guardian Book of the Day''Revelatory ... The particulars of her story speak for the losses of a people'' Sunday Telegraph''Essential reading'' Financial TimesIn February 2018, twenty-four members of Uyghur journalist Gulchehra Hoja''s family were arrested by the Chinese state as a direct retaliation for her investigations into Chinese oppression of the Uyghur people. Hoja grew up with her people''s culture and history running through her veins. As a young woman, she became a star presenter on Chinese state television, but then she began to understand what China was doing to her people, as well as her own complicity as a journalist. When her rising fame and growing political awakening coincided, she made it her mission, despite

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Book SynopsisFor many men, middle age arrives too fast and without due warning. One day you are young, free and single; the next you are bald, fat and washed-up, with weird tendrils of hair growing out of your ears. None of it seems fair. With age should come dignity and respect, but instead everyone makes tired jokes about buying a motorbike.Marcus Berkmann isn''t having it. Having marked his fiftieth birthday by hiding under the duvet for six weeks, the author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer Men is now determined to find some light in the all-consuming darkness. Musing over birth, death and all the messy stuff in between, he concludes that however dreadful you look in the mirror today, it will be much worse in ten years'' time. His brutally candid despatch from the frontline is not for the faint-hearted, which is to say anyone under thirty-five.Trade ReviewWise, touching and funny . . . Berkmann is a master of observation. On every page you will find yourself nodding in agreement at some thought you've shared but never expressed quite so pithily . . . Middle-aged men should read this book for all the bumps of recognition -- Christopher Silvester * Express *A laugh or carefully crafted insight on almost every page -- Jonathan Maitland * Mail on Sunday *Warm, funny and wise . . . A sort of Zen and the Art of Midlife Management * Independent on Sunday *Will reconcile every bloke to the remorseless lawnmower of Time * Independent *Wise, touching and funny . . . Berkmann is a master of observation. On every page you will find yourself nodding in agreement at some thought you've shared but never expressed quite so pithily . . . Middle-aged men should read this book for all the bumps of recognition -- Christopher Silvester * Express *A laugh or carefully crafted insight on almost every page -- Jonathan Maitland * Mail on Sunday *Warm, funny and wise . . . A sort of Zen and the Art of Midlife Management * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring, rags-to-riches guide to achieving success in life and business by the founder of Myprotein.How did a working-class 23-year-old, who left school with almost no qualifications, launch a business with just a 500 overdraft and turn it into more than 350 million? In Bootstrap Your Life, Oliver Cookson shares how he was able to build Europe''s number one online brand using nothing more than his own limited resources and the right mindset. Self-sufficient and self-taught, Oliver always had an eye for opportunities and pursued them obsessively. His breakthrough came when he combined his passion for health and fitness with his skills as a web developer. By embracing a disruptive, agile approach to business, offering unparalleled choice, and identifying trends ahead of the competition, Oliver was able to grow Myprotein rapidly into a top international, award-winning brand.In Bootstrap Your Life, Oliver doesn''t just share his journey Trade ReviewA remarkable story, full of great learnings. Bootstrap Your Life is a powerful and insightful story of how a British entrepreneur built an online business in 7 years to a £350 million valuation from zero.Oliver shares plenty of business war stories, insights and personal anecdotes on how he bootstrapped an amazing business into something that changed his and his customers' lives forever. I love how he highlights the skills he developed along the way and continued to maintain a sense of curiosity throughout the ups and downs of business life. A must-read for all entrepreneurs. -- Ash Ali, bestselling author of The Unfair Advantage

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary and exciting story of East Germany''s first Black police officer.Samuel Meffire grew up as a Black German in East Germany and, against all odds, became East Germany''s first Black police officer. In the nineties, marked by upheaval and unrest, he was the face of an anti-racism campaign, received invitations to politicians'' receptions, talk shows and numerous media appearances. But as Europe changed, he slipped from being a model policeman into crime himself, eking out his days as a hunted criminal and prisoner. After seven years in prison, Meffire fought his way back to life and once again went to the front lines of social upheaval, but this time not as a police officer, but as a social worker for young people with a serious history of violence, and as a successful indie author of dystopian crime novels.In his memoir, Samuel Meffire gives an intimate insight into his emotional world. In the background and with an almost brutal frankneTrade ReviewGripping . . . Extraordinary . . . Few people have lived more lives. * Strong Words *

