Search results for ""Quercus Publishing""

'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

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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 . . .

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'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

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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.

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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

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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.

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*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.

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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.

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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

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"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

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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

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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

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"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

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'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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different 2, Oliver Sacks, the Jamaican Bobsled team, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Carlos Acosta... all dared to be different.This is the follow-up to the much loved and hugely successful Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different, the bestselling book that changed countless boys' lives around the world and gave them the confidence to be themselves.What have the footballer Kylian Mbappé, the philosopher Socrates and the singer Ed Sheeran all got in common? All three of them defied expectations - going against the grain and pursuing their dreams - despite a seemingly impossible barrage of obstacles and difficulties. Their stories are incredible, as are those of the tap-dancer Evan Ruggiero, the Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri, and the other inspirational boys who fill the pages of this extraordinary book. It is books like these that can make a huge difference to parents and their children's lives.

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The inside story of The Cure'Beautifully realised' Irish TimesComing of age in Thatcher's Britain in the late 70s and early 80s was really tough, especially if you lived in Crawley. But against the grinding austerity, social unrest and suburban boredom, the spark of rebellion that was punk set alight three young men who would become one of the most revered and successful bands of their generation. The Cure.Cured is a memoir by Lol Tolhurst, one of the founding imaginary boys, who met Robert Smith when they were five. Lol threads the genesis of The Cure through his schoolboy years with Smith, the iconic leader of the group, and the band's most successful era in the 1980s. He takes us up to the present day, a riveting forty years since the band's inception.The band's journey to worldwide success is woven into a story not only of great highs and lows but also of love, friendship, pain, forgiveness and, ultimately, redemption on a beach in Hawaii.Cured highlights those parts of the creative journey that are not normally revealed to fans, incorporating many first-hand recollections around Lol's personal odyssey. From suburban London to the Mojave desert, Cured brings an acute eye for the times to bear on a lifelong friendship, with tales of addiction and despair along the way. Cured is the story of a timeless band and a life truly lived.

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''I''m always wary of llamas. They''re mischievous and smart. I get a sense, when I approach them, that they are conferring . . . as if to say, ''That''s that bloke off the telly.''Bill Bailey has always had dogs in his life, including a Lakeland Terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill shares his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons, and an armadillo called Tommy. ''We even had a giant chicken at the house for a while, a huge Malay cockerel, Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.''That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation''s favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast

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From Kate Golden, author of the instant bestseller and viral phenomenon A Dawn of Onyx, comes the next seductive, sweeping, action-packed installment in her addictive Sacred Stones trilogy.A prophecy of death. A weapon of hope. A sacrifice of love.Arwen Valondale is sailing for the mysterious Kingdom of Citrine after the battle of Siren''s Bay. Reeling from shocking revelations and her newfound powers, Arwen directs all of her pain and rage toward the man who betrayed her: King Kane Ravenwood.Kane''s presence is unavoidable as he travels with Arwen and her friends to seek the Blade of the Sun, a legendary weapon inextricably tied to her fate and the future of the realm. Even an uneasy truce proves difficult as Arwen fights against her unresolved feelings for Kane, who is willing to become darkness itself to protect her.As Arwen faces creatures, foes, and magic beyond her wildest imaginings, she must discover the secrets of her past to de

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A TIMES TOP TEN CRIME AND MYSTERY BOOK FOR 2024''Ryan and Ray go from strength to strength, and this, their third outing, is the best yet. Simon Mason has created crime fiction''s most entertaining double act in decades'' Mick HerronOxford, city of rich and poor, where the homeless camp out in the shadows of the gorgeous buildings and monuments. A city of lost things - and buried crimes. At three o''clock in the morning, Emergency Services receives a call. ''This is Zara Fanshawe. Always lost and never found.'' An hour later, the wayward celebrity''s Rolls Royce Phantom is found abandoned in dingy Becket Street. The paparazzi go wild. For some reason, news of Zara''s disappearance prompts homeless woman Lena Wójcik to search the camps, nervously, for the bad-tempered vagrant known as ''Waitrose'', a familiar sight in Oxford pushing his trolley of possessions. But he''s nowhere to be found either. Who will lead

