Search results for ""PROFILE BOOKS""

It's the height of summer. As the heat shimmers on the streets and ice cream melts onto sticky fingers, tempers begin to rise and old grudges surface. From Cornish beaches to the French Riviera, it's not just a holiday that's on people's minds ... it's murder. In these ten classic stories from writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Cyril Hare and Gladys Mitchell, you'll find mayhem and mysteries aplenty. So grab the suncream and head down to the beach - if you dare.

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'Sarai Walker has done it again ... upends the Gothic ghost story with a fiery feminist zeal.' Maria Semple, bestelling author of Where'd You Go Bernadette 'A riveting, gothic page-turner' the New York Times 'Wonderful... A book one doesn't want to put down... I highly recommend' Sarah Jessica Parker A GoodReads pick for May 2022 and nominated for GoodReads Choice Best Horror of 2022 The reclusive Sylvia Wren, one of the most important American artists of the past century, has been running from her past for sixty years. Born Iris Chapel, of the Chapel munitions dynasty, second youngest of six sisters, she grew up in a palatial Victorian 'Wedding Cake House' in New England, neglected by her distant father and troubled, haunted mother. The sisters longed to escape, but the only way out was marriage. Not long after the first Chapel sister walks down the aisle, she dies of mysterious causes, a tragedy that repeats with the second sister, leaving the rest to navigate the wreckage, with heart-wrenching consequences. The Cherry Robbers is a wonderfully atmospheric, propulsive novel about sisterhood, mortality and forging one's own path.

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Shortlisted for the 2023 Victorian Premier's Literary Award 'Truly excellent' Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life, shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize 'Voyeuristically addictive, funny, and deceptively simple' Halle Butler, author of The New Me Whether working in food service or in high-end retail, lit by a laptop in a sex chat or by the camera of an acclaimed film director, or sharing a flat in the city or a holiday rental in Mallorca, the protagonists of the ten stories comprising Paul Dalla Rosa's debut collection navigate the spaces between aspiration and delusion, ambition and aimlessness, the curated profile and the unreliable body. By turns unsparing and tender, Dalla Rosa explores our lives in late-stage Capitalism, where globalisation and its false promises of connectivity leave us further alienated and disenfranchised. Like the legendary Lucia Berlin and his contemporary Ottessa Moshfegh, Dalla Rosa is a masterful observer-and hilarious eviscerator-of our ugly, beautiful attempts at finding meaning in an ugly, beautiful world.

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''A shimmering, sexy, thrilling tale of intrigue and desire, and the dark paths we walk to keep our secrets safe. Bell has written a shining debut'' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Dance Tree''A powerful, atmospheric debut'' Sunday TimesEveryone connected to the court of Louis XIV has something to hide. For the Baroness Marie Catherine, it is the pleasures she seeks outside of her unhappy marriage, indulging in a more liberated existence of decadent salons and discussions with writers and scholars. At the centre of her illicit freedom is her lover Victoire Rose de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Conti, the androgynous, self-assured countess. When Victoire''s devotion results in an act of murder to save Marie Catherine, the pair must escape from the clutches of Paris'' overzealous chief of police. As they attempt to outwit him, they are led to the darkest corners of Paris and Versailles, discovering lies, mysticism, and people with secrets they too would kill to keep. Fast-paced, opulen

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'Truly infectious' Guardian Appa and Amma have driven home a shiny new Honda Civic to show off to their neighbours in Blue Hills housing colony. But their triumph is short lived. Their eldest son Sreenath is behaving strangely, and the reason soon becomes clear: a secretly filmed video of Sreenath and his girlfriend Anita has been posted to a porn site, and nearly everyone they know has seen it. The ensuing war - with Sreenath and Anita on one side and their families on the other - becomes a news sensation, emblematic of a wider generational struggle. The novel is narrated by Sreenath's younger brother, just as eager to rebel against conventional morality. But to keep his family together he will have to compromise his integrity and, in doing so, bring buried tensions between him and his brother to the surface. Full of dark comedy and insight about shame and the online generation, this is a poignant story about now told by a narrator who will beguile and surprise you.

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A haunting and vivid novel which excavates an Australia rarely seen in literature. New Year's Eve, 1990, small-town Australia. The mysterious death of the family dog pushes Jack, a Vietnam veteran suffering from severe PTSD, into one of his periodic vanishing acts. His eccentric brother Les remains next door, a gentle fixer-upper, whose loyalties are increasingly torn between Jack and his wife Evelyn. This time, Evelyn lets Jack stay gone. She is rapidly disappearing herself, lost in recollections of a vibrant youth as her eldest daughter Lani seems intent on misspending her own. And at the heart of it all is Lani's little sister Ru, who sees everything and yet is overlooked. A Loving, Faithful Animal is an unforgettable interrogation of ruins, redemption and reasons why.

