Search results for ""quercus publishing""

The scale of the cosmos can be baffling, with distances so vast and timescales to long that it's easy to dismiss them as being completely divorced from our everyday life. But in this new book Dr Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, shows you the myriad ways we are intrinsically connected to the rest of the universe and how everything on Earth - from the ground beneath our feet to the technology in our pockets - has origins in space. Discover how rocks from space reveal what conditions are like at our planet's core, how the desolate surface of the moon holds ancient clues to Earth's earliest life forms, and how buried treasure in the Nile reveals the watery past of Mars. Discover how the atoms of your own body were forged in the heart of a star, how you can see the echo of creation on your TV, and the ways in which technology developed for observing the most far-flung corners of space is now used to diagnose potentially fatal human diseases. The Intimate Universe is a curated tour of the most fascinating phenomena and discoveries in astronomy, revealing how we are inextricably, inspirationally linked to the cosmos.

Read more less

Eve is starting again. Newly single, unemployed and with a baby daughter, she joins the local mums trying to make their nearby playground the heart of the community. But not all games are innocent - and not all friends are true. When the rules change, Eve must forge her own independence - and realise that the playground is no place to hide from adulthood.

Read more less

Summer is gone, and the world is turning to ice.The Rondian Empress Lyra has lost her husband, her army is defeated and the deadly Masked Cabal have seized the Holy City. Her allies have abandoned her and her empire is spiralling into chaos - and her only weapon is a forbidden magic she dare not use. She can't survive alone - but who can she still trust?'Vibrant, memorable characters' - SciFi NowThe Eastern conqueror Sultan Rashid is victorious on the battlefield, but now he faces an enemy more deadly than Rondian knights: the winter. Unless he captures a major city to shelter his huge armies, his plans to overthrow the West face ruin in the snow. But standing between his men and safety is the remnants of a defeated army led by a general who knows all about fighting for survival.'An epic journey of ordinary people destined to change the course of history . . . alluring . . . gripping' - BoHoMind.comThere are no easy options left. Lyra and her fellow dwymancers must master their deadly magic, whatever the cost. Even those who believe themselves to be fighting for good must grasp the reins of power with cold-hearted determination, and use even the most terrible weapon, if they are to stop the world from falling apart . . . for ever.

Read more less

Hollywood superstar; Oscar-winning director; greatest stage actor of the twentieth century. His era abounded in greats - Gielgud, Richardson, Guinness, Burton, O'Toole - but none could challenge Laurence Olivier's range and power. By the 1940s he had achieved international stardom. His affair with Vivien Leigh led to a marriage as glamorous and as tragic as any in Hollywood history. He was as accomplished a director as he was a leading man: his three Shakespearian adaptations are among the most memorable ever filmed. Off-stage, Olivier was the most extravagant of characters: generous, yet almost insanely jealous of those few contemporaries whom he deemed to be his rivals; charming but with a ferocious temper. With access to more than fifty hours of candid, unpublished interviews, Philip Ziegler ensures that Olivier's true character - at its most undisguised - shines through as never before.

Read more less

'I have come to thank dark places for the light they bring to life.'Thomas Cook has always been drawn to dark places, for the powerful emotions they evoke and for what we can learn from them. These lessons are often unexpected and sometimes profoundly intimate, but they are never straightforward.With his wife and daughter, Cook travels across the globe in search of darkness - from Lourdes to Ghana, from San Francisco to Verdun, from the monumental, mechanised horror of Auschwitz to the intimate personal grief of a shrine to dead infants in Kamukura, Japan. Along the way he reflects on what these sites may teach us, not only about human history, but about our own personal histories.During the course of a lifetime of traveling to some of earth's most tragic shores, from the leper colony on Molokai to ground zero at Hiroshima, he finds not darkness alone, but a light that can illuminate the darkness within each of us. Written in vivid prose, this is at once a personal memoir of exploration (both external and internal), and a strangely heartening look at the radiance that may be found at the very heart of darkness.

Read more less

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE CHINA THRILLERSAWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021'Enzo MacLeod is one of the most unusual crime solvers I have ever met.' BookBrowse'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of BooksIn the third thrilling instalment of the series, Enzo is running out of time in more ways than one...FRANCE.A death sentence.Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Enzo Macleod is running out of time to crack the most confounding of unsolved French murders.A death threat.His daughter is nearly killed, Enzo is mugged - and then he is arrested. Someone is trying to destroy his character. Someone is framing him for murder.A deathly enemy.Killers from the past will stop at nothing to halt Enzo, who must use all his forensic skills to solve the case - before they succeed.LOVED BLACKLIGHT BLUE? Read book 4 in the series, FREEZE FRAME

Read more less

The critically acclaimed, breathtaking thriller: perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, CL Taylor and Kathryn Croft.Seattle Homicide Detective Alice Madison is bound to jailed murderer John Cameron and attorney Nathan Quinn by a debt that cannot be repaid, by a nightmare that changed their lives forever. When the remains of Quinn's younger brother - murdered as a boy - are discovered in a shallow grave, Madison vows to follow the trail of brutal deaths to discover the sinister truth. A sadistic killer stalks the investigation as demons from Madison's own past are unearthed and darkness closes in. How far is Madison prepared to go to save a life?Discover more Detective Alice Madison with the other books in the critically acclaimed series - The Gift of Darkness and Blood and Bone.

