Search results for ""macmillan""

A woman is found dead in an apparent suicide – but there may be something darker at play. Featuring Inspector Jimmy Perez, Too Good To Be True is a gripping Quick Read from Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series.Now a major BBC One drama, Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall.When young teacher Anna Blackwell is found dead in her home, the police think her death was suicide or a tragic accident. After all, Stonebridge is a quiet country village in the Scottish Borders, where murders just don't happen. But Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it – but needs proof.Anna had been a teacher. She must have loved kids. Would she kill herself knowing there was nobody to look after her daughter? She had seemed happier than ever before she died. And to Perez, this suggests not suicide, but murder . . .Quick Reads are short books from bestselling authors, perfect for a fast and satisfying read – whether you're a regular reader, or just getting started. With Too Good To Be True, you can get a taste of the thrilling story of Shetland's Inspector Jimmy Perez. Start the series with book one, Raven Black.

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"Wise old man, won't you help me, please? My house is a squash and squeeze."Visit the farm in the brilliantly funny A Squash and a Squeeze, the first ever picture book written and illustrated by the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo. A little old lady lives all by herself in her house but she's not happy - it's just too small, even for one. Whatever can she do? The wise old man knows: bring in a flappy, scratchy, greedy, noisy crowd of farmyard animals. When she pushes them all out again, she'll be amazed at how big her house feels!This edition features the classic story with a stunning, redesigned cover and beautiful finish, making it a must-have addition to the bookshelves of all Donaldson and Scheffler fans – big and small!Also available with redesigned covers are: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale, The Smartest Giant in Town, Monkey Puzzle and Charlie Cook's Favourite Book.

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Foreword by Philippa Perry‘Based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children - and the adults who love them.’ – Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet'A necessary and important book.' - Philippa Perry, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had ReadAre you a hardy and resilient dandelion, or are you a more sensitive and fragile orchid?Building on the definitions of introvert, extrovert or highly sensitive, The Orchid and the Dandelion exposes – for the first time – how a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to what makes us who we are. This breakthrough research explains why some people struggle where others succeed, why happiness comes so easily to some while frustrations weigh more heavily on others.In The Orchid and the Dandelion, Dr W. Thomas Boyce – one of the world’s foremost researchers in the field of pediatric health – presents findings that children have two very different responses to their environments. While some children are like dandelions and can thrive in almost any environment, there are others who, like orchids, are much more reactive and susceptible to their surroundings. Now we finally have a scientific framework to understand people and how to address their unique needs to help them find their fullest potential.This groundbreaking book draws on extensive research into genetics and the exploding field of epigenetics, examples and real stories that will re-frame how we think about orchid and dandelion children – and the adults those children have become. By understanding which of us are, genetically and environmentally speaking, the orchids of this world, Dr Boyce explains how to care for and parent our children – the true orchids. He shows how we can help them thrive by sharing insights and lessons from his thirty years of research in the field.

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Inspired by the true story of an African childhood lived on the edge of destitution, award-winning Elizabeth Laird's The Garbage King takes readers on an unforgettable emotional journey.When Mamo's mother dies, he is abandoned in the shanties of Addis Ababa. Stolen by a child-trafficker and sold to a farmer, he is cruelly treated. Escaping back to the city, he meets another, very different runaway. Dani is rich, educated - and fleeing his tyrannical father. Together they join a gang of homeless street boys who survive only by mutual bonds of trust and total dependence on each other.

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Jan Ullrich: The Best There Never Was is the first biography of Jan Ullrich, arguably the most naturally talented cyclist of his generation, and also one of the most controversial champions of the Tour de France.In 1997, Jan Ullrich announced himself to the world by obliterating his rivals in the first mountain stage of the Tour de France. So awesome was his display that it sent shockwaves throughout the world of cycling and invited headlines such as L’Équipe’s ‘The New Giant’. He went on to become Germany’s first ever Tour winner, storming to victory in that edition by almost ten minutes, a result that was greeted as an era-defining changing of the guard. Everyone agreed: Jan Ullrich was the future of cycling. He was soon also voted Germany’s most popular sportsperson of all time, and his rivalry with Lance Armstrong defined the most controversial years of the Tour de France.Now, Daniel Friebe – who has covered twenty-one editions of the Tour de France – has gone in search of the man who was said in 1997 would go on to dominate his sport for a generation, but never quite managed it.Just what did happen to the best who never was?This is a gripping account of how unbearable expectation, mental and physical fragility, the effects of a complicated childhood, a morally corrupt sport and one individual – Lance Armstrong – can conspire to reroute destiny.Daniel Friebe takes us from the legacy of East Germany’s drugs programme to the pinnacle of pro cycling and asks: what price can you give sporting immortality?

