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The daughter of Appalachian snake handlers becomes a ward of the state after her eerie “gift” causes a tragedy that leaves her orphaned.Bram Stoker Nominee, Speak No Evil named #14 in Ginger Nuts of Horror’s Top 100 YA Horror Novels of the Last Decade. “Ultimately this is a novel about real life horror; abuse, overcoming it, and the resilience of Melody Fisher as she slowly, with a lot of help, turns her life around.” ~Ginger Nuts of Horror“Melody’s story is grim, but hope is weaved in throughout ... highly emotional.” ~School Library JournalCompelling, gripping, and evocative, Speak No Evil is a study in personality development, horror, how support systems for teens can either succeed or fail, and the impact a caring adult can have on a teenager’s life.” ~Midwest Book ReviewWhat if every time you told the truth, evil followed?My name is Melody Fisher. My daddy was a snake handler in Appalachia until Mama died. Though years have passed, I can still hear the rattle before the strike that took her from me.And it’s all my fault.Since then, I’ve been passed around from foster home to foster home. I didn’t think anything could be as bad as losing Mama.I was wrong.But I will not speak of things people have done to me. Every time I do, worse evil follows. Now, the only thing I trust is what saved me years ago.Back when I would sing the snakes calm ...WARNING: This book contains situations of violence and sexual abuse/rape which the reader may find disturbing.* * *“Expect a paranormal twist, spooky mountain folklore, rattlesnake handling and much soul searching as Melody makes peace with herself—and the trauma she has endured.” ~Girls' Life Magazine “Gardner’s storytelling displays the same sort of sinister charm as she unravels Melody’s past to tell the story of her present. Speak No Evil is at once hypnotic, vaguely sinister, and decidedly beautiful, with sharp, poignant prose that handles the heaviest of issues with grace and delicacy.” ~The Nerd Daily"... a touching tribute to the power of love." ~IndieReaderLiana Gardner named to the Ginger Nuts of Horror 30 YA Authors You Should Know ListAwards: Nominee for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, Bram Stoker Awards® Silver Medal Winner: Young Adult Fiction, Nautilus Book Awards Bronze Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction, Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Gold Medal Winner in Young Adult Fiction — Mature Issues, Moonbeam Children's Book Awards Gold Medal Winner in New Adult Fiction, NYC Big Book Awards Finalist in Best Juvenile or Young Adult Fiction, Silver Falchion Award

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In collections such as Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Raymond Carver wrote with unflinching exactness about men and women enduring lives on the knife-edge of poverty and other deprivations. Beneath his pared-down surfaces run disturbing, violent undercurrents. Suggestive rather than explicit, and seeming all the more powerful for what is left unsaid, Carver's stories were held up as exemplars of a new school in American fiction known as minimalism or "dirty realism," a movement whose wide influence continues to this day. Carver's stories were brilliant in their detachment and use of the oblique, ambiguous gesture, yet there were signs of a different sort of sensibility at work. In books such as Cathedral and the later tales included in the collected stories volume Where I'm Calling From, Carver revealed himself to be a more expansive writer than in the earlier published books, displaying Chekhovian sympathies toward his characters and relying less on elliptical effects. In gathering all of Carver's stories, including early sketches and posthumously discovered works, The Library of America's Collected Stories provides a comprehensive overview of Carver's career as we have come to know it: the promise of Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? and the breakthrough of What We Talk About, on through the departures taken in Cathedral and the pathos of the late stories. But it also prompts a fresh consideration of Carver by presenting Beginners, an edition of the manuscript of What We Talk About When We Talk About Love that Carver submitted to Gordon Lish, his editor and a crucial influence on his development. Lish's editing was so extensive that at one point Carver wrote him an anguished letter asking him not to publish the book; now, for the first time, readers can read both the manuscript and published versions of the collection that established Carver as a major American writer. Offering a fascinating window into the complex, fraught relation between writer and editor, Beginners expands our sense of Carver and is essential reading for anyone who cares about his achievement.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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With a strong, warm voice that brings the South to life, New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textured stories that intimately portray the complex and emotional relationships we share with families, friends, and the natural world. "Every book that Mary Alice Monroe has written has felt like a homecoming to me," writes Pat Conroy, bestselling author of The Prince of Tides. Time Is a River is an insightful novel that will sweep readers away to the seductive southern landscape, joining books by authors such as Anne Rivers Siddons and Sue Monk Kidd. Recovering from breast cancer and reeling from her husband's infidelity, Mia Landan flees her Charleston home to heal in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina. She seeks refuge in a neglected fishing cabin belonging to her fly-fishing instructor, Belle Carson. Belle recently inherited the cabin, which once belonged to a grandmother she never knew -- the legendary fly fisher and journalist of the 1920s, Kate Watkins, whose life fell into ruins after she was accused of murdering her lover. Her fortune lost in the stock market crash and her reputation destroyed, Kate slipped into seclusion in the remote cabin. After her death the fishing cabin remained locked and abandoned for decades. Little does Belle know that by opening the cabin doors to Mia for a summer's sanctuary, she will open again the scandal that plagued Belle's family for generations. From her first step inside the dusty cabin, Mia is fascinated by the traces of Kate's mysterious story left behind in the eccentric furnishings of the cabin. And though Belle, ashamed of the tabloid scandal that tortured her mother, warns Mia not to stir the mud, Mia is compelled to find out more about Kate...especially when she discovers Kate's journal. The inspiring words of the remarkable woman echo across the years. Mia has been learning to fly-fish, and Kate's wise words comparing life to a river resonate deeply. She begins a quest to uncover the truth behind the lies. As she searches newspaper archives and listens to the colorful memories of the local small-town residents, the story of a proud, fiercely independent woman emerges. Mia feels a strange kinship with the woman who, like her, suffered fears, betrayal, the death of loved ones, and a fall from grace -- yet found strength, compassion and, ultimately, forgiveness in her isolation. A story timeless in its appeal emerges, with a power that reopens old wounds, but also brings a transforming healing for Mia, for Kate's descendants, and for all those in Mia's new community.

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Veteran motion picture, television, and Broadway producer Julian Schlossberg grew up in New York City with an early love of entertainment. As a child, he was an avid fan of radio, film, and the new art of television, and harbored ambitions of meeting his favorite stars one day. Little did he know that in the course of his career, he would not only meet many of them, but also become their producer, representative, and friend. During his nearly 60 years in show business, Schlossberg has worked as a producer, director, distributor, exhibitor, radio and television host, and record executive. At 27 he was the youngest head film buyer of a national theater chain; after working at the ABC network, the Walter Reade Organization, and Paramount Pictures, he would start his own motion-picture company, Castle Hill Productions, which would become one of the largest independent film-distribution companies in the world with a library of over 500 films. Not willing to restrict his efforts to film and television, he has also produced award-winning plays and musicals for Broadway and off-Broadway, working closely with brilliant writers and directors like Mike Nichols, Larry Gelbart, Susan Stroman, Woody Allen, and David Mamet. Now, in his memoir Try Not to Hold It Against Me, Schlossberg shares stories from a lifetime in entertainment, from his childhood in the Bronx to his years as a producer for screen and stage. Schlossberg takes us through the trials and triumphs of work and play in every avenue of the business: negotiating with Al Pacino, Burt Reynolds, and Lillian Hellman; hosting the syndicated radio and television production Movie Talk, which introduced him to hundreds of stars; experiencing the paranormal with Shirley MacLaine and Betty Hill; running the Orson Welles estate and restoring Welles’ masterly film adaptation of Othello; partying with Barbra Streisand and Liza Minelli; testifying in a lawsuit against The Beatles; and interviewing over 120 of the most influential figures of the 20th century for his series Witnesses to the 20th Century. Written with engaging humor and self-deprecation—and with a foreword by Academy Award winner Elaine May—Try Not to Hold It Against Me gives readers a behind-the-scenes pass to Cannes and Las Vegas, the lives and homes of the stars, and the rarely seen but crucial work of the producer in the midst of it all. It’s a compelling read for film, television, and theater enthusiasts alike—and a one-of-a-kind autobiography by one of entertainment’s true insiders.

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A disenchanted man struggles to get beyond the first chapter of the books he’s writing, and to separate fact from fiction in his own life. His friend’s suicide changes everything … The mind-blowing, heart-rending new thriller from cult bestselling author Will Carver. ‘Ambitious, dark and funny … a compelling and thought-provoking book from a highly talented writer. Bravo!’ Mike Gayle ‘One of the most exciting authors in Britain’ Daily Express 'Unflinching, blunt and brutal, Carver's originality knows no bounds. Simply brilliant' Sam Holland _________________________________________ Eli Hagin can’t finish anything. He hates his job, but can’t seem to quit. He doesn’t want to be with his girlfriend, but doesn’t know how end things with her, either. Eli wants to write a novel, but he’s never taken a story beyond the first chapter. Eli also has trouble separating reality from fiction. When his best friend kills himself, Eli is motivated, for the first time in his life, to finally end something himself, just as Mike did… Except sessions with his therapist suggest that Eli’s most recent ‘first chapters’ are not as fictitious as he had intended … and a series of text messages that Mike received before his death point to something much, much darker… _________________________________________ ‘Gave me nightmares … I loved it’ S J Watson ‘Brutal and brilliant' Lisa Hall 'Challenging, perceptive and unexpectedly enlightening' Sarah Sultoon 'Will Carver is a unique writer. I loved Suicide Thursday' Greg Mosse ‘A smart, stylish writer’ Daily Mail 'Carver's trademarked cynicism and contemptuousness run rampant here … [a] dark, dangerous novel' Jack Heath ‘One of the most compelling and original voices in crime fiction’ Alex North Praise for Will Carver ‘Deliciously fresh and malevolent story-telling’ Craig Sisterson ‘Weirdly page-turning’ Sunday Times ‘Laying bare our 21st-century weaknesses and dilemmas, Carver has created a highly original state-of-the-nation novel’ Literary Review ‘Arguably the most original crime novel published this year’ Independent ‘This mesmeric novel paints a thought-provoking if depressing picture of modern life’ Guardian ‘Most memorable for its unrepentant darkness…’ Telegraph ‘Unlike anything else you’ll read this year’ Heat ‘Incredibly dark and very funny’ Harriet Tyce ‘Wickedly fun’ Crime Monthly ‘Will Carver’s most exciting, original, hilarious and freaky outing yet’ Helen FitzGerald ‘Vivid and engaging and completely unexpected’ Lia Middleton ‘Dark in the way only Will Carver can be … oozes malevolence from every page’ Victoria Selman ‘Move the hell over Brett Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk … Will Carver is the new lit prince of 21st-century disenfranchised, pop darkness’ Stephen J. Golds ‘Carver truly at his best’ Sarah Pinborough

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Master Bayesian Inference through Practical Examples and Computation–Without Advanced Mathematical Analysis Bayesian methods of inference are deeply natural and extremely powerful. However, most discussions of Bayesian inference rely on intensely complex mathematical analyses and artificial examples, making it inaccessible to anyone without a strong mathematical background. Now, though, Cameron Davidson-Pilon introduces Bayesian inference from a computational perspective, bridging theory to practice–freeing you to get results using computing power. Bayesian Methods for Hackers illuminates Bayesian inference through probabilistic programming with the powerful PyMC language and the closely related Python tools NumPy, SciPy, and Matplotlib. Using this approach, you can reach effective solutions in small increments, without extensive mathematical intervention. Davidson-Pilon begins by introducing the concepts underlying Bayesian inference, comparing it with other techniques and guiding you through building and training your first Bayesian model. Next, he introduces PyMC through a series of detailed examples and intuitive explanations that have been refined after extensive user feedback. You’ll learn how to use the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm, choose appropriate sample sizes and priors, work with loss functions, and apply Bayesian inference in domains ranging from finance to marketing. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you’ll constantly turn to this guide for the working PyMC code you need to jumpstart future projects. Coverage includes • Learning the Bayesian “state of mind” and its practical implications • Understanding how computers perform Bayesian inference • Using the PyMC Python library to program Bayesian analyses • Building and debugging models with PyMC • Testing your model’s “goodness of fit” • Opening the “black box” of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to see how and why it works • Leveraging the power of the “Law of Large Numbers” • Mastering key concepts, such as clustering, convergence, autocorrelation, and thinning • Using loss functions to measure an estimate’s weaknesses based on your goals and desired outcomes • Selecting appropriate priors and understanding how their influence changes with dataset size • Overcoming the “exploration versus exploitation” dilemma: deciding when “pretty good” is good enough • Using Bayesian inference to improve A/B testing • Solving data science problems when only small amounts of data are available Cameron Davidson-Pilon has worked in many areas of applied mathematics, from the evolutionary dynamics of genes and diseases to stochastic modeling of financial prices. His contributions to the open source community include lifelines, an implementation of survival analysis in Python. Educated at the University of Waterloo and at the Independent University of Moscow, he currently works with the online commerce leader Shopify.