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER • The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion“The gift Elizabeth Letts has is that she makes you feel you are the one taking this trip. This is a book we can enjoy always but especially need now.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-Novem

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Book SynopsisMark Williams-Thomas is a multi-award-winning investigative reporter. Amongst his awards he has two Royal Television Society Awards, a Broadcasting Press Guild Award and an International Peabody Award. He is also BAFTA nominated. A former police detective, Mark has reported on nearly all of the biggest crime stories of the last decade. It was Mark's Exposure documentary that finally exposed Jimmy Savile as one of the nation's most prolific paedophiles - as a result of Mark's investigation, the Metropolitan police set up Operation Yewtree. Mark now has his own prime time ITV and Netflix crime show, The Investigator and presents the Unsolved strand on This Morning, looking at undetected crimes.

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Book SynopsisAS HEARD ON RADIO 4''S ''ABILITY''''A truly eye-opening book from a fantastic comedian.'' ADAM KAY''Comedy genius... The funniest book I''ve read in years.'' DAVID WALLIAMS_______________Lee Ridley won the hearts and minds of the nation on Britain''s Got Talent. Now the much-loved comedian opens up about what it''s like to be him.I''m Only In It for the Parking is a wonderful romp through Lee''s extraordinary life, by way of the people who like to pray for him, the comparisons with Stephen Hawking, some perilous falls, some epic fails and more information about Lee''s private life than you probably need.This is the wickedly funny story of the stand-up who struggles to stand up, but who learns to finds his feet. The Geordie without the accent. The entertainer who really can''t speak at all, but who has something important to say._______________What readers are saying:Trade ReviewA unique and brilliant comic voice. * ROSS NOBLE *Comedy genius... The funniest book I've read in years. * DAVID WALLIAMS *A truly eye-opening book from a fantastic comedian. * ADAM KAY *The reader gets to know him as a good-natured, sometimes mischievous bloke - a real person and not just the comic with the electronic voice. * Chortle *Funny, charming and full of unique insights. * FRANCESCA MARTINEZ, author of What the **** is Normal? *

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Book Synopsis''A raw, honest rollercoaster that touches the heart'' *****''Kate and her family''s courageous battle is told with such candour'' *****''Written from the heart with the will never to give up hope'' *****........................In March 2020, Kate Garraway''s husband, Derek Draper, contracted Covid-19 and was placed in a medically-induced coma. Thought to be the UK''s longest-fighting Covid-19 patient, he spent more than a year in hospital before returning home to be with Kate and their children, Darcey and Billy. However he continued to suffer the devastating after-effects of COVID and passed away at the start of January 2024.In this intimate book, Kate shares her deeply personal story. As well as recounting how the illness took hold of their lives, she writes about coping with uncertainty, how she''s supporting her children through this traumatic time, how she has found strength in community and how she strives to hold on to hope

