Search results for ""macmillan""

Help little Monkey find his mum in the brilliantly funny Monkey Puzzle, from the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.Where is Monkey's mummy? It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little monkey wants his mum. Kindly butterfly is keen to help, but they don't seem to be having much luck and keep finding the wrong animals! But eventually, they find . . . Dad! It's just as well that he knows exactly where Mum is, and she's waiting with a well-deserved cuddle.This hardback edition features the classic story plus extra content from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, making this the perfect gift.Enjoy more family favourite picture books from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom.

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The Collectors by bestselling sensation David Baldacci is the exciting second instalment of a breathtaking series.Oliver Stone – the leader of four highly skilled misfits who call themselves the Camel Club. Their mission – to hold America’s political elite to account.Washington DC. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is assassinated in broad daylight. Then the head of the Rare Books Division at the Library of Congress is found dead amongst his cherished collection.While chaos engulfs the city, only the Camel Club can make the connection that exists between the two murders.Joining forces with a beautiful con artist, Stone and his team need all the help they can get as they enter a world of espionage that threatens to bring America to its knees . . .The Collectors is followed by Stone Cold, Divine Justice and Hell's Corner.

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Volumes have been written by and about Patrick Leigh Fermor, but his wife Joan is almost entirely absent from their pages. Now Simon Fenwick, the first archivist to see the Leigh Fermor papers, reveals a woman hitherto only fleetingly glimpsed. A talented photographer, Joan defied the social conventions of her times and, though she came from a wealthy and well-connected family, earned her own living. Through her lover, and later editor of the TLS, Alan Pryce-Jones, she met and mingled with the leading lights of 1930s bohemia – John Betjeman, Cyril Connolly, Evelyn Waugh, Maurice Bowra (who adored her) and Osbert Lancaster, among others. She featured regularly in the gossip columns, not only for her affairs and her fashionable clothes, but for her intrepid travels to Russia and America.In 1936 she met and subsequently married the journalist John Rayner, but her belief in open marriage was not shared by her husband and their relationship foundered. Then, in 1944 in Cairo, where she was a cypher clerk, she met Paddy Leigh Fermor, lionized for his daring kidnap of the Nazi General Kreipe in Crete. They would remain together until her death in 2003.In this riveting biography, written with full access to Joan’s personal archive, Simon Fenwick reveals the extraordinary life of a woman who, until now, has been defined by the man she married and their famous friends. Here, at last, Joan is placed at the centre of her own story. It is also a riveting portrait of a marriage and a milieu, revealing the sexual and intellectual mores of that wartime generation who lived life at full tilt, no matter what the consequences.

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'She imagines the experiences of the sisters with empathy and patience ... and ably manages to coax the few sparks of evidence into flames of personality ... Whoop, whoop! If anyone can find me another clutch of rebel princesses, let's get crowd-funding.' Hermione Eyre, SpectatorVirginal, chaste, humble, patiently waiting for rescue by brave knights and handsome princes: this idealized – and largely mythical – notion of the medieval noblewoman still lingers. Yet the reality was very different, as Kelcey Wilson-Lee shows in this vibrant account of the five daughters of the great English king, Edward I. The lives of these sisters – Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary and Elizabeth – ran the full gamut of experiences open to royal women in the Middle Ages. Living as they did in a courtly culture founded on romantic longing and brilliant pageantry, they knew that a princess was to be chaste yet a mother to many children, preferably sons, meek yet able to influence a recalcitrant husband or even command a host of men-at-arms. Edward’s daughters were of course expected to cement alliances and secure lands and territory by making great dynastic marriages, or endow religious houses with royal favour. But they also skilfully managed enormous households, navigated choppy diplomatic waters and promoted their family’s cause throughout Europe – and had the courage to defy their royal father. They might never wear the crown in their own right, but they were utterly confident of their crucial role in the spectacle of medieval kingship. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary sources, Daughters of Chivalry offers a rich portrait of these spirited Plantagenet women. With their libraries of beautifully illustrated psalters and tales of romance, their rich silks and gleaming jewels, we follow these formidable women throughout their lives and see them – at long last – shine from out of the shadows, revealing what it was to be a princess in the Age of Chivalry.

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'Poignant and compelling, an equine Bridget Jones.' Racing PostBeing a stable lass is probably one of the hardest jobs in the country, and yet for Gemma Hogg it is the most rewarding. She works in the beautiful Yorkshire market town of Middleham and if her colleagues are occasionally challenging, then the horses are downright astonishing. Now, in Stable Lass, she takes us into the closed world of a top racing yard, from the elation of having several winners in one day to the almost indescribable grief of losing a horse. Like most stable lads and lasses, Gemma arrived in her yard as a teenager fresh out of racing college and had to cope with living away from home for the first time, as well as adapting to the brutal long hours, backbreaking work and often treacherous weather. She describes falling in love with Polo Venture, the first racehorse in her care, the pure exhilaration of riding him on Middleham Gallops for the first time and what happens when a horse takes against you, from the growling gelding Valiant Warrior to the potentially lethal Broadway Boy. She brings to life the characters around the yard, from straight-talking boss Micky Hammond to the jockeys starving themselves to make weight, the wealthy owners and the other stable lads and lasses who come from a range of different places and backgrounds. Stable Lass by Gemma Hogg is a unique look into the world of horse racing filled with heart-warming stories and amazing thoroughbreds – some loveable, some cantankerous, all impressive.