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Winner, "Gold" Independent Publishing Award (IPPY) for LGBTQ+ Nonfiction Winner, The Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction, 34th Annual Triangle Awards 2023 Lammy Finalist, Gay Memoir/Biography A coming-of-age memoir of life on the front lines of the AIDS crisis with ACT UP New York. From the moment Ron Goldberg stumbled into his first ACT UP meeting in June 1987, the AIDS activist organization became his life. For the next eight years, he chaired committees, planned protests, led teach-ins, and facilitated their Monday night meetings. He cruised and celebrated at ACT UP parties, attended far too many AIDS memorials, and participated in more than a hundred zaps and demonstrations, becoming the group’s unofficial “Chant Queen,” writing and leading chants for many of their major actions. Boy with the Bullhorn is both a memoir and an immersive history of the original New York chapter of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, from 1987 to 1995, told with great humor, heart, and insight. Using the author’s own story, “the activist education of a well-intentioned, if somewhat naïve nice gay Jewish theater queen,” Boy with the Bullhorn intertwines Goldberg’s experiences with the larger chronological history of ACT UP, the grassroots AIDS activist organization that confronted politicians, scientists, drug companies, religious leaders, the media, and an often uncaring public to successfully change the course of the AIDS epidemic. Diligently sourced and researched, Boy with the Bullhorn provides both an intimate look into how activist strategies are developed and deployed and a snapshot of life in New York City during the darkest days of the AIDS epidemic. On the occasions where Goldberg writes outside his personal experience, he relies on his extensive archive of original ACT UP documents, news articles, and other published material, as well as activist videos and oral histories, to help flesh out actions, events, and the background stories of key activists. Writing with great candor, Goldberg examines the group’s triumphs and failures, as well as the pressures and bad behaviors that eventually tore ACT UP apart. A story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, from engaging in outrageous, media-savvy demonstrations, to navigating the intricacies of drug research and the byzantine bureaucracies of the FDA, NIH, and CDC, Boy with the Bullhorn captures the passion, smarts, and evanescent spirit of ACT UP—the anger, grief, and desperation, but also the joy, camaraderie, and sexy, campy playfulness—and the exhilarating adrenaline rush of activism.

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Here is a brisk, accessible, and vivid introduction to arguably the most important event in the history of the United States--the American Revolution. Between 1760 and 1800, the American people cast off British rule to create a new nation and a radically new form of government based on the idea that people have the right to govern themselves. In this lively account, Robert Allison provides a cohesive synthesis of the military, diplomatic, political, social, and intellectual aspects of the Revolution, paying special attention to the Revolution's causes and consequences. The book recreates the tumultuous events of the 1760s and 1770s that led to revolution, such as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, as well as the role the Sons of Liberty played in turning resistance into full-scale revolt. Allison explains how and why Americans changed their ideas of government and society so profoundly in these years and how the War for Independence was fought and won. He highlights the major battles and commanders on both sides--with a particular focus on George Washington and the extraordinary strategies he developed to defeat Britain's superior forces--as well as the impact of French military support on the American cause. In the final chapter, Allison explores the aftermath of the American Revolution: how the newly independent states created governments based on the principles for which they had fought, and how those principles challenged their own institutions, such as slavery, in the new republic. He considers as well the Revolution's legacy, the many ways its essential ideals influenced other struggles against oppressive power or colonial systems in France, Latin America, and Asia. Sharply written and highly readable, The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction offers a concise introduction to this seminal event in American history. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

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Text in English & German. If laziness is the mother of all inventions, then the car is its masterpiece. The earliest means of locomotion was walking, followed by riding on horses or camels; finally, with the invention of the wheel, came the ability to use carriages, which not only made locomotion far more comfortable but also brought the transportation of goods to a whole new level. However, it then took millennia for carriages to go from being propelled by horses or oxen to engines, initially steam-driven, then propelled by internal combustion engines and early experiments with electric propulsion. Cars were initially the result of pure craftsmanship, and as passenger cars were based on the concept of the carriage. The assembly line had not entirely abandoned the carriage look, but already showed a typical automobile profile: equal-sized wheels, engine bonnet, passenger compartment. The predominant body colour of cars manufactured between 1910 and 1930 was black, while all makes of car had an almost uniform appearance. As manufacturers moved away from metal-panelled wooden frames to an all-steel design, they hesitantly ventured to adopt new forms. Improved undercarriages and higher engine performance were initially limited by air resistance, which above a speed of 60 kilometres per hour is the strongest of all driving resistances. This led to the development of new body shapes that offer less resistance to the airstream. Engineers still determined the form of the car, sometimes even achieving formal elegance. It was only rarely that members of other professions, such as the architects Le Corbusier or Walter Gropius, were commissioned to design a car. Between the two World Wars North America had the worlds largest fleet of cars; this also meant that their design became an increasingly important sales factor. Professsional automobile design was established. As they continued to develop technically, cars in the 1950s moved further and further away from the physically logical form of a moving body. One of the last and most outstanding examples of a form with optimum resistance to the airstream is the Citroën ID/DS of 1955. Others, indeed almost all, opted for the pure symbolism of speed and power, whose most important ingredients were tail fins and chrome. Today, with a global annual production of close to 100 million passenger cars, automotive style has come to be represented by a wide range of almost every imaginable form. Architect Hans-Ulrich von Mende has worked with partners in an independent practice since 1990. For 50 years his writings and drawings on automotive design have appeared in books, trade journals (mot, autobild) and the daily press (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeutsche Zeitung).

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*Finalist for two International Latino Book Awards* *Selected as a Staff Pick by The Paris Review* *Shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award* *Finalist for the Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award (Multicultural)* *SILVER MEDAL winner in the Independent Publisher Book Awards in Multicultural Fiction**SILVER winner of the Nautilus Book Award* PRAISE FOR SUBDUCTION: “Subduction is a gritty novel in which floundering people find hope and understanding where they least expect it.”—Foreword Reviews The brilliance of Subduction only suggests the wonders to come. It is a good day for us when Kristen Millares Young puts pen to paper. Highly recommended.—Luis Alberto Urrea, winner of the American Book Award, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, author of The House of Broken Angels, The Devil’s Highway, Queen of America, Into the Beautiful North, The Hummingbird’s Daughter. In this commanding novel, Kristen Millares Young captures the brutality of an anthropological gaze upon a Makah community. Her complex, exquisitely shaped characters embody the calamity of intrusion and the beauty of resilience.—Elissa Washuta, author of My Body is a Book of Rules and Starvation Mode Young beautifully and vividly renders the Pacific Northwest, particularly the unique world of Neah Bay. Subduction is at once a thought-provoking meditation on the geography and geology of the natural world and a generous exploration of the natural shifts and movements that shape her characters.—Jonathan Evison, New York Times bestselling author, Lawn Boy, This is Your Life Harriet Chance!, West of Here, All About Lulu, and The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving Fleeing the shattered remains of her marriage and treachery by her sister, a Latina anthropologist named Claudia takes refuge in Neah Bay, a Native whaling village on the jagged Pacific coast. Claudia yearns to lose herself to the songs of the tribe and the secrets of a spirited hoarder named Maggie. Instead, she stumbles into Maggie’s prodigal son Peter, who, spurred by his mother’s failing memory, has returned seeking answers to his father’s murder. Claudia helps Peter’s family convey a legacy delayed for decades by that death, but her presence, echoing centuries of fraught contact with indigenous peoples, brings lasting change and real damage. Through the ardent collision of Peter and Claudia, Subduction portrays not only their strange allegiance after grievous losses but also their shared hope of finding solace and community on the Makah Indian Reservation. An intimate tale of stunning betrayals, Subduction bears witness to the power of stories to disrupt—and to heal.Orcas Island Literary Festival Panel highlighted in Seattle Met

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The death of a woman whose body was found in an Oslo dumpster has eerie similarities to a cold case in northern Norway, prompting the Oslo Detectives to launch an investigation that soon becomes personal… **Winner of the Riverton Award** **Shortlisted for the Glass Key Award** **Shortlisted for the Martin Beck Award** **Winner of the Brage Literary Award** ‘A masterclass in plotting, atmosphere and character that finely balances shocking twists with the coppers’ complicated personal lives’ The Times 'Dahl has an international reputation for skilfully plotted police procedurals that are drenched in the minutiae of detection. This is a fine example of his talent, featuring two of his most famous detectives … If you have never sampled Dahl, now is the time to try’ Daily Mail ‘Skilfully orchestrated tension’ Barry Forshaw, Independent ____________________ When the body of a woman turns up in a dumpster, scalded and wrapped in plastic, Inspector Frank Frølich is shocked to discover that he knows her … and their recent meetings may hold the clue to her murder. As he begins to learn more about the tragic events surrounding her death, Frølich’s colleague Gunnarstranda deals with a disturbingly similar cold case involving the murder of a young girl in northern Norway. An unsettling number of coincidences emerge, and Frølich is forced to look into his own past to find the answers … and to catch the killer before he strikes again. Dark, brooding and utterly chilling, Faithless is a breath-taking and atmospheric page-turner that marks the return of an internationally renowned and award-winning series, from one of the fathers of Nordic Noir. ____________________ ‘A chilling novel about betrayal, written in a hard-boiled style’ Sunday Times ‘Dark, stylish and suspenseful, Faithless is the perfect example of why Nordic Noir has become such a popular genre’ Reader’s Digest ‘If you want your worst fears about what goes on inside a cop's mind confirmed, meet Kjell Ola Dahl's Oslo sleuths, Gunnarstranda and Frølich … impossible to put down’ Guardian ‘I have read many clever and thrilling crime novels through my life, but often they have nothing to do with real life. If I don’t believe in them, they don’t impress me. But when Kjell Ola Dahl tells his stories, I believe every single word’ Karin Fossum ‘Fans of procedurals … will snap this one up’ Kirkus Reviews ‘A formidable talent’ Booklist ‘Superb … utterly convincing’ Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW ‘Kjell Ola Dahl’s novels are superb. If you haven’t read one yet, you need to – right now’ William Ryan

