Search results for ""forever""

'I love the Children's House series and Yrsa delivers again with The Doll. Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery - I couldn't put it down!' SHARI LAPENA 'Yrsa is a wonderful storyteller. Her stories are atmospheric, mysterious and brilliantly plotted ... you will never see the twists coming' MARI HANNAH'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTERIt was meant to be a quiet family fishing trip, a chance for mother and daughter to talk. But it changes the course of their lives forever.They catch nothing except a broken doll that gets tangled in the net. After years in the ocean, the doll a terrifying sight and the mother's first instinct is to throw it back, but she relents when her daughter pleads to keep it. This simple act of kindness proves fatal. That evening, the mother posts a picture of the doll on social media. By the morning, she is dead and the doll has disappeared.Several years later and Detective Huldar is in his least favourite place - on a boat in rough waters, searching for possible human remains. However, identifying the skeleton they find on the seabed proves harder than initially thought, and Huldar must draw on psychologist Freyja's experience to help him. As the mystery of the unidentified body deepens, Huldar is also drawn into an investigation of a homeless drug addict's murder, and Freyja investigates a suspected case of child abuse at a foster care home.What swiftly becomes clear is that the cases are linked through a single, missing, vulnerable witness: the young girl who wanted the doll all those years ago. Taut, terrifying and impossible to put down, The Doll cements Yrsa Sigurdardottir's reputation as a master of storytelling tension and surprise.

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'I love the Children's House series and Yrsa delivers again with The Doll. Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery - I couldn't put it down!' SHARI LAPENA'Yrsa is a wonderful storyteller. Her stories are atmospheric, mysterious and brilliantly plotted ... you will never see the twists coming' MARI HANNAH'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTERIt was meant to be a quiet family fishing trip, a chance for mother and daughter to talk. But it changes the course of their lives forever.They catch nothing except a broken doll that gets tangled in the net. After years in the ocean, the doll a terrifying sight and the mother's first instinct is to throw it back, but she relents when her daughter pleads to keep it. This simple act of kindness proves fatal. That evening, the mother posts a picture of the doll on social media. By the morning, she is dead and the doll has disappeared.Several years later and Detective Huldar is in his least favourite place - on a boat in rough waters, searching for possible human remains. However, identifying the skeleton they find on the seabed proves harder than initially thought, and Huldar must draw on psychologist Freyja's experience to help him. As the mystery of the unidentified body deepens, Huldar is also drawn into an investigation of a homeless drug addict's murder, and Freyja investigates a suspected case of child abuse at a foster care home.What swiftly becomes clear is that the cases are linked through a single, missing, vulnerable witness: the young girl who wanted the doll all those years ago.Taut, terrifying and impossible to put down, The Doll cements Yrsa Sigurdardottir's reputation as a master of storytelling tension and surprise.

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"Part memoir, part investigative journalism, and completely engrossing, What We Inherit is not a book you'll be forgetting anytime soon." —Oprah Magazine "Exceptional." —Salman Rushdie In the wake of her mother’s death, Jessica Pearce Rotondi uncovers boxes of letters, declassified CIA reports, and newspaper clippings that bring to light a family ghost: her uncle Jack, who disappeared during the CIA-led “Secret War” in Laos in 1972. The letters lead her across Southeast Asia in search of the truth that has eluded her family for decades. What she discovers takes her closer to the mother she lost and the mysteries of a secret war that changed the rules of engagement forever. In 1943, 19-year-old Edwin Pearce jumps from a burning B-17 bomber over Germany. Missing in action for months, his parents finally learn he is a prisoner of war in Stalag 17. Ed survives nearly three years in prison camp and a march across the Alps before returning home. Ed’s eldest son and namesake, Edwin “Jack,” follows his father into the Air Force. But on the night of March 29, 1972, Jack’s plane vanishes over the mountains bordering Vietnam and Ed’s past comes roaring into the present. In 2009, Ed’s granddaughter, Jessica Pearce Rotondi, is grieving her mother’s death when she stumbles across declassified CIA documents, letters, and maps that reveal her family’s decades-long search for Jack. What We Inherit is Rotondi’s story of her own hunt for answers as she retraces her grandfather’s 1973 path across Southeast Asia in search of his son. An excavation of inherited trauma on a personal and national scale, What We Inherit reveals the power of a father’s refusal to be silenced and a daughter’s quest to rediscover her voice in the wake of loss. As Rotondi nears the last known place Jack was seen alive, she grows closer to understanding the mystery that has haunted her family for generations—and the destructive impact of a family secret so big it encompassed an entire war.

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The German gem-engraver, medallist, and amateur scholar Lorenz Natter (1705-1763), was so impressed by the size and quality of the collections of ancient and later engraved gems which he found in Britain that he proposed the publication of an extraordinarily ambitious catalogue – Museum Britannicum – which would present engravings and descriptions of the most important pieces. He made considerable progress to this end, producing several hundred drawings, but in time he decided to abandon the near completed project in the light of the apparent lack of interest shown in Britain. Only one of the intended plates in its final form ever appeared, in a catalogue which he published separately for Lord Bessborough’s collection. On Natter’s death the single copy of his magnum opus vanished mysteriously, presumed lost forever. All hope of recovering Natter’s unpublished papers seemed vain, and their very existence had come to be doubted. Yet they were to be found more than two hundred years after his death, in Spring 1975, when the classical scholar and renowned expert in gems, Oleg Neverov, chanced upon them at the bottom of a pile of papers in the archives of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Neverov and his colleague Julia Kagan carried out the initial research on the Hermitage manuscripts and produced the first published account of this archival treasure. The present volume builds upon their earlier work to produce the first comprehensive publication of Museum Britannicum, offering full discussion in English and presenting Natter’s drawings and comments alongside modern information on the gems that can be identified and located through fresh research. This book is the result of a ten-year collaboration between scholars on the Beazley Archive gems research programme at Oxford’s Classical Art Research Centre and the State Hermitage Museum. It fulfills Natter’s vision for the Museum Britannicum – albeit two and a half centuries late – to the benefit of art historians, cultural historians, curators, and gem-lovers of today.

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How a Parkland Dad and 9/11 Brother Faced Tragedy"Don't tell me there's no such thing as gun violence. It happened in Parkland." ―Fred Guttenberg2020 Nautilus Silver Winner2021 Chanticleer Hearten Awards First Place WinnerLife changed forever on Valentine's Day 2018 for Fred Guttenberg and his family. What should have been a day of love turned into a nightmare. Seventeen people died at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Fourteen-year-old Jaime Guttenberg was the second to last victim.“Fred Guttenberg is a hero." ―Lawrence O'Donnell. That Jaime and so many of her fellow students were struck down in cold blood galvanized many to action, including Jaime’s father Fred now a gun safety activist dedicated to passing common sense gun safety legislation.Fred was already struggling with deep personal loss. Four months earlier his brother Michael died of 9/11 induced pancreatic cancer. He had been exposed to too much dust and chemicals at Ground Zero. Michael battled heroically for nearly five years and then died at age fifty.Find the Helpers has a special meaning to the Guttenberg’s. It was a beloved family wisdom learned from watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In the midst of tragedy, "always look for the helpers. There will always be helpers. Because if you look for the helpers, you’ll know there’s hope." ―Fred Rogers, 1999Healing from grief. Discover the story of Fred Guttenberg’s activist’s journey since Jaime’s death and how he has been able to get through the worst of times thanks to the kindness and compassion of others. Good things happen to good people at the hands of other good people─and the world is filled with them. They include everyone from amazing gun violence survivors Fred has met to former VP Joe Biden, who spent time talking to him about finding mission and purpose in learning to grieve.If you enjoyed Eyes to the Wind, Haben, or The Beauty in Breaking, you'll love Find the Helpers!

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"Dr. Winn’s story is remarkably open, unguarded and intimate. I believe that almost any physician, staff member, patient, patient family member or friend will come away with new insights and understanding after reading this moving memoir." —Frederick R. Appelbaum, M.D. Director, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterLittle does he know that an unexpected call that interrupts an early Spring bike ride in the Wasatch mountains above Park City will change his life forever. A day later, when Dr. Robert Winn’s beloved wife Nancy is diagnosed with the life-threatening disease acute myeloid leukemia (AML), he is too devastated and emotionally shattered to communicate with family and their many friends. For many months he can’t even speak without getting choked up or crying.At the nadir of her illness Nancy is given a 5% chance of survival and Winnie (the name lovingly bestowed upon Dr. Winn by his many patients and friends) commits to always be by the side of his soul mate and to never leave Nancy alone at night. As a result, during the entire two years his wife is gravely ill and, at times, near death, he sits in the quiet of Nancy’s hospital room late into the evening and writes to their family and friends. These trials and tribulations are movingly and remarkably captured for posterity in Night Reflections: A True Story of Friendship, Love, Cancer, and Survival.Life with cancer, a devastating disease for any patient and family, is a constant struggle and fight for survival that demands that you learn to live through the entire day, each hour, and every minute. Night Reflections chronicles an inspirational story of courage, love, devotion, struggle, and ultimately triumph. Night Reflections will help anyone suffering from a devastating illness, their loved ones, caregivers, and the medical community alike and the strength to face even the darkest of days.