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We spend a lot of our time at work and would be depressed with nothing to do. But when it gets to Monday, many of us are already longing for the weekend and the prospect of escape. How did work become so tedious and stressful? And is there anything we can do to make it better?Based on his popular Economist Bartleby column, Philip Coggan rewrites the rules of work to help us survive the daily grind. Ranging widely, he encourages us to cut through mindless jargon, pointless bureaucracy and endless meetings to find a new, more creative - and less frustrating - way to get by and get on at work.Incisive, original, and endlessly droll, this is the guide for beleaguered underlings and harried higher-ups alike. As Rousseau might have said: Man was born free, but is everywhere stuck in a meeting. If you''ve ever thought there must be a better way, this is the book for you.

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Our extraordinary world makes more (and sometimes less) sense when you wonder: What's driving the international turkey-meat boom? How does a cannonball determine a maritime boundary? Where can you wed your mobile phone? Why do septuagenarians have a better chance of summiting Mount Everest than ever? The ever-keen minds of The Economist Explains solve all these riddles and more in their latest encyclopaedic excursion around the globe. Baffle your friends and colleagues with unconventional headscratchers that shed surprising light on science, culture, world affairs and more. From the underground trade in hair to Hollywood's role in the creation of the snow globe, Truly Peculiar takes a walk on the weird side.

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'Any writer who can evoke the existential sadness of a lonely cockroach, or make krill thrilling, or describe a snorkelling colleague being engulfed in a "gargantuan cetacean bum detonation" is a real gift to science communication ... thought-provoking' Guardian Everything you ever wanted to know about how animals live together, and what that means for us Some animal societies hold a mirror up to the human world: elephants hold funerals for departed family members. Pinyon jays run collective creches. Rats will go out of their way to help a cold, wet stranger. Other lifestyles can seem intensely alien. Take locusts, surging over the land in their millions, unable to slow down for a moment because the hungry ranks behind will literally bite their legs off if they don't stay one step ahead (actually, you might know a few people like that). But no matter how offputting an animal might be, behavioural scientist Ashley Ward can usually find something worth celebrating. Travelling the world from the Serengeti to the frozen Antarctic ocean, with stops in the muddy fields and streams of his native northern Yorkshire, he brings his curious eye and infectious humour right down to their level. The result is a world-expanding, myth-busting tour of some of nature's greatest marvels, in delightfully broad-minded company.

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The classic handbook for practitioners, parents and caregivers. In this new cover edition of Infant Massage, you'll discover the latest scientific research that confirms what parents have known for generations: massage benefits children - easing discomfort, releasing tension, helping premature infants gain weight, even helping asthmatic children improve breathing function. Follow each step of the massage process with simple instructions and delightful photographs demonstrating each stroke. This supportive guide includes: - Helpful hints on dealing with crying and fussing - Lullabies, rhymes and games, to enhance the massage experience - Modified techniques for premature infants and babies with special needs - A special chapter dedicated to fathers - Compassionate advice for foster and adoptive parents Written by the person credited with bringing baby massage to the West, this is the original and best guide to a practice that contributes to baby wellbeing and deepens the parent-child bond.

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'Topical and desperately urgent, I absolutely loved it' - DANIEL COLE 'As dark and gritty as it is pacy and original' - JANICE HALLETT THIS IS WHAT YOU KNOW: A far-right terror group has abducted your daughter Ally and framed you for a murder you didn't commit. She is being held in the Box, their top-secret 're-education' facility, location unknown. You've been approached by a stranger claiming to be Ally's friend, who says they can take you to her. THIS IS WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: Whether you can trust this stranger. Whether you can trust the police. And just how far you'll go to bring Ally home alive. THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT. From the bestselling author of The Regret, this heart-pounding thriller is perfect for readers of Harlan Coben, Mark Billingham and M.W. Craven.

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'A joy to immerse oneself in' Andi Oliver 'In the field of food history, Annie Gray leads the pack' Jay Rayner For many people Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a turkey and trimmings, pudding and brandy butter. And yet it wasn't always that way. Gone are the gluttonous banquets featuring boar's head and brawn - but how did we get to the Christmas food of today? Historian Annie Gray digs into the evolution of our festive meal, from the birth of the twelve-day celebration under Edward I and the the restoration of holiday splendour under Victoria to the present day. Organised by festive dish and illustrated throughout, At Christmas We Feast is a delectable trip through time - stuffed full of classic recipes, doused with history and tradition, and sprinkled with the joy of the feasts of Christmas past.

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'An excellent exposé of the "wellness" industry' Daily Telegraph 'Revealing' Sunday Times Style 'Excellent ... Rina really knows her sh*t' Jameela Jamil 'Next level revelatory' Sarah Knight, internationally-bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck What happens when the cure becomes as bad as the disease? Women are pursuing their health like never before. Whether it's juicing, biohacking, clutching crystals, or sipping collagen, today there is something for everyone, as the wellness industry has grown from modest roots into a $4.4 trillion movement, promising health and vitality in the most fashionable package. So why are we suddenly all feeling so unwell? Vividly told and deeply reported, The Gospel of Wellness reveals how this obsession is a direct result of gender inequalities and structural sexism within medicine and society. And while wellness may have sprung from good intentions, we are now relentlessly bombarded with exploitative offerings, questionable ideas, and a mounting pressure to maintain an illusion of control. Balancing the good with the bad, wellness industry journalist Rina Raphael offers a clear-eyed exploration of what wellness can actually offer us, knocking down the false idols that have taken hold and ultimately showing how we might shape a better future for the movement - and for our well-being.