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'HUGELY IMPRESSIVE' - THE INDEPENDENT'AN ASTONISHINGLY FINE HISTORY' - COUNTRY LIFEThe history of the world's most successful military alliance, from the wrecked Europe of 1945 to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.As they signed NATO into being after World War II, its founders fervently believed that only if the West's democracies banded permanently together could they avoid a catastrophic global atomic conflict. Over the 75 years since, the alliance has indeed avoided war with Russia, also becoming a major political, strategic and diplomatic player well beyond its borders. It has survived disagreements between leaders from Eisenhower, Churchill and de Gaulle to Trump, Stoltenberg and Merkel, faced down Kremlin foes from Stalin to Putin and endured unending questions and debate over what new nations might be allowed to join.Deterring Armageddon takes the reader from backroom deals that led to NATO's creation, through the Cold War, the Balkans and Afghanistan to the current confrontation with the Kremlin following the invasion of Ukraine. It examines the tightrope walked by alliance leaders between a powerful United States sometimes flirting with isolationism and European nations with their ever-evolving wishes for autonomy and influence. Having spent much of its life preparing for conflicts that might never come, NATO has sometimes found itself in wars that few had predicted - and with its members now again planning for a potential major European conflict.It is a tale of tension, danger, rivalry, conflict, big personalities and high-stakes military and diplomatic posturing - as well as espionage, politics and protest. From the Korean War to the pandemic, the Berlin and Cuba crises to the chaotic evacuation from Kabul, Deterring Armageddon tells how the alliance has shaped and been shaped by history - and looks ahead to what might be the most dangerous era it has ever faced.'Utterly eye-opening - compelling, haunting and continually illuminating. As Peter Apps so brilliantly demonstrates in this gripping book, the story of the NATO alliance is in many ways a parallel global history of the last 75 years. As well as all the outbreaks of seething tension between the US and its European allies - and the counter-moves of rival powers - this is also an account of just how often in those postwar years that we all stood on the edge of the most terrible abyss. With mesmerising fluency, and dazzling research, Apps follows the criss-crossing threads of the Cold War and beyond. Those threads converge in our shadowed present, and the conflict in Ukraine. In order to fathom today's dark world, Apps has explored a labyrinth of once-classified history, and he brings dazzling clarity.' - Sinclair McKay

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Want to tap the power behind search rankings, product recommendations, social bookmarking, and online matchmaking? This fascinating book demonstrates how you can build Web 2.0 applications to mine the enormous amount of data created by people on the Internet. With the sophisticated algorithms in this book, you can write smart programs to access interesting datasets from other web sites, collect data from users of your own applications, and analyze and understand the data once you've found it. Programming Collective Intelligence takes you into the world of machine learning and statistics, and explains how to draw conclusions about user experience, marketing, personal tastes, and human behavior in general -- all from information that you and others collect every day. Each algorithm is described clearly and concisely with code that can immediately be used on your web site, blog, Wiki, or specialized application. This book explains: * Collaborative filtering techniques that enable online retailers to recommend products or media * Methods of clustering to detect groups of similar items in a large dataset * Search engine features -- crawlers, indexers, query engines, and the PageRank algorithm * Optimization algorithms that search millions of possible solutions to a problem and choose the best one * Bayesian filtering, used in spam filters for classifying documents based on word types and other features * Using decision trees not only to make predictions, but to model the way decisions are made * Predicting numerical values rather than classifications to build price models * Support vector machines to match people in online dating sites * Non-negative matrix factorization to find the independent features in a dataset * Evolving intelligence for problem solving -- how a computer develops its skill by improving its own code the more it plays a game Each chapter includes exercises for extending the algorithms to make them more powerful. Go beyond simple database-backed applications and put the wealth of Internet data to work for you. "Bravo! I cannot think of a better way for a developer to first learn these algorithms and methods, nor can I think of a better way for me (an old AI dog) to reinvigorate my knowledge of the details." -- Dan Russell, Google "Toby's book does a great job of breaking down the complex subject matter of machine-learning algorithms into practical, easy-to-understand examples that can be directly applied to analysis of social interaction across the Web today. If I had this book two years ago, it would have saved precious time going down some fruitless paths." -- Tim Wolters, CTO, Collective Intellect

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Watercolour the Natural World is a comprehensive guide to painting nature. Critically acclaimed wildlife painter Tim Pond takes the reader on a journey to discover pristine frozen wilderness areas,coniferous forests and dense tropical rainforests. Each section is packed with tips, techniques and concepts that can speed up the reader's progress in learning to paint mountains, forests, waterscapes, plants and animals. It applies the lessons to every subject and includes suggested activities as well as working from a photograph. This step-by-step guide is suitable for all abilities, whether entirely new to watercolour painting or an experienced professional. Drawing methods are taught to help the reader conceive the fundamentals of form. The book then explores color theory and the best watercolour combinations to capture the brilliance of nature, from green leaves and the patterns of animal coats to the bright plumes of exotic birds. Key foundation techniques are fully explained, as well as specific techniques, such as using a dry brush to create the impression of fur. AUTHOR: Tim Pond's career spans three decades of working in various media and for various clients, including books, magazines, newspapers, and film. Passionate about the natural world and education, Tim has attracted worldwide critical acclaim for his artwork of animals, landscape and plants. His artwork has taken him worldwide, from working as the expedition artist with Raleigh International in Alaska to sketching leaves in Mexico's tropical forest. Tim is proud of his affiliations with the Zoological Society of London, The Royal Veterinary College (where he is a guest lecturer on animal movement) and The Royal Society of Biology, where he is on a panel of judges for the Nancy Rothwell Award. He also offers independent art classes where live animals are the life models, often on farms or with owls in museums and at science festivals. Tim regularly exhibits his work - he has a forthcoming exhibition at the Natural History Museum, Tring, curated from his latest publication, The Field Guide to Drawing & Sketching Animals, now published in five languages. He lives in South West London, England. SELLING POINTS: . Tim Pond is an author, teacher, lecturer and the associated artist at Zoological Society London . Broad appeal for all abilities of artist and anyone interested in nature . Accessible and easy-to-follow step-by-step tutorials with inspirational illustrations . Combines two popular art subjects watercolour and natural history . Subjects include: Mountains, Polar, Temperate, Tropical and Subtropical Regions, Grasslands, Water Worlds 500 colour illustrations, 10 colour photographs

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The official authorized companion to the much-loved Netflix show Emily in Paris.Paris, J'Adore! is Emily Cooper's diary about her life in France so far. From leaving her boyfriend in Chicago to starting at marketing firm Savoir in Paris, it reveals all the thrill, fear and confusion Emily experiences as she embarks on her new life. She becomes acquainted not only with French workplace etiquette - the long lunches, the arguments, the determined reluctance to use social media - but also with Gabriel, the hottest chef in town. Some things, though, are beyond comprehension: like why the first floor in a Parisian apartment building is the second floor and the first floor is the ground floor.As the months go by, Emily learns how it's perfectly normal to have a glass of Sancerre for breakfast and how you should never turn up early at work. But more than anything, she learns about love, female friendships, and how exciting it is to step out of your comfort zone in this beautiful and intriguing city.Paris, J'Adore! is also a guidebook to how to be a Parisian, with tips on fashion, romance, and where to capture the perfect selfie in the City of Lights.Written in Emily's voice, it will contain the following sections:1. Emily's Fashion Paris - all about Emily's favourite outfits and designers - from Cadault to Chanel - as well as tips on what to wear to the beach, where to find the best boutiques, and how to dress like a Parisian; 2. Emily's Romantic Paris - the best bridges to kiss and break up on, where you can find the most breathtaking views and the most perfect backstreets, why the magic of the Eiffel Tower twinkling at night is the most intoxicating backdrop to falling in love, and a selection of the most evocative French songs to sing along to;3. Emily's Secret Paris - where Parisians show Emily the real Paris, from the hamman in the Mosquée de Paris to the Atelier des Lumières, and from small independent French cinemas to delightful neighbourhood restaurants; 4. Emily's Workplace Paris - how to navigate tensions and emotions in a French boardroom, lunch and coffee break rituals, Sylvie's own version of Savoir's Employee Handbook, and how to teach the French about social media; 5. Emily's Escapades from Paris - including the delights of the Champagne region, the sheer glamour of Saint-Tropez and the opulence of the Château de Versailles.Packed with four-colour photographs, exquisite illustrations and beautiful shots of Paris, Paris, J'Adore! is a hugely desirable gift book for all the fans of the show.

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The Sunday Times bestseller 'Your book is absolutely amazing, Kirsty. You're one of the best 10 guests of all time.' - Chris Evans, The Chris Evans Show on Virgin RadioAre there certain days when you feel overly emotional for no apparent reason? Do you have days when you feel exhausted, close to burn out and like you want to hide away from the world? Lunar Living could be just the answer that you are looking for. Working with the constantly changing phases of the moon helps you to understand yourself like never before, to realign everything in your own life, to understand when you need to rest and self-care and when you need to shine and make things happen. Living back in tune with this natural flow and taking care of you and your needs, even if that's just twice a month will make the biggest difference to how you feel, act and react the rest of the month.Lunar Living will help you to: - Feel empowered to make big life decisions- Understand yourself better- Tune into your natural cycles- Improve your sleep, mental health and relationships- Live a happier, more intentional lifeA beautiful hardback, complete with a blue foil finish, this is the perfect toolkit for understanding the moon and the effects it has on us. Lunar Living helps us to work with the moons phases to understand the ever-changing landscape of our emotions and the inner world of our purpose, goals and dreams and tune into this deeper wisdom to make profound shifts in our lives. If you've ever felt stuck, meaningless, overly emotional for no apparent reason or want to come back into alignment with a natural cycle to help you to move forwards in life and achieve your dreams and goals this is the book for you.'One to watch. It's the perfect toolkit for understanding the moon.' - Cosmopolitan 'Could the moon change your life? How it holds the key to your health, happiness and even your wealth. Meet the expert who can prove it.' - You Magazine'In her new book ... Gallagher expands on the idea of using moon days for self-care, by exploring how by combining moon cycles with astrology, you can use the year's moon days to focus on specific issues in your life.' - The Independent'Absolutely fascinating. This is going to be worth giving to your kids.' - Chris Evans'This book has changed my life. I can't explain how much it's changed my perspective on work and views on my current lifestyle.' - Steph Elswood