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The exciting tale of a young gambler, a horse, and the bond that will change the both of them forever.Hoping to make a man out of him, Alfred Larribee’s father sends his son to live with his cousin’s family out West. Alfred is lazy and listless, and spends his early days there drinking, gambling, and doing everything he can to avoid his share of work.Everything changes with the appearance of Sky Blue, a magnificent stallion that seemingly can’t be ridden and has seriously injured one of the few willing to try. But to everyone’s astonishment, Larribee is able to bond with the horse, mount him, and ride him with ease.Josiah Ransome is already at odds with Larribee over his gambling when the woman he hopes to marry bets her emerald ring that Larribee will not able to ride Sky Blue. When the opportunity presents itself, Ransome turns to sabotage, placing a burr under the horse’s saddle. When Larribee mounts the stallion again he is viciously thrown off, and Sky Blue flees off into the desert.Larribee sets out on a mission, blazing a trail through dangerous Indian territory to find Sky Blue and return the horse to its home. Sky Blue is the story of Larribee’s journey into the wild frontier, and a captivating Western from one of the genre’s all-time greats!Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns—books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians—are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

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Favor Johnson lives on a small farm in the hills of Vermont. He keeps to himself, surrounded by dozens of animals, chickens, geese, and his one constant friend, a hound named Hercules. Then one Christmas Eve Hercules' life is saved by Favor's new neighbor, a doctor, and Favor's whole life -- as well as the life of everyone in his village -- is changed forever. This delightful story of Favor Johnson, Hercules, Doctor Jennings, and the mysterious house-to-house delivery of homemade fruit cakes on Christmas Eve is a heart-warming tale of neighborliness and generosity in a Vermont village at Christmas. It is also a tale of rescue, of good and bad cooking, of friendship, and of giving presents at Christmas. A modern, and classic, American Christmas folktale, Favor Johnson has been a favorite radio story for years and is published now for the first time, brought to life by the wonderful watercolor illustrations of Bert Dodson. This book is their second collaboration, the first being John and Tom, published in 2001.Willem Lange is a short-story writer, commentator and host on Vermont Public Radio and New Hampshire Public Television. He also has a weekly column in The Valley News, the major newspaper in the NH/VT Upper Valley area. In addition to the Yuletide readings of his Christmas story, Favor Johnson, a staple on Public Radio for fifteen years, his annual readings of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol -- on stage, on Vermont Public Radio, and on Armed Forces Radio overseas -- have been popular since 1975. He lives with his wife in East Montpelier, Vermont.Bert Dodson is the author and illustrator of the best-selling learn-to-draw classic Keys to Drawing as well as the illustrator of over 80 children's books including a previous one with Willem Lange. He has also co-written The Way Life Works with noted biologist Mahlon Hoagland. He lives in Bradford, Vermont.

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Life in the small town of Miller's Creek, Wisconsin in 1945 is focused entirely on the war in Germany. Olivia Marsten is doing everything she can to support the troops: working in the local hardware store while the owner's son is serving, collecting recyclables for the war effort, and offering support to Billy, her childhood best friend who's leaving in a month for Navy training. When Billy pulls her aside, desperate to talk, she doesn't think anything of it...until he confesses he's been in love with her for years and proposes marriage. Stunned and unable to hurt his feelings, she accepts. But in her heart she knows it isn't right. How do you break your best friend's heart, especially when you think you might secretly be in love with the stranger who literally saved your life? From the moment Peter Becker lays eyes on Olivia, she took his breath away. They had only just been introduced when a car careened out of nowhere, and he pulled her out of the way, saving her life. When he comes to, he's recovering in Olivia's parents' home and slowly falling in love with Olivia. But Peter Becker isn't who he says he is. He's a German soldier whose infantry was taken prisoner by American soldiers and brought to the United States, their final destination an internment camp. But while headed there, a massive train accident occurred and both he and Otto, the prisoner chained to him, survived. As the son of an American WWI veteran, Peter has grown up loving baseball and apple pie--he never wanted to serve in the Nazi party and hates what they stand for. He knows he must turn himself in, but he can't bring himself to do it, especially knowing that it he might lose Olivia forever. But when mysterious accidents start to befall the town and Olivia's family in particular, it's clear to Peter that Otto is responsible. Can he save the woman he's come to love from a madmen hellbent on revenge?

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Prodigy, visionary, 'outlaw,' orator and explorer. As society's outsiders, the exceptional subjects of this study inspired a new breed of women—and one another.Finalist of the PROSE Award for Best Book in Literature by the Association of American PublishersMary Shelley, Emily Brontë, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner and Virginia Woolf: they all wrote dazzling books that forever changed the way we see history. In Outsiders, award-winning biographer Lyndall Gordon shows how these five novelists shared more than talent. In a time when a woman's reputation was her security, each of these women lost hers. They were unconstrained by convention, writing against the grain of their contemporaries, prophetically imagining a different future. We have long known the individual greatness of each of these writers, but in linking their creativity to their lives as outcasts, Gordon throws new light on the genius they share. All five lost their mothers in childbirth or at a young age. With no female role model present, they learned from books—and sometimes from an enlightened mentor. Crucially, each had to imagine what a woman could be in order to invent a voice of her own. The passion in their own lives infused their fiction. Writing with passionate intelligence of her own, Gordon reveals that these renegade writers inspired a new breed of women who wished to change a world locked in war, violence, exploitation, and sexual abuse.Gordon's biographies have always shown the indelible connection between life and art: an intuitive, exciting and revealing approach that has been highly praised. In Outsiders, she crafts nuanced portraits of Shelley, Brontë, Eliot, Schreiner and Woolf, naming each of these writers as prodigy, visionary, 'outlaw,' orator, and explorer, and shows how they came, they saw, and they left us changed. Today, following the tsunami of women's protest at widespread abuse, we do more than read them; we listen and live with their astonishing bravery and eloquence.

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A New York Times bestseller! From the author of The Traveler’s Gift comes a story of common wisdom based on the remarkable true story of “Jones,” a mysterious old man who has a knack for showing up in people's lives at just the right time, providing priceless lessons about love, life, and the importance of perspective.Orange Beach, Alabama, is a simple town filled with simple people. But like all humans on the planet, the good folks of Orange Beach have their share of problems—marriages teetering on the brink of divorce, young adults giving up on life, businesspeople on the verge of bankruptcy, as well as the many other obstacles that life seems to dish out to the masses.These situations can seem like dead ends, but to an old drifter named Jones with a gift for seeing what others miss, there is no such thing as a dead end. It only takes a little “perspective,” he says, to recognize the miracles in our moments, the seeds of greatness tucked into our struggles.Appearing when things look darkest, the mysterious, elderly man with white hair carrying a battered old suitcase shows up when he’s needed most. “Your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely,” he says. “Don’t squander your words or your thoughts. Consider even the simplest action you take, for your lives matter beyond measure…and they matter forever.”The Noticer will provide you with: A better understanding of life’s challenges and proper perspective for tackling them Practical yet powerful methods of motivation, encouragement, and resolve for those struggling A fresh and insightful perspective on how people can change their view of the world, find strength, and move beyond their problems Based on a remarkable true story, The Noticer beautifully blends fiction and allegory in an entertaining and inspiring instruction manual for better living. The story of Jones continues in The Noticer Returns and Just Jones.

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Join two friendly and funny robots, Beep and Boots, as they learn all about time and discover that math is everywhere they look.Beep the robot would love nothing more than to have her own pet, like her friends do. One morning she gets a surprise delivery – a parcel containing circles, squares, triangles, and pentagons for her to make her own robot cat! Beep realizes that she can’t make a pet pal from flat, two-dimensional shapes so, with a flash of magic, the shapes become three-dimensional spheres, cubes, and pyramids. Join Beep as she tries different ways of putting shapes together to build her robot cat and make a best friend forever.This fun and educational math book for children features: - A fun and engaging introduction to shapes for children aged 5-7.- Lively illustrations and rhyming text that brings the characters and math topics to life.- Key math topics including shapes, time, measurements, division, and fractions – all essential learning for this age group.- Illustrations that are in a non-gendered color palette, making the traditionally male subject relatable for all genders.- A relatable storyline for young readers, encouraging them to look for math in their homes and environments, and seeing how, often without even knowing it, they use math everyday. Characterful illustrations and rhyming text bring Beep and Boots to life. Children aged 5–7 will love seeing the adventures the robot duo go on and will learn key mathematical concepts concerning time in a gentle, fun way, including telling the time and hours, minutes, and seconds. Questions at the end of the book reinforce learning and encourage kids to look at the math they can see in the world around them.At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop there?The Math Adventurers series uses everyday scenarios to show how math is all around us, making this difficult subject more accessible. If you loved The Math Adventurers: Chip and Christine Build a Friendship, then why not try The Math Adventurers: A Day at the Zoo!