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'Utterly charming and uplifting' The Good Book Guide Voted Britain's favourite poem, 'Warning', written in 1961, is known and loved the world over for its message of old age as a time for indulgence and fun. In the poem's respectable middle-aged woman, as she imagines herself in old age as a cheeky rebel with outrageous clothes and dotty behaviour, poet Jenny Joseph has created a character whose thoughts have been quoted at conferences and funerals, used to cheer up sick friends and remembered with pleasure by children and adults alike around the world. Here, 'Warning' appears as a beautiful updated edition with new illustrations; the perfect gift for a friend or relative who wants to grow older free from expectations, with a joyful and rebellious spirit.

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In the bleak midwinter ... murder awaits. The halls might be decked, and the mistletoe hung, but in these ten classic crime stories you're more likely to come across a corpse under the Christmas tree than a present. From a Santa Claus with a secret to a violent theft that snowballs into something quite unexpected, pull up a chair, throw another log on the fire ... and let history's greatest crime writers surprise, delight and chill you to the bone.

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'A practical, no-nonsense guide to getting children back to nature ... Brilliant' Stephen Moss 'A valuable practical guide to helping children form a kinship with nature' Independent Many of us want to spend more time outside with our kids - but what do we do when we're there, and why is a connection to nature so important and wonderful anyway? The Nature Seed is a practical and philosophical guide for anyone with children in their lives. Full of the wonders of sharing the natural world with young minds, it's a manual for finding awe in the cracks of the pavement and magic on a stroll around the block. Whether on an urban walk or in an inner-city park, out in the woods or by the sea, Lucy weaves together stories of how a connection to nature helps children thrive, and Ken draws on his time working with kids outdoors to give you creative, easy and free child-led activities to deepen that connection, from wild art to simple fires, potions, foraging and make-believe. Wherever you live, The Nature Seed offers a radical vision of a new kinship with nature, one that will help all of us expand, nurture and deepen our wild life.

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THE SEQUEL TO THE MULTI-MILLION BESTSELLER DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN From the author of the world's most popular drawing instruction manual Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, this new book helps you discover a new way of drawing and problem solving. Betty Edwards reveals the role our dominant eye plays in how we perceive, create, and are seen by those around us. Research shows that much like being right-handed or left-handed, each of us has a dominant eye, corresponding to the dominant side of our brain - either verbal or perceptual. Once you learn the difference and try your hand at the simple drawing exercises, you'll gain fresh insights into how you perceive, think, and create. You'll learn how to not just look but truly see. Generously illustrated throughout, Drawing on the Dominant Eye offers a remarkable guided tour through art history, psychology, and the creative process; a must-read for anyone looking for a richer understanding of our art, our minds, and ourselves. Praise for Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain: 'Hands down the best and most life-enhancing thing I've done in lockdown' India Knight 'A guide to enhancing creativity and artistic confidence' Independent

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A comprehensive handbook for counsellors and therapists working with victims of child abuse - using Parks Inner Child Therapy. Developed by Penny Parks, based on her own experience of recovering from childhood abuse, Parks Inner Child Therapy (PICT) is a flexibly structured approach to inner child work, which works through the 'today' adult to assist resolution of trauma within the 'past' child. Developed specifically for counsellors treating patients using aspects of the PICT method, this guide covers: - The effects of childhood trauma - PICT steps for identifying and changing mistaken beliefs - Sample material and guidelines for use - Dealing with anger and guilt - The four basic Therapy Blocks Widely used by counsellors to help people recover from sexual, physical and emotional abuse during childhood, this is a valuable reference for trained professionals overseeing recovery, as well as a useful guide as part of a self-help programme.

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'An absolute treasure trove on women's physical and mental postnatal health' Milli Hill, author of Give Birth Like A Feminist and The Positive Birth Book 'Brilliant' Clover Stroud 'Essential reading for all parents to be' Marina Fogle 'Helpful, honest and humorous - which is exactly what we all need after birth' Ross J. Barr, acupuncturist and women's health expert While there is a wealth of advice for new mums on caring for their babies the same is not true for postpartum health. Fulfilling this vital need, After Birth is the ultimate postnatal primer for women facing changes to their bodies after having a baby. Addressing issues great and small­ - from hair loss and stretch marks, to bladder and bowel leaks, painful sex, diastasis recti and mental health - researcher and writer Jessica Hatcher-Moore brings together straight-talking advice on preparation for childbirth, healing, and recovery in the weeks, months and even years that follow. She also offers insights for partners, whose role is often overlooked at this critical time. Blending knowledge from the full spectrum of modern and traditional therapies with honest experiences from mothers, here is balanced advice with no agenda. Taking a broad look at what we can do for ourselves at home, and also when to seek expert help, After Birth will reassure, inform and empower women to reclaim their post-birth bodies.