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The second book by the record-breaking bestselling author Joe Wicks.Eat more. Build muscle. Burn fat. Lean in 15: The Shape Plan introduces a new way of eating and training to build lean muscle and burn more fat. Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, has helped hundreds of thousands of people transform their bodies and feel amazing. In the Shape Plan, he shares a hundred delicious recipes and four new workouts to take your fitness to the next level.Are you ready to start your transformation and get Lean in 15?Over 600,000 copies sold

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The Cast is an irresistible celebration of the strength of women, finding the courage to persevere through the drama of heartbreak and joy, by the world's favourite storyteller, Danielle Steel. Living in New York, Kait Whittier's popular magazine column is followed by fans across the country. She loves her work and adores her grown children, treasuring the time they spend together. But after two marriages, she prefers to avoid the complications and uncertainties of love. But, after a chance meeting with television producer Zack Winter, everything changes.Inspired by the true story of her own grandmother, Kait creates the storyline for a TV series. Within weeks, Kait is plunged into a colourful, star-studded world of actors and industry pros who will bring her vision to life, from the reclusive grand dame to LA’s hottest bad boy actor. And, as secrets are shared and friendships deepen, Kate even finds herself falling for someone . . .But when Kate faces an unimaginable loss, this unforgettable cast becomes more important to her than she ever believed possible.

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Set in a drastically changing world, The Good Fight is the uplifting and inspiring story of one woman against the system, by the number one bestseller, Danielle Steel.America in the 1960s. A new generation of women are breaking the boundaries – socially, politically and professionally – and Meredith McKenzie wants to be one of them.Determined to become a lawyer, Meredith discovers her passion for justice, fighting for civil rights and desegregation. But when the violence of the era strikes too close to home, her once tightly knit family must survive a devastating loss and rethink what it is that holds them together.Meredith will have to do anything she can to keep her family together while she fights for what she believes in . . .

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Orphaned. Betrayed. Determined.England, 1820. Angélique Latham grew up in her magnificent country house, Belgrave Castle with her father, the Duke of Westerfield, after the death of her mother. But when he dies, her half-brothers brutally deny her very existence and send her out into the world alone. At eighteen, Angélique has a keen mind, remarkable beauty and an envelope of money her late father pressed upon her. Unable to secure employment, Angélique desperately makes her way to Paris. To survive, she will need all her resources – and one bold stroke of fortune. Angélique takes an unfamiliar and unimaginable path in setting up what becomes a highly successful business. But she lives on the edge of scandal; can she ever make a life for herself? From England to Paris and New York, cosy up with this fan-favourite from Danielle Steel, as she weaves an enchanting story of a woman of unquenchable spirit in The Duchess.

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The military science fiction sequel to his extraordinary Old Man's War, John Scalzi's The Ghost Brigades is the second in The Old Man's War series. Who can you trust, if you can't trust yourself?Three hostile alien races have united against humanity, determined to halt our expansion into space. The mastermind behind this lethal alliance is a traitor – Charles Boutin. He was a Colonial Defence Force scientist, with access to their biggest military secrets. Now the CDF's only hope is to discover Boutin's plan. Trouble is, Boutin's dead.As a super-soldier created from Boutin's own DNA, Jared Dirac may have answers. However, when Dirac fails to access the scientist's memories, he's transferred to the Ghost Brigades for training. These elite troops are also cloned from the dead, so he might fit in. But will Dirac's memory return as the enemy plots the fate of humankind? And whose side is Dirac really on?'A mix of Starship Troopers and Universal Soldier, Ghost evokes awakening, betrayal, and combat in the best military sci-fi tradition.' – Entertainment WeeklyContinue the gripping space war series with The Last Colony.

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The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a moving story of hope and forgiveness, and an international bestseller.The Victorians used flowers to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. For Victoria Jones, flowers and their meanings are her only connection to the world – although for her, they are most useful in expressing feelings such as grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood in the foster care system, Victoria – now eighteen – has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes a meeting with a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realize what's been missing in her own life. As she starts to fall for him, though, she must confront a painful secret from her past – and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