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There is always hope, even when we cannot seem to seek it within ourselves.From the best advice you’ll ever get to the joy of crisps, the 101 brilliant contributors to The Book of Hope will help you to find hope whenever you need it most. Award-winning mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, MBE, and co-editor Britt Pflüger bring together people from all walks of life – actors, musicians, athletes, psychologists and activists – to share what gives them hope.These 101 key voices in the field of mental health, from the likes of Lemn Sissay, Dame Kelly Holmes, Frank Turner and Zoe Sugg, to Joe Tracini, Elizabeth Day, Hussain Manawer and Joe Wicks, share not only their experiences with anxiety, psychosis, panic attacks and more, but also what helps them when they are feeling low. This joyful collection is a supportive hand to anyone looking to find light on a dark day and shows that, no matter what you may be going through, you are not alone.Jonny Benjamin is known for his book and documentary film, The Stranger on the Bridge, which fought to end stigma around talking about mental health, suicidal thoughts and schizoaffective disorder. When his campaign to find the man who prevented him from taking his own life went viral, Jonny was one of a wave of new figures lifting the lid on mental health struggles. In this book, he brings together a range of voices to speak to the spectrum of our experiences of mental health and the power of speaking up and seeking help.

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A brilliantly entertaining 'be-careful-what-you-wish-for' tale that's full of farmyard fun – from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Anna Currey in her charming, classic style.Old Macdonald is cleaning out his farmhouse kitchen when he comes across a dusty old teapot. And no one could be more surprised when a wish-granting genie pops out of the spout. Old Macdonald wishes for a wife, who wishes for a baby. A baby who wishes for a dog, who wishes for a cat, who wishes for some mice! It doesn't take long before the farmyard starts getting very busy, and VERY noisy! Will the genie ever get a break from granting wishes, and find some peace? If only there was someone who could grant him a wish . . .The Teeny Weeny Genie is a magical picture book adventure packed with lots of favourite farmyard animals from Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey, creators of Rosie's Hat and One Ted Falls Out of Bed.

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The Woolworths girls have come a long way together . . .Fun loving Maisie, is devoted to her young family and her work at Woolworths. But her happy life with her RAF officer husband, their baby daughter leads her to think of the family she left behind . . . With the war now into its fourth year, what will she find when she sets about searching for them?Sarah and her husband, Alan, are blissfully happy and long for a sibling for their daughter. But dark days lay ahead for this close family.Freda heads home to Birmingham, to go in search of her family, back to the life she fled – far from the safety of Woolworths and her new friends.With families’ separated by war, will the Woolworths girls be able to pull together?Wartime at Woolworths is the third moving instalment in the much-loved Woolworths series by bestselling author Elaine Everest.

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Benjamin Franklin was a pioneering scientist, leader of the Enlightenment and founding father of the USA. But perhaps less well known is that he was also the first person to use artificial respiration to revive an electric shock victim. Odder still, it was actually mouth-to-beak resuscitation on a hen that he himself had shocked. Welcome to some of the most weird and wonderful experiments ever conducted in the name of science. Packed full of eccentric characters, irrational obsessions and extreme experiments, Electrified Sheep is the follow-up to the bestselling Elephants on Acid. Watch as scientists attempt to blow up the moon, wince at the doctor who performs a self-appendectomy - and catch the faint whiff of singed wool from an electrified sheep.

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With its sweet and natural portrayal of love accidentally blooming between two aardvarks, this heartwarming picture book makes a brilliant gift for a loved one.Aardvarks Aalfred and Aalbert both need a pal. But Aalfred sleeps in the day, and Aalbert sleeps at night. How will they ever get the chance to meet?Bird conjures up a series of sillier and sillier schemes to get the two aardvarks into the same place, but their paths simply refuse to cross. Until one day, when they find each other in the most unexpected way – and now Aalfred and Aalbert will never lose each other again.Aalfred and Aalbert is as funny and memorable as Morag Hood's other books, Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea, and The Steves.

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For more than three decades, Madonna has been generating headlines and topping charts. Now J. Randy Taraborrelli has written the definitive biography of one of the richest and most successful pop stars in the world, whose music has constantly evolved and who has remained relevant even as she hits her sixtieth year.From the driven, ambitious young woman struggling to get a break in New York to the outrageous pop diva and more spiritual mother, the changing faces of Madonna are revealed. We see her relationships with men like Basquiat, Tupac, Prince and Warren Beatty, and what happened in her marriages to Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie. We see her embracing motherhood. And we see her today with five children, still recording and touring, finding happiness with much younger boyfriends, defiantly living life on her own terms. Madonna is based on decades of research and exclusive interviews with people speaking of her publicly for the first time – including friends, business associates and even family members. J. Randy Taraborrelli has also interviewed the star herself on numerous occasions and he draws on first-hand experiences to bring Madonna to life as not merely a sensational tabloid delight, but as a flesh-and-blood woman with human foibles and weaknesses, as well as great strengths and ambitions.