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An outback story of kelpies, red dirt and the future of a family farm.Now streaming on ABC iView and Netflix. Life on the land is often boom or bust, forever at the mercy of Mother Nature.Aticia 'Teesh' Grey took on the manager's role on her family's West Pilbara cattle station a few years after picking up her first team of kelpies. Almost immediately she was faced with a severe and devastating drought that forced her to question everything she thought she knew about the fragile country of her home.Through the heartbreaking rollercoaster journey that followed, Teesh's loyal canine companions proved invaluable as she and her family worked towards securing the property's future. The versatility of these amazing dogs took the station in directions no one anticipated.In 2020, Teesh got the chance to showcase the potential of working dogs more widely. Joining the ABC TV series Muster Dogs, Teesh and four other farming families took on the challenge of training new kelpie pups and testing their worth on the properties they run. Through this experience they showed the bonds that are formed between human and dog and vividly demonstrated a positive environmental future for farming in rural Australia.This is a story of love, laughter, loss and hope, as Teesh finds her feet in an ever-changing world with the help of the dogs who have stood by her side through it all.PRAISE'Kick your boots off and settle in for a wild journey of love and heartbreak, from the most inspiring cattlewoman I know ...' Margareta Osborn, author and grazier'Evocative, authentic and freshly engaging account of pastoral life ... reads like a Wild West adventure story ... At the end of this journey Grey recounts her transformative shift to a regenerative agriculture approach that puts the landscape first so as to begin healing 'Country'. What is optimistically promised is a fuller, less stressful lifestyle and healthier, more productive livestock' Charles Massy, author and voice for regenerative agriculture

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'The combination of humorous, scientifically grounded text with detailed, realistic drawings will pique the interest of armchair naturalists and active explorers alike' - "Publisher's Weekly". Be alert, because when you step into this spooky, twilight zone, anything can happen. Suddenly, a bat squeaks overhead while a slithery something - a salamander - slides around your foot into a dark crack. Move your flashlight and cave crickets wiggle their antennas as a frog croaks somewhere nearby. Look up and the heart-shaped face of a barn owl may fix you with an icy stare. One small square at a time, you feel the mushiness of the damp earth and experience a world of natural wonders where shy inhabitants wait in shadows for you to discover them. "Cave" is just one of the exciting, vibrantly illustrated volumes in the critically acclaimed "One Small Square" series of science and nature books for children ages 6-9.Each book includes: stunning full-colour illustrations of each habitat and its creatures; motivating experiments and activities, along with clear, diagrammed instructions and safety tips; a picture field guide to the habitat; a glossary-index and resource list. "One Small Square" - an eye opening series - puts the whole world in perspective for children, one small square at a time. Each book is a thrilling, up-close encounter with mammals, insects, plants, birds, fish, amphibians, bacteria, and the ecosystems in which they live. 'Science education at its best' - Science Books and Films.About the author and illustrator: Donald M. Silver is the author of more than 40 science books for children and teachers alike. In addition to the award winning "One Small Square" series, he has written "The Animal World", "Why Save the Rain Forest?, "Extinction Is Forever", and "The Dinosaur Activity Book" - all illustrated by Patricia J. Wynne. Patricia J. Wynne's illustrations have also appeared in "Scientific American", "Natural History", and "The New York Times" as well as in the highly praised books "Hungry", "Hungry Sharks", and 'The Human Body". Both the author and illustrator live in New York City.

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"A sweeping look at the political, social, and romantic intrigue surrounding Haiti’s first and only queen. Riley’s depiction is richly imagined and wholly original." — Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia PalaceAcclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society. The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indifference from former allies in Britain and the new United States. Louise desperately tries to steer the country’s political course as King Henry descends into a mire of mental illness.In 1820, King Henry is overthrown and dies by his own hand. Louise and her daughters manage to flee to Europe with their smuggled jewels. In exile, the resilient Louise redefines her role, recovering the fortune that Henry had lost and establishing herself as an equal to the kings of European nations. With newspapers and gossip tracking their every movement, Louise and her daughters tour Europe like other royals, complete with glittering balls and princes with marriage proposals. As they find their footing—and acceptance—they discover more about themselves, their Blackness, and the opportunities they can grasp in a European and male-dominated world. Queen of Exiles is the tale of a remarkable Black woman of history—a canny and bold survivor who chooses the fire and ideals of political struggle, and then is forced to rebuild her life on her own terms, forever a queen.

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“Chickie takes us thousands of miles on a hilarious quest laced with sorrow, but never dull. You will laugh and cry, but you will not be sorry that you read this rollicking story.”—Malachy McCourtSoon to be a major motion picture written and directed by Peter Farrelly, who won two Academy Awards for Green Book—a wildly entertaining, feel-good memoir of an Irish-American New Yorker and former U.S. marine who embarked on a courageous, hare-brained scheme to deliver beer to his pals serving Vietnam in the late 1960s.One night in 1967, twenty-six-year-old John Donohue—known as Chick—was out with friends, drinking in a New York City bar. The friends gathered there had lost loved ones in Vietnam. Now, they watched as anti-war protesters turned on the troops themselves. One neighborhood patriot came up with an inspired—some would call it insane—idea. Someone should sneak into Vietnam, track down their buddies there, give them messages of support from back home, and share a few laughs over a can of beer. It would be the Greatest Beer Run Ever. But who’d be crazy enough to do it? One man was up for the challenge—a U. S. Marine Corps veteran turned merchant mariner who wasn’t about to desert his buddies on the front lines when they needed him. Chick volunteered. A day later, he was on a cargo ship headed to Vietnam, armed with Irish luck and a backpack full of alcohol. Landing in Qui Nho’n, Chick set off on an adventure that would change his life forever—an odyssey that took him through a series of hilarious escapades and harrowing close calls, including the Tet Offensive. But none of that mattered if he could bring some cheer to his pals and show them how much the folks back home appreciated them.This is the story of that epic beer run, told in Chick’s own words and those of the men he visited in Vietnam.

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In Spain today the civil war remains 'the past that will not pass away'. The long shadow of the Second World War is now also bringing back centre frame its most disquieting aspects, revealing to a broader public the stark truth already known by specialist historians -- that in Spain, as in the many other internecine wars soon to convulse Europe, war was waged predominantly upon civilians -- millions were killed not by invaders and strangers, but by their own compatriots, including their own neighbours. Across the continent, Hitler's war of territorial expansion after 1938 would detonate a myriad 'irregular wars', of culture as well as of politics, which took on a 'cleansing' intransigence as those driving them sought to make 'homogeneous' communities, whether ethnic, political or religious. So much of this was prefigured with primal intensity in Spain in 1936, where, on 17-18 July, a group of army officers rebelled against the socially-reforming Republic. Saved from almost certain failure by Nazi and Fascist military intervention, and by a British inaction amounting to complicity, these army rebels unleashed a conflict in which civilians became the targets of mass killing. The new military authorities authorised and presided over an extermination of those sectors associated with Republican change -- especially those who symbolised cultural change and thus posed a threat to old ways of being and thinking: progressive teachers, self-educated workers, 'new' women. In the Republican zone, resistance to the coup also led to the murder of civilians. This extrajudicial and communal killing in both zones would fundamentally make new political and cultural meanings that changed Spain's political landscape forever. Helen Graham explores the origins, nature and long-term consequences of this exterminatory war in Spain, charting the resonant forms of political, social and cultural resistance to it and the memory/legacy these have left behind in Europe and beyond. Not least is our growing sense of the enormity of what, in greater European terms, the Republican war effort resisted: Nazi adventurism, and the continent-wide wars of ethnic and political 'purification' it would unleash.

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A gripping, suspense-filled thriller from the author of the internationally best-selling Hammarby series. A deadly secret haunts a group of strangers who cross paths in the snow of a Swedish midwinter... 'Plotted with the complexity of a labyrinth' New York Times January in Gotland. The days are short, the air is cold, and all the roads are covered in snow. On a deserted, icy backroad, these wintry conditions bring together a group of strangers with a force devastating enough to change their lives forever. A deadly accident and two separate crimes leave victims in their wake. Four years later, a single phone call is all it takes to bring back the terror of that day and to set in motion a plot for revenge. For Sandra it started as an unremarkable winter's day of shopping followed by a kind gesture from a stranger. For Jeanette it began with the thrill of an illicit rendezvous with her lover. Both women had driven past the same icy ravine. Only one was in the car that caused a deadly crash. Only one left a man to die alone in the snow... Each carried a secret from that day, a secret that, if revealed, could connect them to a larger, more terrible transgression. And there is someone out there who knows the whole picture, and who would rather kill than allow it all to come to light... Reviewers on Carin Gerhardsen: 'The author's mastery of tone imbues a largely tragic tale with touches of humor. By turns touching and terrifying, this nail-biter deserves a wide audience.' Booklist 'Carin Gerhardsen writes so vividly, like she is painting with words, gripping your heart and soul in an ever-tightening tourniquet.' Peter James 'Complex, slow-burning thriller with a final twist that leaves no one unscathed.' Booklist 'The book's greatest strength lies in its messy humanity.' Air Mail 'Readers are kept on their toes due to the never ending twists and turns that dominate the plot.' Tap the Line Magazine