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Hard-core, fast paced science fiction, John Scalzi's Zoe's Tale is the fourth in The Old Man's War series. She won't go down without a fight.It's not every day you up sticks and move to another world. But then, Zoë Boutin-Perry's life has never been ordinary. She's the adopted teenage daughter of two former super-soldiers. She's also a holy icon to a race of alien warriors who track her every move. So she's used to the quirks of being a human in space.However, this time something's different. Betrayed by the authorities, Zoë – along with her parents and fellow colonists - finds herself stranded on a deadly pioneer planet. The Colonial Union has also set them up as a target for hostile alien action. Zoë must become a player (and a pawn) in an interstellar battle, which will determine the fate of humanity. Her father's side of this story was told in The Last Colony, but Zoe's Tale reveals a whole new dimension. It's a story you may think you know, but you don't really know it at all.Continue the gripping space war series with The Human Division.'John Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today' – Joe Hill, author of The Fireman

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Dave Itzkoff is the author of Mad as Hell, Cocaine's Son and Lads. He is a culture reporter at the New York Times, where he writes regularly about film, television, theatre, music and popular culture. He previously worked at Spin, Maxim and Details, and his work has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired and other publications. He lives in New York City.

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Take to the high seas in Voyage to Magical North, a swashbuckling pirate adventure filled with magic by Claire Fayers.Twelve-year-old Brine Seaborne is a girl with a past . . . if only she could remember what it is. Found alone in a rowboat as a child, clutching a shard of the rare starshell needed for spell-casting, she's spent every day since housekeeping for an irritable magician and his obnoxious apprentice, Peter.But everything changes when Brine and Peter accidentally break the magician's starshell and need to flee the island. Lost at sea, they blunder into the path of the legendary pirate ship the Onion. Before you can say 'pieces of eight,' they're up to their necks in the pirates' quest to find Magical North, a place so shrouded in secrets and myth that most people don't even think it exists. If Brine is lucky, she may find out who her parents are and why they sent her out to sea. And if she's unlucky, everyone on the ship will be eaten by sea monsters. It really could go either way.Enjoy more fun adventures with The Accidental Pirates in Journey to Dragon Island.

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With an introduction by author Cynan JonesWhen Mark Brian, a young priest, is sent to the Indian village of Kingcome in British Columbia, he finds himself in an astonishing place of salmon runs and ancient totems. Yet amidst the beauty, the old culture is under attack, slowly being replaced by prefab houses and alcoholism. Mark has not long to live, and so he sets about sharing the hunting and fishing, the festivals and funerals, the joys and sorrows of a once proud tribe. Perhaps here he will learn enough of life to be ready to die.With all the qualities of a legend or fable, I Heard the Owl Call My Name is a journey of discovery, and a story about the transforming power of love. Exploring the clash of old and new, it is an outstanding modern classic, both wise and tragic.

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Hard-core science fiction at its very best, John Scalzi's The Human Division is the fifth in The Old Man's War series. Lieutenant Harry Wilson has an impossible mission. He must help preserve the union of humanity's colonies, in the wake of a terrible revelation. For years the Colonial Union has protected its citizens from the dangerous universe around them. But the people of Earth now know the ugly truth. The Union deliberately kept Earth as an ignorant backwater – and as a source of recruits for its war against hostile aliens. Now, other alien races have formed a new alliance against the Union. And they've invited the incensed people of Earth to join them. Managing the Colonial Union's survival will take all the political cunning and finesse its diplomats can muster. And Harry and his team will be deployed to deal with the unexpected – for failure is unthinkable.Continue the gripping space war series with The End of All Things.

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With an introduction by Jonathan LethemIt is 1913, and Viennese high society is determined to find an appropriate way of celebrating the seventieth jubilee of the accession of Emperor Franz Josef. But as the aristocracy tries to salvage something illustrious out of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the ordinary Viennese world is beginning to show signs of more serious rebellion. Caught in the middle of this social labyrinth is Ulrich: youngish, rich, an ex-soldier, seducer and scientist.Unable to deceive himself that the jumble of attributes and values that his world has bestowed on him amounts to anything so innate as a 'character', he is effectively a man 'without qualities', a brilliant, detached observer of the spinning, racing society around him. Part satire, part visionary epic, part intellectual tour de force, The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil is a work of immeasurable importance.

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The Number One Bestseller from Helen FieldingThe Wilderness Years are over! But for how long?Bridget's second diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason takes us through a year that begins with man-of-her-dreams Mark Darcy (who never does the washing up) and lurches onwards through a sea of self-help books and lunatic advice from her mad friends. Struggling with the challenges of a boyfriend-stealing beauty, an eight-foot hole in the wall and a builder obsessed with large reservoir fish, Bridget decides it's time for a spiritual epiphany. And so she departs Notting Hill for the sparkling shores of Thailand . . . Bridget is back. V.g.