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When Ellinor addresses her best friend Anna, she does not expect a reply. Anna has been dead for forty years, killed in the same skiing accident that claimed Henning: Ellinor’s first husband and Anna’s lover.Ellinor instead tells her that Georg has died – Georg who was once Anna’s, but whom Ellinor came to love in her place, and whom she came to care for, along with Anna’s two infant sons. Yet with Georg’s death Ellinor finds herself able to cut the ties of her assumed life with surprising ease.Returning to the area of Copenhagen where she grew up, away from the adopted comfort of the home she shared with Georg, Ellinor finds herself addressing her own history: her marriage to Henning, their seemingly charmed friendship with the newly-wed Anna and Georg, right back to her own mother's story – a story of heartbreaking pride.Because there are some secrets – both our own and of others – that we can only share with the dead. Secrets that nonetheless shape who we are and who we love. Often I Am Happy by Jens Christian Grøndahl is a profoundly moving work of fiction.

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Winner of the Branford Boase award, Fly By Night is the stunning YA fantasy novel from Frances Hardinge, author of the Costa Award winning The Lie Tree. As the realm struggles to maintain an uneasy peace after years of civil war and tyranny, a twelve-year-old orphan called Mosca Mye and her loyal companion, a cantankerous goose, are about to become the unlikely heroes of a radical revolution.Mosca is on the run, heading for the city of Mandelion. There she finds herself living by her wits among cut-throat highwaymen, spies and smugglers. With peril at every turn, Mosca uncovers a dark plot to terrorize the people of Mandelion, and soon merry mayhem leads to murder . . .Fly By Night has an unforgettable cast of characters and an inspiring message at its heart – sometimes the power of words can change the world.Fly By Night is followed by its thrilling sequel, Twilight Robbery.'Everyone should read Frances Hardinge. Everyone. Right now' - Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls.

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The fifth book in the exciting Little Legends series, The Secret Mountain by Tom Percival sees the fairy tale friends on a thrilling adventure to the mysterious mountain home of the trolls.Everyone in Tale Town knows that trolls mean trouble, and the Mayor and his guards have captured a fearsome troll spy. But when Jack, Red and Anansi see the prisoner, they find out the so-called spy is just a lost troll child . . .With the help of all their friends, the Little Legends decide to rescue the young troll and take it back to its secret mountain home. But what they find out when they get to Troll Mountain changes everything they've ever known!Little Legends is a brilliant highly illustrated series featuring all the fairy-tale characters you know and love having brand-new adventures!

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Brian Blessed has a lifelong love of animals and over the years has rescued cats and dogs, horses and ponies, and even a very ungrateful fighting cock. All were characters in their own right, such as Jessie, a dog left languishing for a year at the local RSPCA, who ruled the entire household with a rod of iron, when she wasn’t out harassing the local vicar. Then there was Bodger, an abused terrier cross breed, who was nursed back to health by Brian and his wife, and Peppone, a stray cat and notorious thief, who was responsible for a crime epidemic in the Bagshot area. Most of all there was Misty, a soul mate and the first Jack Russell Brian met who didn’t take an instant dislike to him. Over the years Brian has encountered more exotic animals too, from Kali the black panther who had free run of his kitchen and the gentle boa constrictor Bo Bo who went for walks with him in Richmond Park to the female gorillas who found him incredibly attractive. Written with all of Brian’s ebullience, The Panther in My Kitchen is a laugh-out-loud, life-affirming book about the joy animals bring and why we should care for them.

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Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, is a beautifully illustrated story full of animal fun – perfect for cheeky monkeys everywhere!A mischievous little girl and her toy monkey swing irresistibly through the pages of this playful book. Children will love guessing the animals they pretend to be, before shouting out the answers as the pages are turned to reveal the real creatures. Soon everyone will be waddling like a penguin, jumping like a kangaroo and waving their arm like an elephant's trunk!'Gravett weaves her magic again.' – Irish Times

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The Winter Secret is a thrilling mystery from Lulu Taylor, top ten bestselling author of The Snow Rose.‘My dear boy, the place is cursed. It always has been and it always will be . . .’Buttercup Redmain has a life of pampered luxury, living in beautiful Charcombe Park, Dorset. Her older husband, Charles Redmain, is wealthy and successful, and proud of the house he has painstakingly restored, once owned by a famous ancestor. Buttercup is surrounded by people who make her life delightfully easy. But the one thing she really wants seems impossible.There are other discomforting realities: her husband’s ex-wife still lives nearby – though Buttercup has never met her. Soon, it becomes very clear that all the people who make Buttercup’s life so carefree are also watching her every move. Does she actually live in a comfortable but inescapable cage? And what is the truth of her husband’s previous marriage?In the late 1940s, Xenia Arkadyoff lived in Charcombe Park with her father, a Russian prince, and her mother, a famous film star. Life seemed charmed, full of glamour and beauty. But behind the glittering facade lay pain, betrayal, and the truth about the woman Xenia spent her life protecting.Now Charcombe Park is calling back people who were once part of its story, and the secrets that have stayed long hidden are bubbling inexorably to the surface . . .