Read more less

Four teenagers are drawn from an Irish mountaintop into an enchanted land and gifted with great powers: but with power comes responsibility, and a vast evil has noticed their arrival . . . On the summit of the fabled mountain Slievenamon in Ireland there is a doorway to an ancient land of terrible power. The gate of Feimhin has lain closed for centuries, the secret of its opening long lost - until four orphans drawn together by Fate pass through the portal and find the enchanted but war-ravaged world of Tír, a strange land peopled by beings of magic. Here death waits at every corner, and they must learn to fight if they are to survive. And they'd better learn quickly, because their enemy, the Tyrant of the Wastelands, is growing in power.'The best fantasy novel I've ever read . . . an epic adventure that just does not stop!' said Glenda A. Bixler on Authorsden!

Read more less

September 1799. William Pitt is attempting to force through anti-slavery legislation, but many have a vested interest in preventing this change and would go to dangerous lengths to stop it. Meanwhile, Tom Pascoe of the river police is grieving for the woman he loved and looking for solace at the bottom of a bottle. Tom's drinking has made him increasingly belligerent and unpredictable, so when he is called to investigate a body found in the Thames - that of an MP and a close associate of William Pitt - there's doubt whether he's up to the task. But Tom must pull himself together, or be dragged under; Pitt's life is in his hands.

Read more less

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE - AS IF THE ROYLE FAMILY WERE WRITTEN BY MARTIN AMIS!'Vibrant tragicomic slices of cosmopolitan Englishness' Independent on Sunday'A rich and compelling drama of life' Daily Mail'Connolly has a keen sense of the hushed emotional tenderness of English life and our silent shattering pain' Sunday TelegraphJim and Milly. Stan and Jane. Jonathan and Fiona. Winter, 1959. Three married couples: each living in England's Lane, each with an only child, and each attending to family, and their livelihoods - the ironmonger's, the sweetshop and the butcher's. Each of them hiding their lies, disguising sin, coping in the only way they know how.

Read more less

A young Parisian lawyer is found murdered, burned alive with a flaming tyre around his neck.For Lola Jost, retired police commissioner, the killer's methods are all too familiar. Her beloved assistant Toussaint Kidjo was dispatched in the same way five years before. Convinced of a connection, and aided by her loyal sidekick Ingrid Diesel, Lola reopens the Kidjo investigation on the sly.But the murdered lawyer turns out to be the protégé of a shadowy fixer known as "Mister Africa", who is heavily involved in the arms trade. And the official investigation becomes mired in a power struggle between the Paris police and a newly formed national intelligence agency.Lola and Ingrid have earned their reputation as amateur super sleuths who get the job done when the police can't - or won't. But the high-stakes world of international arms dealing plays by its own brutal rules, and this case could prove too hot for them to handle . . .

Read more less

A suitcase of stolen cash has brought three criminals together. One has a bullet in his side. One has blood on his hands. One has vengeance on his mind. Each has run from their past. Each will now fight for their future. A modern noir thriller, The Low Road highlights our desire to outrun our demons, and the dark consequences we face when we are forced to confront them.

Read more less

Master the design ideas that shape the world we live in today.In a series of 50 accessible essays, John Jervis introduces and explains the centralmovements, inventions and creative geniuses of design, tracing its evolution from the 19th century to the present day.From arts and crafts and typography to key movements such as art deco and Bauhaus, 50 Design Ideas You Really Need to Know is complete introduction to the most important design concepts in history.

Read more less

Quentin Tarantino is one of the most iconic and best loved movie directors of the last two decades. Whether he''s shooting up the Deep South, slicing through the Japanese underworld, blasting Nazi-occupied France or taking a flamethrower to ''60s Los Angeles, Tarantino is a director who combines a radical vision with a sense of history: making movies precisely the way he wants, to celebrate the movies he loves. Featuring insights into his inspirations - from martial-arts epics to Spaghetti Westerns - and dishing up fascinating details from his productions, this is an indispensable guide to Tarantino''s thrilling and sometimes controversial body of work.It takes in his searing debut Reservoir Dogs, the era-defining Pulp Fiction and the genre-subverting Django Unchained, among other modern classics, right up to his nostalgic masterpiece Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Above all, this is a celebration of a filmmaker who has arguably made a big