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Here's to You, Rachel Robinson is Judy Blume's classic novel about family conflict. From the bestselling author of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.Meet Rachel, the youngest in a family of high-achievers. She's also the cleverest. But it's not easy being super-intelligent – especially when her errant older brother insists on disturbing the peace and undermining everything she ever says or does. And her best friends seem to be falling for his charming veneer . . .Here's to You, Rachel Robinson is a powerful sequel to Just as Long as We're Together.

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Archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, mountaineer and nation builder, Gertrude Bell was born in 1868 into a world of privilege and plenty, but she turned her back on all that for her passion for the Arab peoples, becoming the architect of the independent kingdom of Iraq and seeing its first king Faisal safely onto the throne in 1921. Queen of the Desert is her story, vividly told and impeccably researched, drawing on Gertrude's own writings, both published and unpublished. Previously published as Daughter of the Desert, this is a compelling portrait of a woman who transcended the restrictions of her class and age and in so doing created a remarkable and enduring legacy.'What a great Oscar-laden biopic this will make ...the combination of epic scenes and personal drama makes Georgina Howell's saga a winner' Daily Express'Howell sketches in the gradations of colour and emotion that have been lacking in hitherto monochrome accounts of Bell's life ... Exemplary' Sunday Times'Riveting ... few women have had a life more worth reading about.' Diana Athill, Literary Review

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Collecting poetry written in the years 2011–2014, Sentenced to Life sees Clive James look back over his extraordinarily rich life with a clear-eyed and unflinching honesty.After falling dangerously ill in 2010, Clive James did not expect to live to see this volume published. But live he did, and these poems see James writing with his insight and energy not only undiminished but positively charged by his situation.There is no sense of self-pity in this collection, which includes the internet sensation ‘Japanese Maple’ and which deals openly with regret, death and his own illness,. With a great breadth of subject matter – taking in Hollywood, travel, art and politics – it is his fascination with humanity that shines through. It is, above all, a celebration of life – all that is treasurable and memorable in our time here.Rich in wisdom and sharp of thought, Sentenced to Life represents a career high point from one of the great literary intelligences of the age.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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'A brilliant advertising copywriter and a great team leader. His ideas are equally applicable to writing a novel, making a film, launching a product, managing a football team, instituting life changes and any activity you can imagine. Genius' - Sunday TimesLife is a zero-sum game.Drawing on Eastern and Western philosophy, and colourful characters from Picasso and Socrates to Warren Beatty, this book represents a lifetime of wisdom learned at the creative cutting edge.Predatory Thinking is a masterclass in how to outwit the competition, in ordinary life as well as in business. It is the philosophy that has underpinned Dave Trott's distinguished career as a copywriter, creative director, and founder of some of London's most high-profile advertising agencies.

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Shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Dark, dangerous and compulsively readable, Dare Me by Megan Abbott is a gripping exploration of the teenage psyche. There's something dangerous about the boredom of teenage girls. Coach said that once. She said it like she knew, and understood. When Colette French arrives at school one fall and takes charge of the cheer squad, she brings a hint of threat. Sleek, remote and careless, she transforms the girls into warriors - and rivals. Addy and Beth find that for the first time they have secrets from one another. But their mentor is playing her own deadly game, and there is everything to lose.'Tense, dark and beautifully written' Gillian Flynn

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A powerful alien force threatens humanity. Can we rise to face it? Salvation Lost is the extraordinary second volume in Peter F. Hamilton's Salvation Sequence, a high-octane adventure from the award-winning author.'The most powerful imagination in science fiction' – Ken Follett, author of The Pillars of the EarthFight together - or die alone . . .In the twenty-third century, humanity is enjoying a comparative utopia. Yet life on Earth is about to change, forever. Feriton Kane’s investigative team has discovered the worst threat ever to face mankind – and we’ve almost no time to fight back. The supposedly benign Olyix plan to harvest humanity, in order to carry us to their god at the end of the universe. And as their agents conclude schemes down on earth, vast warships converge above to gather this cargo. Some factions push for humanity to flee, to live in hiding amongst the stars – although only a chosen few would make it out in time. But others refuse to break before the storm. As disaster looms, animosities must be set aside to focus on just one goal: wiping this enemy from the face of creation. Even if it means preparing for a future this generation will never see. Salvation Lost is followed by the trilogy's stunning conclusion, The Saints of Salvation.'Everything readers of Salvation will have hoped for. A series emerging as a modern classic' - Stephen Baxter, author of Time

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Concluding the Fleethaven Trilogy, in Reap the Harvest, Margaret Dickinson brings the 1950s vividly to life with a story of secrets and love, buried under years of pride and misunderstanding.Following the disastrous floods of 1953, Ella Hilton is compelled to live at Brumbys' Farm with her grandmother, Esther, and is soon acutely aware of the mysterious surrounding her family's past.As Ella grows up and falls in love herself, the story of three generations of women – Esther, Kate and Ella – comes full circle and history seems destined to repeat itself in tragedy.

