Search results for ""little, brown book group""

''Blazes with searing honesty and unflinching emotional truth'' Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDAFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Internment comes a timely and gripping social-suspense novel about book banning, activism, and standing up for what you believe in.''Reading is dangerous because it shows us the truth. Words give us power; that''s why some adults want to silence us''Noor Khan is the new girl at school. Moving to the tiny town of Bayberry with her mother and sister after their family life is upended, she''s determined to keep her head down and make it through her final year, unnoticed.While hiding out in her school library, Noor notices that hundreds of books are being removed from the shelves and boxed up: a new school policy banning books that parents object to. Worse, almost all the books being targeted are by queer and BIPOC

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'A Malcolm Gladwell-style social psychology/behavioural economics primer' Evening StandardLow-level dishonesty is rife everywhere, in the form of exaggeration, selective use of facts, economy with the truth, careful drafting - from Trump and the Brexit debate to companies that tell us 'your call is important to us'. How did we get to a place where bullshit is not just rife but apparently so effective that it's become the communications strategy of our times? This brilliantly insightful book steps inside the panoply of deception employed in all walks of life and assesses how it has come to this. It sets out the surprising logic which explains why bullshit is both pervasive and persistent. Why are company annual reports often nonsense? Why should you not trust estate agents? And above all, why has political campaigning become the art of stretching the truth? Drawing on behavioural science, economics, psychology and of course his knowledge of the media, Evan ends by providing readers with a tool-kit to handle the kinds of deceptions we encounter every day, and charts a route through the muddy waters of the post-truth age.

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As well as its advantages, there are drawbacks to the enlightened village that is twenty-first-century Edinburgh, where every Saturday night ears burn at dinner parties across the city, and anyone requiring the investigative abilities of a philosophical soul knows where to find her.Jillian McKinlay -- wife of a trustee of an illustrious school -- is the latest petitioner; she asks Isabel to look into a poison-pen letter that makes insinuations about applicants for the position of principal. Isabel''s niece Cat has another new boyfriend who seems too good to be true. And when a pretty cellist with a tragic story takes a fancy to her husband-to-be, Isabel finds herself contemplating an act of heroic and alarming self-sacrifice.

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When Nouf ash-Shrawi, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a wealthy Saudi dynasty, disappears from her home in Jeddah just days before her arranged marriage, desert guide Nayir is asked to bring her home.But when her battered body is found, Nayir feels compelled to uncover the disturbing truth, travelling away from the endless desert to the vast city of Jeddah, where, most troubling of all, Nayir finds himself having to work closely with Katya Hijazi, a forensic scientist. The further into the investigation he goes, the more Nayir finds himself questioning his loyalties: to his friends, faith and culture.

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Margaret and Patrick, married just a few months, set off on a great adventure - a year living in Kenya. While Patrick practices medicine, Margaret works as a photojournalist, capturing a dizzying and sometimes dangerous city on film.When a British couple invites the newlyweds on a climbing expedition to the summit of Mount Kenya, they eagerly agree. But during their arduous ascent a horrific accident occurs. In its aftermath, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how it has transformed her and her marriage, perhaps for ever. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, A Change in Altitude illuminates the irrevocable impact of tragedy and the elusive nature of forgiveness.

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One clear morning in May, Nick Thorpe left his Edinburgh flat, ducked off the commuter route and hitched a ride aboard a little white canal boat, heading west towards the sea. It was the first mutinous step in a delightful boat-hopping odyssey that would take him 2500 miles through Scotland's canals, lochs and coastal waters, from the industrial Clyde to the scattered islands of Viking Shetland. Writing with characteristic humour and candour, the award-winning author of EIGHT MEN AND A DUCK plots a curiously existential voyage, inspired by those who have left the warm hearth for the promise of a stretched horizon. Whether rowing a coracle with a chapter of monks, scanning for the elusive Nessie, hitting the rocks with Captain Calamity or clinging to the rigging of a tall ship, Thorpe weaves a narrative that is by turns funny and poignant - a nautical pilgrimage for any who have ever been tempted to try a new path just to see where it might take them. Part travelogue, part memoir, ADRIFT IN CALEDONIA is a unique and affectionate portrait of a sea-fringed nation - and of the drifter's quest to belong.