Read more less

Gangster movie, Western, film noir, rom com, screwball, musical, even the Biblical epic... There are few genres left untouched and untwisted by sibling visionaries Joel and Ethan Coen. Since 1984''s Blood Simple, the inscrutable brothers have effortlessly forged their own cinematic path, avoiding prevailing trends while crafting bold, stylish and witty movies that feel fresh and distinctive despite being deeply rooted in their creators'' filmic passion and knowledge.This is a definitive guide to that path, bringing the reader through Joel and Ethan''s 20 features (not counting the mezzanine) and exploring thethemes, the tropes, the gags, the familiar faces - while also taking in all the Coen curios that litter this quirkily winding byway.From Texas to Minnesota, from Homer to Shakespeare, from Bluegrass to Busby Berkeley, from wrestling to bowling, from lost hats to severed toes, this book covers everything that one might reasonably consider (to use a wor

Read more less

Discover the legendary story of Nike, where innovation and a signature swoosh took the world by storm.In this illustrated guide, style writer Josh Sims explores the rise of the world''s biggest sportswear company from its humble beginnings in Oregon to global fashion monolith. Featuring all of Nike''s most iconic designs, highlighting their industry-defining innovations and pop-culture influence, A Pocket Guide to Nike is an essential read for all style seekers and sneakerheads.

Read more less

CHANEL is one of the best-known luxury brands in the world. Yet it remains the most mysterious of them all. From Paris and rue Cambon, CHANEL will forever be Gabrielle - a woman who revolutionized feminine elegance. Carefree and audacious, the designer turned simplicity into the height of luxury. Bold and unpredictable, the brand, now over 100 years old, continues to astound with its one-of-a-kind fashion shows, iconic N°5 perfume and 2.55 bag, exquisite jewellery and cutting-edge beauty products. By passing on its unparalleled expertise over time - from Gabrielle Chanel, to Karl Lagerfeld, to Virginie Viard - it has built its legend. With a wealth of beautiful images and fascinating inserts, including previously unpublished facsimile documents, this volume is an invitation into the sublime and eternal world of the House of CHANEL.

Read more less

Perfect late night reading JAN MORRISBanffy is a born storyteller PATRICK LEIGH FERMORTotally absorbing MARTHA KEARNEYSo evocative SIMON JENKINSThe final volume of Miklos Bánffy''s panoramic trilogy of the dying years of the Habsburg empire.They Were Divided reflects the rapidly disintegrating course of events in Central Europe. In the foreground once again the lives of Balint, with his ultimately unhappy love for Adrienne, and his fatally flawed cousin, Laszlo Gyeroffy, who dies in poverty and neglect, are told with humour and a bitter-sweet nostalgia for a paradise lost through folly. The sinister and fast moving events in Montenegro, the Balkan wars, the apparent encirclement of Germany and Austria-Hungary by Britain, France and Russia, and finally the assassination of Franz Ferdinand all lead inexorably to the youth of Hungary marching off to their death and the dismemberment of their

Read more less

"Ukraine's greatest living novelist" New European"A Ukrainian Murakami" GuardianA hugely entertaining romp through the beautiful city of Lviv, by the author of Death and the Penguin and Grey Bees, now reporting widely on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his home country.Strange things are happening in the cosmopolitan town of Lviv, western Ukraine. Seagulls are circling and the air smells salty, though Lviv is a long way from the sea . . .A group of ageing hippies meets at the cemetery in the middle of the night, gathered around a mysterious grave. Among them the ex-KGB officer who means to apologise to all those he spied on; the woman who is allergic to banknotes, and yet works at the money exchange; and Taras, who makes a living driving at top speed over cobblestones in his ancient Opel Vectra, curing paying passengers of their kidney stones.Kurkov's novels are often populated by lonely people going through difficult times, and by his own brand of black humour combined with magic realism (occasionally vodka-fuelled). All those ingredients are found in Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv.Translated from the Russian by Reuben Woolley

Read more less

The bestselling book everyone is talking about, revealing the surprising art of caring less and getting more. 'Genius' Cosmopolitan'The best book I have read recently . . . Absolutely blinding. Read it. Do it' Mail on Sunday'The anti-guru' ObserverAre you stressed out, overbooked and underwhelmed by life? Fed up with pleasing everyone else before you please yourself? Then it's time to stop giving a f**k. This irreverent and practical book explains how to rid yourself of unwanted obligations, shame, and guilt - and give your f**ks instead to people and things that make you happy. With a bonus section on how to save your sanity over the holiday season, the simple 'NotSorry Method' for mental decluttering will help you unleash the power of not giving a f**k and will free you to spend your time, energy and money on the things that really matter.'I love Knight's book before I even start reading it' Sunday Times Magazine'Life-affirming . . . The key practice she advocates is devising for yourself a "fuck budget" . . . It's a beautiful way of streamlining your psyche' Guardian Also available from Sarah Knight:You Do You: how to be who you are and use what you've got to get what you want Get Your Sh*t Together - Sarah Knight's must-have follow up to The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k.