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In You Are Here, celebrated astronaut Chris Hadfield gives us the really big picture: this is our home, as seen from space. The millions of us who followed Hadfield's news-making Twitter feed from the International Space Station thought we knew what we were looking at when we first saw his photos. But we may have caught the beauty and missed the full meaning. Now, through photographs – many of which have never been shared – Hadfield unveils a fresh and insightful look at our planet. He sees astonishing detail and importance in these images, not just because he's spent months in space but because his in-depth knowledge of geology, geography and meteorology allows him to reveal the photos' mysteries.Featuring Hadfield's favourite images, You Are Here is divided by continent and represents one (idealized) orbit of the ISS. Surprising, thought-provoking and visually delightful, it opens a singular window on our planet, using remarkable photographs to illuminate the history and consequences of human settlement, the magnificence of never-before-noticed landscapes, and the power of the natural forces shaping our world and the future of our species.

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This is London in the eyes of its beggars, bankers, coppers, gangsters, carers, witch-doctors and sex workers. This is London in the voices of Arabs, Afghans, Nigerians, Poles, Romanians and Russians.This is London as you've never seen it before.Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction 2016Shortlisted for the Ryszard Kapuscinski Award for Literary Reportage 2019'An eye-opening investigation into the hidden immigrant life of the city' Sunday Times'Full of nuggets of unexpected information about the lives of others . . . It recalls the journalism of Orwell' Financial Times'Ben Judah grabs hold of London and shakes out its secrets' The Economist

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There's harmony in the air when the animals get together to make music and put on a concert with a difference!Koala's playing his flute, Badger's bashing away on the drums and Squirrel's strumming on the guitar. Even the smallest toddler will enjoy the wonderfully silly animal antics in this book, so join in and sing and dance along –you've never been to a gig like it!Trademark Julia Donaldson rhymes and rhythms accompanied by Nick Sharratt's mischievous and funny illustrations make this bright and playful book a sure winner. In sturdy board book format, Animal Music is perfect for younger readers and ideal for reading out loud!

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With an introduction by Ross Raisin.A modern classic of Irish fiction, shortlisted for the 1992 Booker prize.When I was a young lad twenty or thirty or forty years ago I lived in a small town where they were all after me on account of what I done on Mrs Nugent.Francie Brady is a small-town rascal who spends his days turning a blind eye to the troubles at home and getting up to mischief with his best friend Joe – hiding in the chicken-house, shouting abuse at fish in the local stream. But after a disagreement with his neighbour Mrs Nugent over her son's missing comic books, Francie's reckless streak spirals out of control and gives rise to a monstrous obsession . . .Fearless, shocking and blackly funny, Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy won the 1992 Irish Times Literature Prize and was shortlisted for the 1992 Booker Prize. It is a modern classic of Irish fiction, a portrait of the insidious violence latent in small town life and of a frenzied young man lashing out at everyone, even himself.

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With an introduction by author Anne Enright.Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book award, a story of civil war and a family's unbreakable bond.How you see a country depends on whether you are driving through it, or live in it. How you see a country depends on whether or not you can leave it, if you have to.As the daughter of white settlers in war-torn 1970s Rhodesia, Alexandra Fuller remembers a time when a schoolgirl was as likely to carry a shotgun as a satchel. This is her story – of a civil war, of a quixotic battle with nature and loss, and of a family's unbreakable bond with the continent that came to define, scar and heal them.Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Alexandra Fuller's classic memoir of an African childhood is suffused with laughter and warmth even amid disaster. Unsentimental and unflinching, but always enchanting, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight is the story of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time.