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Winner: Betty Trask Award, 1996; Authors'' Club''s ''Best First Novel'' Award, 1996; The Writers Guild''s New Writer of the Year, 1996Longlisted, Booker Prize''A gloriously capable and confident writer...Some Kind of Black is thoughtful, witty and moving...it is refreshing to read something so extrovert and alert...I urge you to read it'' The Times''Has the rare, incandescent energy of a story that''s never been told. A classic coming-of-age tale...marks the debut of a serious talent'' GQ''It is difficult to discuss the book without talking in terms of its uniqueness - and without resorting to superlatives...a tremendously rich, subtle and nuanced read'' The ScotsmanA coming of age story about Dele, a young student, and his sister Dapo whp glide through love, politics and violence; Diran Adebayo''s debut is funny, street-smart fiction which puts language through hoops to create an exhilarating odyssey through the

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Now. Christopher Metcalfe returns to his family home in Kent after the death of his father. Sorting through a box of memorabilia from his days at public school, Chris is suddenly confronted by the face that has haunted him for thirty years.Then, as a callow fifth former enduring the excesses of a school system designed to run an Empire that no longer existed, a most extraordinary thing happened amid the thrashings, and cross-country runs: he was seduced by Stephen Walker, a prefect two years his senior with whom he went on to share a brief but intensely passionate affair. Now, again, alone, approaching the age of fifty, Christopher is painfully aware of the price he paid for letting go, and resolves to find Stephen, and discover what became of the only person he has ever loved.Delicately revealing the layers of both past and present as it alternates between now and then.William Corlett's moving debut novel illuminates the vacuity of Christopher's emotional life with subtle power and poignancy, exploring a multitude of themes in his exposition of his search for identity.

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Jim Willard, former high-school athlete and clean-cut boy-next-door-, is haunted by the memory of a romanctic adolescent encounter with his friend Bob Ford. As Jim pursues his first love, in awe of the very same masculinity he possesses himself, his progresss through the secret gay world of 1940''s America unveils surreptitious Hollywood affairs, the hidden life of the military in the Second World War and the underworld bar culture of New York City.With the publication of his daring thrid novel The City and the Pillar in 1948, Gore Vidal shocked the American public, which has just begun to hail him as their newest and brightest young writer. It remains not only an authentic and profoundly importatnt social document but also a serious exploration of the nature of idealistic love.

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With the centennial year of the United States as the target of this historical novel, Gore Vidal again mounts a glorious expedition into that grimy and intricate activity called politics. And this is politics as it ought to be: gossip, corruption, money, dinner parties, more corruption, and all the tacky panoply of power. Into the rarefied atmosphere of a world where money has begun to talk very loudly ? usually through the mouths of people called Astor ? step Charles Schuyler and his daughter Emma. Charlie is the unacknowledged bastard son of Aaron Burr; Emma is rather beautiful; and both think it is prudent to return from penury in Europe and secure a fortuitous marriage for Emma. But America is no longer a young republic; it's a fledgling international superpower with its attendant seedy administration, dubious election campaigns, snobbery, 'popped corn', 'speaking tubes' and 'perpendicular railways' (lifts). It's a world that will welcome into its social and political bosom these two attractive exotics with the right names. And it's a world whose every political peccadillo, social slip-up and irresistible intrigue is recorded in this, the journal of Charlie Schuyler.

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In 1880 the continent of Africa was largely unexplored by Europeans. Less than thirty years later, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained unconquered by them. The rest - 10 million square miles with 110 million bewildered new subjects - had been carved up by five European powers (and one extraordinary individual) in the name of Commerce, Christianity, ''Civilization'' and Conquest. The Scramble for Africa is the first full-scale study of that extraordinary episode in history.

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WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY EMMA CARROLL'A touching, utterly convincing book' JACQUELINE WILSON 'What a deep, dark, deceptively simple, brilliant novel it is' EMMA CARROLL 'Poignant and realistic . . . Carrie's War captures the true reality of war for a child, and it doesn't sentimentalise war' SHIRLEY HUGHES, GUARDIAN 'I did a dreadful thing, the worst thing of my life, when I was twelve and a half years old, and nothing can change it'When the bombs rain down on London, Carrie and her little brother Nick are evacuated to a small town in the Welsh hills. Without their mother, and away from anything familiar, they must take refuge among strangers. Reluctantly, Mr Evans, the grocer, takes them in, with his kind, timid sister, Aunt Lou. But the children find little comfort in his austere home.Their fellow evacuee, Albert, is luckier, living in a rambling old mansion with Hepzibah Green and Mister Johnny. Hepzibah is rumoured to be a witch, but the children feel safe in her warm kitchen and are spellbound by her stories. Just as Carrie and Nick begin to settle into their new life, something happens that tests their loyalties: will they be persuaded to betray their friends?ILLUSTRATED BY ALAN MARKS

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An unconventional, unexpectedly funny, brutally honest memoir about infertility, pregnancy and motherhood''You and your partner want a baby. But your two bodies can''t make a baby together.''If you want a baby but your body says otherwise -If you don''t know the polite way to say thank you for the sperm -If you''re waiting for the sound of a brand-new heartbeat -If you know it takes a village to raise a baby but have no idea who should be doing what -If you''re lurching between bliss and bewilderment -If you don''t fit the shape of what you''ve been told a mother should be -Reach for The Unfamiliar and don''t let go.Moving and immersive, and written with wisdom, disarming humour and raw honesty, The Unfamiliar casts a fresh eye on motherhood and challenges our assumptions about pregnancy, gender roles, queer identity and what it means to be a parent.