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'Vivid characters, great storytelling and a spine-tingling twist.' Jo Spain'Dark, tense and richly atmospheric, the past is never far away in this twisty thriller where nothing is quite as it seems.' Sam Blake'A very exciting read' Patricia Gibney----------------------------SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEWWinter brings more than fierce Atlantic storms to the tourist town of Kylebeggan, County Kerry. On a cold January night a woman is found murdered and laid out in her wedding dress. The town is shocked, but there's more to come. February brings a second murder. And when taxi driver Ellie Gillespie collects a bride-to-be from a hen party - and later discovers the woman has been killed in a similar way to the other women - Ellie decides to get involved.SOMETHING BORROWEDThe gardaí, mayor, and tourist board are desperate to minimise the negative publicity. But with the Special Crime Squad drafted in from Dublin and international media in town, it's becoming harder and harder to manage the story.SOMEONE DEADEllie has her suspicions about a possible killer. She shares her thoughts with local journalist Cormac Scully, prompting him to dig into past secrets of the town. Can Ellie and Cormac figure out who it is before the Bride Collector strikes again?----------------------------Praise for Siobhan MacDonald: 'Page turner guilty of a gripping story. You could choke on the delicious venality & hypocrisy. Just one of the creepy thrills in this page turner.' Irish Examiner'This is a terrifically dark, twisty thriller, skilfully plotted and stylishly written.' Irish Times'GUILTY is a classy and cleverly plotted psychological thriller that grips from page one, packed with well-drawn characters and delivering an absolute zinger of a twist in the tale in the final pages.' Sunday Independent'GUILTY is a twisty tale of ruthless ambition, family dysfunction and cold-blooded vengeance.' RTE Guide 'A full tapestry of secrets and lies. A perfect mix for a thrilling read.' Patricia Gibney'An unsettling, suspenseful tale of heartbreak and revenge. I flew through it.' Andrea Carter'The Bride Collector takes you on an irresistible rollercoaster ride which is utterly gripping and unputdownable from the very first page.' Louise Phillips, winner of Best Irish Crime Novel 'Murky goings-on in an Irish tourist town and a final twist I didn't see coming, make The Bride Collector the ideal staycation read.' Catherine Kirwan, author of Darkest Truth'Siobhan MacDonald has once again succeeded in haunting my dreams. Her tale has more twists than a corkscrew, characters you will not want to share a dark alley with, and perfectly flawed amateur sleuths. A satisfyingly scary read.' Roisin Meaney

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'When James Lee Burke writes, the little birdies sing, the sun comes out and old men learn to dance again. That's how good he is. And now he's back . . . Purple Cane Road may be the finest novel Burke has written' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY'At times Burke's writing and atmosphere remind one of William Faulkner; at other moments Raymond Carver. I cannot think of much higher praise that can be accorded a novel' THE TIMES'No crime writer in America can hold a pen to Burke's mastery of style and powers of evocation and empathy' GUARDIAN'PURPLE CANE ROAD is not only a brilliant mystery, with an astonishing denouement, but a moving evocation of nostalgia and pain set in a marvellously described location' SCOTSMANWhen Detective Dave Robicheaux discovers disturbing secrets from his mother's past, he embarks on a journey through a murky world of vice, politics and murder.Robicheaux has been told that his mother, Mae, was a hooker and ended her life drowned in a mud puddle by two cops working for the Mob. As Robichaeux and his partner hunt for the killers, they hook up with a door-to-door salesman turned state governor, a psychotic hit-man, and the owner of the mansion at Purple Cane Road - who knows rather too much about Robichaeux's wife . . .Praise for one of the great American crime writers, James Lee Burke:'James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed.' Michael Connelly'A gorgeous prose stylist.' Stephen King'Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced.' Daily MailFans of Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly and Don Winslow will love James Lee Burke: Dave Robicheaux Series1. The Neon Rain 2. Heaven's Prisoners 3. Black Cherry Blues 4. A Morning for Flamingos 5. A Stained White Radiance 6. In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead 7. Dixie City Jam 8. Burning Angel 9. Cadillac Jukebox 10. Sunset Limited 11. Purple Cane Road 12. Jolie Blon's Bounce 13. Last Car to Elysian Fields 14. Crusader's Cross 15. Pegasus Descending 16. The Tin Roof Blowdown 17. Swan Peak 18. The Glass Rainbow 19. Creole Belle 20. Light of the World 21. Robicheaux Hackberry Holland Series1. Lay Down My Sword and Shield 2. Rain Gods 3. Feast Day of Fools 4. House of the Rising SunBilly Bob Holland Series1. Cimarron Rose 2. Heartwood 3. Bitterroot 4. In The Moon of Red Ponies * Each James Lee Burke novel can be read as a standalone or in series order *

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The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror. The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. 'I wonder which one of us will be next?'When a woman's body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It's clear the pair are connected, but how? The trail leads Lottie to St Angela's, a former children's home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal. As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger? Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice. Fans of Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter and Helen Fields will be gripped by this page-turning serial killer thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night.What everyone is saying about The Missing Ones:'Gripping . . . palpable tension from the very start to its electrifying twist' Irish Independent'This debut novel from Gibney is just EVERYTHING!!! This was THE BEST book I have read in quite some time. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!' Butterfly's Booknerdia Blog'Totally riveting and 100% engrossing.' Books From Dusk Till Dawn'A gripping read from beginning to finish.' Deja Read'AMAZING! Really well written and kept me itching to read the next page. It was unputdownable! Cannot wait to read book two when released.' Goodreads Reviewer'I was immediately grabbed by the opening paragraph and was so enthralled that I read it in two sittings. I only put it down when my eyes refused to stay open!' Goodreads Reviewer'It's one of those stories where you look at the clock and you think just a couple more chapters, and then you look again and hours have gone by. It was well worth the lack of sleep.' Goodreads Reviewer'A phenomenal read for a debut novel - when I say good, I mean gooooooooood.' Page Turners Nook'Gibney definitely is a writer to watch and an exciting new voice in crime fiction.'But Books are Better

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The No 1 Bestseller'Compelling ... colourful, thoughtful' Sunday Independent'Tubridy's compassionate, no-nonsense approach makes him a comforting guide through the landscape of neurological medicine' Irish Times__________As a medical student Niall Tubridy fell in love with neurology. Figuring out how the brain and nervous system signal problems was a form of high stakes detective work and answers could be life-changing.Just One More Question is the story of Niall Tubridy's career in neurology. He shares the stories of encounters that are, by turn, poignant, dramatic and funny, such as...- The chef who goes for his usual morning walk, and loses his memory for the next six hours- The painter who believes her left hand is her guardian angel- The eager young lover whose head 'explodes' every time he orgasmsUsing simple and illuminating language Tubridy also explains well-known conditions like multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease and Parkinson's and and brings us into the examining room as he accompanies patients with these diagnoses on their challenging path.In addition, he reflects candidly on the reasons he, a doctor's son, went into medicine, how he has been tested, and what he has learned about people - and about himself - along the way.Revealing, gripping and moving, Just One More Question will make you think in a new way about the human brain - and about what it's like to be a doctor.__________'Fascinating ... teems with interesting characters' Sunday Business Post '[Oliver] Sacks hoped that his neurological tales ... could bring us closer to where the psychic and the physical meet ... Tubridy's concerns are less rarefied. He wants us to understand the human toll that illness takes' Sunday Times'It's a most readable book. There's no jargon in it' Seán O'Rourke, RTÉ'[My brother] has written a book which has to be one of the most extraordinary books written in Irish medical history! I would say that, wouldn't I? But it is great. It's really good, really accessible, a super read. We're all very proud of him' Ryan Tubridy, RTÉ 'Fascinating' Liz Nugent'Very interesting and very entertaining' Pat Kenny'Niall's sense of wonder at the human brain is enormously clear even with almost three decades of work in the field under his belt' RTÉ Lifestyle'Will make you think in a whole new way about the human brain' Ireland AM'A book that will fascinate you with the patients' tales but leave you at the end pondering the notion of what life really is' Journal.ie'Simple and illuminating' Irish News'Written in a very accessible way for non-medical people, like myself' Dave Fanning, RTÉ

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Discover how adorable baby animals survive in the wild with this entertaining read for children aged 9+ all about the animal kingdom!Have you ever wondered what it's like for baby animals to learn how to roar, swim or fly for the first time? Well, now you can! Born To Be Wild explores the vast complexities of growing up in the animal kingdom, where everything feels like new. This unique read goes where no book has gone by delving into the countless ways baby animals survive in the wild. Jam-packed with awe-inspiring facts about baby animals across the entire animal kingdom, from chimpanzees to cheetahs, hippos to humpback whales and more. Celebrate your child's curiosity as they soar into the pages of this fascinating animal book to explore: -Packed with amazing facts about babies from across the animal kingdom -Beautiful double-page images of adorable cubs, chicks, kits, and calves -Covers subjects such as animal behaviour, interaction with siblings and parents, learning, feeding, and hunting -Explores the perilous hazards that animals must face to mature into independent adults -Diagrams and illustrations explain the biology of how animals are adapted to their habitats -Extensive information and step-by-step features on "firsts" e.g. a tiger cub taking its first steps- Feature spreads hone in on unique animals, e.g. male seahorses that give birth to and look after their babiesThe only book on the market for children aged 9+ to focus on young animals and how they are adapted to survive in the wild, Born To Be Wild comprises gorgeous photographs of baby bears, lions and tigers, marsupials, birds and marine mammals, whilst charting the stages of development for baby animals, from dependency to independence, and looks at why some animals cling to their mothers for many months, while others must learn to fend for themselves almost as soon as they are born.Calling all animal lovers aged 9+, this informative step-by-step encyclopaedia explores the particular stages of learned animal behaviour, such as how a lion cub learns to stalk its prey. Further encompassing the key themes in a young animal's life: from birth and the very first days of life, to learning to hunt and feed, senses and communication, habitat and adaptation, as well as the fun-filled playtime.A perfect balance between learning and fun, parents can also join the journey to the animal kingdom, and read this beautiful and informative book alongside little ones!

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A Small Circus is a powerful 1931 portrayal of a German town on the brink of chaos, from bestselling author Hans Fallada (writer of Alone in Berlin)It is summer, 1929, and in a small German town a storm is brewing. The shabby reporter Tredup leads a precarious existence working for the Pomeranian Chronicle - until he takes some photographs that offer the chance to make a fortune. In Krüger's bar, the farmers are plotting their revenge on greedy officials. A mysterious travelling salesman from Berlin , Henning, is stirring up trouble - but no one knows why. Meanwhile the Nazis grow stronger and the Communists fight them in the streets. And at the centre of it all, the Mayor, 'Fatty' Gareis, seeks the easy life even as events spiral beyond his control.As tensions erupt between workers and bosses, town and country, Left and Right, alliances are broken, bribes are taken and plots are hatched, until the tension spills over into violence.'Uncommonly vivid and original' Robert Musil'Real love and real humanity' Hermann Hesse'The best account of small-town Germany ... so terribly genuine, it is frightening' Kurt Tucholsky'This novel's genius ... lies in Fallada's ability to reveal ... as well as to analyse the macabre game of musical chairs that was the Weimar Republic. Fallada gives us front-row seats to Germany's decade-long quest for a sacrificial scapegoat that culminated in the Nazi takeover ... Two years after Alone in Berlin's runaway success, A Small Circus continues the Fallada revival that owes so much to the efforts of its translator, the poet Michael Hofmann' André Naffis-Sahely, Independent'Fallada creates characters with Dickensian prodigality, each yokel, hack, pig and pen-pusher brought to life in Michael Hofmann's beautifully judged translation ... a generous, life-affirming treat' Jake Kerridge, Telegraph'Michael Hofmann ... comes as close as possible to giving us Fallada's work in all its coarse, humorous, immediate, tragic glory' Charlotte Moore, Spectator'Not for the first time, all praise is due to Michael Hofmann's art and feel for nuance. His translation catches the many voices - some exasperated, others bewildered, a few downright angry - that make this bold, exuberant and candid narrative sizzle with life and the relentlessly shocking reality of it all' Irish Times'Fallada's own experiences as a regional journalist in north Germany underlie the action, and it is this sense of realism, combined with an ear for dialogue and an acute understanding of human frailty, that make the novel such an authentic portrayal of an imploding era' Ben Hutchinson, Observer

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THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICKTHE PANDORA BOOK CLUB PICKA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA hottest book for THE TIMES, DAILY MAIL, THE INDEPENDENT, VOGUE, STYLIST, TIME MAGAZINE, EVENING STANDARD, THE I and THE IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY.'It's impossible not to be moved' Stephen King, New York Times 'Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching...I was so invested in the future of this mother and son, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this deeply suspenseful story!' Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club October '22 Pick)From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes one of the most anticipated books of the year - the inspiring new novel about a mother's unbreakable love in a world consumed by fear.Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard's library. He knows not to ask too many questions, stand out too much, stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve 'American culture' in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic - including the work of Bird's mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old.Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn't know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn't wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is drawn into a quest to find her. His journey will take him through the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can turn a blind eye to the most searing injustice. It's a story about the power - and limitations - of art to create change in the world, the lessons and legacies we pass onto our children, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact.