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Escape to Cornwall with this beautiful page-turning novel set in Penvennan Cove – third book in the Cornish romance series by bestselling author Linn B. Halton! Kerra Shaw's happiness should be complete when the love of her life moves into her cottage. But there is trouble in her beloved Penvennan Cove and Kerra knows she won't be able to enjoy her new start with Ross until she's put things right. Two struggling businesses threaten to change the beach at Penvennan Cove forever. The Lark and Lantern, an inn at the heart of the community, is struggling and a corporate chain is trying to redevelop the site. Meanwhile, The Salvager's Yard nearby is becoming an eyesore that brings down the area. Kerra knows she can find the perfect solution, but with her eyes on the community, will Kerra miss the tensions in her own life? Can Kerra find her own happy ending, or could putting others first cost her what she deserves most? Readers love Penvennan Cove!: 'Utterly charming! It's beautifully written and will instantly whisk you away to the gorgeous Cornish shore. An absolute delight!' @chicksroguesandscandals, **** 'A good read for a rubbish day. Will make you feel better!' Netgalley reviewer, **** 'Warm and touching... It's been a real joy to continue the journey set in Cornwall.' Netgalley reviewer, ***** 'A wonderful return to Penvennan Cove... Full of warmth... I hope to hear much more of the story in the future.' Netgalley reviewer, ***** 'Fantastic read... Wish it could be far more than 5 stars.' Netgalley reviewer, ***** 'So very lovely... A great addition to the Penvennan Cove series.' NetGalley Reviewer, **** 'A cozy romance written by a talented author... The protagonist is a likeable and quirky character who puts others first... A quick fun read.' NetGalley reviewer, ***** 'Really makes you wish you lived there yourself... Brilliant writing and storyline as usual can't wait to read more from this author.' NetGalley reviewer, *****

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Barbara Pierce Bush was one of the country's most popular and powerful figures, yet her full story has never been told.THE MATRIARCH tells the riveting tale of a woman who helped define two American presidencies and an entire political era. Written by USA TODAY's Washington Bureau chief Susan Page, this biography is informed by more than one hundred interviews with Bush friends and family members, hours of conversation with Mrs. Bush herself in the final six months of her life, and access to her diaries that spanned decades. THE MATRIARCH examines not only her public persona but also less well-known aspects of her remarkable life. As a girl in Rye, New York, Barbara Bush weathered criticism of her weight from her mother, barbs that left lifelong scars. As a young wife, she coped with the death of her three-year-old daughter from leukemia, a loss that changed her forever. In middle age, she grappled with depression so serious that she contemplated suicide. And as first the wife and then the mother of American presidents, she made history as the only woman to see -- and advise -- both her husband and son in the Oval Office. As with many women of her era, Barbara Bush was routinely underestimated, her contributions often neither recognized nor acknowledged. But she became an astute and trusted political campaign strategist and a beloved First Lady. She invested herself deeply in expanding literacy programs in America, played a critical role in the end of the Cold War, and led the way in demonstrating love and compassion to those with HIV/AIDS. With her cooperation, this book offers Barbara Bush's last words for history -- on the evolution of her party, on the role of women, on Donald Trump, and on her family's legacy.Barbara Bush's accomplishments, struggles, and contributions are many. Now, Susan Page explores them all in THE MATRIARCH, a groundbreaking book certain to cement Barbara Bush as one of the most unique and influential women in American history.

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A courtside view of how women athletes’ identities are policed, on and off the court Women’s college basketball is big business—top teams bring in millions of dollars in revenue for their schools. Women’s NCAA games are broadcast regularly on sports networks, and many of the top players and coaches are household names. Yet these athletes face immense pressure to be more than successful at their sport. They must also conform to expectations about gender, sexuality, and race—expectations that are often in direct contrast to success in the game. They are not supposed to have muscles that are too big, they are not supposed to be too tough, they are not supposed to be too masculine or “look like men,” and they are not supposed to be queer. A former college athlete herself, Michelle J. Manno spent a full season with a highly competitive NCAA Division I women’s basketball program as one of the team’s managers. In vivid detail, she takes us on the court, on the team bus, into the locker room, and to championship games to show the intense dedication that these women give to the game. She found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that these extremely talented women were strictly policed around the presentation of their gender and sexuality, especially the athletes who were Black. They were routinely monitored, banned from engaging in certain activities, and often punished for behavior that put their queerness, Blackness, and masculinity on display. Convincingly conforming to conventional expectations of gender and sexuality—from the clothes they wore to the people they dated—was yet another challenge at which they needed to excel. Importantly, Manno also highlights several well-known contemporary professional athletes—Brittney Griner, Serena Williams, Gabby Douglas, and Caster Semenya, among others—to show that fame and performing at the highest levels in sport does not protect women athletes from having to navigate the conflicting and often contradictory expectations of identity. A riveting portrait of an elite basketball program, Denied will forever change our understanding of women athletes and the sports they play.

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Ben Brooks-Dutton's wife - the great love of his life - was knocked down and killed by a car as he walked beside her, pushing their two-year-old son in his buggy. Life changed forever. Suddenly Ben was a widower deep in shock, left to raise their bewildered child alone. In the aftermath Ben searched for guidance from men in similar situations, but it appeared that young widowed fathers don't talk. Well meaning loved ones admired his strength. The unwritten rule seemed to be to 'shut up, man up and hide your pain'. Lost, broken and afraid of the future, two months after his wife Desreen's death, Ben started a blog with the aim of rejecting outdated conventions of grief and instead opening up about his experiences. Within months Life as a Widower, had received a million hits and had started an all-too-often hushed conversation about the reality of loss and grief. This is the story of a man and a child who lost the woman they so dearly love and what happened in the year that followed. Ben describes the conflicting emotions that come from facing grief head on. He rages against the clichés used around loss and shows the strange and cruel ways in which grief can take hold. He also charts what it means to become a sole parent to a child who has lost their mother and cannot yet understand the meaning of death. Through the shock and sadness shine moments of hope and insight. So much of what Ben learns comes from watching his son struggle, survive and live, as children do, from moment to moment where hurt can turn to happiness and anger can turn to joy. This is a story of loss, heartbreak and courage. At its heart is the funny, infuriating and life affirming relationship between a father and son and their ongoing love for an extraordinary woman.

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Get submerged in the amazing world of sharks! Your expert host, award-winning marine biologist Dr. David Shiffman, will show you how—and why—we should protect these mysterious, misunderstood guardians of the ocean.Sharks are some of the most fascinating, most ecologically important, most threatened, and most misunderstood animals on Earth. More often feared than revered, their role as predators of the deep have earned them a reputation as a major threat to humans. But the truth is that sharks are not a danger to us—they're in danger from us.In Why Sharks Matter, marine conservation biologist Dr. David Shiffman explains why it's crucial that we overcome our misconceptions and rise above cinematic jump scares to embrace sharks as the imperiled and elegant ocean guardians they really are. Sharing his own fascinating experiences working with sharks, Shiffman tells us• why healthy shark populations are a must for supporting ocean ecosystems—and the coastal economies that depend on them • why we're in danger of losing many shark species forever• what scientists, conservationists, and readers can do to help save these iconic predators• why so much of what you've heard about sharks and how to save them is wrong Exploring the core tenets of shark conservation science and policy, Shiffman synthesizes decades of scientific research and policymaking, weaving it into a narrative full of humor and adventure. Touching on everything from Shark Week to shark fin soup, overfishing to marine sanctuaries, Shiffman reveals why sharks are in trouble, why we should care, and how we can save them. Perfect for shark enthusiasts, Why Sharks Matter is an approachable, informative guide to the world of shark conservation and the passionate, fascinating, brilliant people who work to understand and protect our oceans. This fun read will have you looking at sharks with a fresh perspective and an understanding that the survival of sharks is crucial to the survival of another apex predator—ourselves.

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Provides a broad snapshot of recent findings showing how the environment and genes influence behavior The great debate of nature versus nurture rages on — but our understanding of the genetic basis of many behaviors has expanded over the last decade, and there is now very good evidence showing that seemingly complex behaviours can have relatively simple genetic underpinnings, but also that most behaviours have very complicated genetic and environmental architecture. Studies have also clearly shown that behaviors, and other traits, are influenced not just by genes and the environment, but also by the statistical interaction between the two. This book aims to end the nature versus nurture argument by showing that behaviors are nature and nurture and the interaction between the two, and by illustrating how single genes can explain some of the variation in behaviors even when they are seemingly complex. Genes and Behaviour: Beyond Nature-Nurture puts to rest the nature versus nurture dichotomy, providing an up-to-date synopsis of where we are, how far we've come and where we are headed. It considers the effects of a dual-inheritance of genes and culture, and genes and social environment, and highlights how indirect genetic effects can affect the evolution of behavior. It also examines the effect of non-self genes on the behavior of hosts, shines a light on the nature and nurturing of animal minds and invites us to embrace all the complexity nature and nurture generates, and more. Explores exciting new findings about behavior and where we go from here Features contributions by top scholars of the subject Seeks to end the nature versus nurture debate forever Genes and Behaviour: Beyond Nature-Nurture is a unique, and eye-opening read that will appeal to Ph.D. Students, post-doctoral fellows, and researchers in evolution and behavior. Additionally, the book will also be of interest to geneticists, sociologists and philosophers.