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Book Synopsis''A practical and positive guide to using tech to change women''s lives for the better'' -Caroline Criado Perez, author of Invisible Women: exposing data bias in a world designed for men''A powerful and inspiring call to action from one of Britain''s brightest minds''- Yomi Adegoke, award-winning journalist, author of Slay in Your Lane etc.Why are women so under-represented in the tech world?Why does this matter?What can we do about it? A book that asks essential questions and provides long-overdue practical solutions. Perfect for readers of Invisible Women.Why do so many of us - particularly women - feel the tech world is beyond reach? Women are woefully under-represented in tech - they represent roughly a mere quarter of the UK STEM workforce. This means an ever-increasing series of big decisions are made by a small number of people, mainly men.So what are the chalTrade ReviewAn exceptional person. * Guardian *An energetic presence with no-nonsense impact. * Telegraph *A powerful and inspiring call to action from one of Britain's brightest minds - She's In Ctrl asks all the right questions about women in tech and Imafidon sets about providing practical, long overdue solutions. -- Yomi Adegoke, award-winning journalist, author of Slay in Your Lane etc.A practical and positive guide to using tech to change women's lives for the better -- Caroline Criado Perez, author of Invisible Women: exposing data bias in a world designed for menAnne-Marie is one of the UK's brilliant minds and has been at the forefront of tackling the STEM gender gap by demystifying the subject and making it accessible and fun for all, regardless of gender or background. Her's is a voice to be listened to. -- June Sarpong, author of The Power of Women: why gender equality works for everyone

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Book Synopsis''An unknown place.'' This was what Michael Frayn''s children called the shadowy landscape of the past from which their family had emerged. Shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards, My Father''s Fortune sets out to rediscover that lost land before all trace of it finally disappears beyond recall. As Frayn tries to see it through the eyes of his parents and the others who shaped his life, he comes to realise how little he ever knew or understood about them.This is above all the story of his father, the quick-witted boy from a poor and struggling family, who overcame disadvantages and shouldered many burdens to make a go of his life; who found happiness, had it snatched away from him, and in the end, after many difficulties, perhaps found it again.Father and son were in some ways incredibly alike, in others ridiculously different; and the journey back down the corridors of time is sometimes comic, sometimes painful, as Michael Frayn comes to see how much he has inh

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Book SynopsisEmma Brockes is thirty-seven, lives alone, and wants children. And that's just the beginning - there are a million choices to make when taking the untraditional route to motherhood. With generous heart and humour, Panic & Joy examines essential questions about motherhood and the modern family.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2021 EISNER AWARDS - Best Graphic Memoir and Best Publication DesignAdrian Tomine has more ideas in twenty panels than novelists have in a lifetime.' ZADIE SMITH''A hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking memoir.'' Irish TimesThrough a series of exquisitely observed autobiographical sketches, Adrian Tomine explores his life from an early moment on the playground being bullied, to a more recent experience, lying on a gurney in the hospital, and having the nurse say ''Hey! You''re that cartoonist!'Self-deprecating, honest, and above all else, humorous, Tomine mines his conflicted relationship with comics and writing, and people at large, and once again animates the absurdities of modern life and how we choose to live it.

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Book Synopsis'Order her book. That's an order.' Miranda Hart'Brimming with wit and honesty' Nina Stibbe'Fantastically entertaining' Marina Hyde'I absolutely bloody loved this book. Funny, relatable, easy to read, deep, shallow and everything in between.' Philippa PerryOne of Stylist's Best Memoirs for Summer 2021Multi-award-winning television writer and producer Georgia Pritchett knows a thing or two about anxiety.From worrying about the monsters under her bed as a child (Were they comfy enough?), to embracing womanhood, (One way of knowing you have crossed from girlhood to womanhood is that men stop furtively masturbating at you from bushes and start shouting things at you from cars. It's a beautiful moment) worry has accompanied her at every turn.This memoir is a joyful reflection on just how to live - and sometimes even thrive (sometimes not) - with anxiety.

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Book SynopsisA smart, funny and relatable memoir from the anticapitalist TikTok star about her journey growing up poor in Fresno, living paycheck to paycheck through multiple recessions, losing the love of her life to suicide, and finally creating a business of her own that functions as a compassionate alternative within capitalism.Today Madeline Pendleton is a business owner and TikTok superstar with 1.7 million followers riveted to her takedowns of American capitalism and practical advice on making ends meet and getting ahead. But like so many of her listeners, Madeline used to struggle to get by. Raised by a punk dad and a goth mom in Fresno, California, she spent her teens intermittently homeless, relying on the kindness and spare couches of the local punk community to get by. By her twenties, she was drowning in student loans and credit card debt, working long hours and sick of her bosses treating her as disposable. Then her boyfriend, in despair over financial distress, died by suicide. Capitalism was literally killing her loved ones?she knew there must be a better way.Madeline decided to study the rules of capitalism, the game everyone is forced to play. She used what she learned to build a new kind of business, one rooted in an ethos of community care. She rebuilt her life and created a following of those who can''t wait for a revolution to come to change their lives for the better. I Survived Capitalism is Madeline''s story and essential reading for anyone searching for hope and stability in an unjust world.