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When the “grownup virus” hits, kids who live in the same apartment building must cope with strange new rules and extended time at home with parents and siblings. And they survive brilliantly, each in their own way. Twin boys throw themselves into an independent research assignment on prehistoric people and embrace their own devolution. A budding track star is encouraged to run laps on his balcony by a neighbor who has a secret crush on him. A classroom troublemaker reaches out to a teacher when his own father begins to exhibit signs of mental illness. A young entrepreneur saves himself and his hairdresser mother from financial collapse by renting out the family dog. And a girl finds a way to communicate with her hearing-impaired neighbor so that they can spy on the rest of the building. The stories follow the course of the pandemic, from the early measures through lockdown, as the kids in the building observe the stresses on the adults around them and use their own quirky kid ingenuity to come up with ways to make their lives better. Funny, poignant and wise, this book will long outlive even the pandemic. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.6 Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3 Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

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The Library of America inaugurates its Elmore Leonard edition with four funny, street-smart early masterpieces, gathered in one volume for the first time: Blending gritty toughness and unpredictable violence with wild humor and an uncanny ear for the rhythms of ordinary speech, Elmore Leonard (1925–2013) was the most widely and enthusiastically admired crime novelist of his time. His genius for scene and dialogue led Time magazine to describe him as “a Dickens of Detroit,” and Newsweek called him “the best American writer of crime alive, possibly the best we’ve ever had.” Now The Library of America inaugurates a three-volume edition of Leonard’s greatest work, prepared in consultation with the author shortly before his death and edited by his long-time researcher Gregg Sutter. The four novels collected in this first volume re-invented the American crime novel and cemented Leonard’s reputation. All are set in his hometown Detroit, a hard-working “shot and a beer” kind of place whose lawless underside becomes a stage for an unforgettable cast of rogues, con artists, and psychopaths. Fifty-Two Pickup (1974), fast and sharply written, is an insidiously brutal book about an adulterous businessman who runs afoul of a crew of murderous blackmailers. Swag (1976) finds Leonard moving for the first time into the more comic mode that would become his signature, as he charts the small-time criminal careers of an amiable ex-con and an ambitious car salesman who share a bachelor pad and pursue their hedonistic dream of the good life through a string of armed robberies. Unknown Man No. 23 (1977) spins a complex web of crisscrossing rip-offs and con games, with process server Jack Ryan, a typically laid-back Leonard protagonist, caught in the middle. In The Switch (1978), one of Leonard’s funniest books, Mickey Dawson, a discontented housewife held for ransom, manages to turn the tables on her kidnappers while exacting overdue revenge on her scheming husband. This volume also contains a newly researched chronology of Elmore Leonard’s life, drawing on materials in his personal archive, and detailed annotations, which include as a special bonus a scene from the typescript for Swag that did not appear in the published book.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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In 1991, Gerald Ratner made a landmark speech to the Institute of Directors After over 25 years in the jewellery trade, Gerald Ratner was one of the most well-known and successful retailers of his generation. He had built up a highly profitable, multi-million pound international business, including household names like Ratners, H Samuel, Ernest Jones, Watches of Switzerland, as well as over one thousand stores in the US. Being asked to give the keynote address at the Institute of Directors' annual conference at The Royal Albert Hall was a great honour and should have been the crowning glory on two decades of empire building. Gerald's speech was seized upon by the media after he included jokes about the quality of some of the shops' products. But the far-reaching impact that these jokes would have no one could have predicted. "Even though I had once had my name above hundreds of shops up and down the country, it had become more famous as a byword for crap. It took several years to realise just what an impact the speech had had on every aspect of my life." Press coverage of hardback version: "... a rollicking good read" —Michael Skapinker, The FT "Most business autobiographies are so overlaid with ghost-writerly blandness that the character of the subject is lost. Mr Ratner had help with this one, but fortunately he is still there: obsessive, funny and a bit of a scoundrel - the last mitigated by how well he knows it." —The FT "self-effacing, revealing and human" —Luke Johnson, FT Business Life "A few ill-chosen words to a well-heeled audience 16 years ago reduced Britain's biggest jeweller to poverty. Now he reveals how he bounced back" —Jewish Chronicle "...contains lessons for us all" —Management Today "...worth its weight in gold" —The Independent Amazon reviews "Everyone knows the story of Gerald's rise and fall - what an amazing story and well worth reading.... I couldn't put it down, totally gripping and inspiring stuff, you really couldn't see this coming from such an energetic, passionate man" "I have read many bio's from business leaders and most are boring 'how to get rich' or 'let me tell you a long list of not very interesting stories with all the good bits missed out'. Gerald's book is very different it is a great read, I could not put it down" "Sobering and enlightening at the same time. A great read and a morality tale of our time."

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Features an authentic and engaging approach to mathematical modeling driven by real-world applications With a focus on mathematical models based on real and current data, Models for Life: An Introduction to Discrete Mathematical Modeling with Microsoft® Office Excel® guides readers in the solution of relevant, practical problems by introducing both mathematical and Excel techniques. The book begins with a step-by-step introduction to discrete dynamical systems, which are mathematical models that describe how a quantity changes from one point in time to the next. Readers are taken through the process, language, and notation required for the construction of such models as well as their implementation in Excel. The book examines single-compartment models in contexts such as population growth, personal finance, and body weight and provides an introduction to more advanced, multi-compartment models via applications in many areas, including military combat, infectious disease epidemics, and ranking methods. Models for Life: An Introduction to Discrete Mathematical Modeling with Microsoft® Office Excel® also features: A modular organization that, after the first chapter, allows readers to explore chapters in any order Numerous practical examples and exercises that enable readers to personalize the presented models by using their own data Carefully selected real-world applications that motivate the mathematical material such as predicting blood alcohol concentration, ranking sports teams, and tracking credit card debt References throughout the book to disciplinary research on which the presented models and model parameters are based in order to provide authenticity and resources for further study Relevant Excel concepts with step-by-step guidance, including screenshots to help readers better understand the presented material Both mathematical and graphical techniques for understanding concepts such as equilibrium values, fixed points, disease endemicity, maximum sustainable yield, and a drug’s therapeutic window A companion website that includes the referenced Excel spreadsheets, select solutions to homework problems, and an instructor’s manual with solutions to all homework problems, project ideas, and a test bank The book is ideal for undergraduate non-mathematics majors enrolled in mathematics or quantitative reasoning courses such as introductory mathematical modeling, applications of mathematics, survey of mathematics, discrete mathematical modeling, and mathematics for liberal arts. The book is also an appropriate supplement and project source for honors and/or independent study courses in mathematical modeling and mathematical biology. Jeffrey T. Barton, PhD, is Professor of Mathematics in the Mathematics Department at Birmingham-Southern College. A member of the American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association of America, his mathematical interests include approximation theory, analytic number theory, mathematical biology, mathematical modeling, and the history of mathematics.

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The comprehensive M&A guide, updated to reflect the latest changes in the M&A environment M&A, Second Edition provides a practical primer on mergers and acquisitions for a broad base of individuals numbering in the hundreds of thousands: Investment bankers involved with mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Equity analysts at hedge funds, risk arbitrage funds, pension funds, and banks, who invest in firms engaged in M&A. Private equity professionals at buyout funds, venture capital funds, and hedge funds, who routinely buy and sell companies. Corporate executives and business development professionals. Institutional loan officers working with M&A and buyout transactions. Business students at colleges and graduate business schools. Investor relations professionals at corporations and public relations firms. Lawyers who work with corporate clients on M&A-related legal, financial, and tax matters. Independent public accounting firms that review M&A accounting. Government regulators Sophisticated individual investors Its comprehensive approach covers each step in the process, from finding an opportunity, to analyzing the potential, to closing the deal, with new coverage of private equity funds and international transactions. This updated second edition also includes information on emerging markets, natural resource valuation, hostile takeovers, special deals, and more, plus new examples and anecdotes taken from more current events. Additional illustrations and charts help readers quickly grasp the complex information, providing a complete reference easily accessible by anyone involved in M&A. The mergers and acquisitions environment has changed in the thirteen years since M&A was initially published, creating a tremendous need for authoritative M&A guidance from a banker's perspective. This M&A update fills that need by providing the characteristic expert guidance in clear, concise language, complete with the most up-to-date information. Discover where M&A fits into different corporate growth strategies, and the unique merits it confers Delineate clear metrics for determining risk, valuation, and optimal size of potential acquisitions Gain deeper insight into the fundamentals of negotiation, due diligence, and structuring Understand the best time to sell, the best way to sell, and the process of the sale itself In the past decade, the dollar value of M&A deals has jumped ten-fold, and the number of individuals involved has expanded considerably. More and more executives, analysts, and bankers need to get up-to-date on the mechanics of M&A, without wading through volume after volume of dense, legalistic jargon. Finally, M&A is back – providing a complete reference to the current state of the M&A environment.

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Practical strategies to propel your company to the top American business is entering unchartered territory. Recent trends suggest that we are moving out of a recession-fairly labeled The Great Recession-into a recovery phase characterized by high unemployment with growth. As such, the business road ahead will be challenging. Growth will be harder to achieve and business failure will be more prevalent. But the best of America's growth businesses will pass through this cycle to experience renewed and hopeful growth in contrast to the high failure rate of those who fail to grow. The numbers are proving this to be the extreme case-a higher upside with a greater failure rate. What are America's recession-proof, highest growth companies doing differently? What are the values, fundamentals, and actions that will make the difference between failure, or just surviving and thriving? The answer to these questions is, what Thomson calls, The 7 Essentials-value proposition, high growth market segment, marquee customers, big brother alliances, exponential returns, inside/outside leadership, and essential board experts. This book is the timely answer to the search for what it will take to propel a company's growth through these challenging times. It's for management teams of any business, independent of size or industry, which desires to identify a course of action to improve their opportunities to grow. "Applying the 7 Essentials will improve your company's growth prospects," says author David Thomson. Growth companies are especially defined by their ability to grow through recession and recovery periods to become the new growth leaders. The case studies and the numbers in this book prove it. This reliable resource extends the insights from Thomson's bestselling book, Blueprint to a Billion: 7 Essentials to Achieve Exponential Growth to apply the 7 Essentials to all companies. Thomson is known as America's growth expert on what it takes to transform a small business into a billion dollar one. He has been recognized by Investors Business Daily as the "Guru for Uncovering the Blueprint for Sizzling Growth Companies." Offers busy professionals essential insights that will move their business or business unit beyond surviving and into thriving now and in the future Written by an expert on how companies achieve growth in challenging markets Contains key CEO interviews and quick case studies and is supported by on-line scoring tools to help teams apply the 7 Essentials Economic weakness has not changed the need for companies to grow. This book provides you with a proven framework to overcome such challenges and thrive in today's challenging business environment.