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*WINNER OF THE SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2023* A landmark book on the womb - its history, its present and the possibilities for its future - by the bestselling author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife''s Story''A gripping exploration of the science of the uterus, the politics of medicine and the future of reproductive freedom'' New Statesman''Page for page, I may not have ever learned more from a book'' Rob Delaney, author of A Heart that Works''It will change the way you think about bodies forever'' Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life ''Empowerment in book form'' Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, author of What Women Want''A phenomenal book'' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell WomenThe womb is the most miraculous organ in the body - with the power to bring life or cause death; to yield joy or pain - yet most of us know almost nothing about it.<

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*WINNER OF THE SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD* A landmark book on the womb - its history, its present and the possibilities for its future - by the bestselling author of Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story'A gripping exploration of the science of the uterus, the politics of medicine and the future of reproductive freedom' New Statesman'Page for page, I may not have ever learned more from a book' Rob Delaney, author of A Heart that Works'It will change the way you think about bodies forever' Rachel Clarke, author of Dear Life 'Empowerment in book form' Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, author of What Women Want'A phenomenal book' Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell WomenThe womb is the most miraculous organ in the body - with the power to bring life or cause death; to yield joy or pain - yet most of us know almost nothing about it.In this book, midwife and bestselling author Leah Hazard sets out on a journey to explore the rich past, complex present and dynamic future of the uterus. She speaks to the Californian doctor who believes women deserve a period-free life; walks in the footsteps of the Scottish woman whose Caesarean section changed childbirth forever; uncovers America's long history of forced and coercive sterilisation; observes uterine transplant surgery in Sweden and takes a very personal dive into the world of 'womb wellness'.Written with wisdom, warmth and nuance, and combining the author's years of experience as a midwife with medical history, scientific discovery and journalistic inquiry, Womb is an extraordinary exploration of a woefully under-researched and misunderstood organ. Above all, the book reveals that the uterus is more than the sum of its biological parts: it influences all our lives in the twenty-first century, and how we celebrate, medicate and legislate the womb might yet control where we go from here.

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Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing'Brilliant . . . I love this book' LEMN SISSAY'A must-read book' JACQUELINE WILSON'Extraordinary' OLIVER BULLOUGH'Everyone should read this book' HILARY COTTAM'Important' IAN BIRRELL'Vital' HANNAH JANE PARKINSONMeet the mother whose children were taken away, and the father who fought for his son. Listen to the radical social worker, the judge, the lawyer. See inside the homes of foster carers, adoptive parents and children in care. Because behind closed doors, a scandal is ongoing.We now remove more children from their parents than ever before. Children's Care is a system where fathers are ignored, and mothers are punished for experiencing abuse. Rife with prejudices about race, ableism and class, determined by a postcode lottery. Blind to poverty and its effects on family life. And, at its very worst, an exercise in social engineering that can never replace parental love.From North to South, rich and poor, Black and white, these are the people who know, first-hand, what is going wrong - and how we can fix it.

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION 2023''Epic and marvellously entertaining... There''s a furious energy to the novel, which constantly moves forward even as it looks sorrowfully back''FINANCIAL TIMES''Magnificent... I want to press a copy on everyone I know''NIGELLA LAWSON''Epic, magnificent, beautiful... I couldn''t put it down'' PHILIPPA PERRY''Jewel-like clarity... exceptional''RICHARD COLES''Exquisite writing [and] a triumphant, elegant ending'' MAIL ON SUNDAY''An intelligent family saga... ambitious and moving and funny'' TESSA HADLEYIt''s 1913 and a young, carefree and recklessly innocent girl, Mina, goes out into the forest on the edge of the Baltic sea and meets a gang of rowdy young men with revolution on their minds. It sounds like a fairy tale but it''s life.The adventure leads to flight, emigr

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An exciting and provocative look at the women who wrote the novels that changed the literary world - Mary Shelley, Emily Bronte, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner, Virginia Woolf - by the renowned biographer of Emily Dickinson

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From number one New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes a funny, heartbreaking, unforgettable novel about friendship and fame.Cash Carter is the young, world famous lead actor of the hit television show Wiz Kids. When four fans jokingly invite him on a cross-country road trip, they are shocked that he actually takes them up on it. Chased by paparazzi and hounded by reporters, this unlikely crew takes off on a journey of a lifetime - but along the way they discover that the star they love has deep secrets he's been keeping. What they come to learn about the life of the mysterious person they thought they knew will teach them about the power of empathy and the unbreakable bond of true friendship. In this touching novel, number one New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer takes us on a journey full of laughter, tears, and life-changing memories.