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Filled with all the larger-than-life characters and enchanting storytelling that made readers fall for The Reader on the 6.27, Jean-Paul Didierlaurent’s follow-up novel, The Rest of Their Lives, is set to charm the world.It’s difficult to find love in a profession like Ambroise’s – even his father despises what he does . . .And while Manelle – a home-help for the elderly in the same small French town – adores her days spent with her eccentric clients, she too often ends her evenings alone.So when an unusual request from Manelle’s favourite client – eighty-two-year-old retired chef-gourmand Samuel – brings the two of them together for an unlikely road-trip to Switzerland, along with Ambroise’s cake-loving grandmother, it might just be time for the rest of their lives to begin . . .

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'Here ends one of the finest achievements of recent crime fiction' - Sunday Telegraph'Outstanding' - The Times*Winner of the 2022 CWA Historical Dagger and Gold Dagger*Los Angeles. Christmas, 1967. A devil is loose in the City of Angels . . .A young nurse, Kerry Gaudet, travels to the City of Angels desperate to find her missing brother, fearing that something terrible has happened to him: a serial killer is terrorising the city, picking victims at random, and Kerry has precious few leads.Ida Young, recently retired Private Investigator, is dragged into helping the police when a young woman is discovered murdered in her motel room. Ida has never met the victim but her name has been found at the crime scene and the LAPD wants to know why . . .Meanwhile mob fixer Dante Sanfelippo has put his life savings into purchasing a winery in Napa Valley but first he must do one final favour for the Mob before leaving town: find a bail jumper before the bond money falls due, and time is fast running out.Ida’s friend, Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer’s identity. And Dante must tread a dangerous path to pay his dues, a path which will throw him headlong into a terrifying conspiracy and a secret that the conspirators will do anything to protect . . .Completing his American crime quartet, Ray Celestin's Sunset Swing is a stunning novel of conspiracy, murder and madness, an unforgettable portrait of a city on the edge.

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An epic historical joke and fact book from TV legend Sir Tony Robinson, author of the bestselling The Worst Children's Jobs in History and the Weird World of Wonders series.Sir Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders Joke Book is hilarious historical fun!Q: How did the Vikings send secret messages?A: Norse code!Q: Why were the early days of history called the Dark Ages? A: Because there were so many knights.Plus many many more!

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Whitney Terrell's remarkable novel of the Iraq War, The Good Lieutenant, literally starts with a bang, as an operation led by Lieutenant Emma Fowler goes spectacularly wrong. Men are dead - one, a young Iraqi, by her hand. Others of the casualties were soldiers in her platoon. And the signals officer, Dixon Pulowski. Pulowski is another story entirely - Fowler and Pulowski have been lovers since they first met at Fort Riley in Kansas . . . From this conflagration, The Good Lieutenant unspools backward in time as Fowler and her platoon are guided into disaster by suspect informants and questionable intelligence, their very mission the consequence of a previous snafu in which an American soldier had been kidnapped by insurgents. We hear the voice of Lieutenant Fowler but also those of jaded career soldiers and Iraqis both innocent and not so innocent. Ultimately, as all these stories unravel, Terrell reveals what can happen when good intentions destroy, experience distorts, and survival becomes everything.

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Ken Clarke needs no introduction. One of the genuine 'Big Beasts' of the political scene, during his forty-six years as the Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire he has been at the very heart of government under three prime ministers. He is a political obsessive with a personal hinterland, as well known as a Tory Wet with Europhile views as for his love of cricket, Nottingham Forest Football Club and jazz. In Kind of Blue, Clarke charts his remarkable progress from working-class scholarship boy in Nottinghamshire to high political office and the upper echelons of both his party and of government. But Clarke is not a straightforward Conservative politician. His position on the left of the party often led Margaret Thatcher to question his true blue credentials and his passionate commitment to the European project has led many fellow Conservatives to regard him with suspicion – and cost him the leadership on no less than three occasions.Clarke has had a ringside seat in British politics for four decades and his trenchant observations and candid account of life both in and out of government will enthral readers of all political persuasions. Vivid, witty and forthright, and taking its title not only from his politics but from his beloved Miles Davis, Kind of Blue is political memoir at its very best.

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The Big Steps series is designed to help little ones (and their parents) cope with everyday experiences. In I'm Starting Nursery, Ben is sad when Daddy drops him off for his first day . . . but not for long! He soon makes friends and in no time at all, Daddy is back.Watch Ben and his friends play with trucks, paint pictures, dress up and listen to a story in this fun-filled novelty book with flaps and mechanisms. Each page has really helpful tips for parents and carers that are endorsed by The Good Play Guide and leading Early Years Consultant, Dr Amanda Gummer. With delightful illustrations from Marion Cocklico, I'm Starting Nursery is the perfect book to share and to reassure every little person starting nursery.The Big Steps series has been endorsed and recommended by Dr Amanda Gummer's Good Toy Guide.For more toddler tips read We're Having a Baby, I'm Not Sleepy and No More Nappies: A potty-training guide.

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Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2017.'A Skinful of Shadows confirms Hardinge's status as one of our finest storytellers. It's rare to find a book which is every bit as intelligent and stylish as it is riveting - I was enthralled' - Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent.Frances Hardinge weaves a dark, otherworldly tale in A Skinful of Shadows, her first book since the Costa Award-winning The Lie Tree.When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding.Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment.And now there's a ghost inside her.The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, but it may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.