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Book SynopsisAlthough they have become more frequent in recent years, Irish political memoirs are still relatively rare. Even rarer still are political memoirs that still are frank, newsworthy and fun, like this one from Mary O'Rourke.She writes of personal and political events; of her family background and her early involvement in politics: of the many senior political figures to whom she was close, especially Charles Haughey and Bertie Ahern; of her two beloved Brians, her brother and nephew, both of whom died before their time; of her successes and disappointments. She does all this with honesty, energy and a complete absence of self-pity or self-justification.Mary O'Rourke has been one of the most successful and influential women in Irish public life in a generation. She has stories to tell that will surprise and amuse, as well as recalling moments of personal and political sadness. The book is like the woman herself: open, warm and shrewd.Trade Review'It's a fascinating story...a great read' -- John Spain * Irish Independent *This memoir is a fairly honest self-portrait of the Mary O’Rourke whom we have all come to love and hate. The Mary we have all seen over the years is the Mary we get in this book: emotional and exasperating; schoolmarmish and quite contrary; imbued with the Fianna Fáil gene and very party-political. -- Geraldine Kennedy * The Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisAn inspirational story of accepting and embracing two trans people in a family.

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Book SynopsisAward-winning illustrated chronicle of the modern Arab world, combining travelogue, memoir, history and gorgeous full-colour artTrade Review'A stunningly stylish, breathtakingly evocative tribute in words and art to the cosmopolitan Levant that exists in defiance of war and empire. I treasure my copy.' -- Molly Crabapple, artist and author of 'Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War''... a personal, impassioned account ... evocative, personal texts with illustrations whose bold, colorful style seems to hark back to hand-painted movie posters' -- 'The New York Review''Lamia Ziade works as an alchemist' -- 'Elle''Extraordinary' -- 'Ms Magazine'

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Book SynopsisEnter the warmth of Dianne's house to chat over coffee in this uplifting part-biography, part-journal.Trade Review"Through the pages of this book we get to experience Di's heart-warming honesty, down-to-earth wisdom and humour."- Sarah Abell, founder of The Relationship Foundation and former agony aunt for The Daily Telegraph"A breath of fresh air, with beautiful honesty, vulnerability and wisdom for all seasons of life. A true treasure." Rachael Orrell, Chief Executive Officer, Saltmine Trust"Dianne is one of the funniest and most authentic women I know. You will love this book!" Nancy Goudie, author, speaker and founder of New Generation Music"Queen of coffee, love and laughter. Di is one of the wisest, wittiest and warmest women on the planet - read this, it'll change your life." Anita Cleverly, author and speakerTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Take a Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8The Talk Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12The Visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Seeing Further . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16The Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18You Can’t Have Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22The Dream Catcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25The Rainbow Through the Rain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The Strugglers’ Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Your Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Vulnerability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Flawed but Fruitful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52The Tears of a Clown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54A Really Big Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Losing Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58A Mother Remembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Candles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62With Friends Like This . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65My Lesson from the Car Boot Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67The Battle Within . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Ice Cream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72God’s Reward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Spider-Man Trick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76I Remember… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77The Silent Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Your Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Sand and Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99What I Learned from a Coffee Mug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100To Change the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102On Ageing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106One Busy Mum’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108The Woman Who Was Afraid to Go Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Just a Nobody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Singing in the Dark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112The Empty Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Being Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116The Power of One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119The Falls and the Drought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Heroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122The Lady in the Photograph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Thanks for Coming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Your Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

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Book SynopsisIt is 1915 and the Great War has been raging for a year when Edward Rowbotham, a coal miner from the Midlands, volunteers for Kitchener’s Army. He is one of the `lucky’ ones, winning the Military Medal for bravery and surviving more than two-and-a-half years of the terrible slaughter, which wiped out all but six of his original company.