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Worlds kept them apart. Destiny brought them together. Outside the dome of Reverie, Aria and Perry are struggling to keep their people from tearing each other apart. Their situation is desperate, and with the Aether storms worsening time is running out for them to rescue Cinder from Hess and Sable. Cinder is both the key to unlock the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, so Aria and Perry assemble an unlikely team to attempt a daring rescue mission. They know that in a dying world, the bond of friendship is what matters most.

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There are many interesting drinks that have been lost to time, but some, such as cider, mead (which has been around since about 7000BC) and perry are reinventing themselves. This book explains where and when to find your raw materials and what sort of equipment you'll need. It includes delicious recipes that use common and less common fruits. It will also show you how to cut (expensive) corners without cutting corners on quality.Contents: About the author; Introduction; 1. The History of Brewing; 2. Apple Varieties; 3. Types of Honey; 4. Making Cider - Hawky's Way; 5. Making Scrumpy; 6. Making Your Own Infusions; 7. A Taste of the Middle East; 8. Making Perry; 9. Making Mead; 10. Making Beer; 11. Ireland on my Mind, and my Liver; 12. Making Country Wines; Index.

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The bestselling book that inspired the cult classic film, Girl, Interrupted, starring Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie."Not since Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar has a personal account of life in a mental hospital achieved as much popularity and acclaim" TIME "Intelligent and painful" Guardian"Poignant, astonishing memoir" New York TimesIn 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she'd never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital to be treated for depression. She spent most of the next two years on the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital renowned for its famous clientele - Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor and Ray Charles.A clear-sighted, unflinching work that provokes questions about our definitions of sane and insane, Kaysen's extraordinary memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers.

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A superb standalone novel from the awesome imagination of Iain M. Banks, a master of modern science fiction. Sharrow was once the leader of a personality-attuned combat team in one of the sporadic little commercial wars in the civilisation based around the planet Golter. Now she is hunted by the Huhsz, a religious cult which believes that she is the last obstacle before the faith's apotheosis, and her only hope of escape is to find the last of the apocalyptically powerful Lazy Guns before the Huhsz find her.Her journey through the exotic Golterian system is a destructive and savage odyssey into her past, and that of her family and of the system itself.Praise for Iain M. Banks:'Epic in scope, ambitious in its ideas and absorbing in its execution' Independent on Sunday'Banks has created one of the most enduring and endearing visions of the future' Guardian'Jam-packed with extraordinary invention' Scotsman'Compulsive reading' Sunday Telegraph The Culture series:Consider PhlebasThe Player of GamesUse of WeaponsThe State of the ArtExcessionInversionsLook to WindwardMatterSurface DetailThe Hydrogen SonataOther books by Iain M. Banks:Against a Dark BackgroundFeersum EndjinnThe Algebraist

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In the tradition of Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works, popular psychologist Sian Beilock, an expert on performance and brain science, reveals the astonishing new science of why we choke under pressure. She explains what happens in the body and mind when everything clicks and the perfect golf swing, tricky mathematical problem, or high-pressure business pitch suddenly become easy.With surprising insights on every page, Beilock examines how: attention and working memory guide human performance; how experience and practice, innate factors, and brain development interact to create our abilities;how these interconnected elements react to stress - explaining counterintuitive realities, like why the cleverest students do worst on standardized tests; why we may learn foreign languages best when we're not paying attention; why early childhood athletic training can backfire; and how our emotions can make us both smarter and dumber.the mind and body are in even closer communication than was ever thought - and breaks new ground on top of 30 years of integrative health investigations.

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A side-splitting collection of the most earnest and mangled attempts at the English language made by generations of schoolchildren. Be they funny, irreverent or just plain silly, Mr McGreevy's Absolute Howlers are guaranteed to have you weeping with laughter. Four separate editions cover howlers in Science, History, English and Geography.Includes, amongst hundreds of others, the following howlers:Coal is decayed vegetarians.Socrates died of an overdose of wedlock.Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak.The King wore a scarlet robe trimmed with vermin.In the middle of the 18th Century all the morons moved to Utah.The German Emperor's lower passage was blocked by the English.The French Revolution was caused by overcharging taxis.Nets are holes surrounded by pieces of string.In biology today we digested a frog.The seventh commandment is 'Thou shall not admit adultery'.Pompeii was destroyed by an overflow of saliva from the Vatican.A census taker is a man who goes from house to house increasing the population.Adolescence is the stage between puberty and adultery.