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Painting a candid picture of a family in crisis, Something in Disguise is a haunting, heartfelt novel from the bestselling author of the Cazalet Chronicles, Elizabeth Jane Howard.May's second marriage to Colonel Herbert Brown-Lacy is turning out to be a terrible mistake. Her son, Oliver, leaves home only to drift from one affair to another; his sister Elizabeth follows him, yearning for some kind of secure relationship. While even Alice, Herbert's meek daughter, is driven into marriage to escape her father's sinister behaviour . . .At once a candid depiction of a post-war family on the cusp of change and a touching love story, Something in Disguise embodies the startling truth, wit and daring that Elizabeth Jane Howard is renowned for.'Her talent seemed so effervescent, so unstoppable, that there was no predicting where it might take her' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall

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As the First World War takes hold, a young girl comes of age in a troubled London. Capturing the longing, excitement and poignant comedy of adolescence, The Beautiful Visit is the debut novel from the beloved author of the Cazalet Chronicles, Elizabeth Jane Howard.'She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf HallLife had been distinctly lacking in possibilities for this young girl – until The Visit. But, ever afterwards, just remembering the smell of the Lancings' house would enrapture her.As she makes her way through life in the city, that memory will take her back – back to that very first day when Lucy and Gerald had picked her up from the station . . .Beginning and ending with a visit to the same family, The Beautiful Visit is a novel full of love, loss, and marked by the ever-lasting effect of war.

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From the lauded, bestselling author of the Cazalet Chronicles, in Odd Girl Out, Elizabeth Jane Howard reveals with devastating accuracy a marriage put in a most destructive situation.Anna and Edmund Cornhill have a happy marriage and a lovely home. They are content, complete, absorbed in their private idyll.Arabella, who comes to stay one lazy summer, is rich, rootless and amoral – and, as they find out, beautiful and loving.In her elegant prose, Howard traces the web of love and desire that entangles these three and will, ultimately, leave one of them behind.'Her talent seemed so effervescent, so unstoppable, that there was no predicting where it might take her' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall

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'Gripped me like an airport read . . . perfect.' Lena Dunham'Lena Andersson's Wilful Disregard is a story of the heart written with bracing intellectual rigor. It is a stunner, pure and simple.' Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely BonesWinner of the August Prize 2013On the day that Ester Nilsson, a poet and a sensible person in a sensible relationship, meets renowned artist Hugo Rask, her rational world begins to unravel. Leaving her boyfriend and her past behind, Ester embarks on what is sure to be the greatest love story of her life.It's a shame no one else agrees.

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An apocalyptic thriller, The Rain by Virginia Bergin is a coming of age story of survival in a scary, weather-beaten world.One minute sixteen-year-old Ruby Morris is having her first proper snog with Caspar McCloud in a hot tub, and the next she’s being bundled inside the house, dripping wet, cold and in her underwear. Not cool. As she and Caspar shiver in the kitchen, it starts to rain. They turn on the radio to hear panicked voices – ‘It’s in the rain . . . it’s in the rain . . . ' That was two weeks ago, and now Ruby is totally alone. People weren’t prepared for the rain, got caught out in it, didn’t realize that you couldn’t drink water from the taps either. Even a drop of rain would infect your blood, and eat you from the inside out. Ruby knows she has to get to London to find her dad, but she just doesn’t know where to start . . . After rescuing all the neighbourhood dogs, Ruby sets off on a journey that will take her the length of the country – surviving in the only way she knows how.

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Black Ice is the third in the Young Sherlock Holmes series in which the iconic detective is reimagined as a brilliant, troubled and engaging teenager – creating unputdownable detective adventures that remain true to the spirit of the original books.The year is 1868, and fourteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes faces his most baffling mystery yet. Mycroft, his older brother, has been found with a knife in his hand, locked in a room with a corpse. Only Sherlock believes that his brother is innocent. But can he prove it? In a chase that will take him to Moscow and back, Sherlock must discover who has framed Mycroft and why . . . before Mycroft swings at the gallows.Sherlock Holmes. Think you know him? Think again.Continue the investigative adventures with Andrew Lane's Fire Storm and Snake Bite.

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Two weeks before his death, Oliver Sacks outlined the contents of The River of Consciousness, the last book he would oversee . . .The bestselling author of On the Move, Musicophilia, and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Sacks is known for his illuminating case histories about people living with neurological conditions at the far borderlands of human experience. But his grasp of science was not restricted to neuroscience or medicine; he was fascinated by the issues, ideas, and questions of all the sciences. That wide-ranging expertise and passion informs the perspective of this book, in which he interrogates the nature not only of human experience but of all life.In The River of Consciousness, Dr. Sacks takes on evolution, botany, chemistry, medicine, neuroscience, and the arts, and calls upon his great scientific and creative heroes – above all, Darwin, Freud, and William James. For Sacks, these thinkers were constant companions from an early age; the questions they explored – the meaning of evolution, the roots of creativity, and the nature of consciousness – lie at the heart of science and of this book. The River of Consciousness demonstrates Sacks’s unparalleled ability to make unexpected connections, his sheer joy in knowledge, and his unceasing, timeless endeavor to understand what makes us human.