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Perfect for fans of Shirley Hughes, I'm Actually Really Grown-Up now is a warm and funny story from the creator of Anna and Otis."Inclusive illustrations are bright, busy and drawn with charming naivety"Praise for Anna and Otis – The Sunday TimesThe grown-ups are having a party, and Meena would really love to join in but instead she's sent to bed. Only grown-ups get to stay up late. So the next day she makes a very important announcement to her parents: "I'm actually really grown-up now!"In this very funny story we join Meena as she plans her very own grown-up party and explores what it REALLY means to be a grown up. She has a lot of fun experimenting with fashion, going to work and party planning, but she soon finds out that being grown-up might not always be as easy as it seems. I'm Actually Really Grown-Up Now by Maisie Shearring is the follow-up to the wonderful Anna and Otis. Maisie has a special talent for capturing the bittersweet highs and lows of childhood and the humour to be found in everyday situations.

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A hugely endearing, very funny story about kindness, friendship and overcoming fears, from award-winning illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring.Anna and Otis the snake are great friends and they love having fun together. But Otis knows people are scared of snakes, so he usually just plays at home or in the garden. He is nervous when Anna suggests a new adventure. At first people are afraid, and Otis feels he isn't welcome in the town. But Anna encourages Otis not to give up, and it soon turns out that maybe snakes aren't as scary as people thought! The hairdresser enjoys shampooing a reptile for a change, and at the skate shop Sally has a lot of fun fitting Otis with his own set of awesome wheels. Anna and Otis is full of endless rich details to spot and Maisie's artwork is a treat to pore over.

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Explore crowded canopies, towering treetops and the dense forest floor in First Explorers: In the Jungle. Meet tigers, monkeys, leopards and lots of other amazing creatures who live in the jungle.Each scene has chunky push, pull and slide mechanisms, animals to spot and fun facts about jungle animals. Beautifully illustrated by Jenny Wren, this title has gentle learning and is a magical introduction to the natural world.Also available: Night Animals, Sea Creatures, Dinosaurs

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The New York Times and No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestsellerBlue Ocean Shift is the essential follow-up to the classic Blue Ocean Strategy, the 3.6 million copy global bestseller by world-renowned professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.Drawing on more than a decade of new work, Kim and Mauborgne show you how to move beyond competing, how to inspire people’s confidence and seize new growth, guiding you step by step through how to take your organization from a red ocean, crowded with competition, to a blue ocean of uncontested market space. By combining the insights of human psychology with practical market-creating tools and real-world guidance, Kim and Mauborgne deliver the definitive guide to shift yourself, your team, or your organization to new heights of confidence, market creation and growth. They show why non-disruptive creation is as important as disruption in seizing new growth.Blue Ocean Shift is packed with all-new research and examples of how leaders in diverse industries and organizations made the shift and created new markets by applying the processes and tools outlined in the book. Whether you are a cash-strapped start-up or a large, established company, a non-profit or national government, you will learn how to move from red to blue oceans in a way that builds people’s confidence so that they own and drive the process.With battle-tested lessons learned from successes and failures in the field, Blue Ocean Shift is critical reading for leaders, managers and entrepreneurs alike. You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the pitfalls along the way. This book will empower you to succeed as you embark on your own blue ocean journey. Blue Ocean Shift is indispensable for anyone committed to building a compelling future.

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'Utterly romantic' Jenny Han, bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before.A delicious meet-cute romance about luck, love and serendipity from Jennifer E. Smith, author of Windfall and The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - soon to be a major Netflix movie.It's the perfect idea for a romantic week together: travelling across America by train.But then Hugo's girlfriend dumps him. Her parting gift: the tickets for their long-planned last-hurrah-before-uni trip. Only, it's been booked under her name. Non-transferable, no exceptions.Mae is still reeling from being rejected from USC's film school. When she stumbles across Hugo's ad for a replacement Margaret Campbell (her full name!), she's certain it's exactly the adventure she needs to shake off her disappointment and jump-start her next film.A cross-country train trip with a complete stranger might not seem like the best idea. But to Mae and Hugo, both eager to escape their regular lives, it makes perfect sense. What starts as a convenient arrangement soon turns into something more. But when life outside the train catches up with them, can they find a way to keep their feelings for each other from getting derailed?Jennifer E. Smith's YA novel Field Notes on Love is a heart-warming love story about grabbing opportunities and trusting your instincts.

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'These are wonderful and inspiring recipes' – Nigella LawsonAward-winning cookery writer and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe is back with Cooking on a Bootstrap: a creative and accessible cookbook packed with affordable, delicious recipes, most of which are vegetarian.Winner of the Observer Food Monthly Best Food Personality Readers' Award.Jack Monroe is a campaigner, food writer and activist and her first cookbook, A Girl Called Jack, was a runaway bestseller. The sequel Cooking on a Bootstrap makes budget food fun and delicious, with 118 incredible recipes including Fluffy Berry Pancakes, Self-Love Stew, Marmite Mac ‘n’ Cheese and Hot Sardines with Herby Sauce.Chapters include Bread, Breakfasts, A Bag of Pasta and a Packet of Rice, Spuds and Eat More Veg. There are vegan meals, sweet treats and what Jack calls ‘contraband’ dishes here, as well as helpful money-saving tips.With her trademark humour and wit, Jack shows us that affordable, authentic and creative recipes aren't just for those with fancy gadgets or premium ingredients.This beautiful edition contains illustrations and original full-colour photographs to really make your mouth water.'She understands first hand what it's like to be skint and have the desire to put something delicious on the table' – Nigel Slater