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Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student Leonora, disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman-and journeying deeper into Leonora's secret life of student radicals and dissidents. 'An amazing writer' S.A. Cosby, bestselling author of Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade TearsMexico in the 1970s is a politically fraught land, even for Elvis, a goon with a passion for rock 'n' roll who knows more about kidney-smashing than intrigue. When Elvis is assigned to find Leonora, he begins a blood-soaked search for the woman-and his soul.'A page-turning read full of colour and action' THE INDEPENDENT Swirling in parallel trajectories, Maite and Elvis attempt to discover the truth behind Leonora's disappearance, encountering hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies. Because Mexico in the 1970s is a noir, where life is cheap and the price of truth is high.Velvet Was the Night: an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.

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Fashion writing now enjoys its highest-ever profile as the digital world has multiplied the number of platforms on which it is available. No longer confined to restrictive print schedules or occasional broadcast slots, fashion has become an ever-present content driver. With retailers, brands and designers all in on the act, plus citizen fashion coverage from the social media community, the volume of fashion content has risen beyond any predictions.While influencers monetise their musings - indeed, create successful and influential fashion media and fashion product businesses - traditional magazines and newspapers have expanded their multi-channel fashion content in order to secure more touch points with consumers.Aimed at students on journalism, content creation, media and publishing courses this guide will also appeal to untrained writers who want to develop a more professional approach to their fashion writing.

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"Extraordinary and unforgettable characters" WORLD LITERATURE TODAY"Rich and many layered . . . fascinating" CHRISTOPHER MOSELEYWhen Baroness Valtraute von Bruegen's officer husband's body is severed in two she is delighted to find that the lower half has been sewn onto the upper body of the humble local Captain Ulste. She conceives a child only to see the return of her husband in one piece. What happens next is both indescribably funny and darkly painful. A beautifully written Surrealist novel-cum-political allegory, Flesh-Coloured Dominoes transports the reader between 18th-century Baltic gentry and the narrator's life in the modern world. The connection between the two narratives gradually becomes clear in a mesmerising fantasy of love, lust, and loss as Skijuns creates a work of sublime art that is funny, moving, enlightening and philosophical in equal measure.Translated from the Latvian by Kaija Straumanis

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Dominique Manotti is back on form with a tale of intrigue and corruption. A call-girl whose black book lists her elite international clients is found murdered in an underground garage; a plane bound for Iran laden with illegal arms disappears from the skies over Turkey, and the president's closest adviser Bornard, head of a controversial Elysee security unit, manipulates the system with consummate ease - and illegality. Until the day when rookie investigator Noria Ghozali determines to untangle the threads which bind these events together. In doing so she penetrates the Elysee's innermost system, confronts the workings of money and corruption within government, and in the process is forced to combat the institutional - and overt - racism which repeatedly stalls her.

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Are all evolutionary changes due to natural selection? Do we inherit behaviour? How can we regrow damaged body parts? Are all living things part of a super-organism? This book provides succinct answers to these questions - and many more - in 50 lucid and engaging essays. From mass extinction to immunity, and from sociobiology to swarm behaviour, 50 Biology Ideas You Really Need to Know will open you eyes to the fundamental biological processes that are essential to all life on earth. Beginning with innovations unique to animals - such as the development of muscles and importance of circulation - and moving through to genetics, cells, tissues and, finally, the nature of groups of organisms, this book will give you a complete overview ofthis fascinating subject. Featuring short biographies of iconic biologists, explanatory diagrams and timelines showing discoveries within their historical context, this is the perfect guide to the fundamental concepts of biology, m

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In Carlotto's The Campagna Trail, Inspector Campagna uses an old friendship with notorious drug dealer Roby Pizzo in a Machiavellian attempt to keep the peace. But when an interfering new police chief demands Campagna bring down the Mafioso who heads Pizzo’s gang, Campagna must use every weapon he has to save his job – and his life.Meanwhile in Carofiglio's The Speed of an Angel, a writer in crisis strikes up an unlikely friendship with a mysterious woman he meets in a quiet seaside café. As their conversations deepen, and their obsessions darken, their drug-fuelled relationship begins to spiral, in this haunting tale of damnation and redemption. Finally in De Cataldo's The White Powder Dance, the city police are put on the trail of a baby-faced new graduate in the Milanese banking sector. As the pursuit accelerates through back streets and skyscrapers, it becomes clear that there is more to organised crime than getting your hands dirty.