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There is nothing more satisfying than owning a shop of your own. Whether it's a designer clothing store, an exciting florist, or something for practically everything, this book will guide you through all you need to know about opening your own retail business. It is aimed at anyone who has a dream or a practical idea. It includes case histories of hands-on shop owners, their advice and top tips. You will be able to browse through such topics as: - Choosing the best location - Finding finance in a dwindling market - Developing a business plan - Exploring the costs of setting up - Selecting the products you want to carry - Decoration, displays and shelving - Meeting the challenges of a new business - Getting your business noticed in an internet age - Turning your passion into a profitable business

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Are you a graduate? Looking for a brilliant job? Then you should know that over 95 percent of the FTSE 100 companies use psychometric and management tests to select their graduate recruits, as do the police, the Civil Service, local authorities, the Armed Forces, the Fire Service, financial institutions, the motor industry, the IT industry - the list is endless. In fact, tests are now an integral part of the recruitment process for most medium-large sized organisations worldwide. So if you're looking for a job, you need this book! It includes: 37 genuine graduate-level practice tests from SHL Group plc, the biggest test publisher in the world; 227 questions covering verbal, numerical, abstract and spatial reasoning, mechanical comprehension, fault diagnosis, accuracy and personality; and, genuine practice Brainstorm, Scenarios and Fastrack management tests. It also includes valuable advice on: online psychometric tests; researching your target employer; and, assessment centre visits (including role-plays, group discussions, in-tray exercises and presentations). This book gives you the three things you need to pass graduate-level psychometric and management tests: information, confidence, and plenty of practice.Contents: Introduction; I: WHAT ARE PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS; 1. What are Psychometric Tests?; 2. Why are Psychometric tests used?; 3. Researching your chosen organisation; 4. Online testing; 5. Assessment centres - a survival guide; II: THE PRACTICE TESTS; 6. Verbal reasoning; 7. Numerical reasoning; 8. Abstract reasoning; 9. Spatial reasoning; 10. Mechanical comprehension; 11. Fault diagnosis; 12. Accuracy tests; 13. Combination tests; 14. Personality questionnaires; 15. Management tests; 16. What else do psychometric tests test?; III: PSYCHOMETRIC TESTS IN CONTEXT; 17. Psychometric tests in context; 18. Avoiding psychometric tests altogether; 19. Resources; Further Reading; Index.

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There are two things in life Emily Starr is certain of - that she will be a great writer and that she and Teddy Kent were destined to be together. School is over and one by one her friends leave to follow their dreams, including Teddy, who goes to art school in Montreal. Emily chooses to stay at New Moon, and though she misses her friends, she knows the path of a writer is a solitary one. With each visit home Emily's friends seem more distant, especially Teddy. Desolate, but determined to hide her feelings, she throws herself into finishing her novel. When it is rejected, though, her confidence is shattered. To banish all thoughts of Teddy, Emily agrees to marry a man she doesn't love and give up on her dreams forever. But can she really have been so wrong about everything?

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From the author of BETWEEN THE STOPS and TOKSVIG'S ALMANAC'Teasing out untold stories of the battlefield . . . follows the footsteps of the likes of Sarah Waters and Pat Barker' Independent London, 1897. A young girl, Valentine Grey, arrives in England. She's been brought up in the remote and sunny climes of India and finds being forced into corsets and skirts in damp and cold country insufferable. The only bright spot: her exciting cousin, Reggie. Reggie, and his lover Frank seek out the adventure the clandestine bars and streets of London offer and are happy to include Valentine in their secret, showing her theatre, gardens - even teaching her how to ride a bicycle. And then comes the Boer War and Reggie's father volunteers him; the empire must be defended. But it won't be Reggie who dons the Volunteer Regiment's garb. Valentine takes her chance, puts on her cousin's uniform, leaving Reggie behind and heads off to war. And for a long while it's glorious and liberating for both of the cousins, but war is not glorious and in Victorian London homosexuality is not liberating . . .

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''Where you staying? the Bedouin asked. Why you not stay with me tonight - in my cave?'' Thus begins Marguerite van Geldermalsen''s story of how a New Zealand-born nurse came to be married to Mohammad Abdallah Othman, a Bedouin souvenir-seller from the ancient city of Petra in Jordan. It was 1978 and she and a friend were travelling through the Middle East when Marguerite met the charismatic Mohammad who convinced her that he was the man for her.A life with Mohammad meant moving into his ancient cave and learning to love the regular tasks of baking shrak bread on an open fire and collecting water from the spring. And as Marguerite feels herself becoming part of the Bedouin community, she is thankful for the twist in fate that has led her to this contented life. Marguerite''s light-hearted and guileless observations of the people she comes to love are as heart-warming as they are valuable, charting Bedouin traditions now lost to the modern world.