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A concise history of labor and work in America from the birth of the Republic to the Industrial Age and beyond From the days of Thomas Jefferson, Americans believed that they could sustain a capitalist industrial economy without the class conflict or negative socioeconomic consequences experienced in Europe. This dream came crashing down in 1877 when the Great Strike, one of the most militant labor disputes in US history, convulsed the nation’s railroads. In The Dawning of American Labor a leading scholar of American labor history draws upon first-hand accounts and the latest scholarship to offer a fascinating look at how Americans perceived and adapted to the shift from a largely agrarian economy to one dominated by manufacturing. For the generations following the Great Strike, “the Labor Problem” and the idea of class relations became a critical issue facing the nation. As Professor Greenberg makes clear in this lively, highly accessible historical exploration, the 1877 strike forever cast a shadow across one of the most deeply rooted articles of national faith—the belief in American exceptionalism. What conditions produced the faith in a classless society? What went wrong? These questions lie at the heart of The Dawning of American Labor. Provides a concise, comprehensive, and completely up-to-date synthesis of the latest scholarship on the early development of industrialization in the United States Considers how working people reacted, both in the workplace and in their communities, as the nation’s economy made its shift from an agrarian to an industrial base Includes a formal Bibliographical Essay—a handy tool for student research Works as a stand-alone text or an ideal supplement to core curricula in US History, US Labor, and 19th-Century America Accessible introductory text for students in American history classes and beyond, The Dawning of American Labor is an excellent introduction to the history of labor in the United States for students and general readers of history alike.

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Get excited about baking again with this gorgeous cookbook featuring 100 recipes for all things baked, from cookies and cake to bread and biscuits, to crackers, crumbles, and crisps! Baking on the AIP is tough. Really tough. What’s a baker to do when standard baking ingredients such as grains, dairy, sugar, eggs, and nuts are off the table? What can you create that is free of the ingredients that make you sick, yet still tastes like the real thing? The answer is...not a lot. Until now! We cannot live on kale alone. Even if you are doing AIP for your health, you occasionally need a treat. The Autoimmune Protocol Baking Book shows you how to create the treats you thought were gone forever (as well as new favorites). Written by beloved AIP baking blogger Wendi Washington-Hunt of Wendi’s AIP Kitchen, each recipe is created and tested to be AIP compliant from start to finish. No more trying to adapt recipes that yield iffy results or aren’t fully AIP compliant. With her trademark humor and real-talk style, Wendi gives you the lowdown on working with unconventional ingredients and techniques. Packed with AIP baking best practices, you’ll learn how to skillfully sidestep common AIP baking pitfalls so that you get delicious results. From sweet to savory, you’ll find traditional favorites such as Sugar Cookies to showstoppers like Black Forest Cake and more, including: Apple Blossom Tartes Tatin Mushroom Onion Tartlets Beef Mince Pie Tigernut Butter & Jam Sammies Apple Butter Bars Carrot Cake Everything Streusel Cake “Cornbread” Muffins “Cheesy” Bacon Drop Biscuits Blueberry Scones Sweet Potato Bacon Breakfast Cakes Cherry Cobbler Peach Crumble Bagels Cauliflower Pizza Crust Cassava Lavosh Crackers Pesto Pinwheels Rosemary Olive Oil Crackers Graham Crackers Lavender Thyme Rounds With The Autoimmune Protocol Baking Book, holiday, birthday, and special occasion baked goods are back on the table. All without compromising taste or your health. Yes, you can have baking and AIP too!

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'We loved the dark fantasy and smoldering romance in this story of identical twins with very different personalities. A tale of heroes, filled with mythological creatures, valor and self-sacrifice--fans of high fantasies will happily slip into this action-packed and exciting tale.' - Justine Magazine'Armstrong smoothly switches from her customary modern paranormal setting to a high-fantasy adventure. Strong female protagonists make this trilogy opener a standout.' - Kirkus ReviewsIn the Forest of the Dead, where the empire's worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned. Only this year, the souls will not be quieted. Ambushed by an ancient evil, Moria and Ashyn must race to warn the empire of a terrifying threat. Accompanied by a dashing thief and a warrior with a dark history, the sisters battle their way across a wasteland filled with reawakened monsters of legend. But there are more sinister enemies waiting for them at court - and a secret that will alter the balance of their world forever. The first volume in the Age of Legends trilogy, Sea of Shadows is a thrilling dark fantasy where evil hides in every shadow and the deadliest monsters of all come in human form . . .Books by Kelley Armstrong: Women of the Otherworld series Bitten Stolen Dime Store Magic Industrial Magic Haunted Broken No Humans Involved Personal Demon Living with the Dead Frost Bitten Walking the Witch Spellbound Thirteen Nadia Stafford Exit Strategy Made to be Broken Wild JusticeRocktonCity of the LostA Darkness AbsoluteThis Fallen PreyWatcher in the WoodsAlone in the Wild Darkest Powers The Summoning The Awakening The Reckoning Otherworld Tales Men of the Otherworld Tales of the Otherworld Otherworld Nights Otherworld Secrets Otherworld Chills Darkness Rising The Gathering The Calling The Rising Cainsville Omens Visions Deceptions Betrayals Rituals

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Isa Alaki is not from here. At ten years old, Isa's life in the Congolese city of Bukavu changed forever. The streets were burning. The town was mostly silent, like a ghost town, until the yelling started. At school, Isa knows he has to get home. The soldiers would be looking for his father. The sound of gunfire, the sharp smell of blood and the screams of his sister still echo in his head.Back then, he had a choice to make. Death or a gun. He picked up the gun and became a child soldier, forced to fight for the same forces that massacred his family.After years of horror, Isa escaped, and he is given a chance of freedom when he travels to Australia. He brings with him papers that grant him refugee status, the hope that he can find his brother, Moise, and the scars of a brutal war. Here, the fighting skills Moise taught him when he was a boy see Isa become a talented young boxer. He spends his days punching away the past, punching away the demons in his mind, literally trying to punch his way to a better life. His powerful left hook promises much, but the demons he is wrestling with have a power all their own. The question for Isa is ... will the past ever let him free? A moving debut novel that packs an emotional punch based on the critically acclaimed play by Future D. Fidel.'Prize Fighter is a gripping read, as compelling as it is confronting. It is a testament to Fidel's craft and to the power of the human spirit.' - Books+Publishing'Prize Fighter is a powerful and compellingly written story that operates with little adornment. It doesn't need it. More than once I felt like I had been punched in the guts - and it's been a while since a book made me sob.' Weekend Australian

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Discover films that dared to be different, risked reputations and put careers in jeopardy. This is what happens when filmmakers take tradition and rip it up. FilmQuake introduces 50 movies that shook the cinematic world, telling the fascinating stories behind their creation, reception and legacy. From unbelievable developments in technology (Citizen Kane, 1941) to feminist triumphs (Wanda, 1970); films that kickstarted New Queer Cinema (Paris is Burning, 1990) to others that challenged lawmakers (A Short Film About Killing, 1988) – FilmQuake presents the movies that questioned boundaries, challenged the status quo and made shockwaves we are still feeling today. From film's first innovators, people like the Lumière brothers, whose short film of a train arriving was reported to have terrified audiences in 19th century Paris, through iconoclasts like Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Buñuel, to titans of 20th century cinema like Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, discover the stories behind the films which incontrovertably changed the course of cinema forever. Into the modern day, this book examines how filmmakers have addressed themes of prejudice and inequality, from the Black Lives Matter movement and Jordan Peele's unmissable Get Out to Bong Joon-ho's cutting study of the lives of the wealthy in Parasite, as well as innovative new cinematic techniques emerging in films like 28 Days Later and Blair Witch Project. In telling the history of cinema through the works that were truly disruptive, and explaining the context in which each was created, FilmQuake demonstrates the heart of modern film, which is to constantly question boundaries and challenge expectation. This book is from the Culture Quake series, which looks into iconic moments of culture which truly created paradigm shifts in their respective fields. Also available is ArtQuake, which tells the stories of 50 pivotal works that challenged consensus and broke daring new ground in the world of art, inspiring shock and scandal as they did so, but ultimately cementing themselves as truly great works of modern art.

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From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . .Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider—that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it. Rather than grieving and moving on, Zara decides she will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave—even trading in the occult.Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul has been slowly turning necrotic. It’s a miserable existence marred by pain, sickness, and monstrous things that taunt her in the night. Now that she’s glimpsed what’s beyond the veil, Jude’s desperate to find someone to undo the damage she’s done to herself.Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s problems. Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset—her invocations—to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.When Emer’s clients start turning up dead all over London, a vital clue leads Zara and Jude right to her. If a serial killer is targeting her clients, Emer wants to know why—and to stop them. She strikes a tenuous alliance with Zara and Jude to hunt a killer before they are next on his list, even if she can’t give them in return what Zara and Jude want most: a sister and a soul.