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A visceral thriller from the creator of the hit BBC drama Silent Witness, introducing synaesthetic detective DCI Mark Lapslie. I've looked into the eyes of women who have banged nine-inch nails into the skulls of their victims with hammers ... we evaluate them, trying to determine whether they have actually changed, or whether there's still a core of evil within them...Before his diagnosis, DCI Mark Lapslie thought everyone was like him. Now he knows he suffers from synaethesthesia - a rare neurological condition that has cross-wired his senses. The sickening clamour of sounds he can taste has smothered his marriage and stifled his career. At the scene of a fatal traffic accident, Lapslie's interest isn't in the recently deceased driver, rather the desiccated corpse found lying next to him. Something about the body stirs a fleeting recollection at the back of Lapslie's mind... he can't quite put his finger on it, but he can almost taste it... Memories haunt Violet Chambers. Taking tea with her friend Daisy, she knows it's time to move on. As Daisy falls to the floor, eyes streaming, face burning, Violet calmly waits. Black hellebore is remarkably potent. It won't be long now. Discover the other books in the DCI Mark Lapslie series: Tooth and Claw, Scream, Thirteenth Coffin and Flesh and Blood.

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'More than lives up to the hype' Observer'Set to become a publishing sensation' Kirsty Lang, BBC Front Row'An astounding achievement' Sunday Times'The lost giant of American literature' New YorkerJune, 1957. One afternoon, in the backwater town of Sutton, a young black farmer by the name of Tucker Caliban matter-of-factly throws salt on his field, shoots his horse and livestock, sets fire to his house and departs the southern state. And thereafter, the entire African-American population leave with him.The reaction that follows is told across a dozen chapters, each from the perspective of a different white townsperson. These are boys, girls, men and women; either liberal or conservative, bigoted or sympathetic - yet all of whom are grappling with this spontaneous, collective rejection of subordination.In 1962, aged just 24, William Melvin Kelley's debut novel A Different Drummer earned him critical comparisons to James Baldwin and William Faulkner. Fifty-five years later, author and journalist Kathryn Schulz happened upon the novel serendipitously and was inspired to write the New Yorker article 'The Lost Giant of American Literature', included as a foreword to this edition.

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'Ingenious' New York Times'Mesmerising' The Times'Loveable' Evening StandardNine-year-old Tooly is spirited away from Bangkok by a seductive group of outsiders who take her from city to city across the globe. At twenty, she is wandering the streets of Manhattan with a scribbled-on map, scamming strangers for her shadowy protector, Venn.Now, aged thirty-one, she runs a second-hand bookshop on the Welsh borders and has found peace with her strange upbringing - until she's called to return to New York to see her dying father. Warm, hilarious and fizzing with intelligence, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers is a masterpiece about the search for identity.

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NEW UPDATED EDITIONIn this committed and compassionate book, Phil Hammond - a doctor, journalist, campaigner and patient - argues for a bidet revolution in the NHS - from the bottom up, with patients leading the charge. What we can do for ourselves to live well often far outweighs what modern medicine and the NHS can do for us. And when we do need to use the NHS, getting involved, speaking up and sharing our expertise can improve not just our care, but the care of others. We won't always succeed, but we can learn from failure as we try to get the best care possible in our precious and precarious health service. Dr Phil shares his own experiences of working in and investigating the NHS for 30 years, and combines it with the testimony and tactics of inspirational patients and carers. Some have survived and thrived in the NHS, some are planning a gentle death at home, and some have suffered greatly but are determined to improve the NHS so others don't have to.

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'Shanghai's champion storyteller - He grips his reader to the end' Economist'Gripping, breakneck ultra-noir reminiscent of vintage Ellroy' David Peace, author of Red or Dead'If you love Richard Lloyd Parry and David Grann, don't miss City of Devils' Megan Abbott, author of Dare Me1930s Shanghai was a haven for outlaws from all over the world: a place where pasts could be forgotten, oppression outrun, fortunes made - and lost. This is the story of 'Lucky' Jack Riley, the Slot King of Shanghai, and 'Dapper' Joe Farren, owner of the greatest clubs and casinos. It tells of their escape from American prisons and Vienna's ghetto, their rise to power, and the trail of destruction they left in their wake. Shanghai was their playground for a flickering few years, a city where for a fleeting moment even the wildest dreams seemed possible.