Read more less

The result of 35 years of experience in the publishing and printing industry, this bible provides all the information needed by anyone who wants to print and produce any type of document whether a book, a magazine, a poster or a brochure. Graphic designers, editors, production controllers, and those working in communications and marketing will find all they need to know and understand in this must-have book that clearly and authoritatively presents the theoretical facts and the technical information, but also deals with the human know-how. Richly illustrated and produced to a very high spec, this key companion covers the whole process of production step-by-step, from initial concept to the achievement of a printed object. It provides many practical tips, alerts on the traps to avoid and answers those tricky questions that you may be afraid to ask.

Read more less

This essential guide shows aspiring entrepreneurs how to bring a fashion business idea to life from forming a legal entity and writing a business plan, to organizing a structure, scaling a business and strategizing for growth. Readers will develop theoretical and practical approaches to supply chain management and marketing strategies. Led by the author's vision and packed with interviews from iconic figures in fashion, the book shows that despite all that is wrong with today's fashion system, there has never been a better time to be a visionary, game-changing fashion entrepreneur. Case study interviewees include designer Tommy Hilfiger and some of the biggest names in fashion marketing, publicity, brand collaboration and legal representation.

Read more less

Miss Lydia Bennet may be the youngest, but what she lacks in maturity and responsibility, she more than makes up for in energy, fun - and magic. In this exuberant reimagining of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lydia Bennet puts pen to paper to relate the real events and aftermath of the classic story from her own perspective. Some facts are well known: Mrs. Bennet suffers from her nerves; Mr. Bennet suffers from Mrs. Bennet, and all five daughters suffer from an estate that is entailed only to male heirs. But Lydia also suffers from entirely different concerns: her best-loved sister Kitty is really a barn cat, and Wickham is every bit as wicked as the world believes him to be, but what else would you expect from a demon? And if you think Mr. Darcy was uptight about dancing etiquette, wait till you see how he reacts to witchcraft. Most of all, Lydia has yet to learn that when you're a witch, promises have power . . . Full of enchantment, intrigue, danger, and boundless magic, The Scandalous Confessions of Miss Lydia Bennet, Witch, has all the irreverent wit, strength, and romance of Pride and Prejudice - while offering a highly unexpected redemption for the wildest Bennet sister.

Read more less

'A full throttle, adrenaline-laced espionage page-turner . . . Get ready to blast off and enjoy the ride!' Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL Sniper and #1 New York Times bestselling author of the James Reece Terminal List series'Continuous action, Mach-speed mayhem, sharp intrigue, and well-rounded characters - what more could you want from a thriller?' Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The 9th Man and the Cotton Malone seriesIsrael, late 1973. As the Yom Kippur War flares into life, a state-of-the-art Soviet MIG fighter is racing at breakneck speed over the arid scrublands below . . . and promptly disappears.NASA Flight Controller and former US Navy test pilot Kaz Zemeckis watches the scene from the ground - and is quickly pulled into a dizzying, high-stakes game of spies, lies and a possible high-level defection that plays out across three continents. The prize is beyond value: the secrets of the Soviets' mythical 'Foxbat' MiG-25, the fastest, highest-flying fighter plane in the world and the key to Cold War air supremacy. But every defection is double-edged with risk, and Kaz must tread a careful line between trust and suspicion. Ultimately, he must invite the fox into the henhouse - bringing the defector into the heart of the United States' most secret test site - and hope that, with skill and cunning, the game plays out his way. For Chris Hadfield's second heart-stopping thriller, we move from Space to another rich and exciting part of Chris's CV: his time as a top test pilot in both the US Air Force and the US Navy, and as an RCAF fighter pilot intercepting armed Soviet bombers in North American airspace. Full of insider detail, excitement and political intrigue drawn from real events, The Defector brings us the nerve-shredding rush of aerial combat, as told by one of the world's best fighter pilots.Praise for The Apollo Murders'A nail-biting Cold War thriller' James Cameron'An exciting journey to an alternate past' Andy Weir 'Not to be missed' Frederick Forsyth 'Explosive' Gregg Hurwitz 'Exciting, authentic' Linwood Barclay

Read more less

From the bestselling author of THE GREATCOATS: seven war mages with dark pasts must come together to fight an unknown enemy - but the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine . . . and someone's setting the seven up for a fall. Picture a wizard. Go ahead, close your eyes. There he is, see? Skinny old guy with a long straggly beard. The hat's a must, too, right? Big, floppy thing. Wouldn't want a simple steel helmet or something that might, you know, protect the part of him most needed for conjuring magical forces from being bashed in with a mace (or pretty much any household object). Yep. Behold the mighty wizard. Now open your eyes and let me show you what a real war mage looks like . . . but be warned: you're probably not going to like it, because we're violent, angry, dangerously broken people who sell our skills to the highest bidder and be damned to any moral or ethical considerations. My name is Cade Ombra, and though I currently make my living as a mercenary wonderist, I used to have a far more noble-sounding job title - until I discovered the people I worked for weren't quite as noble as I'd believed. Now I'm on the run and my only friend, a homicidal thunder mage, has invited me to join him on a suicide mission against the seven deadliest mages on the continent. Time to recruit some very bad people to help us on this job . . .