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'A clever mystery full of tension but also humour and compassion. George Cross is becoming one of my favourite detectives.’ ELLY GRIFFITHS 'I am insanely in love with George Cross.' STEPHEN FRY To find a murderer, you need a motive . . . THE CASE DS George Cross is called to investigate when the body of a monk is found savagely beaten in a woodland near Bristol. THE QUESTION Nothing is known about Brother Dominic’s past. How can Cross unpick a crime when he doesn’t know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk? THE PAST They learn that Brother Dominic had no enemies – or, at least, none that are obvious. But his past reveals that he was once a wealthy man, that he sacrificed it all for his faith. For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder. But greed is a sin after all . . . Perfect for fans of M.W. Craven, Peter James and Joy Ellis, The Monk is part of the DS George Cross thriller series, which can be read in any order. 'In DS George Cross, Tim Sullivan has created a character who is as endearing as any I’ve ever come across in this genre. His quirks are his gift, and with Sullivan’s tremendous plotting and superb writing, this series is a gift to readers.' Liz Nugent 'The ultimate conjuring trick: an absorbing plot with an engaging detective I’d follow to the ends of the earth. Just brilliant!' Marion Todd 'A brilliantly old-school detective with a modern twist . . . from the complex emotion of his private life to the razor-sharp detail of the police investigation. Spot on!' Russ Thomas ‘Tim Sullivan’s detective, DS George Cross, is autistic. His approach to investigations is unorthodox…he works surprisingly well as a fictional character, processing clues in a way that recalls Poirot’s “little grey cells”.’ Sunday Times ‘Another tour de force . . . If you're looking for a great crime series you can't do much better than this. George Cross is an absolute delight.’ Bishop Stortford Independent Why readers love George Cross . . . 'Compelling, full of twists and turns, I couldn’t put this down. Sullivan has created a truly original and endearing detective in George Cross.' Simon McCleave 'DS George Cross is as arresting as the cases he solves.' Richard E Grant 'The fact that Cross has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder makes him just as intriguing as the murder mystery' The Times 'A British detective for the 21st century who will be hard to forget' Daily Mail 'Can't wait for the next in the series!' Reader review

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WINNER OF THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2022. A rainbow-filled, JOYOUS debut from a hugely exciting new talent. Perfect for 9+ readers and fans of Elle McNicoll, Lisa Thompson and Onjali Rauf's The Boy at the Back of the Class.My name’s Archie Albright, and I know two things for certain: 1. My mum and dad kind of hate each other, and they’re not doing a great job of pretending that they don’t anymore. 2. They’re both keeping a secret from me, but I can’t figure out what. Things aren't going great for Archie Albright. His dad's acting weird, his mum too, and all he wants is for everything to go back to normal, to three months before when his parents were happy and still lived together. When Archie sees a colourful, crumpled flyer fall out of Dad's pocket, he thinks he may have found the answer. Only problem? The answer might just lie at the end of the rainbow, an adventure away. Together with his best friends, Bell and Seb, Archie sets off on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey to try and fix his family, even if he has to break a few rules to do it...Praise for ME, MY DAD AND THE END OF THE RAINBOW: 'A life-affirming, must-read' – The Independent ‘One of the most joyful books you’ll read this year’ – The Bookseller 'The novel wears its heart on its sleeve, and it is a very big heart' – Financial Times ‘Joyful, funny and heartfelt’ – Katie Tsang, co-author of SAM WU IS NOT AFRAID and DRAGON MOUNTAIN 'This joyful book has such heart, expertly navigating serious subjects around family, gender, and sexuality. Celebratory and advocating kindness, I’d recommend this book to all middle-grade readers. A real tear-jerker!' – Steven Butler, author of THE NOTHING TO SEE HERE HOTEL ‘So adorable, funny, and heartwarming. I loved it!’ – Alice Oseman, author of the HEARTSTOPPER series 'A joyful and thoughtful celebration of family, identity and inclusivity' – Anna James, author of the PAGES & CO. series ‘A brilliant, smart book with a good heart. It’s like a warm hug and I can’t wait for the next one’ – Danny Wallace, author of HAMISH AND THE WORLDSTOPPERS and THE DAY THE SCREENS WENT BLANK ‘A powerful new voice in children's fiction’ – Aisha Bushby, author of A POCKETFUL OF STARS 'I will recommend this book to everyone for years and years to come' – Gavin Hetherington, BookTuber - How to Train Your Gavin

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The use of difference matrices and high-level MATLAB® commands to implement finite difference algorithms is pedagogically novel. This unique and concise textbook gives the reader easy access and a general ability to use first and second difference matrices to set up and solve linear and nonlinear systems in MATLAB which approximate ordinary and partial differential equations. Prerequisites include a knowledge of basic calculus, linear algebra, and ordinary differential equations. Some knowledge of partial differential equations is a plus though the text may easily serve as a supplement for the student currently working through an introductory PDEs course. Familiarity with MATLAB is not required though a little prior experience with programming would be helpful. In addition to its special focus on solving in MATLAB, the abundance of examples and exercises make this text versatile in use. It would serve well in a graduate course in introductory scientific computing for partial differential equations. With prerequisites mentioned above plus some elementary numerical analysis, most of the material can be covered and many of the exercises assigned in a single semester course. Some of the more challenging exercises make substantial projects and relate to topics from other typical graduate mathematics courses, e.g., linear algebra, differential equations, or topics in nonlinear functional analysis. A selection of the exercises may be assigned as projects throughout the semester. The student will develop the skills to run simulations corresponding to the primarily theoretical course material covered by the instructor. The book can serve as a supplement for the instructor teaching any course in differential equations. Many of the examples can be easily implemented and the resulting simulation demonstrated by the instructor. If the course has a numerical component, a few of the more difficult exercises may be assigned as student projects. Established researchers in theoretical partial differential equations may find this book useful as well, particularly as an introductory guide for their research students. Those unfamiliar with MATLAB can use the material as a reference to quickly develop their own applications in that language. Practical assistance in implementing algorithms in MATLAB can be found in these pages. A mathematician who is new to the practical implementation of methods for scientific computation in general can learn how to implement and execute numerical simulations of differential equations in MATLAB with relative ease by working through a selection of exercises. Additionally, the book can serve as a practical guide in independent study, undergraduate or graduate research experiences, or for reference in simulating solutions to specific thesis or dissertation-related experiments.

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AS SEEN ON NETFLIX'S AT HOME WITH THE FURYSTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR** TELEGRAPH SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR **DOUBLE WINNER: BEST AUTOBIOGRAPHY & BEST OVERALL SPORTS BOOK OF 2020________________________________ 'Incredible stories... you don't have to be a boxing fan to enjoy it' SCOTT MILLS, BBC RADIO 1'One of sport's most heart-warming stories' SUNDAY TIMES, SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR'A must-read for any boxing fan.' WORLD BOXING NEWS'If you know someone who is a fan of the People's Champion then they'll love this.' TALKSPORT XMAS GIFT GUIDEThe extraordinary story of the rise and fall and rise again of Tyson Fury...THE GYPSY KING.A Manchester lad from Irish Traveller stock, born three months premature and weighing just a pound at birth, Tyson (named after his father's boxing hero) grew up to become one of the most unlikely heavyweight champions in history. This 'dream come true' soon turned to nightmare, however, as alcohol and cocaine abuse took hold and Tyson was stripped of his titles. What followed was the darkest moment of his life - detailed in this book for the first time - in which he came within seconds of ending everything.THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION.Like all the greatest stories, though, there is redemption and Tyson defies all the odds and literally drags himself to his feet. 10 million people around the globe watched Fury fight Wilder in the biggest fight of the boxing calendar. Speaking candidly about his struggles with mental health, this is Tyson Fury as you have never seen him before.A BRITISH ICON.________________________________ Behind the Mask is an unflinching story from the greatest boxer of our time and a man who has demonstrated strength of a very different kind by conquering his demons.________________________________ 'It's a great book, if I could read, I'd buy it' BILLY JOE SAUNDERS, WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion'I didn't believe boxers could be role models, but Tyson Fury has changed my mind... This 30-year-old Mancunian has made us all think twice about the possibilities of redemption.'SIMON KELNER, INDEPENDENT'Tyson Fury has become Britain's most unlikely inspirational figure... the sight of a broken Fury caught a mood with the public. Never was the epithet "People's Champion" more apt'RON LEWIS, THE TIMES'Tyson Fury is an amazing real-life champion' SYLVESTER STALLONE, star of Rocky'You may not have any interest in boxing at all and you will find this story about Tyson's life fascinating' BBC RADIO 5 LIVE'An unusual, heartening story, nicely told. There is much to amaze and admire' SUNDAY TIMES

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Entity Framework Core in Action, Second Edition is an in-depth guide to reading and writing databases with EF Core. Revised from the bestselling original edition, it’s filled with over 100 diagrams, code snippets, and examples—including building and scaling your own bookselling web application. Learn from author Jon Smith’s extensive experience working with EF Core in production, as you discover time-saving patterns and best practices for security, performance tuning, unit testing, and all the book’s code is available on GitHub. about the technologyEntity Framework Core is an object-relational mapper (ORM) that bridges the gap between your C# code and the commands required to access relational databases. As Microsoft’s recommended data access technology, it automatically maps your classes and code to the tables and views of a database—making it radically easier to query and write to databases from a .NET application. It allows you to query and write to your database using standard LINQ commands, and it will even automatically generate the model from your database schema. Now that .NET Core 5 is Microsoft’s primary development system, it’s never been more important to master Entity Framework Core. about the book Entity Framework Core in Action, Second Edition is a comprehensive guide to accessing databases from .NET applications. Updated and upgraded with new content, new diagrams, and new examples, this second edition of the bestselling original begins with a clear breakdown of Entity Framework, along with the mental model behind ORM. You’ll discover time-saving patterns and best practices for security, performance tuning, and even unit testing, as well as tips and tricks developed by the author through their extensive experience working on different client applications. As you go, you’ll address common data access challenges and learn how to handle them with Entity Framework. what's inside Read and write databases with Entity Framework Core Configure EF Core to define every table and column in your database Update your schema as your app grows Using EF Core with ASP.NET Core web applications Write and test business logic for database access Looking at different architectures to use with EF Core about the readerFor .NET developers with beginning-to-intermediate experience using relational databases. about the author Jon P. Smith is an independent principal software developer and architect with a special focus on .NET Core and Azure. He mainly works on the back-end of client applications, typically using EF Core and ASP.NET Core web applications. He is a working developer with clients from the USA and UK, typically designing and writing large sections of an application.