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'The Fever Pitch of five-a-side' TONY PARSONSA must-have for anyone who has ever played and enjoyed amateur football.James Brown has been playing football since growing up in the backstreets of Leeds. The sudden death of one of his long-standing team mates made James ponder the unique bond between men who meet each other once a week for years, but don't know any personal details beyond pitch prowess.Five-a-Side football is where you play the beautiful game for love, not money. You play it for life and you play it everywhere. Your kit is damp and your legs are a leopard's back of bruises. Shirts are often tight around the belly, with your hero's name plastered across your shoulder blades. The showers are too cold in winter and too hot in summer. Your used sports bag stays unpacked in the hall, and your water bottles are under the kitchen sink. The post-match warm down takes place in the pub. As does the match analysis. By contrast the warm up is non-existent. Your performance is patchy and maybe not what it used to be. But we all still think we played great. Five-a-Side is sporting Karaoke - a time and place to live out our dreams.This is a book for all of us - school mates, work colleagues, total strangers - bonded by the desire to blast one into the net from two feet away.

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An epic emotional journey about love and sacrifice set between the magical Isle of Skye and the promising new frontier of distant Tasmania.'Oh, how magnificent,' Christy's granddaughter breathed as the ferry followed a curve in the water and they had a clear view of Dunvegan Castle at the end of the loch. 'It's like a fairy-tale castle.' She turned to Christy, her face radiant. 'How does it feel to be home again after all this time?' Christy felt the tears prick and gathered the tartan shawl closer, her gaze avoiding the hated castle and all it stood for. 'I don't know whether to laugh or cry,' she confessed. 'I've seen so many changes already that I'm almost frightened of what I'll find when we arrive . . .'1905. Christy has always dreamed of making the journey from her home in Tasmania back to the wild and beautiful Scottish island where she was born - the Isle of Skye, nicknamed 'cloud island' by the Old Norse people - to once again lay eyes on the tumbling waterfalls and dramatic coastlines of her homeland. And now, in her sixty-fifth year, Christy has finally decided to go, her mistrustful daughter Anne and beloved granddaughter Kathryn acting as companions. But what Anne and Kathryn don't realise is that Christy's past is darker and more textured than they could know, and that in returning to Skye they will unearth bittersweet memories long-buried - memories that will ultimately change the course of the three women's lives forever.

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The thrilling and true story of the development and operational deployment of human torpedoes - 'Chariots' - and 'X-craft' midget submarines in British naval service during WWII, and of the extraordinary men who crewed these dangerous vessels. The commando frogmen who rode the Chariots and operated as divers from the X-craft were the forerunners of today's Special Boat Service, the SBS. Their aim was to attach an explosive charge underneath an enemy ship to destroy the vessel. Their hope was to return to their submarine unscathed. The Real X-Men tells the story of the sacrifice and heroism of the individual men, many of them little more than teenagers, who volunteered for this dangerous duty and who crewed both the Chariots and the X-craft without knowing the full extent of the risks entailed, nor indeed the very small chances they had of coming back alive.

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For Detective Edgar "Lefty" Mendieta, tormented by past heartbreak and dismayed by all-pervasive corruption, the murder of lawyer Bruno Canizales represents just another day at the office in Culiacán, Mexico's capital of narco-crime.There is no shortage of suspects in a city where it's hard to tell the gangsters from the politicians. Canizales was the son of a former government minister and the lover of a drug lord's daughter, and he nurtured a penchant for cross-dressing and edgy sex. But why did the assassin use a silver bullet? And why, six days later, did he apparently strike again? Mendieta's hunt for the killer takes him from mansions to low-life bars, from gumshoe reporters to glamourous transsexuals. Unearthing the truth can be as dangerous as any drug.