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Once upon a time fairy tales weren't meant just for children, and neither is Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales. This stunning collection contains lyrical tales, bloody tales and hilariously funny and ripely bawdy stories from countries all around the world- from the Arctic to Asia - and no dippy princesses or soppy fairies. Instead, we have pretty maids and old crones; crafty women and bad girls; enchantresses and midwives; rascal aunts and odd sisters. This fabulous celebration of strong minds, low cunning, black arts and dirty tricks could only have been collected by the unique and much-missed Angela Carter. Illustrated throughout with original woodcuts.

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When a man is tired of London he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford - Samuel Johnson In fact, Dr Johnson was only half right. There is in London much more than life - there is power. It ebbs and flows with the rhythms of the city, makes runes from the alignments of ancient streets and hums with the rattle of trains and buses; it waxes and wanes with the patterns of the business day. It is a new kind of magic: urban magic. Enter a London where magicians ride the Last Train, implore favours of The Beggar King and interpret the insane wisdom of The Bag Lady. Enter a London where beings of power soar with the pigeons and scrabble with the rats, and seek insight in the half-whispered madness of the blue electric angels. Enter the London of Matthew Swift, where rival sorcerers, hidden in plain sight, do battle for the very soul of the city ...

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Stolen from her people as a child and raised as a citizen of the Tyranian Empire, Ligea Gayed is the obvious choice to despatch to her homeland, occupied Kardiastan, with orders to root out a rebel conspiracy. At first, she devotes herself to her new assignment with zeal. Adopted daughter of the Empire's greatest general, and possessing a fearsome reputation within the ruthless Imperial spy network known as the Brotherhood, Ligea views herself as a loyal servant of Tyrans. But blood will out, and with each day she spends among her parents' people, her disciplined self-image crumbles a little. And there are secrets in Kardiastan, secrets that will inevitably force Ligea to choose between her upbringing and her birthright. Secrets that will shape the destiny of two nations. . .

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***50 MILLION TERRY BROOKS COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD***THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES IS NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES'Terry's place is at the head of the fantasy world' Philip PullmanAs a Knight of the Word, John Ross has struggled against the tireless dark forces of the Void for twenty-five years. Ross is driven by dreams that show the world reduced to blood and ashes by the Void and its minions. But for all his power, John Ross is only one man, while the demons he battles are legion.Then Ross learns of the birth of a rare and dangerous creature formed from the very essence of wild magics. If he can discover its secret, the creature will be an invaluable weapon against the Void. But the Void also knows its value, and will not rest until the creature has been corrupted - or destroyed. Desperate, Ross turns to Nest Freemark, a young woman with magical abilities of her own. And there they prepare to face an evil more ancient and powerful than anything they have ever encountered.Praise for Terry Brooks:'A master of the craft . . . required reading' Brent Weeks'I can't even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks's books I've read (and re-read) over the years' Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind'I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara' Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man'If you haven't read Terry Brooks, you haven't read fantasy' Christopher Paolini, author of EragonThe Word and the Void:RUNNING WITH THE DEMONA KNIGHT OF THE WORDANGEL FIRE EAST

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Lightborn, better known as 'shine', is a mind-altering technology that has revolutionised the modern world. It is the ultimate in education, self-improvement and entertainment - beamed directly into the brain of anyone who can meet the asking price. But in the city of Los Sombres, renegade shine has attacked the adult population, resulting in social chaos and widespread insanity in everyone past the age of puberty. The only solution has been to turn off the Field and isolate the city.Trapped within the quarantine perimeter, fourteen-year-old Xavier just wants to find the drug that can keep his own physical maturity at bay until the army shuts down the shine. That's how he meets Roksana, mysteriously impervious to shine and devoted to helping the stricken. As the military invades street by street, Xavier and Roksana discover that there could be hope for Los Sombres - but only if Xavier will allow a lightborn cure to enter his mind. What he doesn't know is that the shine in question has a mind of its own . . .

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For hundreds of years the Guardians ruled the Hundred, but these unearthly beings have faded from human sight and no longer exert their will on the world. Only the reeves, patrolling from the skies, still represent the Guardians' power. But there is a corruption in the land that not even they can control, and fanatics are devastating villages, towns, and cities, slaughtering all who oppose them.Outlanders Anji and Mai are fleeing their homeland with a company of dedicated warriors. On reaching the Hundred, they form an alliance with Reeve Joss, and determine to stand against the devouring horde. But, as region after region slips into chaos, a young woman sworn to the Goddess may be all that keeps them from annihilation . . .A haunting tale of individuals swept up by the chaos of war, this is fantasy adventure at its best - rich in texture, filled with colour and excitement.