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For many, the Kray twins are legends but for Chris Lambrianou they were something else entirely . . . As a young East End tearaway, Chris turned to crime to escape the grinding poverty of his life. Armed robbery, safe blowing, fraud, even attempted murder - the big brash Cockney did the lot. Then, when he became too successful, the Krays decided they wanted a slice of his action. Pulled into their orbit, Chris was unimpressed by a crime empire built on fear, and alarmed to realise his brother Tony had become a paid up member of their firm. Then Chris was lured to the party that ended in the murder of Jack the Hat McVitie. Wanting to protect Tony, Chris helped dispose of the body. He was arrested along with the Krays and their firm, and after a sensational trial he was jailed for life in 1969.In this searing autobiography, he also describes what it's like to face life as a category A prisoner, the beatings and harsh regime, the friendship he found with other prisoners like Charlie Richardson and Bruce Reynolds. Still, in deep despair after years inside, he tried to kill himself but ultimately found the strength not just to survive but to change his life forever . . .

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When Stanley Stanwright finds a bone poking out of the earth in his back garden, he is determined to take a picture of it and send it to the Young Discoverer's Competition, thinking it will help bring his dad back home. But the bone begins to grow, reaching up out of the ground until it turns into a skeleton – a skeleton with an unusual interest in his unwell younger sister Miren.As time wears on, Miren's condition worsens, and the only time she is truly at peace is when she is playing with the skeleton. But Stanley is wary of him, especially when he finally manages to get a picture, and spots a scythe at the skeleton's feet. . .Skeleton Tree by Kim Ventrella is a whimsical, heartfelt story about a boy who finds a friend in Death with the help of an unusual tree growing in his back garden. With black line illustrations throughout by Victoria Assanelli.

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Mouse’s Big Day is a warm and funny story about friendship, that’s perfect for any child who is starting school or nursery.It’s Mouse’s first day at school and she’s feeling a little nervous . . . in fact, she doesn’t want to go at all. Luckily, there’s a class full of new friends waiting for her and lots of fun to be had at Twit Twoo School. Can Mouse find the confidence to join in with her classmates and learn just how brilliant school can be? Join Mouse, Frog, Rabbit, Mole, Owl and their teacher, Miss Hoot, at their fun-filled treetop school. With a cast of adorable animal characters and bright, bold, distinctive illustrations from the award-winning Lydia Monks, illustrator of the bestselling What the Ladybird Heard series, the Twit Twoo School series is sure to delight young children.Twit Twoo School: warm and witty stories, perfect for every preschooler. Share more exciting school adventures in Frog Hops Off! and Rabbit Races Ahead!

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Dieting stops now.Clinical nutritionist and health blogger Jessica Sepel is fast becoming one of Australia's most sought out wellness and lifestyle advocates.Living the Healthy Life is her practical and holistic 8-week plan to healing your life, body, nutrition and your relationship with food.Expanding on her philosophy from The Healthy Life, Jess guide will teach you how to quit fad dieting forever, give yourself the freedom to stop the guilt surrounding food, and to overcome body stress and anxiety. She explores the benefits of sleeping more, nourishing your cleansing functions and optimising your thyroid function. Jess shares more meal plans tailored to balance your hormones, increase energy levels and nutritional advice for vegans. Including helpful tips for eating out, snacks on-the-go, mindfulness and positivity, you'll have everything you need to heal your life.Packed with over 200 new recipes that prove healthy eating can be fun, simple and delicious.

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'Just the thing to lose yourself in . . . tremendously good' Daily MailCamp Chippewa, 1962. This is the summer that everything changes for lonely thirteen-year-old Nelson, marking the beginning of his uncertain friendship with a popular boy named Jonathan, and the discovery of his father's betrayal. As the years pass on, both Nelson and Jonathan find their notions of loyalty and bravery tested to the limit, and each will be forced to ask himself what it really means to be a good man . . .

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Keeping secrets is a dangerous game. From Lucinda Riley, the beloved author of the Seven Sisters series, The Love Letter is a thrilling novel full of secrets, lies and unforgettable twists.'Perfect summer escapism' – Best Magazine1995, London. Sir James Harrison was one of the greatest actors of his generation. But, when he passes away at the age of ninety-five, he leaves behind more than just a heartbroken family. He leaves a secret so shocking, so devastating that it could rock the English establishment to its very core . . .Joanna Haslam is an ambitious young journalist, assigned to cover the legendary actor’s funeral. The great and the good of the celebrity world are there. But Joanna stumbles on something dark beneath the glamour: the mention of a letter Sir James left behind, the contents of which have been desperately concealed for over seventy years.As Joanna peels back the veil of lies that has shrouded this secret, she realizes that there are other forces at work – forces that would prevent her from discovering the truth. And they’ll stop at nothing to reach the letter before she does . . .This title was originally published as Seeing Double. It is available in the US as The Royal Secret.