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The Borgias have become a byword for pride, lust, cruelty, avarice, splendour and venomous intrigue. An inspiration for many works of fiction, most famously Mario Puzo's The Godfather, they have aroused abomination and fascination in almost equal measure, while their patronage of the arts created some of the great masterpieces of the Renaissance. From the powerful, merciless Rodrigo Borgia, better known as Pope Alexander VI, to the beautiful Lucrezia and the debauched and murderous Cesare, Mary Hollingsworth's account of the dynasty's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to the heights of Renaissance society forms a compelling tale of brutality, incest, unparalleled corruption and extortionate greed.

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A CRIME STORY. A LOVE STORY. A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON. MORE THAN 7 MILLION COPIES SOLDAugust 30, 1975. The day of the disappearance. The day Somerset, New Hampshire, lost its innocence. That summer, struggling author Harry Quebert fell in love with Nola Kellergan. Thirty-three years later, her body is dug up from his yard, along with a manuscript copy of the novel that made him a household name. Quebert is the only suspect. Marcus Goldman - Quebert''s most gifted protégé - throws off his writer''s block to clear his mentor''s name. Solving the case and penning a new bestseller soon merge into one. As his book begins to take on a life of its own, the nation is gripped by the mystery of ''The Girl Who Touched the Heart of America''. But with Nola, in death as in life, nothing is ever as it seems.Translated from the French by Sam Taylor

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Spells are a powerful way to take control of your destiny, heal and connect with your inner magic. In times of uncertainty or difficulty, spells can have a transformative impact and bring positive change into your life. In Spells for Love, experienced witch and spellcaster Dee Johnson shows you how to prepare and cast spells to enhance your love life, including how to attract a perfect partner, strengthen an existing relationship or return a past lover by harnessing the power of intent and channelling it towards love. There is a spell for every occasion, and this series of needs-based spell books includes: · Spells for Love: Enchantments for Relationships, Heartbreak and Romance · Spells for Prosperity: Enchantments for Wealth, Luck and Success · Spells for Self-care: Enchantments for Calm, Relaxation and Joy These beautiful spell books contain enchant

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''Addictive, thrilling, intoxicating'' LISA JEWELL''An utter white-knuckle ride of a plot'' LUCY FOLEY''A must-read'' SARAH PEARSEIn this paradise you won''t like what you see . . . When Nina''s father dies, she inherits a gleaming dream vacation home in a balmy tropical paradise - one she had no idea existed. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father ever have enough money for this? And why not tell her about it? Desperate to uncover why he hid such a big secret, she decides to visit. Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is now a nanny for the super-rich. The money''s better, and so are the destinations - like this new assignment in the British Virgin Islands. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool. There''s just one rule: Don''t go in the basement. But her curiosity might just get th

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Wean your baby with 60 deliciously easy recipes, all ready in 20 minutes or less. In Tiny Tastebuds Natalie Peall, founder of the popular Baby-led Weaning Cookbook app, equips you with the advice and tools you need to confidently kickstart your baby''s weaning journey. Packed full with up-to-date guidance, clever recipe hacks and tips for tackling fussy eating, this guide will empower you to safely introduce solid foods from six months and above, helping you to nurture your baby''s natural curiosity and autonomy at mealtimes. From speedy breakfast ideas to tasty and wholesome dinners, these recipes are simple to prepare and designed with your baby''s nutritional needs in mind. Best of all, each recipe is easily adaptable for the whole family to enjoy, so you can cook just once for you and your baby. Recipes include:o Berry Oat Yoghurt Cupso Hulk Pancakeso Cheese and Tomato Mini Muffinso Broccoli Lemon Chick

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Is three days with a cat enough to change your life?The troubled and anxious of Tokyo are desperate to find out. They all have their problems - and they all want to believe that a feline companion from a unique pet shop can help them find a solution. But there are rules: they must be returned after three days, and they must always sleep in their own familiar blankets.In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven such customers, including a couple struggling with infertility, a middle-aged woman on the run from the police, and two families in very different circumstances simply seeking joy.But like all their kind, the blanket cats are mysterious creatures with their own unknowable agendas, who delight in confounding expectations. And perhaps what their hosts are looking for isn''t what they really need. Three days may not be enough to change your life. But it might be enough to change how you see it.Translated from the Japanese by

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