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Discover the delightfully heartwarming and life-affirming bestseller about one man's unlikely journey through love, perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely FineTHE INTERNATIONAL MILLION COPY BESTSELLER'I couldn't put this book down. It's one of the most quirky and endearing romances I've ever read. I laughed the whole way through' SOPHIE KINSELLA'Brilliant, important, good-hearted' GUARDIAN'Original, clever and perfectly written' JILL MANSELL'Superb. Endearing, charming and fascinating' THE TIMES'Funny, charming and heart-warming. A gem of a novel' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'Adorable' MARIAN KEYES________Love isn't an exact science - but no one told Don Tillman.A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don's never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner.Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos.But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he's feeling? . . .If you loved The Rosie Project, find out what happens next in The Rosie Effect and The Rosie Result!________'All three of the Rosie novels made me laugh out loud. Ultimately the story is about getting inside the mind and heart of someone a lot of people see as odd, and discovering that he isn't really that different from anybody else' BILL GATES'Exuberantly life-affirming' SUNDAY TIMES'A completely charming story that is as engaging as it is funny' INDEPENDENT'Compulsively readable. A poignant universal story' OBSERVER'Such a joy to read - I honestly can't think of many books that I've enjoyed more. The definition of a comfort book. It made me laugh out loud more than any book before' MARIE CLARE'Full of quirky humour and touching tenderness. Imagine the love child of Eleanor Oliphant ad Bridget Jones and you have this book' CULTUREFLY'Marvellous' JOHN BOYNE'Charming and hilarious' LUXE'Hilarious, unlikely and heartbreaking' EASY LIVINGJoin the thousands of readers who have fallen in love with Don and Rosie . . .'Touching and funny. There was not a page I turned where I was not rooting for the characters or smiling' 5* Reader Review'Warm, wonderful and laugh out loud funny. Stays with you long after you have finished' 5* Reader Review'Wonderful, touching, funny, very romantic. Glorious' 5* Reader Review'Funny, poignant and original. The best romantic comedy I've read since Bridget Jones' 5* Reader Review'Utterly, utterly brilliant! Captured my heart' 5* Reader Review'A truly wonderful, warm-hearted story. Read it, you won't regret it!' 5* Reader Review'If I could have given this book 6 stars, I would. Brilliant' 5* Reader Review

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The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis is the complete collection of short fiction from the world-renowned Lydia Davis.WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2013.'Big rejoicing: Lydia Davis has won the Man Booker International prize. Never did a book award deliver such a true match-winning punch. Best of all, a new audience will read her now and find her wit, her vigour and rigour, her funniness, her thoughtfulness, and the precision of form, which mark Davis out as unique.Daring, excitingly intelligent and often wildly comic [she] reminds you, in a world that likes to bandy its words about, what words such as economy, precision and originality really mean. This is a writer as mighty as Kafka, as subtle as Flaubert and as epoch-making, in her own way, as Proust. A two-liner from Davis, or a seemingly throwaway paragraph, will haunt. What looks like a game will open to deep seriousness; what looks like philosophy will reveal playfulness, tragicomedy, ordinariness; what looks like ordinariness will ask you to look again at Davis's writing. In its acuteness, it always asks attentiveness, and it repays this by opening up to its reader like possibility, or like a bush covered in flowerheads.She's a joy. There's no writer quite like her' Ali Smith'What stories. Precise and piercing, extremely funny. Nearly all are unlike anything you've ever read' Metro'I loved these stories. They are so well-written, with such clarity of thought and precision of language. Excellent' William Leith, Evening Standard'Remarkable. Some of the most moving fiction - on death, marriage, children - of recent years. To read Collected Stories is to be reminded of the grand, echoing mind-chambers created by Sebald or recent Coetzee. A writer of vast intelligence and originality' Independent on Sunday'A body of work probably unique in American writing, in its combination of lucidity, aphoristic brevity, formal originality, sly comedy, metaphysical bleakness, philosophical pressure and human wisdom' New Yorker'Davis is a high priestess of the startling, telling detail. She can make the most ordinary things, such as couples talking, or someone watching television, bizarre, almost mythical. I felt I had encountered a most original and daring mind' Colm Toibin, Daily TelegraphLydia Davis is the author of one novel and seven story collections, the most recent of which was a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and was named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government for her fiction and her translations of modern writers including Maurice Blanchot, Michel Leiris and Marcel Proust.

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The ideal travel companion, full of insider advice on what to see and do, plus detailed itineraries and comprehensive maps for exploring these historic countries.Appreciate the architectural splendour of Brussels, wander through picture-postcard Bruges, take a tour of the World War I battlefields, marvel at the caves and grottoes of the Ardennes or explore the medieval Old Town of Luxembourg City: everything you need to know is clearly laid out within colour-coded chapters. Discover the best of Belgium and Luxembourg with this indispensable travel guide.Inside DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Belgium and Luxembourg:- Over 25 colour maps help you navigate with ease- Simple layout makes it easy to find the information you need- Comprehensive tours and itineraries of Belgium and Luxembourg, designed for every interest and budget- Illustrations and floorplans show the inside of icons such as the ornate Grand Place in Brussels, Bruges's masterpiece-filled Groeninge Museum, Wallonia's ancient Château-Fort de Bouillon and more- Colour photographs of Belgium and Luxembourg's historic cities including picturesque Bruges and elegant Luxembourg City, impressive architecture, quaint towns, historic sights and more- Historical and cultural context gives you a richer travel experience: learn about both country's shared and complex histories, rich cultures, fine art and architecture, delicious cuisines and more- Experience the culture with features on Belgium's landscape and wildlife, artists, comic strip art, tapestry and lace, architecture, castles and châteaux, traditional festivals, Brussels' cafes and bars, the Belgian coast, a tour of the World War I battlefields, caves of the Ardennes, a tour of Petite Suisse Luxembourgeoise and more- Detailed chapters, with area maps, cover Brussels; Flanders, including West and East Flanders, and Antwerp, Flemish Brabant and Limburg; Wallonia, including Western, Central and Eastern Wallonia; the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and more- Essential travel tips: our expert choices of where to stay, eat, shop and sightsee, plus useful phrases, and visa and health informationDK Eyewitness Travel Guide Belgium and Luxembourg is a detailed, easy-to-use guide designed to help you get the most from your visit to these charming countries.DK Eyewitness: winner of the Top Guidebook Series in the Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards 2017. "No other guide whets your appetite quite like this one" - The IndependentOn a city break? Try our DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp.About DK Eyewitness Travel: DK's highly visual Eyewitness guides show you what others only tell you, with easy-to-read maps, tips, and tours to inform and enrich your holiday. DK is the world's leading illustrated reference publisher, producing beautifully designed books for adults and children in over 120 countries.

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The fates of Ragnvald and his sister Svanhild unfold to their stunning conclusion in this riveting final volume in The Golden Wolf Saga, a trilogy that conjures the ancient world with the gripping detail, thrilling action, and vivid historical elements of Game of Thrones and Outlander.Ragnvald has long held to his vision of King Harald as a golden wolf who will bring peace to Norway as its conqueror - even though he knows that Harald's success will eventually mean his own doom. He is grateful to have his beloved sister, the fierce and independent Svanhild, once more at his side to help keep their kingdom secure. Free from the evil husband who used her, she is now one of Harald's many wives. While Svanhold is happy to be reunited with her beloved brother, and enjoys more freedom than ever before, she is restless and lonely. When an old enemy of Ragnvald's kidnaps his niece, Freydis, his sister follows the daughter she has neglected to Iceland, where an old love awaits. This strange new land offers a life far different from what each has left behind, as well as unexpected challenges and choices.Ragnvald, too, must contend with change. His sons - the gifted Einar, the princely Ivar, and the adventurous Rolli - are no longer children. Harald's heirs have also grown up. Stepping back from his duties as king, he watches as his sons pursue their own ambitions. But Norway may no longer be large enough for so many would-be kings.Now in their twilight years, these venerable men whose lives have been shaped by war must face another battle. A growing rebellion pits Ragnvald and his sons against enemies old and new, and a looming tragedy threatens to divide them all. Across the sea, Svanhild, too, wrestles with a painful decision, risking the dissolution of her fragile new family as she desperately tries to save it.Yet as old heroes fall, new heroes arise. For years, Ragnvald and Svanhild pursued the destinies bestowed by their ancient gods. Though the journey has cost them much, their sacrifices and dreams will be honoured by the generations that follow, beginning with Freydis and Einar. Emerging from their parents' long shadows, they have begun to pursue their own glorious fates. This compelling conclusion to the Golden Wolf trilogy recreates Viking-age Scandinavia in all its danger, passion, power, and glory - a world of brutality and myth, loyalty and betrayal, where shifting alliances and vengeance can build kingdoms . . . and can tear them down.

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THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SALT PATH AND THE WILD SILENCEJoin Raynor and Moth on their remarkable 1000-mile walk from Scotland to the South West Coast Path in this powerful account of our country's land, and the people that make it'An inspirational story of love and endurance' TELEGRAPH'Another heartwarming odyssey, this time on one of the wildest walks in Britain' GUARDIAN'Raynor Winn has done it again. An inspiration' ISABELLA TREE'A tale of remarkable resilience and nature writing at its best' iSome people live to walk. Raynor and Moth walk to live . . ._____________Raynor knows that her husband Moth's health is declining, getting worse by the day. She knows of only one cure: the healing power of walking.Embarking on a journey across the Cape Wrath Trail, over 200 miles of gruelling terrain through Scotland's remotest mountains and lochs, Raynor and Moth look to an uncertain future. Fearing that miracles don't often repeat themselves.But for all the physical struggle, there is healing. And so when their journey ends, they do what they know best: they keep walking . . .Their journey began in fear. But can it end in hope?From the glens of Scotland to the familiar shores of the South West Coast Path, this is the inspiring story of a thousand-mile journey and love letter to our land._____________'As well as a portrait of a telepathic marriage of true minds, and a snapshot of a fretful island, this is a soaring lament and a tub-thumping tirade - for all that is being lost, for all that may yet be saved' TELEGRAPH'An inspiring and beautifully written story of hope and healing . . . We, her readers, are privileged to walk alongside her' COUNTRYFILE'Fans of The Salt Path will love this moving continuation of Raynor and her husband Moth's journey . . . Alongside beautiful nature writing, there are thought-provoking observations on our countryside and the threat it is under' GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGPRAISE FOR RAYNOR WINN:'A beautiful, thoughtful, lyrical story of homelessness, human strength and endurance' GUARDIAN'An astonishing narrative' INDEPENDENT'A tale of triumph: of hope over despair; of love over everything' SUNDAY TIMES'The most inspirational book of this year' THE TIMES'A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing' RACHEL JOYCE'You feel the world is a better place because Raynor and Moth are in it' THE TIMES'An uplifting, illuminating read' DAILY MIRROR'Brilliant, powerful and touching' STEPHEN MOSS*No 1 Sunday Times bestseller May 2023*

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'Beautiful, haunting.' LOUISE KENNEDY'Vividly real . . . There's love here as well as pain.' MARIAN KEYES'A sure-footed and emotionally complex novel . . . absorbing.' IRISH TIMES'I loved it.' LIZ NUGENTFROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERTwo women, wrenched apart by a terrible crime, must find a way back to each otherWhen Deena Garvey disappears in 2004, she leaves behind a daughter and a sister.Deena's daughter grows up in the country. She learns how to hunt, when to seed the garden, how to avoid making her father angry. Never to ask about her absent mother.Deena's sister stays stuck in the city, getting desperate. She knows the man responsible for her sister's disappearance, but she can't prove it. Not yet.Over fourteen years, four hundred miles apart, these two women slowly begin to unearth the secrets and lies at the heart of their family, and the history of power and control that has shaped them both in such different ways.But can they reach each other in time? And will the truth finally answer the question of their lives:What really happened to Deena Garvey?'Haunting and deeply moving.' OBSERVER'Propulsive and richly atmospheric.' IRISH INDEPENDENT'An engrossing, deftly-told story with an aching secret at its heart, this is a profoundly moving novel of family and women standing strong together.' LISA BALLANTYNE'Sharp, poignant, thrilling and moving.' CHRIS WHITAKER'Compelling . . . Mannion writes with a lyrical economy that stands out, and always shows a deep empathy for her well-drawn characters.' IRISH EXAMINER'A wrenching portrait of the umbilical bond between mother and child and, more powerfully still, an icily persuasive account of the subtle dark arts of male coercion and abuse.' DAILY MAILWHAT READERS ARE SAYING:'A brilliantly told story, engrossing, with love, pain, heartbreak and darkness. The characterisation was excellent and the plot was moving and gently woven.' 5* reader review'I raced through... Well-written, incredibly tense and chilling in parts.' 5* reader review'A book to savour and appreciate as well as enjoy.' 5* reader review'This is such a powerful story of love and family. It kept me awake desperate to find out what had happened to affect them all so badly.' 5* reader review'This is a beautifully written novel with powerfully drawn characters.' 5* reader review'Had me hooked... Loved it.' 5* reader review'Wow what a book!' 5* reader review**Una Mannion's first novel, A Crooked Tree, is available now**