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Book SynopsisEMMA GRAY''S NEW BOOK ''MY FARMING LIFE'' (''A HEARTWARMING TALE OF LIFE ON THE LAND'' Alan Titchmarsh) IS OUT NOWWhat happens when you swap ''I do'' for pastures new?When twenty-three-year-old shepherdess Emma Gray breaks off her engagement, the chance to take over an isolated Northumberland farm seems just the fresh start she needs. But while the beautiful scenery certainly offers plenty of scope for contemplation, a night out with an eligible bachelor soon seems more remote than the farm itself. And once you add fugitive sheep and freak blizzards into the mix, Emma''s dreams of a happy future at Fallowlees Farm quickly begin to fade.Throughout the long nights of lambing, the highs and lows of the local sheepdog trials and the day-to-day chores of maintaining a large, ramshackle farm, Emma''s collies are her most loyal companions. With Bill, Fly, Roy and Alfie by her side, she''ll never really be alone. EmmaTrade ReviewI speak to hundreds of fellow farmers every year and one of the most inspiring people I've met is Emma Gray... When I first heard Emma's story I had doubts about how anybody would cope on their own in such a remote spot, but after seeing her passion for farming, her determination to succeed and her complete capability, I [was] full of confidence and admiration. -- Adam Henson * Cheshire Life *

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Book SynopsisAn Oxford Childhood is a personal reminiscence of growing up in Cowley, Oxford in the 1920s. The author''s detailed memories describe every aspect of life in the years following the Great War. The clothes she wore, the furnishings of her parents'' house and the food they ate are graphically remembered.She describes the fun they had with a newly made rag rug, trying to identify the pieces of old clothing that it was made from and remembers that on bath nights, in front of the fire, mother covered the hearth with newspapers to prevent splashes staining the black leading. She describes schooldays, shopping, street games, the ''cat''s whisker'' crystal set and the arrival of Welsh miners who walked to Cowley from Wales to find work at the new Morris Motor Works. This charming book is illustrated with drawings by Max Surman and some delightful contemporary photographs.

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Book Synopsis''Extraordinary'' TONY BLAIR''Riveting'' - PHILIPPE SANDS''Brutal, brilliant and scurrilously funny'' - MISHA GLENNYThe real scoop isn''t on the front page''As FT editor, I was a privileged interlocutor to people in power around the world, each offering unique insights into high-level decision-making and political calculation, often in moments of crisis. These diaries offer snapshots of leadership in an age of upheaval...''Lionel Barber was Editor of the Financial Times for the tech boom, the global financial crisis, the rise of China, Brexit, and mainstream media''s fight for survival in the age of fake news.In this unparalleled, no-holds-barred diary of life behind the headlines, he reveals the private meetings and exchanges with political leaders on the eve of referendums, the conversations with billionaire bankers facing economic meltdown, exchanges with Silicon Valley tech gurus and pleas from foreign emissaries desperate for inside knowledge, all against the backdrop of a wildly shifting media landscape.The result is a fascinating - and at times scathing - portrait of power in our modern age; who has it, what it takes and what drives the men and women with the world at their feet. Featuring close encounters with Trump, Cameron, Blair, Putin, Merkel and Mohammed Bin Salman and many more, this is a rare portrait of the people who continue to shape our world and who quite literally, make the news.Trade ReviewA remarkable book, alternately brutal, brilliant and scurrilously funny ...a gripping page-turner full of sharp pen portraits that reveal the anxieties and vulnerabilities of the rich and powerful. Don't miss it * Misha Glenny, bestselling author of MCMAFIA, now a major Netflix series *Riveting - a world of power, money, ego and disaster, as witnessed from the front row * Philippe Sands, bestselling author of EAST WEST STREET and THE RATLINE *Gives the reader an extraordinary personal and professional insight into fifteen years of tumultuous times * Tony Blair *Vastly entertaining and insightful... Barber saw it all from the front row. An exhilarating read * Sir Harold Evans ex-editor of the SUNDAY TIMES *A delicious romp, dripping with bon mots about the people and issues Lionel Barber encountered while ensuring the FT thrived in digital times. It's as fine an advertisement for the virtues of journalism as you will find -- Sir Michael Moritz, Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist and sponsor of the Booker Prize