Read more less

'Deeply moving' Katie Fforde'Wise and wonderful' Veronica Henry'Lucy Diamond at her very best' Rosie WalshThe McKenzies are your average complicated family: knotted together by in-jokes, arguments and a few closely-guarded secrets. Thirty-something sisters Leni and Alice became inseparable following the divorce of their parents, Belinda and Tony, with younger brother Will always trying to keep up. They're not perfect, but they love each other - most of the time, anyway.But then one ordinary summer day, an accident changes the family forever. Questions arise, guilt surfaces and secrets begin to emerge. Scattered by grief and seeking comfort in the unlikeliest of places, can the McKenzies find their way back to each other?Set over the course of one life-changing year, The Best Days of Our Lives is a warm, big-hearted and poignant story, full of hope, heartache and love. SEE WHAT EVERYONE'S SAYING ABOUT THE BEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES'So real and so romantic' Laura Kemp'Deeply moving' 5* Reader Review'This book touched my heart' Sarah Morgan'So uplifting and comforting' 5* Reader Review'Poignant, yet uplifting and comforting' My Weekly'You'll laugh as often as you cry' Sunday Express

Read more less

A History of Interior Design tells the story of 6,000 years of domestic and public space. It's an essential resource for students, professionals and anyone interested in interior design, the decorative arts, architecture and art history. It explores a broad range of styles and movements, weaving together a fascinating narrative from cave dwellings and temple architecture, through Gothic cathedrals and Islamic palaces, to modern skyscrapers and the retail spaces of the 21st-century.This fully updated fifth edition includes more on the contributions of women designers and architects, additional coverage of furniture, product design and decoration, as well as numerous examples of diverse modern styles from around the world. An extra final chapter focuses on the influence of the latest technology and current thinking on the importance of conservation and ethical sourcing.This new edition includes 730 images, over 300 of which are new or colour replacements for black and white photos.

Read more less

THE CHINESE 'LORD OF THE RINGS' - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD.'Jin  Yong's work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural  currency  roughly equal to that of 'Harry Potter' and 'Star Wars'  combined' New Yorker'If you haven't read Jin Yong's work, you haven't yet fully experienced the fantasy genre' FONDA LEECHINA , 1237 A.D.Genghis Khan is dead. The Mongolians, led by the conqueror's third son, Ogedai, have vanquished the Jurchen Jin Empire, and now turn their armies on their ally the Great Song Empire. A dozen years have passed since the second Contest of Mount Hua. A new generation of martial artists are vying for recognition in the jianghu, but as the fall of their country looms closer, the making of a hero depends on m

Read more less

A deserting soldier treks through the torn-up countryside and abandoned villages, trying to distance himself from the atrocities of war.An elderly man sits beneath lime trees, remembering his first sexual encounter one summer night with a female stranger who whispered another man's name.A young woman takes up a job in a care home, spending monotonous days scrubbing floors and yearning to dance at the local nightclub.The artist Franz Marc lives on in an imagined life as a patient at an asylum, before falling victim to Hitler's policy of Gnadentod.Finally, a young Jewish girl, the life she once knew destroyed, holds her memories close as she finds refuge in wreckage of her homeland.And throughout there is the shadowy presence of Viktor - one man or many? A looming figure in Germany's own reckoning with its past.Through these five interconnected stories, Philippe Claudel reflects on Germany's complex history and the experiences of its people, dismantling the idea of "a nation" or "a people" and exploring the malleability of memory.