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WINNER OF BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021 AND BEST START UP/SCALE UP BOOK AWARD 2021 'A powerful way to think about success as an entrepreneur.' Ali Abdaal, Productivity YouTuber, Podcaster & Ex-Doctor 'Crucial business advice that you won't get anywhere else.' Derek Sivers, Entrepreneur & Author of Anything You Want This ground-breaking book exposes the myths behind startup success, illuminates the real forces at work and shows how they can be harnessed in your favour. The world isn't a level playing field. Meritocracy is a myth. And if you look at those at the top, you realise that behind every success story is an Unfair Advantage. But that doesn't just mean your parents' wealth or who you know. An Unfair Advantage is any element that gives you an edge over your competition. And we all have one. Drawing on over two decades of hands-on experience, including as the first Marketing Director of Just Eat (a startup now worth over £5 billion), the authors show how to identify your own unfair advantages and apply them to any project. Hard work and grit aren't enough, so they explore the importance of money, intelligence, insight, location, education, expertise, status and luck in the journey to success. From Snapchat to Spanx, Oprah to Elon Musk, unfair advantages have shaped the journeys of some of the most successful brands in the world. This book helps you too find the external circumstances and internal strengths to succeed in the world of business and beyond.

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'Felix Flicker brilliantly reveals the secrets behind the modern-day magic we call physics' Marcus du Sautoy 'The world is already telling you its spells; the purpose of this book is to help you listen' Imagine you had a crystal that lit upon your command: magic must be at work, and you must surely be a wizard. But what if you discovered that you routinely cast such spells? Are the spells no longer magic ... or are you a wizard? The modern term for wizardry is condensed matter physics. It is the study of the world around us - the states of matter and how they emerge from the quantum realm. Thanks to its practical magic we can make lasers which cut through solid metal, trains which hover in mid-air, and crystals which light our homes. It is one of the best-kept secrets in science; a third of all physicists work on it, yet its story has never been told. Join Felix Flicker as he introduces the magic of condensed matter physics. It will be a journey that reveals the subtle spells that conjure crystals from chaos and create new particles that have never before existed. The Magick of Matter will revolutionise what you know about physics and reality; you'll never see the world in the same way again.

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'Not all Essex girls are party girls. They can be sages, martyrs, leaders. In her neat and provocative little book, Sarah Perry celebrates their courage and vivacity.' Hilary Mantel A defence and celebration of the Essex Girl by the best-selling author of The Essex Serpent Essex Girls are disreputable, disrespectful and disobedient. They speak out of turn, too loudly and too often, in an accent irritating to the ruling classes. Their bodies are hyper-sexualised and irredeemably vulgar. They are given to intricate and voluble squabbling. They do not apologise for any of this. And why should they? In this exhilarating feminist defence of the Essex girl, Sarah Perry re-examines her relationship with her much maligned home county. She summons its most unquiet spirits, from Protestant martyr Rose Allin to the indomitable Abolitionist Anne Knight, sitting them alongside Audre Lorde, Kim Kardashian and Harriet Martineau, and showing us that the Essex girl is not bound by geography. She is a type, representing a very particular kind of female agency, and a very particular kind of disdain: she contains a multitude of women, and it is time to celebrate them.

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'Wise, provocative and wildly endearing' Guardian 'Readably juicy and surreptitiously smart' Barbara Kingsolver THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER A Meghan Markle Book Recommendation Rosemary doesn't talk much, and about certain things she's silent. She had a sister, Fern, her whirlwind other half, who vanished from her life in circumstances she wishes she could forget. And it's been ten years since she last saw her beloved older brother Lowell. Now at college, Rosemary starts to see she can't go forward without going back to the time when aged five, she was sent away from home to her grandparents and returned to find Fern gone. It was Rosemary's parents who began all of the trouble - isn't it always? But, dear reader, exactly how they did it is a twist you'll have to discover for yourself.

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'Palmer writes with pace and passion ... Full of flavour' Sunday Times A Cheesemonger's Compendium introduces 150 of the finest cheeses from across the British Isles. It is a perfect companion for all of us hooked by Ned Palmer's acclaimed Cheesemonger's History. Each cheese on Palmer's cheeseboard is accompanied by a morsel of history or a dash of folklore, a description of its flavours, and an enticing illustration. Palmer peppers his book with stories of eccentric and colourful cheesemakers and celebrates both traditional farmhouse and modern artisanal cheeses - fresh, mould-ripened, washed-rind, blue and hard. He explains how to buy your cheese like a monger, how to cut and store it, and how best to match it with drinks. The guide is completed by a brilliantly illustrated gazetteer.