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Vivienne Westwood is one of the icons of our age. Fashion designer, activist, co-creator of punk, global brand and grandmother; a true legend. Her career successfully spanned five decades and her work has influenced millions of people across the world.For the first and only time, Vivienne Westwood has written a personal memoir, collaborating with award-winning biographer Ian Kelly, to describe the events, people and ideas that have shaped her extraordinary life.Told in all its glamour and glory, and with her unique voice, unexpected perspective and passionate honesty, this is her story.

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Set in a fictional Colorado town, Kent Haruf's Where You Once Belonged brings to life small town America and the characters that keep the community together.Heavy-built Jack Burdette is quite literally too big for his boots – and too big, certainly, for the small-town attitudes of Holt, Colorado. But when he fails to make the grade as a college footballer, and takes a job with the local farmers’ cooperative, it seems he has finally settled into the rhythm and routine of everyday life. Outward appearances can be deceptive, however, as Jack proves: returning from a weekend conference with a new wife in tow, then leaving her behind and skipping town with a bundle of other folks’ money. Nearly a decade later, no one has forgiven or forgotten, and when Jack reappears, resentment runs high. Once again though, it is Jack whose presence – even more than his eight-year absence – proves the most devastating.

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Roddy Doyle's 'brilliant' Brilliant is a wonderful, heartwarming middle grade tale of friendship and family.Gloria and Rayzer must save their Uncle Ben. The black dog has got him.At least, that's what they heard their granny say. And she says it's taken Dublin's funny bone too.As Uncle Ben’s Dublin business fails, it's clear to Gloria and Rayzer that something is wrong. He just isn’t his usual cheerful self. Gathering all their courage the children set out on a midnight quest to hunt down the Black Dog and chase it away.Gloria and Rayzer are really brave, but the black dog is really scary – and soon they realize that they can't fight it alone. Before long loads of other children are searching for it too, because the Black Dog is hounding lots of Dublin's adults. Together – and with the help of magical animals, birds and rodents – the children manage to corner the Black Dog . . . but will they have the courage and cleverness to destroy the frightening creature?

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In Poems to Perform, Julia Donaldson has chosen poems with performance by children in mind, and her notes and ideas on performing them are included in a special section at the end of the book.From the author of The Gruffalo, Julia's passionate belief that performance can help children enjoy reading and grow in confidence is informed by her own experience both as a child and now, working with groups of children to bring stories, poems and songs to life. The poems range from classics by Edward Lear, W H Auden and Eleanor Farjeon to contemporary work by Michael Rosen, John Agard and Clare Bevan. Illustrated throughout with exquisite, expressive lino-cuts by Clare Melinsky, this is a book for teachers, parents, children: anyone who loves great poetry.

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The Spartan legend has inspired and captivated subsequent generations with evidence of its legacy found in both the Roman and British Empires. The Spartans are our ancestors, every bit as much as the Athenians. But while Athens promoted democracy, individualism, culture and society, their great rivals Sparta embodied militarism, totalitarianism, segregation and brutal repression. As ruthless as they were self-sacrificing, their devastatingly successful war rituals made the Spartans the ultimate fighting force, epitomized by Thermopylae. While slave masters to the Helots for over three centuries, Spartan women, such as Helen of Troy, were free to indulge in education, dance and sport. Interspersed with the personal biographies of leading figures, and based on thirty years' research, Paul Cartledge's The Spartans tracks the people from 480 to 360 BC charting Sparta's progression from the Great Power of the Aegean Greek world to its ultimate demise.

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Winner of the 2015 David Gemmell Award for Best Fantasy Debut.An explosive fantasy debut, The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley is a fast-paced, thrilling epic. If you like Joe Abercrombie and George R. R. Martin, you'll love this.'Will keep you turning the pages late at night' – Pierce Brown, Sunday Times bestselling author of Red RisingThe circle is closing. The stakes are high. And old truths will live again . . .The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must prepare to unmask a conspiracy. His son Valyn, training for the empire's deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. And after several 'accidents' and a dying soldier's warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Yet before Valyn can act, he must survive the mercenaries' brutal final initiation. The Emperor's daughter, Minister Adare, hunts her father's murderer in the capital. Court politics can be fatal, but she needs justice. Lastly Kaden, heir to the empire, studies in a remote monastery. Here, the Blank God's disciples teach their harsh ways, which Kaden must master to unlock ancient powers. But when an imperial delegation arrives, has he learnt enough to keep him alive, as long-hidden powers make their move?'A vividly imagined story of conspiracy and empire' – Col Buchanan'A fantastic and compelling fantasy world' – Io9The Emperor's Blades is the first novel in Brain Staveley's epic Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series. Continue the story with The Providence of Fire.