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Two families. One desperate to remember, the other to forget.Winner of the LA Times Book Prize, Best Mystery/ThrillerWinner of the California Book Awards' Gold Medal for FictionShortlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) DaggerShortlisted for the Macavity Awards, Best Mystery Novel Shortlisted for the Anthony Awards, Best NovelFinalist for the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award'Masterful.' Ruth Ware'A searing examination of racial and family politics that is also an immaculately constructed whodunit.' Daily Telegraph, Summer Reads'Writing a page-turner about racial politics in the U.S. is a delicate enterprise fraught with pitfalls, but Cha manages it superbly in this thought-provoking family saga.' Daily Mail, Summer ReadsGrace Park and Shawn Mathews share a city, but seemingly little else. Coming from different generations and very different communities, their paths wouldn't normally cross at all. As Grace battles confusion over her elder sister's estrangement from their Korean-immigrant parents, Shawn tries to help his cousin Ray readjust to life on the outside after years spent in prison.But something in their past links these two families. As the city around them threatens to spark into violence, echoing events from their past, the lives of Grace and Shawn are set to collide in ways which will change them all forever.Beautifully written, and marked by its aching humanity as much as its growing sense of dread, Your House Will Pay is a powerful and moving family story, perfect for readers of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere and Paul Beatty's The Sellout.What readers are saying:'Simultaneously thrilling and thoughtful... a terrific, fast-moving story of two characters trying to live with the truth.''A must-read.''This novel is wonderful... it will stick with you.''Sensitive and astute, it's a book we need right now, and it's a book that lingers, offering plenty to think about.''A smart, powerful, fully-engaged book that never once blinks or backs down or takes an easy out, and then nails one of the best endings I've ever read.'

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The story of our Universe, from its beginning in the first milliseconds of the Big Bang right up to our present moment and beyond, told in a gripping narrative. We have entered a new age of exploration and discovery, enabling us to probe ever more distant reaches of space and greatly advance our knowledge of the Universe. Today, telescopes peer not only into outer space, but also into the deep past. Paul Murdin takes us on an original and breathtaking journey across the lifetime of the Universe, from the first milliseconds of the Big Bang right up to our present moment and even beyond. Murdin draws on the latest discoveries in astronomy to describe the most important characters and events in the life of our Universe: the most powerful explosions, the most curious planets, and the most spectacular celestial bodies. He charts our developing understanding of the cosmos, showing how thinkers have deduced profound truths from even the simplest observations – everyone can see that it is dark at night, but only recently have we understood this as proof that the Universe has not been the same forever. Since then, the Universe has grown up from childhood: astronomers have tracked it as it passed through maturity and as it now moves into middle age. Murdin shows how our own lives were seeded from the Big Bang, galaxies, stars and planets. He considers some of the key questions: how did structures like galaxies and ourselves emerge from the dense maelstrom of the Universe’s birth? How did the ‘dark matter’ that we can’t even see speed up the development of galaxies, and how does ‘dark energy’ work to speed up the expansion of the Universe? Why hasn’t the Universe collapsed in on itself – and will it one day? And finally, he offers a glimpse into the future old age of our Universe, and what it means for us all.

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The recent history of cultural exchange between France and the United States would appear to be defined by "freedom fries" and boycotts against Beaujolais - or, on the other side of the Atlantic, by enraged farmers toppling statues of Ronald McDonald. This dismal state of affairs is a long way from the mutual admiration that followed World War II, epitomized in a 1958 cover of "Look" magazine that declared "Brigitte Bardot conquers America." "It's So French!" explores the close affinity between the French and American film industries that flourished in the postwar years, breaking down myths of American imperialism and French cultural protectionism while illuminating the vital role that cinema has played in the globalization of culture. Hollywood was once enamored with everything French, and this infatuation blossomed in a wildly popular series of films, including "An American in Paris", "Gigi", and "Funny Face". Vanessa R. Schwartz here examines the visual appeal of such films and then broadens her analysis to explore their production and distribution, probing the profitable influences that Hollywood and Paris exerted on each other. This exchange moved beyond individual films with the sensational spectacle of the Cannes Film Festival and the meteoric career of Brigitte Bardot. And in turn, their success led to a new kind of film that celebrated internationalism and cultural hybridity. Ultimately, Schwartz uncovers an intriguing paradox: that the road to globalization was paved with nationalist cliches, and thus, films beloved for being so French were in fact the first signs of a nascent cosmopolitan culture. Packed with an array of colorful film stills, publicity photographs, paparazzi shots, ads, and never-before-seen archival images, "It's So French!" is an incisive account of the fertile collaboration between France and the United States that expanded the geographic horizons of both filmmaking and filmgoing, forever changing what the world saw and dreamed of when it went to the movies.

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*Shortlisted for the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction* *Shortlisted for the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel 2023* *Shortlisted for the Comedy Women in Print Prize 2023* Discover the love story of the year ‘Utterly delightful’ NEW YORK TIMES‘I feel the same way as when I first read One Day’ EMMA GANNON‘[A] humdinger of a love story’ SUN‘Holy s***’ GILLIAN MCALLISTER The book with the IMPOSSIBLE twist – read it to believe it …_____________________________________________________________ One day, NICK and BEE cross paths over a misdirected email. The connection is instant, electric, they feel like they’ve known each other forever. Nick buys a new suit, gets on a train. Bee steadies her nerves, gets a pep talk from her best friend Leila. This is it. Except it isn’t. Because as they prepare to meet under the clock at Euston station, the universe throws in a twist you’d never see coming . . . *JOIN THE OBSESSION NOW* *Number 1 Kindle bestseller the w/e 02/05/2022* Readers are falling for IMPOSSIBLE: ‘I laughed, I cried, I raved about it. I will definitely read it again’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Absolutely loved this gorgeous, intelligent and suspenseful romance’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘It’s so good I’ve bought an extra two copies to give to my closest friends!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘My only advice is to read it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Pure escapism and a brilliant read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Reminded me of Matt Haig's The Midnight Library in both cleverness and engaging warmth. My book of the year so far’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘So, so entertaining. I absolutely adored it’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Plotted to perfection with characters that almost jump off the page, Impossible is something very special indeed’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What an incredible book! Smart, funny, and completely compelling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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‘Drew me straight in and kept me hooked.’ Linda Finlay ‘Really touching, a gently gripping mystery.’ Kerry Barrett Beneath the surface lie forgotten secrets… A village destroyed It’s the summer of 1935 and eleven-year-old Stella Walker is preparing to leave her home forever. Forced to evacuate to make way for a new reservoir, the village of Brackendale Green will soon be lost. But before the water has even reached them, a dreadful event threatens to tear Stella’s family apart. An uncovered secret Present day, and a fierce summer has dried up the lake and revealed the remnants of the deserted village. Now an old woman, Stella begs her granddaughter Laura to make the journey she can’t. She’s sure the village still holds answers for her but, with only days until the floodwaters start to rise again, Laura is in a race against time to solve the mysteries of Stella’s almost forgotten past. Haunting and evocative, The Drowned Village reaches across the decades in an unforgettable tale of love, loss and family. Readers LOVE The Drowned Village! ‘What an amazing surprise!! After a few pages I was so totally engrossed that I could not put it down… Really did not want this book to end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Wow, this story literally grabbed a hold of me and sucked me in. I was gripped and sitting on the edge of my seat… I literally could not turn the pages fast enough.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Wow, what a great book! I couldn't put it down and raced to the end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘McGurl manages to keep the reader guessing until the very last chapter, at which point this reader got goosebumps (and again now as I write this), and tears in her eyes.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Very good. Stayed up all night reading it!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘This book was amazing!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it… I would highly recommend it to everyone.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

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The hilarious romcom from the Sunday Times bestselling author that everyone loves… ‘A corker… hilarious!’ GIOVANNA FLETCHER‘Full of heart and very, very funny’PAIGE TOON Everyone wants that special someone…. Annie Higgins has one goal this year: to get her tiny business off the ground. But – infuriated by the advertising agency across the hall making fun of her job – Annie is goaded into accepting their crazy challenge: to make a random stranger Instagram-famous in just thirty days. And even when they choose Dr Samuel Page PhD, historian and hater of social media, as her target, Annie’s determined to win the bet – whether Sam likes it or not. But getting to know Sam means getting to know more about herself. And before the thirty days are out, Annie has to make a decision about what’s really important… Funny, real and heart-meltingly romantic, Annie and Sam’s story is My Fair Lady for the social media age – and the perfect feel-good read. Praise for Lindsey Kelk: ‘So funny … the sweetness, the glamour, the gorgeous love story … so uplifting and wildly romantic’ Marian Keyes, bestselling author of Grown Ups ‘An absolute joy! I rooted for heroine Fran from start to finish. Genuinely funny, engaging and sparkly. Brilliant’ Jane Fallon, bestselling author of Worst Idea Ever ‘I fell head over heels in love with this modern fairyrale. So funny, so romantic, so charming’ Beth O’Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare ‘Sparkles on the page like champagne in the glass’ Milly Johnson, Sunday Times bestselling author of My One True North ‘The literary equivalent of opening a glass of wine with your best friend’ Mhairi McFarlane, bestselling author of Last Night ‘The kind of book you can’t put down but also want to last forever. Kelk’s signature wit and clever prose… are at their very best here’ Emily Henry, bestselling author of Beach Read ‘Sparkling and gorgeously romantic’ Sarah Morgan, bestselling author of The Summer Seekers

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Janet Pritchard’s romance with the American West began with horseback riding, watching movies, and hearing her dad’s dreams of being a cowboy. When she began to spend adolescent summers in Wyoming during the 1960s, her world changed forever, as she fell under the spell of natural wonder in the shadow of the Grand Tetons. Only later did she recognize her feelings as a response to what nineteenth-century Romantics called the sublime.A vintage 1916 picture postcard of Golden Gate Canyon by F. Jay Haynes inspired this project. When Pritchard turned it over and read the message face=Calibri>– “I cannot describe the Yellowstone as the dictionary is only a book. It is more than scenery. In some places, it is so beautiful that the men take off their hats, and the women are silent!” face=Calibri>– she was back in a childhood place of wonder tempered by a lifetime of work as an artist and teacher in landscape photography.Formed by fire and ice, embraced by a nation seeking an ancient past with a future as grand as the landscapes it inhabited, Yellowstone was established as the world’s first national park by an Act of Congress in 1872. One hundred fifty years later, the park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem continue to occupy an iconic role in the public imagination of Yellowstone as a place that is both real and ideal. Here, in this complex ecosystem where wild nature and culture meet, the complexities of our relationship to the natural world are revealed unlike any other place.Yellowstone is truly unique, and each generation who visits it invests Yellowstone with ideas, beliefs, and values reflecting its historical moment. In More than Scenery: Yellowstone, an American Love Story, Janet Pritchard surveys these relationships with her captivating photographs and insightful text, and Lucy R. Lippard’ sets the table with her heartfelt introduction to the world’s romance with Yellowstone. This book reveals why Yellowstone is so important to American and the world and how its landscapes reflect more than scenery.