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A NEW SCIENTIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 'A fascinating read for anyone interested in the future of the planet' Adam Hart, author and BBC science presenter Our planet hasn't seen the current rate of extinction since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and global conservation efforts are failing to halt this. As a society, we face choices which will determine the fate of Earth's estimated 8.7 million species, including humans. As wildlife declines, conservation needs to make trade-offs. But what should we conserve and why? Are we wrong to love bees and hate wasps? Are native species more valuable than newcomers (aka invasives)? Should some animals be culled to protect others, and what do we want the 'natural world' to look like? There are many surprising answers in Rebecca Nesbit's lively, stimulating book, which sows the seeds of a debate we urgently need to have.

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** A WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH ** ** SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD ** 'One of the Scottish crime books of the year. I loved it' CHRIS BROOKMYRE 'Heart-warming, heart-breaking and utterly compelling' MARION TODD 'Excellent' HERALD THE GREATEST DANGERS LIE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS... Twelve-year-old Lesley has lived in the Homes since she was three weeks old, just one of a thousand unwanted children who occupy the village-like estate in the lowlands of Scotland in the 1960s. Life for her and her best friend Jonesy has been hard, and often cruel, but never dangerous. Until now. A girl is found dead at the Homes, soon followed by another. With the police unable to catch the killer, Lesley and Jonesy decide to take matters into their own hands. But unwanted children are easy victims, and the closer they get to the truth, the more they will put themselves in terrible danger... Inspired by a true story, and introducing readers to the unforgettable voice of young orphan Lesley, The Homes is a moving and lyrical thriller, perfect for readers of Val McDermid, Chris Whitaker, Jane Casey and Denise Mina.

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'Blissfully funny, staggeringly informative, a joyful companion' Caroline Quentin 'Tells the endlessly fascinating tale of Britain's natural history in a way that makes every delicate detail sparkle with life' Charlie Corbett, author of 12 Birds to Save Your Life When we go for a walk, whether in the countryside or city, we pass through landscapes full of natural beauty and curiosities both visible and invisible - but though we might admire the view, or wonder idly about the name of a flower, we rarely have the knowledge to fully engage with what we see. When we do, our sense of place is expanded, our understanding deepened and we can discover richness in even the most everyday stroll. John Wright has been leading forays around Britain for decades. As an expert forager, he shows people how to identify the edible species that abound - but he also reveals the natural history, stories and science behind our surroundings. Here, he takes us with him on eight walks: from verdant forests to wild coastlines, via city pavements, fields and rolling hills, he illuminates what can be found on a walk across any British terrain, and how you might observe and truly understand them, for yourself. Warm, wise and endlessly informative, with helpful illustrations and suggested routes, this book will help you to see the world around you with new eyes: no walk will be the same again.

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'One of the most interesting and original thinkers about the rise of China' - Peter Frankopan A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2022 A Guardian Best Paperback of July 2022 Its vast infrastructure projects now extend from the ocean floor to outer space, and from Africa's megacities into rural America. China is wiring the world, and, in doing so, rewriting the global order. As things stand, the rest of the world still has a choice. But the battle for tomorrow will require America and its allies to take daring risks in uncertain political terrain. Unchecked, China will reshape global flows of data to reflect its own interests - and the lives of countless individuals enmeshed in its systems. Taking readers on a global tour of these emerging battlefields, Jonathan E. Hillman reveals what China's digital footprint looks like on the ground, and explores the dangers of a world in which all routers lead to Beijing.

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A SUNDAY TIMES BEST FILM AND THEATRE BOOK OF 2022 'Anyone in love with the arts will fall in love with this beautifully written and fascinating book' Kathy Burke Astonish Me! is an adrenaline-charged rollercoaster through history's seismic first nights, exploring how individual artists can change and shape the story of culture - and allow us to see ourselves in new ways. It tells of times when 'the air between people seems to alter' as art achieves profound change, across the globe and across history. Dominic Dromgoole has created a radical and fresh canon. He begins in New York in 1963, as Lorraine Hansberry remakes American theatre and a nation's perception of race. And then, as the lights go up, we find ourselves in Renaissance Florence, watching Michelangelo's David being hauled into the Piazza della Signoria. The dust settles and we are transported to the birth of theatre in fifth-century Athens - and then to Paris to meet with Diaghilev and Stravinsky for the Rite of Spring. We witness kabuki's creation, as a radical women's performance, in Kyoto; the Sex Pistols shattering Thatcherite Britain at Manchester's Free Trade Hall; and watch as Hitchcock directs Psycho.