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On 17 July 1918, four young women walked down into the cellar of a house in Ekaterinburg. The eldest was twenty-two, the youngest only seventeen. Together with their parents and their thirteen-year-old brother, they were all brutally murdered. Their crime: to be the daughters of the last Tsar and Tsaritsa of All the Russias.In Four Sisters acclaimed biographer Helen Rappaport offers readers the most authoritative account yet of the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. Drawing on their own letters and diaries, she paints a vivid picture of their lives in the dying days of the Romanov dynasty. We see, almost for the first time, their journey from a childhood of enormous privilege, throughout which they led a very sheltered and largely simple life, to young womanhood – their first romantic crushes, their hopes and dreams, the difficulty of coping with a mother who was a chronic invalid and a haemophiliac brother, and, latterly, the trauma of the revolution and its terrible consequences. Compellingly readable, meticulously researched and deeply moving, Four Sisters gives these young women a voice, and allows their story to resonate for readers almost a century after their death.'An astoundingly intimate tale of domestic life lived in the crucible of power' – Observer

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'Mrs. Hemingway is so beautifully written, and evocative, that I could not put it down until the last page.' – Jojo Moyes, author of Me Before You.A Richard and Judy Book Club selection.In the dazzling summer of 1926, Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley travel from their home in Paris to a villa in the south of France. They swim, play bridge and drink gin. But wherever they go they are accompanied by the glamorous and irrepressible Fife. Fife is Hadley’s best friend. She is also Ernest’s lover. Hadley is the first Mrs. Hemingway, but neither she nor Fife will be the last. Over the ensuing decades, Ernest’s literary career will blaze a trail, but his marriages will be ignited by passion and deceit. Four extraordinary women will learn what it means to love the most famous writer of his generation, and each will be forced to ask herself how far she will go to remain his wife . . . Luminous and intoxicating, Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood portrays real lives with rare intimacy and plumbs the depths of the human heart.

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The fourth volume of memoirs from the author who inspired the BBC and Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small. Finally home from London after his wartime service in the RAF, James Herriot is settling back into life as a country vet. While the world has changed after the war, the blunt Yorkshire clients and menagerie of beasts with weird and wonderful ailments remain the same. But between his young son, Jimmy, trailing him around copying his every move, stubborn farmers refusing to try his ‘new-fangled’ treatments and a goat that has eaten 293 tomatoes, Darrowby is far from quiet. And with another baby on the way, life is about to get even more chaotic . . . Since they were first published, James Herriot’s memoirs have sold millions of copies and entranced generations of animal lovers. Charming, funny and touching, The Lord God Made Them All is a heart-warming story of determination, love and companionship from one of Britain’s best-loved authors.'I grew up reading James Herriot's books and I'm delighted that thirty years on, they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then.' - Kate Humble

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This collection, drawing on almost forty years of verse, represents the definitive guide to one of the leading English poets working today. It will allow the reader the chance to survey both the remarkable variety and the consistent quality of O’Brien’s work, as well as the enduring strength of his obsessions: these have helped create a tone and a landscape as immediately recognizable as those of MacNeice, Larkin or Eliot. O’Brien’s hells and heavens, underworlds and urban dystopias, trains and waterways have formed the imaginative theatre for his songs, satires, pastorals and elegies; throughout, the poems demonstrate O’Brien’s astonishing flair for the dramatic line, where he has inherited the mantle of W. H. Auden. Also included are selections from both O’Brien’s dramatic writing and his acclaimed version of the Inferno.

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A Swedish crime writer as thrilling as Mankell, a detective as compelling as Wallander . . . The Strangler's Honeymoon is the penultimate gripping Scandinavian crime thriller in the Van Veeteren series by Håkan Nesser.Desperately lonely, sixteen-year-old Monica Kammerle has little idea of what she is getting herself into when she begins an affair with her mother's latest partner; the sophisticated Benjamin Kerran . . . Months later, when a woman's strangled body is found, the Maardam police must discover who has committed this terrible crime. It isn't long before they realize the perpetrator may have killed before – and is likely to do so again. Meanwhile former Chief Inspector Van Veeteren finds himself drawn into the mystery when a priest, who has learned dreadful secrets, appeals to him for help. But when the priest falls beneath the wheels of a train and the police find more dead-ends than leads, it seems Van Veeteren will have to come up with a new approach to unearth this dark serial killer. Before he chooses his next victim . . .The Strangler's Honeymoon is followed by the tenth and final Van Veeteren novel, The G File.

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