Read more less

*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*A deeply honest investigation of what it means to be a woman and a commodity from Emily Ratajkowski, the archetypal, multi-hyphenate celebrity of our time._______________'This is the book for every woman trying to place their body on the map of consumption vs control, and every woman who wants to better understand her impulses. It left me much changed' - Lena Dunham'I read these pages, breathless with recognition, and the thrill of reading a new voice telling it like it is' - Dani Shapiro'Emily Ratajkowski's first essay collection needs to be read by everyone [...] both page-turning and moving as hell' - Amy Schumer'A slow, complicated indictment of a profession and the people who propel it [...] it will deliver a more nuanced and introspective rendering of her interior than those who come to it with those surface interests might expect' - Vogue'Dazzling' - Observer'Ratajkowski brings nuanced insight to questions about empowerment versus commodification of women's bodies and sexuality. Blending cultural criticism and personal stories, My Body is smart and powerful' - Time Magazine'Raw, nuanced and beautifully written. A moving and enlightening experience to join a woman openly exploring such deep parts of her physical self via the written word. A truly impressive debut' - Emma Gannon'Excellent [...] Ratajkowski writes with curiosity, intellect and acute awareness' - Harper's Bazaar'Superb [...] it feels revolutionary' - Telegraph'I admire and envy her artistry' - Guardian_______________Emily Ratajkowski is an acclaimed model and actress, an engaged political progressive, a formidable entrepreneur, a global social media phenomenon, and now, a writer. Rocketing to world fame at age twenty-one, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furor with the provocative display of her body as an unapologetic statement of feminist empowerment. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about our culture's commodification of women is the subject of this book.My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating the culture's fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse.Nuanced, unflinching, and incisive, My Body marks the debut of a fierce writer brimming with courage and intelligence.

Read more less

A Waterstones Best History Book of 2023The incredible true story of the SAS' daring mission to liberate EuropeIn the summer of 1943, the largest invasion fleet ever assembled sailed for fortress Europe, aiming to bulldoze its way onto Nazi shores. At its vanguard went a few hundred elite forces soldiers, the Royal Navy warship carrying them bearing the iconic winged dagger emblem on its prow, plus the motto 'Who Dares Wins'. Led by the legendary SAS commander Blair 'Paddy' Mayne, these war-bitten, piratical raiders were tasked to do the impossible - to bludgeon their way through the most heavily defended enemy shoreline, so enabling the ensuing forces to follow on.If they succeeded, it would mark the turning point in the war. If they failed, the consequences were unthinkable. Against all odds, outnumbered some fifty-to-one, and facing a ferocious series of cliffside defences, they would have to dare all as never before. So begins the incredible true story of the SAS's mission to liberate Europe.Action-packed and filled with heroic endeavour, SAS Forged in Hell is breath-taking combat writing at its best, in true Damien Lewis style.

Read more less

A gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB"A classic murder mystery . . . one Holmes himself would have loved to solve" Independent"Fans of dark Swedish crime will love this moody thriller" The Sun"A nerve-racking political thriller with the most exciting detective duo in a long time. Bring on their next case" Romy Hausmann, author of Dear Child"A rich, engrossing novel" Literary Review"Complex and dark" Irish IndependentThe launch of a new series inspired by Sherlock Holmes. A murder investigation brings together two unlikely allies in a race to uncover a shadowy international conspiracy.Professor Hans Rekke: born into a wealthy Stockholm family, world authority on interrogation techniques, capable of vertiginous feats of logic and observation . . . But he might just fall apart when the going gets tough, leading to substance abuse and despair.Micaela Vargas: community police officer, born to Chilean political refugees in a tough suburb, with two brothers on the shady side of the law.Vargas feels she has something to prove. She's tenacious and uncompromising, but she needs Rekke's unique mind to help her solve the case. Rekke has it all - wealth, reputation - but also a tendency to throw it all away. He needs Vargas to help him get back on an even keel so he can focus his mind on finding the killer before they're both silenced for good.Translated from the Swedish by Ian Giles

Read more less

"A model of popular-science writing" STEVEN POOLEWho was "the first speaker" and what was their first message?An erudite, tightly woven and beautifully written account of one of humanity's greatest mysteries - the origins of language.Drawing on evidence from many fields, including archaeology, anthropology, neurology and linguistics, Sverker Johansson weaves these disparate threads together to show how our human ancestors evolved into language users. The Dawn of Language provides a fascinating survey of how grammar came into being and the differences or similarities between languages spoken around the world, before exploring how language eventually emerged in the very remote human past.Our intellectual and physiological changes through the process of evolution both have a bearing on our ability to acquire language. But to what extent is the evolution of language dependent on genes, or on environment? How has language evolved further, and how is it changing now, in the process of globalisation? And which aspects of language ensure that robots are not yet intelligent enough to reconstruct how language has evolved? Johansson's far-reaching, authoritative and research-based approach to language is brought to life through dozens of astonishing examples, both human and animal, in a fascinatingly erudite and entertaining volume for anyone who has ever contemplated not just why we speak the way we do, but why we speak at all.Translated from the Swedish by Frank Perry

