Search results for ""Author Matt Whyman""

A love letter to the small but mighty dachshund or, as it’s more affectionally known, the Sausage Dog. This book – almost as adorable as its namesake – proves that sausage dogs are not just sweet, soft and a little bit silly to look at. They can be an example to us all. Despite having the odds stacked against it, this little pooch can turn any situation to its advantage. It’s the underdog that always comes out on top, displaying remarkable resilience, tenacity and bravery at every turn. Sausage dogs may be only ankle high, but they will stop at nothing to live life to the fullest, teaching us humans some valuable life lessons along the way. They don’t care that they look more like a wind-up toy than a fierce guard dog, or that their bark is much louder than their bite. Being more sausage is about breaking free from restraints, overcoming physical and emotional shortcomings, and chewing up the social conventions that conspire to hold us back. This is our chance to unleash that inner dachshund, live long and prosper!

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‘We’re not at parkrun any more,’ I mutter to myself, quietly longing for the presence of nice marshals in high-visibility vests.Failure is an Option is the story of an average runner who sets out to discover just how far he can go. With the support (and misgivings) of his family, and aware that his quickest years are behind him, Matt Whyman leaves the Saturday morning 5K to push towards 100-mile ultramarathons and beyond. By slowing things down to run a very long way, he joins a growing number of men and women from all walks of life striving to do something extraordinary.A newcomer to a world that can often seem off-limits, Matt finds his feet as an ultrarunner by learning the hard way. He battles monster hallucinations on endurance races spanning day and night, loses himself on tantalising trails across landscapes far from home, and forges bonds with fellow competitors in which small, kind gestures mean more than any medal. Determined to touch the boundaries of his running world before it starts to shrink, ultimately Matt sets his sights on a six-day mountain ultra that even hardened veterans consider to be the most formidable on earth: the Dragon’s Back Race.Brimming with good humour, honesty and joy, Failure is an Option pits ambition against ability to uncover human truths that resonate with us all. A mid-pack competitor who could win prizes for enthusiasm – if nothing else – Matt takes us on a journey far beyond his comfort zone and with no guaranteed outcome of success. The results are entertaining from start to finish, often very funny and at times deeply moving.

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A riotous dark comedy teeming with delightfully unacceptable behaviour. Like all good law-abiding citizens, sixteen-year-old Maurice no longer considers going off the rails as just a teenage phase. It can only mean the mark of a troll . . .But these trolls aren't confined to causing trouble online: now they're in our homes, on our streets and have ruined life as we know it. As a rule Maurice tries to avoid trouble - until the day he crosses paths with Wretch, a very bad apple indeed. And with tensions rising, can these two teens put their differences aside in order to survive?

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We often consider dogs to be our enduring sidekicks but the truth is domestic pigs have played a role in our lives for nearly as long. Pigs are highly social and smart. They like to play. They’re inventive, crafty and belligerent – and incredibly singleminded. Ultimately, we have far more in common with these creatures than we like to admit. Here is a charming ode to one of the most common, yet surprisingly intelligent, animals populating our landscapes. In this gentle and illuminating study, Matt Whyman embarks on a journey to uncover the heart and soul of an animal brimming with more energy, intelligence and playfulness than he could ever have imagined. In his bid to understand what makes a pig tick, having climbed a steep learning curve as a keeper himself, Whyman meets a veterinary professor and expert in pig emotion, as well as a spirited hill farmer whose world revolves around hogs and sows. Packed with fascinating research and delightful anecdotes, this entertaining and informative celebration of all things porcine covers everything from evolution, behaviour and communication to friendship, loyalty and broken hearts – uncovering a surprising notion of family along the way.

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Keeping pets is a lovely idea. When building a family, they complement the kids. But what happens when things get out of hand?For writer and house husband, Matt Whyman, it's a case of catastrophe management in coping with four children and all the ill-advised animals amassed by his career wife, Emma. Just as Matt gets to grips with managing her two maxed out minipigs, she falls for a miniature Dachshund - the kind of dog he wouldn't be seen dead with.Hercules isn't big or clever, but Emma is determined. She'll do everything, she promises...From the author of Pig in the Middle

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Be inspired by Football Legend, Tammy Abraham! Discover the inspirational story of this top player's journey, from his early life growing up in London, to his success at Chelsea FC football academy and his journey towards playing on the England team – this football legend is an inspiration to kids everywhere. Football Legends: Young readers will love finding out all about the lives of their favourite players in this great new biography series. Packed with footie facts and match stats plus Tammy's career highlights. Amazing cover artwork ilustrated by Manchester-based artist, Stanley Chow, whose iconic work has found worldwide acclaim.

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The ultimate TV companion book to Good Omens, a massive new television launch on Amazon Prime Video and the BBC, written and show-run by Neil Gaiman and adapted from the internationally beloved novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. '[It was] absurdly good fun...Terry charged Neil with getting it made, almost as his deathbed wish, so it's a real labour of love' - David TennantIn the beginning there was a book written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman about the forces of good and evil coming together to prevent the apocalypse, scheduled to happen on a Saturday just after tea. Now, that internationally beloved novel has been transformed into six hour-long episodes of some of the most creative and ambitious television ever made. Written and show-run by Neil Gaiman and directed by Douglas Mackinnon, this BBC Studios creation brings Good Omens spectacularly to life, through a cast that includes David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Miranda Richardson, Josie Lawrence, Derek Jacobi, Nick Offerman, Jack Whitehall and Adria Arjona. Keep calm, because The Nice and Accurate Good Omens TV Companion is your ultimate guide to navigating Armageddon. Through character profiles and in-depth interviews with the stars and the crew, stunning behind-the-scenes and stills photography of the cast and locations, and a fascinating insight into costume boards and set designs, you will discover the feats of creativity and mind-boggling techniques that have gone into bringing an angel, a demon, and the Antichrist to the screens of people everywhere. This book will take you inside the world of Heaven and Hell (and Tadfield) and is set to shatter coffee tables around the world.

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The official children’s book to the Netflix original documentary series, Our Planet, with a foreword by Sir David Attenborough. This glorious visual celebration of the natural world combines extraordinary photography from the series with stunning illustrations from acclaimed artist, Richard Jones. Lose yourself in icy landscapes, dense jungles and endless oceans. Learn how our fascinating habitats, and the plants and creatures living there, interconnect to create the one place we all call home – Our Planet. This beautifully written and informative book for children has an uplifting message of hope that will strike a chord with all the family. The perfect gift for families the world over to treasure forever. ‘You will be among the next characters who can, if they wish, tell the most extraordinary story of all – how human beings in the twenty-first century came to their senses and started to protect Planet Earth’ Sir David Attenborough

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