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Why does the gene behave like a hedge fund manager? Why are mutations like a gambling scam? Why does nothing ever become top dog in life and win forever? Humans only arrived after 99.99% of the time there's been life on earth. So what was here before us? And how did these species, and the evolutionary process that created them, end up with the unpromising creatures that were our ancestors? In this, the first book of The Secrets of Life quartet, SS O'Connor brings his outsider's, questioning eye to reveal the great forces that lie behind life: from the laws that arose with Big Bang, through to the 'decisions' that organisms make to determine their chances. But how did everything come about? And what made some life forms succeed - while others would join the 99.9% of species that appeared, yet went on to become extinct? The story goes right back to our single-celled forebears - the only things that were on the planet for 80% of its existence, and then continues as it lays out the ways that successive transmissions built increasing complexity, and how the resulting species found their synergistic ways of coexisting. In an easy-going, conversational style, O'Connor explains in lay-man's language how the gene is the great conductor of life's orchestra, how it helped millions of life forms to refine themselves - yet why it also sees failure, death and extinctions as opportunities rather than disasters. Lastly, the book tells the story of the men who unpicked the mysteries, what they meant by fitness and 'the fittest', but why they continued to be baffled by organisms that broke the rules by helping each other. Why would some even choose to be sterile when producing the next generation was the overriding compulsion in life? And how does the answer to this question explain why altruism is the proof for the 'gene-based theory of evolution' - and why cooperation would become the strongest force in life?

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A champion on the track and an exceptional man, capable of reinventing himself when anyone else would have given in, Alex Zanardi needs no introductions. The minor formulas, Formula 1, two titles in Formula Cart, the accident and the new life that has seen him conquer 12 gold medals in the Paralympic Games and Road World Championship are all included in the first fully illustrated interview-cum-book by a leading name in sports journalism, Mario Donnini. Alessandro Zanardi has had more than one life. The first began with go karts and the minor training formulas, the Italian F3 series, then Formula 3000. His performances were convincing and in 1991 the doors of Formula 1 opened: firstly with Jordan, then Minardi and then Lotus, but success was hard to come by and in 1995 it was time to look to the other side of the Atlantic and the Cart series. In the second half of his career, Alex quickly got to grips with racing in the USA and conquered his first title in 1997, a feat he repeated in 1998. The call of Europe and Formula 1 was irresistible, and in 1999 Zanardi raced for Williams, without success. He crossed the ocean once again, returning to the USA. On the 15th of September, 2001, he suffered the terrible accident in the Lausitzring circuit that changed his life forever. The loss of his lower limbs meant he had to rethink his very existence. After a long convalescence he returned to motorsport in Touring Car races, but this was not his destiny and after having become a popular television presenter, Alex found his new path in paracycling where he collected another stunning series of victories. Tracing, moment by moment, through a series of interviews with the protagonist, this authentic "film of a life" is Mario Donnini, a leading sports journalist and friend of Alex Zanardi. What emerges is a unique portrait, a story of sport, sacrifice and remarkable determination.

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With the closure of Jean Muir Ltd. in 2007, interest in the life and work of the Iconic British fashion designer has never been greater. Jean Muir (1928-1995), doyenne of dressmaking, is forever associated with the 'little black dress'. Her signature style married a distinctive purity of line with a soft fluidity on the body, to create the sensuous, deceptively simple clothes that became her trademark, epitomised by her work in matte jersey, and in particular her jersey dresses, which brought her legendary status in an internationally-renowned career that spanned four decades. Working with a range of fabrics, which apart from her matte jersey included wools, silks, suedes, leather, and fine cashmere, she was the first designer on the international stage to apply couture quality and craftsmanship in her collections. Whilst the French accorded her the title 'la nouvelle Reine de la Robe', the actress Joanna Lumley, a Jean Muir house model in the '70s, who has worn Muir designs ever since, famously stated that, 'every woman should have a Jean Muir in her wardrobe'. Her designs were constant favourites with artistic, literary, and dramatic personalities drawn to the discreet luxe and timeless femininity of her clothes: Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Lady Olivier, Charlotte Rampling, Lauren Bacall, Barbra Streisand, Bridget Riley, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Lady Antonia Fraser, Dame Diana Rigg, whose actress daughter, Rachael Stirling now also wears Muir. This beautifully illustrated book highlights the variety and appeal of a career that covered every aspect of the fashion world, and includes many of Muir's sketches, as well as photography by Norman Parkinson, David Bailey, Eric Boman, Barry Lategan, Sarah Moon, Deborah Turbeville, Helmut Newton and Arthur Elgort. It has written contributions from Lady Antonia Fraser, Sir Roy Strong, Bridget Riley, Suzy Menkes, Fashion Editor of The International Herald Tribune, and Alexandra Shulman, Editor-in-Chief of British VOGUE, amongst others.

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A gripping, suspense-filled thriller from the author of the internationally best-selling Hammarby series. A deadly secret haunts a group of strangers who cross paths in the snow of a Swedish midwinter... 'Plotted with the complexity of a labyrinth' New York Times January in Gotland. The days are short, the air is cold, and all the roads are covered in snow. On a deserted, icy backroad, these wintry conditions bring together a group of strangers with a force devastating enough to change their lives forever. A deadly accident and two separate crimes leave victims in their wake. Four years later, a single phone call is all it takes to bring back the terror of that day and to set in motion a plot for revenge. For Sandra it started as an unremarkable winter's day of shopping followed by a kind gesture from a stranger. For Jeanette it began with the thrill of an illicit rendezvous with her lover. Both women had driven past the same icy ravine. Only one was in the car that caused a deadly crash. Only one left a man to die alone in the snow... Each carried a secret from that day, a secret that, if revealed, could connect them to a larger, more terrible transgression. And there is someone out there who knows the whole picture, and who would rather kill than allow it all to come to light... Reviewers on Carin Gerhardsen: 'The author's mastery of tone imbues a largely tragic tale with touches of humor. By turns touching and terrifying, this nail-biter deserves a wide audience.' Booklist 'Carin Gerhardsen writes so vividly, like she is painting with words, gripping your heart and soul in an ever-tightening tourniquet.' Peter James 'Complex, slow-burning thriller with a final twist that leaves no one unscathed.' Booklist 'The book's greatest strength lies in its messy humanity.' Air Mail 'Readers are kept on their toes due to the never ending twists and turns that dominate the plot.' Tap the Line Magazine

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Family is what you make it - but is Hannah brave enough to take the chance?A freelance travel writer, Hannah rarely stays in one place long enough to call it home. After a childhood of moving between foster homes, her nomadic lifestyle means no lasting connections, keeping her fears of losing loved ones at bay. So when Hannah’s work takes her to Cariad Cove, it’s just another job. Will loves being a dad. It’s just him and his wilful six-year-old, Beti, but their family of two has love enough to keep them happy. When Will meets Hannah, attraction ignites, but one woman has already left Beti behind – he can’t have it happen again.Hannah will soon be moving on, meaning there’s no future for her and Will despite their sizzling chemistry. It will take a leap of faith for them to believe in each other. Could one summer at Cariad Cove change their lives forever?A gorgeously uplifting and romantic story for fans of Suzanne Snow, Phillipa Ashley and Heidi Swain.Praise for Starting Over in Cariad Cove ‘What a lovely story… I read it one sitting and just escaped. A lovely ending not too cliche. Perfect.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘First time reading this author and I wasn't disappointed. A light hearted and funny read, loved the characters and a lovely storyline set in beautiful Wales. Wonderful writing.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘Traumatic pasts lead to a happily ever after. Such a sweet read that would be great for the summer.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘A gem of a book. An easy read with a gentle storyline about two people with difficult pasts. An excellent holiday read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review‘What a lovely story. This was a quick, feel-good read that made me smile, which is exactly what I was looking for.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