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Grieving husband? Or cold-blooded killer? JoAnn Chaney examines the dark side of marriage in this startling thriller, As Long As We Both Shall Live.'Unputdownable . . . This novel is anything but predictable. The female characters are forces of nature, and the plot twists are deliciously demented, a la Gone Girl and Big Little Lies' – People Magazine‘My wife! I think she’s dead!’ Matt frantically calls to park rangers, explaining that he and his wife, Marie, were out hiking when she stumbled on a cliff edge and fell into the raging river below. They start a search but aren’t hopeful: no one could have survived that fall.It’s a tragic accident.But when police discover Matt’s first wife also died in suspicious circumstances – a fire in their family home – they have a lot more questions for him.Is Matt a grieving husband, or has he just killed his second wife? Detectives Loren and Spengler dig into the couple’s lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that love’s got teeth, it’s got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, it’s tough to rip yourself free.So what happens when you’re done making it work?

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An Unsuitable Match, by number one bestselling author Joanna Trollope, is an uplifting story of love, family and second chances.'Nobody writes about family tensions better than Joanna Trollope' – Good HousekeepingRose Woodrowe has just got engaged to Tyler Masson – a wonderful, sensitive man who is head-over-heels in love with her. The only problem? This isn’t the first time for either of them, and their five grown-up children have strong opinions on the matter . . .Who to listen to? Who to please? Rose and Tyler are determined to get it right this time, but in trying to make everyone happy, can they ever be happy themselves?

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Jessie's got a lot going on . . . As well as having to give up her bedroom to the new lodger, she's busy filming her popular pranking videos for the Girls Can Vlog channel, there's an important gymnastics competition to prepare for, and the SummerTube convention is just around the corner! But there are only so many hours in a day, and the girls are getting fed up with Jessie constantly running late. When a huge row breaks out, she is faced with an impossible choice . . .

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From the critically acclaimed author, Rennie Airth, comes the fifth John Madden mystery, The Death of Kings.I have reason to believe that the jade pendant accompanying this letter is the same one that disappeared from Miss Portia Blake's body in August 1938 . . . Since the piece could not have been stolen by the man who was hanged for Miss Blake's murder, the question arises: who else could have taken it? And why? 1949. An unsigned letter arrives on the desk of Chief Inspector Derry of the Canterbury police. Enclosed is a jade pendant, identical to the one that went missing from the body of Portia Blake, an actress murdered a decade previously. The case had been shut quickly at the time – the accused vagrant gave a written confession and was sentenced to the gallows - but in the police's haste to close the inquiry, the necklace was never recovered. Until now. Inspector Madden is asked to investigate the letter's worrying claims by his old friend, and former Chief Inspector, Angus Sinclair, who fears the wrong man may have been hanged on his watch. But with a world war separating Madden from the murder, the truth will not come easy . . .

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How often have you made a successful presentation one day and the next day made a complete mess of the same material? If your delivery of presentations is all too variable, don't despair - help is at hand. how to: give a great presentation shows you how successful spoken communications work within a simple and executable framework of rules and techniques, and reveals how to avoid the pitfalls that exist to undermine your efforts. The expert advice in this book, illustrated with a host of relevant examples, will ensure that you'll have no more problems making impressive presentations each and every time.

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'Every so often, a new work emerges of such immense scholarship and weight that it really does add a significant difference to our understanding of the Second World War and its consequences. Judgement in Tokyo is one such, a monumental work in both scale and detail, beautifully constructed and written, leaving the reader not only moved but disturbed as well.' – James Holland, The Sunday Telegraph'A work of singular importance . . . balanced, original, human, accessible, and riveting' – Philippe Sands, author of East-West Street'Always engrossing . . . a breathtakingly ambitious and well-executed piece of history, unlikely to be bettered as a portrait of the trials and their place in postwar global history' – History TodayA landmark, magisterial history of the postwar trial of Japan’s leaders as war criminals, and their impact on the modern history of Asia and the world.In the weeks after Japan finally surrendered to the Allies to end World War II, the victorious powers turned to the question of how to move on from years of carnage and destruction. For the Allied powers, the trials were an opportunity both to render judgment on their vanquished foes and to create a legal framework to prosecute war crimes and prohibit the use of aggressive war. For the Japanese leaders on trial, it was their chance to argue that their war had been waged to liberate Asia from Western imperialism and that the court was no more than victors’ justice.Gary J. Bass' Judgement at Tokyo is a magnificent, riveting story of wartime action, dramatic courtroom battles, and the epic formative years that set the stage for the postwar era in the Asia–Pacific.'A comprehensive, landmark and riveting book' – The Washington Post, 'The 10 Best Books of 2023'