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This clever little book of crosswords has been put together by a professional crossworld compiler and a very well-known professor of classics. The clues are all in English but the answers are almost all in Latin!This is not a scholarly book - anyone whose schooldays taught them amo, amas, amat will be able to make a stab at many of the puzzles. And some of the answers are obvious even if you have no Latin at all - e.g.Q. Existing condition of a very old pop group? (6,3)A. Status Quo!Still for those who enjoy a challenge, the puzzles do get harder as you work your way through the book, ending up with some really fiendish ones. There are still lots of jokes along the way.

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WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONNEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2010Jennifer Egan''s spellbinding novel circles the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other''s pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples, and Africa.We first meet Sasha in her mid-thirties, on her therapist''s couch in New York City, confronting her longstanding compulsion to steal. Later, we learn the genesis of her turmoil when we see her as the child of a violent marriage, then a runaway living in Naples, then as a college student trying to avert the suicidal impulses of her best friend.We meet Bennie Salazar at the melancholy nadir of his adult life-di

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Release Your Worries examines the nature of stress and anxiety and helps you master a range of strategies and approaches for dealing with them.Among the topics explored in this essential self-help guide you will find:- case studies- the issue of medication- the importance of an healthy lifestyle- CBT, IPT and ACT approachesRelease Your Worries draws on the clinical, research and teaching experience of the authors and makes use of the most up-to-date psychological approaches, including CBT, Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Narrative and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).

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The next action-packed adventure from Asterix and Obelix!The roads across Italy are in disrepair. Defending his name, and to prove Rome's greatness, Senator Lactus Bifidus announces a special one-off chariot race. Julius Caesar insists a Roman must win, or Bifidus will pay. Open to anyone from the known world, competitors arrive from far and wide, including Asterix and Obelix. With Bifidus secretly scheming, who will win this almighty chariot race?

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'Nick Harkaway novels are electric' Patrick Ness, author of A MONSTER CALLS'Cross-genre brilliance' William Gibson, author of AGENCY'Captivating from start to finish' The Big IssueCal Sounder is a detective working for the police on certain very sensitive cases. So when he's called in to investigate a homicide at a local apartment, he is surprised at first to see that the victim appears to be a rather typical techie. But on closer inspection, he finds the victim is over seven feet tall. Clearly, he is a Titan - one of this dystopian, near-future society's genetically-altered elites.There are only a few thousand Titans worldwide, all thanks to Stefan Tonfamecasca's discovery of the controversial T7 genetic therapy, which elevated his family to near godlike status. A dead Titan is big news . . . a murdered Titan is unimaginable. But Titans are Cal's specialty. In fact, his ex-girlfriend, Athena, is a Titan. And not just any Titan - she's Stefan's daughter, heir to the Tonfamecasca empire.As Cal digs deeper into the murder investigation, it soon becomes clear he's on the trail of a crime whose roots run deep into the dark heart of the world. Titanium Noir is a tightly woven, intricate tale of murder, betrayal, and vengeance.

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'The latest book from the inestimable and seemingly irrepressible Simon Warren.'thewashingmachinepostFrom the Gavia Pass to Mount Etna, from The Stelvio to The Zoncalan, these climbs are legends in Italy and the building blocks of the Giro d'Italia. Technology may advance, training and diet may evolve, but these world-famous mountains are a constant. They have witnessed triumph and despair, courage and heartache, they are where champions are made and where dreams are shattered. And yes, the greatest arenas of Italy's greatest race are open 365 days of the year for any of us to ride. So take up the challenge, emulate your heroes and make your mark on the hundred greatest cycling climbs of Italy.

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'This book is a must-read for parents and educators who want to refocus children's attention to one of the greatest secrets to long-term happiness - discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary' - Jessica Joelle Alexander, co-author of The Danish Way of ParentingChildren of the last twenty years have grown up in an increasingly frenzied and demanding environment so that, on one hand, education has been rendered more complicated, and on the other, the essentials have been lost to view. In order to ensure their future success, parents often feel that they must fill their children's schedules with endless activities that cause leisure, spontaneous activity, and the experience of nature, beauty and silence, to fade out of their lives.This veritable race toward adulthood distances children more and more from the natural laws of childhood. A constant stream of loud and flashy stimuli disturbs the only true and sustainable learning that exists in them: that of calmly and quietly discovering the world for themselves and at their own pace, with a sense of wonder that goes beyond mere curiosity for the unknown or interest in novelty.In a world such as this, it can be a daunting task for a parent or educator of young children to discern how to best raise their children. Catherine L'Ecuyer offers clarity, drawing attention to the findings of many studies of the last few decades on the effects of screen use, overstimulation and mechanistic approaches to education on young children, and suggests time exploring the real world, more silence and the 'Wonder Approach' as remedies. Learning should be a wondrous journey guided by a deep reflection on what the natural laws of childhood require: respect for children's pace and rhythms, innocence, sense of mystery and thirst for beauty.