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'Turner's seductive blend of political analysis, social reportage and cultural immersion puts him wonderfully at ease with his readers' David Kynaston 'Reading Alwyn Turner's account of life in the first two decades of the 21st century is a bit like trying to recall a dream from three nights ago ... uncannily familiar, but the details are downright implausible ' Kathryn Hughes, Guardian Weaving politics and popular culture into a mesmerising tapestry, historian Alwyn Turner tells the definitive story of the Blair, Brown and Cameron years. Some details may trigger a laugh of recognition (the spectre of bird flu; the electoral machinations of Robert Kilroy-Silk). Others are so surreal you could be forgiven for blocking them out first time around (did Peter Mandelson really enlist a Candomblé witch doctor to curse Gordon Brown's press secretary?). The deepest patterns, however, only reveal themselves at a certain distance. Through the Iraq War and the 2008 crash, the rebirth of light entertainment and the rise of the 'problematic', Turner shows how the crisis in the soul of a nation played out in its daily dramas and nightly distractions.

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"A vital guide ... It is difficult to imagine anyone seriously interested in Dante who will not want to own this book" AN Wilson, The Times Since Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy it has defined how people imagine and depict not only heaven and hell, but romantic love and the human condition. However, while Dante's works are widely celebrated outside Italy, the circumstances of his extraordinary life are less well known. Born in 1265, Dante's adolescence was characterised by literary genius, but his political activism in one of the medieval world's wealthiest cities led to his death in exile. Pre-eminent Dante scholar Alessandro Barbero and celebrated translator Allan Cameron bring the poet vividly to life. Animating the political intrigue, violence, civil war, exile and cities that shaped Dante's poetic and political life, this is a remarkable portrait of one of the creators of European literature and a towering medieval figure in time for the 700th anniversary of his death.

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In 10½ Lessons from Experience, Paul Marshall distils the experience of 35 years of investing, including over 20 years at Marshall Wace, the global equity hedge fund partnership. He describes the disconnect between academic theory and market practice, in particular the reality and persistence of 'skill' - the continuing ability of the best practitioners to beat the market. But he also underscores the prevalence of uncertainty and human fallibility, showing how a successful investment management business must steer a path which recognises both the persistence of skill and the pitfalls of cognitive bias, human fallibility and hubris.

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'DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK' - STEPHEN KING 'Creepy, individual and gripping' - IAN RANKIN 'A thrilling hall of mirrors filled with twists' - ALEX MICHAELIDES 'Brilliant and moving' - SARAH PINBOROUGH Rob is afraid of her daughter. Callie collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends, and Rob is afraid of what she might to do Annie, her younger sister. She sees a darkness in Callie that reminds her of the family she left behind, and a life she has tried to forget. Seeing no other way to keep Annie safe, she decides to take Callie back to Sundial, her childhood home deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice. Callie is afraid of her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely. To tell her secrets about her past that both disturb and excite her. And they are both afraid that only one of them will make it back from Sundial alive... A gripping gothic masterpiece from the bestselling and award-winning author of THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, SUNDIAL is a must-read for fans of GIRL A and SHARP OBJECTS.

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'The anti-Bridget Jones ... brutally funny' Chris Kraus Ann-Marie's life has collapsed, and she's blaming everyone but herself. Twenty-three, heartbroken, skint and furious, she's convinced that love - sweet love! - is the answer to all of her problems. But then she meets an unlikely saviour in legendary feminist Stephanie Haight, for whom Ann-Marie becomes the first step in re-educating an entire generation out of their ironic detachment and into the welcoming arms of second-wave feminism. As Ann-Marie's semi-consensual feminist awakening leads her from neo-burlesque pop-up strip clubs to ritual worship ceremonies summoning ancient power goddesses, Zoe Pilger spins around her heroine a fiercely clever and unapologetically wild satire for our narcissistic, hedonistic, post-post-feminist times. 'Pilger might be the heiress to Angela Carter.' Deborah Levy

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WINNER OF EDGE HILL READERS CHOICE PRIZE 2021 'Taps into a deep and compelling strangeness with vigour and humour and heart... A disturbing and moving collection' Chris Power, author of Mothers In Paradise Block, mould grows as thick as fur along the walls, alarms ring out at unexpected hours and none of the neighbours are quite what they seem. A little girl boils endless eggs in her family's burnt-out flat, an isolated old woman entices a new friend with gifts of cutlery and cufflinks, and a young bride grows frustrated with her unappreciative husband, the caretaker of creaking, dilapidated Paradise Block. With a haunting sense of place and a keen eye for the absurd, these thirteen surreal stories lure us into a topsy-turvy world where fleatraps are more important than babies and sales calls for luxury coffins provide a welcome distraction. Lonely residents live in close proximity while longing for connection.

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A Guardian 'Top 10 Nature Memoirs' pick 'Poetic and heartful' Guardian Icelandic author and activist Andri Snær Magnason's 'Letter to the Future', an extraordinary and moving eulogy for the lost Okjökull glacier, made global news and was shared by millions. Now he attempts to come to terms with the issues we all face in his new book On Time and Water. Magnason writes of the melting glaciers, the rising seas and acidity changes that haven't been seen for 50 million years. These are changes that will affect all life on earth. Taking a path to climate science through ancient myths about sacred cows, stories of ancestors and relatives and interviews with the Dalai Lama, Magnason allows himself to be both personal and scientific. The result is an absorbing mixture of travel, history, science and philosophy.