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She's safe from him, a thousand miles from harm. Or so she thought.'Immediately gripping. Once I started I couldn't stop' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ REAL READER REVIEW'Perfect holiday reading' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ REAL READER REVIEW'Absolutely brilliant. Can't put it down!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ REAL READER REVIEW'A gripping, luxurious thriller' Laura Marshall'An irresistible slice of escapism' TM Logan'Full of twists and turns, it will keep you furiously turning the pages...' Sarah Pearse'Pacy, exciting and unpredictable.' Charlotte Duckworth'An addictive page-turner, pulsing with threat. Thrillingly sinister!' Lucy ClarkeCharlotte and Sam were partners. In life, and in crime, but that's all behind her.Until now, years later, it comes rushing back when her estranged ex-husband Sam suddenly goes missing. And someone threatens to expose what she did.Desperate to escape her mysterious tormentor, Charlotte boards a luxurious superyacht in the Caribbean. But it soon becomes clear that the open ocean isn't the haven she thought it was.Because they are onboard too. And now there's nowhere left to run.Praise for Karen Hamilton:'Fabulously dark' Harriet Tyce'Wonderfully twisted' C J Tudor'Karen Hamilton has a rare gift for character' Fiona Cummins'Compelling, absorbing and highly entertaining.' Allie Reynolds'Sizzles with tension, desire, and a forever-escalating sense of menace. A must-have summer read.' Jack Jordan'A dark and addictive thriller with superb characters and a shocking conclusion.' Jenny Quintana'Dazzling, dangerous and addictive. The perfect combination for a twisty exotic thriller.' Lauren North'Completely addictive, fantastically paced. I was absolutely immersed in The Ex-Husband.' L V Matthews'Let this supremely enjoyable thriller whisk you up, up and away.' Sunday Mirror'Grippingly unpredictable' Daily Express'Be prepared to put your life on hold for The Perfect Girlfriend' Good Housekeeping'Taut and tense from the first page to the closing paragraphs' Sun'Fast-moving and fun' Observer

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Join two friendly and funny robots, Beep and Boots, as they learn all about time and discover that maths is everywhere they look.Beep the robot would love nothing more than to have her own pet, like her friends do. One morning she gets a surprise delivery - a parcel containing circles, squares, triangles, and pentagons for her to make her own robot cat! Beep realises that she can't make a pet pal from flat, two-dimensional shapes so, with a flash of magic, the shapes become three-dimensional spheres, cubes, and pyramids. Join Beep as she tries different ways of putting shapes together to build her robot cat and make a best friend forever.This fun and educational maths book for children features: - A fun and engaging introduction to shapes for children aged 5-7.- Lively illustrations and rhyming text that brings the characters and maths topics to life.- Key maths topics including shapes, time, measurements, division, and fractions - all essential learning for this age group.- Illustrations that are in a non-gendered colour palette, making the traditionally male subject relatable for all genders.- A relatable storyline for young readers, encouraging them to look for maths in their homes and environments, and seeing how, often without even knowing it, they use maths everyday.Characterful illustrations and rhyming text bring Beep and Boots to life. Children aged 5-7 will love seeing the adventures the robot duo go on and will learn key mathematical concepts concerning time in a gentle, fun way, including telling the time and hours, minutes, and seconds. Questions at the end of the book reinforce learning and encourage kids to look at the maths they can see in the world around them.At DK, we believe in the power of discovery. So why stop there?The Maths Adventurers series uses everyday scenarios to show how maths is all around us, making this difficult subject more accessible. If you loved The Maths Adventurers: Chip and Christine Build a Friendship, then why not try The Maths Adventurers: A Day at the Zoo!

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Football and television have been intertwined in culture for more than half a century and Brian Barwick has played a massive role in the continuing liaison between them. Watching The Match tells the story of how football on television became a national obsession. The first live football match in England was the 1938 FA Cup final, and the winning goal was a penalty in the last minute of extra time - proof if ever it was needed that football can deliver the dramatic like no other sport. The BBCs Match of the Day, the first dedicated football highlights show, was first aired in August 1964. The FA Cup Final, for years the only match shown live, suddenly became an all-day event with ITV's FA Cup Wrestling Special FA Cup Final going up against the BBC's It's An FA Cup Knock-out. The 1966 World Cup brought live international matches into the public's home for the first time and the BBC coverage of the final will forever be remembered by Kenneth Wolstenholme's legendary, "Some people are on the pitch ...they think it's all over ...here comes Hurst ...it is now!" Soon commentators, presenters and analysts such as Wolstenholme, Barry Davies, John Motson, Brian Moore, Martin Tyler, Keith Macklin, Gerald Sinstadt, Jimmy Hill, Brian Clough and Terry Venables became national figures and their sucessors, Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan, Jeff Stelling, Adrian Chiles, more so. Satellite television has moved football into a new stratosphere with almost 40 per cent of all Premier League matches shown live every season and the FA's sale of broadcast rights in 2012 for that league alone brought in GBP3 billion. Watching The Match is full of a fascinating story, personal anecdotes and interviews from in front of and behind the cameras, spanning 75 years. Written by a man who has held every important post in football television, this is a must-read book for all football fans.

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As a collective, the lives of the Princesses of York span across seven decades and the rule of five different Kings. The daughters of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, they were born into an England that had been ruled over by the great Plantagenet Kings for almost three hundred years. Their young years were blighted by tragedy: the death of their beloved father, followed by the disappearance and possible murder of their two brothers, Edward and Richard of York, forever now known to history as the infamous Princes in the Tower. With their own futures uncertain during the reign of their uncle, Richard III, and their mother held under house arrest, the Princesses had to navigate their way through the tumultuous years of the 1480s before having to adjust to a new King and a new dynasty in the shape of Henry VII, who would bring about the age of the Tudors. Through her marriage to Henry, Elizabeth of York rebuilt her life, establishing herself as a popular, if not hugely influential Queen. But she did not forget her younger siblings, and even before her own mother’s death, she acted as a surrogate mother to the younger York princesses, supporting them both financially and emotionally. The stories of the York Princesses are entwined into the fabric of the history of England, as they grew up, survived and even thrived in the new Tudor age. Their lives are played out against a backdrop of coronations and jousts, births and deaths, marriages and divorces and loyalties and broken allegiances. From the usurpation of Richard III, to the Battle of Bosworth, the brilliance of the court of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, to the rise of Anne Boleyn, the York Princesses were there to witness events unfold. They were the daughters, sisters and aunts of Kings, and this is their story. The York Princesses is a natural follow-up to Sarah J. Hodder's first book, The Queen's Sisters, which told the stories of the lives of the sisters of Elizabeth Woodville.

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From Design Thinking to Design Doing Innovators today are told to run loose and think lean in order to fail fast and succeed sooner. But in a world obsessed with the new, where cool added features often trump actual customer needs, it's the consumer who suffers. In our quest to be more agile, we end up creating products that underwhelm. So how does a company like Nest, creator of the mundane thermostat, earn accolades like "beautiful" and "revolutionary" and a $3.2 billion Google buyout? What did Nest do differently to create a household product that people speak of with love? Nest, and companies like it, understand that emotional connection is critical to product development. And they use a clear, repeatable design process that focuses squarely on consumer engagement rather than piling on features for features' sake. In this refreshingly jargon-free and practical book, product design expert Jon Kolko maps out this process, demonstrating how it will help you and your team conceive and build successful, emotionally resonant products again and again. The key, says Kolko, is empathy. You need to deeply understand customer needs and feelings, and this understanding must be reflected in the product. In successive chapters of the book, we see how leading companies use a design process of storytelling and iteration that evokes positive emotions, changes behavior, and creates deep engagement. Here are the four key steps: 1. Determine a product-market fit by seeking signals from communities of users. 2. Identify behavioral insights by conducting ethnographic research. 3. Sketch a product strategy by synthesizing complex research data into simple insights. 4. Polish the product details using visual representations to simplify complex ideas. Kolko walks the reader through each step, sharing eye-opening insights from his fifteen-year career in product design along the way. Whether you're a designer, a product developer, or a marketer thinking about your company's next offering, this book will forever change the way you think about--and create--successful products.

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Each year, thousands of pilgrims visit the celebrated New Orleans tomb where Marie Laveau is said to lie. They seek her favors or fear her lingering influence. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau is the first study of the Laveaus, mother and daughter of the same name. Both were legendary leaders of religious and spiritual traditions many still label as evil.The Laveaus were free women of color and prominent French-speaking Catholic Creoles. From the 1820s until the 1880s when one died and the other disappeared, gossip, fear, and fierce affection swirled about them. From the heart of the French Quarter, in dance, drumming, song, and spirit possession, they ruled the imagination of New Orleans.How did the two Maries apply their ""magical"" powers and uncommon business sense to shift the course of love, luck, and the law? The women understood the real crime--they had pitted their spiritual forces against the slave system of the United States. Moses-like, they led their people out of bondage and offered protection and freedom to the community of color, rich white women, enslaved families, and men condemned to hang.The curse of the Laveau family, however, followed them. Both loved men they could never marry. Both faced down the press and police who stalked them. Both countered the relentless gossip of curses, evil spirits, murders, and infant sacrifice with acts of benevolence.The book is also a detective story--who is really buried in the famous tomb in the oldest ""city of the dead"" in New Orleans? What scandals did the Laveau family intend to keep buried there forever? By what sleight of hand did free people of color lose their cultural identity when Americans purchased Louisiana and imposed racial apartheid upon Creole creativity? Voodoo Queen brings the improbable testimonies of saints, spirits, and never-before-printed eyewitness accounts of ceremonies and magical crafts together to illuminate the lives of the two Marie Laveaus, leaders of a major, indigenous American religion.

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