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From the bestselling author of The Happiness Trap, a gentle approach to increasing your confidence.

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From the author of the bestselling The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book. ARE YOU AS BRIGHT AS THE BEST?Try puzzles from the world puzzle championships, where teams of solvers from all around the world compete to find that year's fastest and best puzzle solver.The book contains around 200 puzzles of over 90 different types arranged over 20 themed chapters, including a wide range of unique puzzle variations created especially for the world puzzle championship. Puzzle types include battleships, cave, dominoes, fillomino, heyawake, kakuro, LITS, masyu, number link, nurikabe, slitherlink, yajilin and many, many more.Compare your own puzzle-solving times against past world championship winners, and find out where you stand on a world scale.Try some of the world's toughest puzzles, designed to challenge the very best solvers.No language skills or general knowledge required - all the puzzles are designed to work for any solver from any country in the world.Discover some of the most exciting and innovative new puzzles from the world's most creative puzzle setters.The book concludes with an entire round from a competition as a final challenge.

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No one explodes one of the longest-held misconceptions of music history better than Steve Lukather and his band Toto. The dominant pop-culture sound of the late-1970s and '80s was not in fact the smash and sneer of punk, but a slick, polished amalgam of rock and R&B that was first staked out on Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees. That album was shaped in large part by the founding members of Toto, who were emerging as the most in-demand elite session muso-crew in LA, and further developed on the band's self-titled three-million-selling debut smash of 1978. A string of hits followed for the band going into the '80s and beyond. Running parallel to this, as stellar session players, Lukather and band-mates David Paich, Jeff Porcaro and Steve Porcaro were also the creative linchpins on some of the most successful, influential and enduring records of the era. In The Gospel According to Luke, Lukather tells the Toto story: how a group of high school friends formed the band in 1977 and went on to sell more than 40 million records worldwide. He also lifts the lid on what really went on behind the closed studio doors and shows the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Don Henley, Roger Waters and Aretha Franklin. And yet, Lukather's extraordinary tale encompasses the dark side of the American Dream.Engaging, incisive and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir. It is the real thing . . .

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In dark, wintry Lochdubh, Christmas Cheer is about as welcome as a flat tyre on a deserted road. The Calvinist element in town has always resisted what they view as secular frivolity, so for most of the townsfolk there''ll be no carols, feasting, gifts - or even whisky on Christmas Day!And for PC Hamish Macbeth there''s no holiday from crime - he finds himself hunting for a missing cat belonging to a lonely spinster. Curt and unfriendly, the woman is convinced her pet has been stolen but once behind her heavily-bolted door, Hamish can spot her true problem - she lives in fear, though of who or what he cannot guess.Then someone steals a Christmas tree and lights from the nearby village of Cnothan. So it is up to Hamish to sort all these problems out - and he had better do it quickly, for the church bells will soon peal on the eve of Christmas.This one-off standalone story is a special Christmas treat for all fans of Hamish Macbeth and can be read at any point

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'Excellent . . . an in-depth excavation of the murky and mysterious world of football business. Smith's candid and often shocking book reveals the true workings of football business that take into account things few of us even could even imagine . . . The Deal answers some of those questions and leaves you wanting more. It is an educational tool that most fans could do with researching' Joe Short, ExpressFootball analysis has grown at the same exponential rate as the sport's popularity and yet one of its most intrinsic elements remains tantalisingly opaque: the role of 'agent'. The Deal is a unique and fascinating perspective into the business of sports management through the eyes of 'Mr Football', 'super-agent', Jon Smith. 800,000 watch their professional football team play each week and TV pulls in audiences of around 600 million. Despite these phenomenal figures, the complex money-making scene behind sport is one of its biggest mysteries. The Deal will be an unprecedented insight into this world, showing what goes on as players and big money change hands. The Deal is also the story of one of the shrewdest and most successful businessmen of our time. Documented through Jon's personal rollercoaster of high-flying success to near bankruptcy, the book's over-arching narrative will offer an inspiring personal journey as well as insider knowledge of brokering deals at a high level and under extreme pressure. The Deal will appeal strongly to buyers of business books as well as a significant number of sports fans interested to know what goes on in the back room of their favourite sport.

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