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'Brilliant' The Times 'An absorbing summer read' Mail on Sunday 'Gripping' Sunday Times 'A skilful domestic whodunit' Shots When two families - one rich, one not - go on vacation together, little do they know that someone won't be returning home. Fripp Island, South Carolina, is the perfect destination for the wealthy Daly family. For Lisa Daly's childhood friend, Poppy, it's a world away from her everyday life - so when Lisa invites Poppy's family to join them, she can hardly turn down an all expenses paid vacation for her husband and children. But everyone brings secrets to the island, distorting what should be a convivial, relaxing summer on the beach. As revelations from the past unfold, events in the present build to a shocking conclusion. What would you do to keep someone you love safe? What wouldn't you do?'

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'Please please please read Mindf*ck' - Richard Dawkins What if you could peer into the minds of an entire population? What if you could target the weakest with rumours that only they saw? In 2016, an obscure British military contractor turned the world upside down. Funded by a billionaire on a crusade to start his own far-right insurgency, Cambridge Analytica combined psychological research with private Facebook data to make an invisible weapon with the power to change what voters perceived as real. The firm was created to launch the then unknown Steve Bannon's ideological assault on America. But as it honed its dark arts in elections from Trinidad to Nigeria, 24-year-old research director Christopher Wylie began to see what he and his colleagues were unleashing. He had heard the disturbing visions of the investors. He saw what CEO Alexander Nix did behind closed doors. When Britain shocked the world by voting to leave the EU, Wylie realised it was time to expose his old associates. The political crime of the century had just taken place - the weapon had been tested - and nobody knew.

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'A dark gothic delight' JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE 'Inventive, lavish, twisty... will keep you guessing until the very end' ALISON LITTLEWOOD, author of MISTLETOE Winter 1954, and in a dilapidated apartment in Brooklyn, Sam Cooper realises that she has nothing left. Her mother is dead, she has no prospects, and she cannot afford the rent. But as she goes through her mother's things, Sam finds a stack of hidden letters that reveal a family and an inheritance that she never knew she had, three thousand miles away in Yorkshire. Begars Abbey is a crumbling pile, inhabited only by Lady Cooper, Sam's ailing grandmother, and a handful of servants. Sam cannot understand why her mother kept its very existence a secret, but her newly discovered diaries offer a glimpse of a young girl growing increasingly terrified. As is Sam herself. Built on the foundations of an old convent, Begars moves and sings with the biting wind. Her grandmother cannot speak, and a shadowy woman moves along the corridors at night. There are dark places in the hidden tunnels beneath Begars. And they will not give up their secrets easily... A chilling read that will keep you turning the pages late into the night, Begars Abbey is a must-read for fans of Laura Purcell, C.J. Tudor and W.C. Ryan.

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'The master of razor-sharp one liners. An absolute belter' - MANDASUE HELLER 'Brilliant. This is British crime writing at its best' - MARK EDWARDS 'May be his best yet' - WILL CARVER MY DAD SAYS BAD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN I BREAK IT... Daniel is looking forward to his birthday. He wants pie and chips, a big chocolate cake, and a comic book starring his favourite superhero. And as long as he follows The Rule, nothing bad will happen. But Daniel has no idea that he's about to kill a stranger. Daniel's parents know that their beloved and vulnerable son will be taken away. But Daniel didn't mean to hurt anyone, he just doesn't know his own strength. They dispose of the body. Isn't that what any loving parent would do? But as forces on both sides of the law begin to close in on them, they realise they have no option but to finish what they started. Even if it means that others will have to die... Because they'll do anything to protect Daniel. Even murder. 'Excellent as always. Grimy and heartbreaking in equal measure' - WILL CARVER 'A pacy, smart and darkly funny heartbreaker of a crime novel' - SUSI HOLLIDAY 'A stupendous piece of literary engineering' - JENNY O'BRIEN 'An intense and compelling read. Highly recommended' - LISA HALL 'David Jackson has done it again. The Rule is incredible' - NOELLE HOLTEN

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'Julia Cameron invented the way people renovate the creative soul' - New York Times ONE OF THE WATKINS TOP 100 MOST SPIRITUALLY INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2023 The Artist's Way has uncovered the potential of millions of people. International bestselling author Julia Cameron uses her experience and world-renowned techniques as a creativity coach to challenge her readers to go deeper within themselves and open up wider horizons. Featuring inspiring essays on the creative process and more than 100 imaginative, engaging and energising tasks for authentic growth, renewal and healing, The Vein of Gold takes readers on a 'journey to the heart of creativity' through seven kingdoms. Whether you are already actively pursuing a creative enterprise or are just beginning to nurture your own creativity, this powerful book provides the innovative and practical tools for mining the vein of gold within you.