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Blending the critical essay with poetry, Gate of Lilacs is a collection of verse written by Clive James in response to – and profoundly inspired by – the work of Marcel Proust.'James picks out the characters, the motifs and the moments that set his memory ablaze, just as Marcel was able to conjure such visions from a tisane-infused madeleine' – Literary ReviewOver a period of fifteen years Clive James learned French by almost no other method than reading À la recherche du temps perdu – commonly translated as In Search of Lost Time, or Remembrance of Things Past. Then he spent half a century trying to get up to speed with Proust's great novel in two different languages. Gate of Lilacs is the unique product of James's love of and engagement with Proust's masterpiece. With À la recherche du temps perdu, Proust, in James's words, 'followed his creative instinct all the way until his breath gave out', and now James has done the same. In Gate of Lilacs, James, a brilliant critical essayist and poet, has blended the two forms into one.I had always thought the critical essay and the poem were closely related forms . . . If I wanted to talk about Proust's poetry beyond the basic level of talking about his language – if I wanted to talk about the poetry of his thought – then the best way to do it might be to write a poem.In the end, if À la recherche du temps perdu is a book devoted almost entirely to its author's gratitude for life, for love, and for art, this much smaller book is devoted to its author's gratitude for Proust.Clive James (1939–2019) was a broadcaster, critic, poet, memoirist and novelist. His acclaimed poetry includes the collection Sentenced to Life and a translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy, both Sunday Times bestsellers. His passion for and knowledge of poetry are distilled in his book of criticism on the subject, Poetry Notebook, and, written in the last year of his life, his personal annotated anthology of favourite poems, The Fire Of Joy. Praise for Clive James:'He will be seen, I think, as one of the most important and influential writers of our time' – Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times'Wise, witty, terrifying, unflinching and extraordinarily alive' – A.S. Byatt, critic and author of Possession: A Romance'Clive James is a true poet' – Peter Porter, London Review of Books

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First Stories: Alice in Wonderland is a perfect introduction, for young children, to Lewis Carroll's magical story. In Alice's adventures, nothing's ever as it seems, for Wonderland is magical, beyond your wildest dreams!Push, pull and turn mechanisms bring the story to life and introduce all the main characters, Alice, the White Rabbit, the March Hare, Mad Hatter, Dormouse and of course the Queen of Hearts. This well-loved story is beautifully imagined for a new generation by illustrator Colonel Moutarde.Great for little fingers and inquisitive minds, collect more books in the First Stories series: Snow White, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood.

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‘There is so much aching love in this book, such pain and beauty. Behold, and rejoice.’ – Tim Winton, author of CloudstreetWas he thinking, do I have to be this kind of boy to survive? Is this what being a boy is?As a boy growing up on the south coast of England, Howard Cunnell’s sense of self was dominated by his father’s absence. Now, years later, he is a father, and his daughter is becoming his son.Starting with his own childhood in the Sussex beachlands, Howard tells the story of the years of self-destruction that defined his young adulthood and the escape he found in reading and the natural world. Still he felt compelled to destroy the relationships that mattered to him.Saved by love and responsibility, Cunnell charts his journey from anger to compassion, as his daughter Jay realizes he is a boy, and a son.Most of all, this is a story about love – its necessity and fragility, and its unequalled capacity to enable us to be who we are.Deeply thoughtful, searingly honest and exquisitely lyrical, Fathers and Sons is an exploration of fatherhood, masculinity, authenticity and family.

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Lucy's mum is so out of date she's practically mouldy. She's super-strict, overprotective and won't let Lucy go to the Valentine's Ball! Lucy can't believe she was ever a teenager . . . Until the morning her mum wakes up with no memory of the last thirty years – and thinks she's twelve years old! All Lucy wants is for her mum to go back to being her old self – but how? Mumnesia by Katie Dale is a hilarious story about a very unusual mother-daughter relationship.

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A powerful domestic drama, Shelter reveals the secrets and troubles of two generations of a Korean-American family.You never know what goes on behind closed doors. Kyung Cho owns a house that he can't afford. Despite his promising career as a tenure-track professor, he and his wife, Gillian, have always lived beyond their means. Now their bad decisions are catching up with them, and Kyung is anxious for his family's future.A few miles away, his parents, Jin and Mae, live in the town's most exclusive neighbourhood. Growing up, they gave Kyung every possible advantage – expensive hobbies, private tutors – but they never showed him kindness. Kyung can hardly bear to see them now, much less ask for their help. Yet when an act of violence leaves Jin and Mae unable to live on their own, the dynamic suddenly changes, and he decides to take them in. For the first time in years, the Chos find themselves under the same roof where tensions quickly mount and old resentments rise to the surface.As Shelter veers swiftly towards its startling conclusion, Jung Yun leads us through dark and violent territory, where, unexpectedly, the Chos discover hope. In the tradition of House of Sand and Fog and The Ice Storm, Shelter is a masterfully crafted first novel that asks what it means to provide for one's family and, in answer, delivers a story as riveting as it is profound.

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From the international bestselling author, Hans Olav Lahlum, comes Chameleon People, the fourth murder mystery in the K2 and Patricia series.1972. On a cold March morning the weekend peace is broken when a frantic young cyclist rings on Inspector Kolbjørn 'K2' Kristiansen's doorbell, desperate to speak to the detective.Compelled to help, K2 lets the boy inside, only to discover that he is being pursued by K2's colleagues in the Oslo police. A bloody knife is quickly found in the young man's pocket: a knife that matches the stab wounds of a politician murdered just a few streets away. The evidence seems clear-cut, and the arrest couldn't be easier. But with the suspect's identity unknown, and the boy refusing to speak, K2 finds himself far from closing the case. And then there is the question that K2 can't get out of his head: why would a guilty man travel directly to a police detective from the scene of his own brutal crime?

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