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Book SynopsisIn the bestselling Olive series by writer and actress Carol Drinkwater, author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER''She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside'' BELLA''Her writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits'' THE TIMES''A thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation'' THE LADYTHE OLIVE TREE charts Carol Drinkwater''s colourful and often dangerous journey in search of the routes that olive cultivation has taken over the centuries. Set during a springtime Mediterranean that is evocative and perennial, it is above all a tale of our time.Troubled by challenges her own South of France farm is experiencing, Carol realises new approaches to farming are becoming essential. Her quest takes her south through Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Italy before she finally returns to her farm.Through her travels and vivid encounters, Carol confronts some of the critical issues of ouTrade ReviewHer writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits * THE TIMES *Carol Drinkwater has gone in search of olive growers in the west Mediterranean, documenting her travels and travails with good humour and not a little fortitude * CHOICE *An honest tale that brings to life the sights, smells and tastes of the Mediterranean * LIVING SPAIN *Drinkwater's passion and curiosity are contagious...lively prose holds unexpectedly poetic bursts and an insightful account of how the Mediterranean treats a woman travelling alone * THE TIMES *THE OLIVE TREE is a thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation * THE LADY *Gripping and passionate * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *The story contains some wonderfully evocative vignettes, written in prose that ignites the reader's imagination * GLOBALISTA *A tale of one lady's courageous, unusual and intrepid journey around the Mediterranean in the pursuit of something so many of us give little thought to in this country * REAL TRAVEL *Her writing is often lyrical and unexpectedly poetic, making this book a sure-fire hit on many levels * THE WEEKENDER (South Africa) *One cannot resist Drinkwater's courage and joie de vivre, nor the enormous appetite and enthusiasm for her subject * DAILY MAIL *I love Carol Drinkwater's Olive Farm series about her life in Provence. I read them on the beach, thinking how wonderful a summer in France would be -- Jane Brown * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *Her writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits -- Carolyn Boyd * TIMES *An honest tale that brings to life the sights, smells and tastes of the Mediterranean. * LIVING SPAIN *`the story contains some wonderfully evocative vignettes, written in prose that ignites the reader¿s imagination' -- Jane Duru * GLOBALISTA *Drinkwater's passion and curiosity are contagious...lively prose holds unexpectedly poetic bursts and an insightful account of how the Mediterranean treats a woman travelling alone -- Kathleen Wyatt * TIMES *Carol Drinkwater has gone in search of olive growers in the west Mediterranean, documenting her travels and travails with good humour and not a little fortitude. -- CHOICE'The Olive Tree is a thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation' -- Paul Blezard * THE LADY *a tale of one lady's courageous, unusual and intrepid journey around the Mediterranean in the pursuit of something so many of us give little thought to in this country * REAL TRAVEL *The Olive Tree is travel writing of the highest order -- Jenny Crwys-Williams * The Book Show, Radio 702 (South Africa) *Gripping and passionate * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *Her writing is often lyrical and unexpectedly poetic, making this book a surefire hit on many levels. * THE WEEKENDER (South Africa) *