Read more less

WINNER OF THE CWA DAGGER FOR CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION "A gem of a book, easily the best I've read this year. A contemporary police procedural with a literary edge. I was rooting for the flawed, but deeply compassionate Melchor Marín from the first page to the last. Highly recommended" M W CravenTwo dead at the Adell house . . .But nothing in the duty officer's report can prepare Melchor Marín for what he finds. A wealthy couple tortured to death in an almost ritualistic manner. The little town of Gandesa in the backwater region of TerraAlta, Catalonia, is suddenly at the eye of a media storm.Melchor is no stranger to notoriety. He was sent to Terra Alta to lie low after foiling a terrorist attack. And, beforethat, he was jailed for his role as driver for a Colombian drug cartel, his decision to join the police inspired by adesire to avenge his mother's murder and a copy of Les Misérables from the prison library.Gradually, the leads in the Adell case dry up, and Melchor is ordered to back off. He doesn't, willing to sacrifice his reputation and career in a ruthless pursuit of the truth. But dusk is already falling on the darkest night of his life.Translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean

Read more less

A global exploration of the many writing systems that are on the verge of vanishing, and the stories and cultures they carry with them.If something is important, we write it down. Yet 85% of the world''s writing systems are on the verge of vanishing - not granted official status, not taught in schools, discouraged and dismissed.When a culture is forced to abandon its traditional script, everything it has written for hundreds of years - sacred texts, poems, personal correspondence, legal documents, the collective experience, wisdom and identity of a people - is lost.This Atlas is about those writing systems, and the people who are trying to save them. From the ancient holy alphabets of the Middle East, now used only by tiny sects, to newly created African alphabets designed to keep cultural traditions alive in the twenty-first century: from a Sudanese script based on the ownership marks traditionally branded into camels, to a secret system used in one c

Read more less

"Highly recommended" Sunday Times"Utterly captivating" Woman and Home"Sympathetic and clear-eyed" Financial Times Summer Reads of 2021"Unfailingly impressive" Irish Times"Sparse and precise" Telegraph"A beautiful novel of what it is to be a women in modern Europe" New European"An intelligent study of female desire, ambition and frailty" ObserverBookseller Paula has lost a child, and a husband. Where will she find her happiness? Fiercely independent Judith thinks more of horses than men, but that doesn't stop her looking for love online. Brida is a writer with no time to write, until she faces a choice between her work and her family. Abandoned by the "perfect" man, Malika struggles for recognition from her parents. Her sister Jorinde, an actor, is pregnant for a third time, but how can she provide for her family alone? Love in Five Acts explores what is left to five women when they have fulfilled their roles as wives, mothers, friends, lovers, sisters and daughters. As teenagers they experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall, but freedom brings with it another form of pressure: the pressure of choice. Punchy and entirely of the moment, Love in Five Acts engages head-on with what it is to be a woman in the twenty-first century.Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch

Read more less

'I loved these characters, even though I knew it was going to hurt. Heart-wrenching. Poignant. Lovely' - Brandon Sanderson The final instalment of the heart-breaking Shattered Kingdoms series.In the south, the Shadari rebels have thrown off their Norlander oppressors and are struggling to rebuild their desert kingdom - but King Daryan is about to discover a secret cabal that has been working against everything he is trying to do.Lahlil Eotan has left her great victory in Norland behind her in the hopes of reuniting with King Jachad of the Nomas - before his transformation into a god separates them for ever. But somehow she's acquired a travelling companion in the form of one Rho Arregador, who won't let her forget her role in the Shadar's predicament or in her sister Isa's chilling transformation.But Daryan is facing more than treachery and plague: an ancient enemy with unimaginable powers is sailing towards him, determined to claim his country and his people as her own.'Inventive . . . absorbing and rewarding' - Kirkus on The Shattered Kingdoms

Read more less

It begins on a quiet city street. A woman is robbed, the crime witnessed by a man holding a camera. In the aftermath, victim and voyeur meet. It ends six months later, by which point both their lives - and the way they choose to live them - have changed irrevocably. This is the story of what happened in-between.

Read more less

Death - A Survival Guide offers a unique insight into the biggest threats to life and limb in the industrialized world. Sarah Brewer's comprehensive and thorough survey of the most likely ways to die in the industrialized world looks at 100 causes of death from the most common such as heart disease, smoking related deaths and domestic accidents to the unusual and downright bizarre lightning strikes and animal attacks. This fascinating - and occasionally sideways - look at death and dying will help you understand the most common causes of death and how each one affects the human body. View at a glance statistics reveal who dies where, when and how often; lists of warning signs, symptoms and risk factors allow you to determine the chances of it happening to you; and finally case studies on prevention, treatment and cures describe the best steps you can take to avoid meeting your maker in this way. Aeroplane crash; Anaphylactic shock; Aortic aneurysm; Brain tumour; Breast cancer; Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease; Dehydration; Dementia; Domestic accidents; Heart attack; Influenza; Malaria; Occupational hazards at work; Over-exertion; Pulmonary Embolism; Respiratory failure.