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Longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award 2020 'A novelist for our times' Anna Funder, author of Stasiland In this brilliant novel of fear and sacrifice, trauma and survival, four characters' lives intertwine across time and place. Australian soldier Toohey returns from Baghdad in 2003 with shrapnel in his neck, crippled by PTSD. A decade earlier, aspiring pianist Nasim falls from favour with Saddam Hussein and his psychopathic son Uday, triggering a perilous search for safety. In Melbourne as the millennium turns, Robbie, faced with her father's dementia and family silences that may never be addressed, begins to test boundaries. And in the present day, Gerry seeks to escape his father Toohey's tyranny and heal the wounds inflicted by it. Act of Grace is a meditation on inheritance: the damage that one generation bestows upon the next, and the potential for transformation. It is a searing, powerful and utterly original work by an exceptional Australian writer.

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY BEST CRIME FICTION AWARD 'B.M. Carroll is a wonderful writer' - LIANE MORIARTY 'A true page-turner, relentlessly fast-paced' - KATIE LOWE 'Well written and very, very clever' - A.J. PARK 'I absolutely loved it. Gripping and twisty' - SOPHIE FLYNN WOULD YOU SAVE THE MAN WHO DESTROYED YOUR LIFE? When paramedic Megan Lowe is called to the scene of an attempted murder, all she can do is try to save the victim. But as the man is lifted onto a stretcher, she realises she knows him. She despises him. Why should she save his life when he destroyed hers? Jess Foster is on her way home when she receives a text from Megan. Once best friends, the two women haven't been close for years, not since the night when they were just the teenage girls whom no-one believed; whose reputations were ruined. All Jess can think is, you had it coming. Now Megan and Jess are at the centre of a murder investigation. But what secrets are they hiding? Can they trust one another? And who really is the victim? Perfect for fans of C.L. Taylor, Lucy Foley and Lisa Hall, You Had It Coming is a thrilling tale of suspense and dark secrets.

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When was smoking banned on trains? Which actor restored kippers to the menu of the Brighton Belle? What regular lineside event did Dickens describe as 'a shave in the air'? Perfect for a trivia night or a long trip, Train Teasers will both test your knowledge of this country's rail system and enlighten you on the most colourful aspects of its long history. Meet trunk murderers, trainspotters, haters of railways, railway writers, Ministers for Transport good and bad, railway cats, dogs and a railway penguin. This is NOT a book for number-crunching nerds. Many of the answers are guessable by the intelligent reader. It is a quiz, yes, but also a cavalcade of historical incident and colour relating to a system that was the making of modern Britain.

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'Engrossing, beguiling, and with an undertow of menace, Before the Ruins is a masterly debut from a richly talented author.' Sarah Waters 'Jaw-droppingly brilliant writing' Marian Keyes Andy believes that she has left her past far behind her. But when she gets a call from Peter's mother to say he's gone missing, she finds herself pulled into a search for answers. Bored and restless after their final school exams, Andy, Peter, Em and Marcus broke into a ruined manor house nearby and quickly became friends with the boy living there. Blond, charming and on the run, David's presence was as dangerous as it was exciting. The story of a diamond necklace, stolen from the house fifty years earlier and perhaps still lost somewhere in the grounds inspired the group to buy a replica and play at hiding it, hoping to turn up the real thing along the way. But the game grew to encompass decades of resentment, lies and a terrible betrayal. Now, Andy's search for Peter will unearth unimaginable secrets - and take her back to the people who still keep them.

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A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER In the past few decades, legislatures throughout the world have suffered from gridlock. In democracies, laws and policies are just as soon unpicked as made. It seems that Congress and Parliaments cannot forge progress or consensus. Moreover, courts often overturn decisions made by elected representatives. In the absence of effective politicians, many turn to the courts to solve political and moral questions. Rulings from the Supreme Courts in the United States and United Kingdom, or the European court in Strasbourg may seem to end the debate but the division and debate does not subside. In fact, the absence of democratic accountability leads to radicalisation. Judicial overreach cannot make up for the shortcomings of politicians. This is especially acute in the field of human rights. For instance, who should decide on abortion or prisoners' rights to vote, elected politicians or appointed judges? Expanding on arguments first laid out in the 2019 Reith Lectures, Jonathan Sumption argues that the time has come to return some problems to the politicians.

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Choosing a care home is one of the more emotional and expensive decisions that anyone ever has to make. You may be unprepared, inexperienced, under time pressure and in an emotional whirlwind. This book is designed to cut through this noise and offer clear, practical advice for anyone who has to make this crucial decision. Professor June Andrews looks at everything that you need to know, from first deciding whether care is needed for someone, to choosing a care home, to what happens next. She offers honest and sensible information about costs, quality of care and accommodation, and examines the finer details of what you might consider, such as food, décor, medical services and religious arrangements. A good care home is a reward for a life well spent, and providing that care is a joy for the people who do it well. Avoiding the pitfalls, and finding the right place is the first step.

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