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Book SynopsisA unique testimony to modern literature''s most celebrated and enduring marriage.''I first saw Harold across a crowded room, but it was lunchtime, not some enchanted evening, and we did not speak.''When Antonia Fraser met Harold Pinter she was a celebrated biographer and he was Britain''s finest playwright. Both were already married - Pinter to the actress Vivien Merchant and Fraser to the politician Hugh Fraser - but their union seemed inevitable from the moment they met: ''I would have found you somehow'', Pinter told Fraser. Their relationship flourished until Pinter''s death on Christmas Eve 2008 and was a source of delight and inspiration to them both until the very end. Fraser uses her Diaries and her own recollections to tell a touching love story. But this is also a memoir of a partnership between two of the greatest literary talents, with fascinating glimpses into their creativity and their illustrious circle of friends from the literary, polTrade ReviewA wonderful tour of the world's top tables...the charm of this book lies in the powerful love between her and Pinter...Her account of Pinter's last days, roaring like a lion in the face of death, are deeply moving. -- Kate Saunders * TIMES *Brave but often funny in its account of a scandal that became a destiny, it teaches modern lovers a lesson that many will need to learn: how to say the long goodbye. -- Boyd Tonkin * INDEPENDENT *Combining disarming emotional frankness with restrained elegance, Antonia Fraser weaves her diary entries and memories into a compelling and moving history of a long, passionate relationship. -- Katie Owen * SUNDAY TIMES *The quiet brilliance of this book steals up on you... it's funny, clever and controlled... there is so much generosity here and so much love that by the final page, in a London hospital on Christmas Eve 2008, I was in tears. * GUARDIAN *An uplifting, warm and moving tribute * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER''S SECRET PROVENCEThe third in the bestselling story which began with THE OLIVE FARM - from the author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER''Captures perfectly the dreamy atmosphere of the South of France and its people'' WOMAN AND HOME''Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''The stars shimmer like spilled handfuls of glitter. The day is beginning to rise with a faint mist. As I turn my head, ghostly halos, auras of light, appear and disappear ... The silence is truly awesome. Not a bird, not a whisper of wind, not a breath of life. Only the two of us, a most implausible pair, standing shoulder to shoulder gazing upon an awakening heaven''Returning to their home after an extended absence Carol and her husband Michel are looking forward to summer together on the farm. A shocking blow leaves Carol alone and the future is uncertain. Feeling isolated and with no olives to harvTrade ReviewI love Carol Drinkwater's Olive Farm series about her life in Provence. I read them on the beach, thinking how wonderful a summer in France would be -- Jane Brown * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *Drinkwater is a rare writer who tackles other people brilliantly...Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming * SUNDAY EXPRESS *A spellbinding memoir * CHOICE *One cannot resist Drinkwater's courage and joie de vivre, nor the enormous appetite and enthusiasm for her subject * DAILY MAIL *The new leader of the pack * THE TIMES *Refreshingly honest, this book brings alive the unknown side of Provence, and, as always, ensnares readers in a web of sheer delight * GOOD BOOK GUIDE *Beautifully written with a great sense of humour, it captures perfectly the dreamy atmosphere of the South of France and its people * WOMAN & HOME *

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Book SynopsisStrong, feisty, brave and brilliant, Kathleen Turner is a woman to be reckoned with. One of the most revered actresses of her generation and beyond, she is a woman who goes after what she wants and gets it. In this memoir, she reveals her astonishing trajectory from struggling New York actress to household name a result of passionate ambition, powerful instinct and unwavering self-belief. From her first groundbreaking film, Body Heat, to her critically acclaimed performance in Who''s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, she has entranced audiences onstage and onscreen for three decades, whilst never failing in her commitment to the causes that she has supported throughout her life, and fighting an ongoing battle against the devastating pain of rheumatoid arthritis.Kathleen Turner is an unstoppable force of nature with a lesson for women everywhere: if you don''t believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to? Send yourself roses, and take the lead, lady!Trade Review'I challenge you to put it down for even one moment' * Antonia Quirke, The Sunday Times *'Gutsy, funny and inspirational' * Woman and Home *'Ballsy and bold' * Scotland on Sunday *'Remarkably good reading' * Independent *

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