Read more less

Nicholas Culpeper's The English Physitian: or an Astrologo-physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of This Nation is more commonly known as Culpeper's Complete Herbal. It was first printed in September 1653 (Culpeper died in January 1654) and immediately became a classic reference that is as fascinating today as it was over 350 years ago. Breverton's Complete Herbal is a reworking of Culpeper's classic text for a modern day audience. Arranged alphabetically, this book describes over 250 herbs and spices as well as feature entries on scented herb/medicinal gardens, the great herbalists and New World Herbs not included in Culpepper's original text. Each entry provides a description of the herb: its appearance and botanical features, a brief history of its uses in medicine, dyeing and cuisine to bizarre remedies and concoctions designed to get rid of all manner of real and imaginary ailements. As informative as it is entertaining, this incredibly diverse compendium contains just about everything you'll ever need to know about the properties and provenance of herbs and spices of the world. From amara dulcis to yarrow, all-heal to viper's bugloss, Breverton's Complete Herbal is a modern day treasury of over 250 herbs and their uses.

Read more less

Vito Ciancimino - Don Vito da Corleone - spent forty years in the grip of death, mafia, politics, business deals and the secret service. Don Vito recounts years of previously censored contacts between politicians and the mafia - between the Italian State and the Cosa Nostra. The key witness is Massimo, his son, who has given his personal testament for the first time in which he recounts some of the most important events of Italy's recent history. If Roberto Saviano's Gomorra revealed the workings of the mafia system from street level, Don Vito tells us about the people who held the reins of power.

Read more less

Clea Shine has grown up tough because she had to. Her mother's drinking, her husband's philandering, and the poverty of her youth have hardened her. After one betrayal too many, she packs her kids into the car and drives home - to the clapboard house of the woman who raised her, Jerusha Lovemore. Clea and Jerusha have a bond beyond blood, a respect for the sacrifices they have made for one another, and something as deep and as powerful as love. Their relationship is tested as Clea delves into her past, searching through the wreckage of a troubled youth for clues as to why her happiness is so elusive. A storm is coming to this Mississippi town, and it will blow the roof from the house, exposing the secrets that have been kept from Clea her entire life.

Read more less

THE PRIZE-WINNING SATIRICAL BESTSELLER - MORE THAN 500,000 COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE"I enjoyed The Capital so much . . . A major book" New York Times"First-class satire" Guardian"A deliciously vicious and timely satire" Financial Times"Mischievous yet profound" Economist"Thoroughly entertaining" Spectator"[A] polyphonic EU satire" The TimesA "HOUSE OF CARDS" FOR THE EU The Capital is a brilliantly entertaining satire, a crime story, a comedy of manners . . . and a wild pig chase. This is the tale of a continent, a city and its inhabitants as they navigate their way through the confusing tangle of 21st-century life. *************************************Brussels. A hive of tragic heroes, manipulative losers, involuntary accomplices. No wonder the European Commission is keen to improve its image.The fiftieth anniversary of the European Commission approaches, and the Directorate-General for Culture is tasked with organising an appropriate celebration. When Fenia Xenopoulou's assistant comes up with a plan to put Auschwitz at the very centre of the jubilee, she is delighted. But she has neglected to take the other E.U. institutions into account.Meanwhile the city is on the lookout for a runaway pig. And what about the farmers who take to the streets to protest against restrictions blocking the export of pigs to China?**************************************See what the critics are saying about The Capital:"Omniscient" New York Times"An exceptional work" Kirkus Reviews"Deliciously witty" Metro"Elegant . . . brilliantly constructed" Die Zeit "Robert Menasse is pioneering the genre of Eurolit" Financial Times WINNER OF THE GERMAN BOOK PRIZETranslated from the German by Jamie Bulloch

Read more less

It's the year 1260 and the great cathedral - the most ambitious building in all of Christendom - is rising above the streets of Cologne. Far below its soaring spires and flying buttresses, an assassin of unnatural talent surveys his new hunting ground. More shadow than man, the assassin is quick to take his first life. But there is a witness to his crime: a flame-haired thief known as Jacob the Fox. Justly terrified by the black-clad spectre, Jacob runs for his life, convinced that he's pursued by the Angel of Death itself. For all his street-smart cunning, the wily Fox cannot shake off the assassin - a cruel, efficient murderer who favours a pistol-grip crossbow as his weapon of choice. Fate, injury and desperation lead Jacob to seek help from a beautiful clothes dyer, her drunken rascal of a father, and her learned uncle, a man of God who loves a battle of wits almost as much as he loves a bottle of wine. With the threat of an untimely death at the end of a crossbow bolt never far way, Jacob's unlikely cabal find themselves faced with a conspiracy born of an unquenchable thirst for revenge, a conspiracy that threatens to tear Cologne apart and stain the city with blood.

Read more less