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Here, on a scale unmatched by any previous collection, is the extraordinary energy and eloquence of our first national political campaign: During the secret proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the framers created a fundamentally new national plan to replace the Articles of Confederation and then submitted it to conventions in each state for ratification. Immediately, a fierce storm of argument broke. Federalist supporters, Antifederalist opponents, and seekers of a middle ground strove to balance public order and personal liberty as they praised, condemned, challenged, and analyzed the new Constitution Gathering hundreds of original texts by Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, Washington, and Patrick Henry—as well as many others less well known today—this unrivaled collection allows readers to experience firsthand the intense year-long struggle that created what remains the world’s oldest working national charter. Assembled here in chronological order are hundreds of newspaper articles, pamphlets, speeches, and private letters written or delivered in the aftermath of the Constitutional Convention. Along with familiar figures like Franklin, Madison, Patrick Henry, Jefferson, and Washington, scores of less famous citizens are represented, all speaking clearly and passionately about government. The most famous writings of the ratification struggle — the Federalist essays of Hamilton and Madison — are placed in their original context, alongside the arguments of able antagonists, such as "Brutus" and the "Federal Farmer." Part One includes press polemics and private commentaries from September1787 to January 1788. That autumn, powerful arguments were made against the new charter by Virginian George Mason and the still-unidentified "Federal Farmer," while in New York newspapers, the Federalist essays initiated a brilliant defense. Dozens of speeches from the state ratifying conventions show how the "draft of a plan, nothing but a dead letter," in Madison's words, had "life and validity...breathed into it by the voice of the people." Included are the conventions in Pennsylvania, where James Wilson confronted the democratic skepticism of those representing the western frontier, and in Massachusetts, where John Hancock and Samuel Adams forged a crucial compromise that saved the country from years of political convulsion. Informative notes, biographical profiles of all writers, speakers, and recipients, and a detailed chronology of relevant events from 1774 to 1804 provide fascinating background. A general index allows readers to follow specific topics, and an appendix includes the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution (with all amendments).LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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Historian, sociologist, novelist, editor, and political activist, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was the most gifted and influential black intellectual of his time. This Library of America volume presents his essential writings, covering the full span of a restless life dedicated to the struggle for racial justice.The Suppression of the African Slave-Trade to the United States 1638–1870 (1896), his first book, renders a dispassionate account of how, despite ethical and political opposition, Americans tolerated the traffic in human beings until a bloody civil war taught them the disastrous consequences of moral cowardice.The Souls of Black Folk (1903), a collection of beautifully written essays, narrates the cruelties of racism and celebrates the strength and pride of black America. By turns lyrical, historical, and autobiographical, Du Bois pays tribute to black music and religion, explores the remarkable history of the Reconstruction Freedman’s Bureau, assesses the career of Booker T. Washington, and remembers the death of his infant son.Dusk of Dawn (1940) was described by Du Bois as an attempt to elucidate the “race problem” in terms of his own experience. It describes his boyhood in western Massachusetts, his years at Fisk and Harvard universities, his study and travel abroad, his role in founding the NAACP and his long association with it, and his emerging Pan-African consciousness. He called this autobiography his response to an “environing world” that “guided, embittered, illuminated and enshrouded my life.”Du Bois’s influential essays and speeches span the period from 1890 to 1958. They record his evolving positions on the issues that dominated his long, active life: education in a segregated society; black history, art, literature, and culture; the controversial career of Marcus Garvey; the fate of black soldiers in the First World War; the appeal of communism to frustrated black Americans; his trial and acquittal during the McCarthy era; and the elusive promise of an African homeland.The editorials and articles from The Crisis (1910–1934) belong to the period of Du Bois’s greatest influence. During his editorship of the NAACP magazine that he founded, Du Bois wrote pieces on virtually every aspect of American political, cultural, and economic life. Witty and sardonic, angry and satiric, proud and mournful, these writings show Du Bois at his freshest and most trenchant.LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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This volume, the original version of which was published in 1988, brings to a close the autobiographical writings of a modern Christian philosopher who lived through the two World Wars and the ecclesiastical upheaval in the Catholic Church in the context of the Second Vatican Council. What stamps this philosopher throughout the course of his life – with all its social and political uncertainties – is his constant dedication to truth and his manifest unswerving integrity. Themes with which the reader of his previous works would be well acquainted recur in this volume. The dedicated Catholic philosopher, who preferred his independence as a trainer of teachers to the less independent role of a professor in a Catholic university, was quite prepared to criticize developments in the Church which resulted from Vatican II. In his defense of the sacred, which he deemed threatened by popularizing trends in the Church, he criticized what he saw as the watered down language in modern German translations of Church liturgical texts; the growing preference for secular garb; and the compromising developments which saw the sacramental signs – surrounding baptism, for instance – being reduced to such an extent that they no longer had the power to signify their sacred meaning even to a well-intentioned congregation. A great lover of the philosophy of Plato, Augustine, and Aquinas – among many others –, Pieper highlighted the need for living a life of truth. He did not consider truth to be merely something abstract but as something to be lived existentially. While he could explain his philosophy in clear rational terms, something which especially stood to him in his post-war lectures to eager students who were hungry for intellectual guidance and leadership, the great interest of his philosophy was, possibly, his preoccupation with mystery – that which impinges on our inner lives but frustrates all our attempts to account for it in purely rational terms. As a philosopher – one might say a Christian philosopher – Pieper seems to have observed the traditional boundaries drawn between philosophy and theology. His generation was exposed to the modernist debates in the Church. It would have been deemed heretical to say that the Divine could be grasped by our purely human thought processes – access to the Divine being only possible through faith and grace. Pieper was no heretic. But he was also not altogether conservative. In fact, his philosophy, closely allied to existentialism – despite his care, for instance, to distance himself from the negative existentialism of Sartre – focused on the individual’s inner existential grasp of the most profound reality. Truth is to be found within us, even if it remains a mystery. What lies beyond death is, for the individual, the ultimate mystery.

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Brave schoolboy Marlin Maxton has discovered an amazing secret. On a school trip to his local museum he found a forgotten room - full of dusty, life-sized dinosaur models. To his astonishment and delight his interest sparked these metallic model dinosaurs - called Dinoteks - into life! But now Marlin and his new dinosaur friends are in terrible danger. Their enemies are hunting the Dinoteks, determined to trap and destroy them. Marlin and the dinosaurs must escape from the museum - but how? And where to? In this story, Marlin must find the courage to take his place in a scary battle and the resourcefulness to free his friends and lead them to safety. And he still has a mystery to solve - how to wake his favourite Dinotek - the old centrosaurus, Protos. This is the second book in the Dinotek series. Dinosaur fiction - where the dinosaurs are not only back - they're better than ever! As awesome as the prehistoric creatures and able to talk, feel and face their enemies as a team. Best of all they befriend Marlin and together boy and dinosaurs enjoy thrilling adventures. A beautifully illustrated, chapter book for kids 6-8. This is a fun read for pleasure. An action packed, book for boys, girls and adventure fans of any age. These stories combine science fiction, mystery, adventure and of course, dinosaurs. Book 2 includes a recap of all the excitement from Book 1 - so readers can plunge straight in to this adventure! Independent readers will love this series which combines science fiction, action-adventure and of course, dinosaurs. A must for children who enjoy Roald Dahl, Dinosaur Cove or The Animals of Farthing Wood. The second installment of the Dinotek Adventures includes a recap of all the excitement from Book 1 for those new to the series. ***EXTRACT.*** Inside the entrance hall Flame moved at last. He turned and stepped forwards. It was time. Now he was standing directly in front of the doors and he could see that he was badly outnumbered. If he could just hold the first machine back - the bulldozer at the front - he might be able to block the way. If....... The black machine looked strong. Flame was built for speed and he had powerful jaws but the bulldozer was made to push and to shove. It would not stop. Its caterpillar tracks would grip the ground firmly but Flame's clawed feet would scrape and slip on the polished tiles as he tried to hold his place. He would be pushed backwards and then all the other machines would come in one after the other. They would surround him and attack together. He knew this would happen unless he could think of something else to do. Unless.... "We're here!" called a voice behind him. Steg powered into the hall

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This volume brings together contributions from a diverse group of authors each of whom have worked extensively on privatization and related reforms, such as restructuring and bankruptcy, in the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), sometimes referred to as the Former Soviet Union, and South East Europe (SEE). A chapter on Chinese state enterprise reforms and privatization has been included in this volume due to Chinas importance economically and politically, its successful reform program to-date and its unique approach to reforms. The volume is largely a retrospective of the ten or so years of reform from 1990 to 2000, focused on privatization in the transition countries since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the peaceful revolutions in Poland and in then Czechoslovakia (now the Czech and Slovak Republics), the break-up of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Russian Federation. Most of the contributors to this volume worked closely with the leading reformers in Government during this period to assist them in designing and implementing their privatization programs. One of the contributors was directly involved in the process as a leading reformer in his country, as a Deputy Minister of Economy and as Director of its Privatization Agency. For the most part, sufficient time has passed to allow the authors to now treat their subject objectively. Serbia and China are unique in comparison to the other countries discussed in this volume, as their state enterprise reform and privatization programs are still on going. China started earlier than the other transition economies, but continue to the present time, due to what some analysts have described as a more gradualist approach to reforms that the other transition economies. Serbia was a late reformer due to the break-up of Yugoslavia, the conflict in the region and its years of isolation. Also, Serbia had to deal with the legacy of socially owned enterprises, not state-owned enterprises as in the other transition economies. Serbia is now in the process of trying to determine how to wind-up its program. While the volume is primarily a retrospective, the overview chapter provides lessons learned on banking and infrastructure reforms and the concluding chapter on lessons learned is forward looking. There is still much to do in many of these countries, especially in the CIS and SEE, the Asian transition economies such as Viet Nam and eventually in North Korea and Cuba. The concluding chapter draws concrete lessons from the earlier experience that could be of value to these countries. As such, this volume is a unique contribution to the current academic literature on the transition economies and on privatization. It includes original articles by experts on their subjects. One of the contributors was directly involved in the process as a leading reformer in his country.

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Midnight and Other Poems is the first full-length poetry collection to be published in the UK by this remarkable Palestinian writer, previously known to English-language readers for his highly-acclaimed autobiography I Saw Ramallah (Bloomsbury, 2004). "Midnight and Other Poems is the most powerful and interesting collection I have read for a very long time."R.V. Bailey"Never mind that I speak not a word of Arabic. Mourid Barghouti's poetry shines through the translation. There are arresting images on almost every page."Raymond HumphreysMourid Barghouti has spent many years in exile, and his long poem 'Midnight' is a rich montage of images of the land of his birth and the strong emotional responses to which these images give rise. Here, anger, frustration and despair are juxtaposed with yearning and tenderness in Barghouti's powerful and evocative account of occupation, violence and oppression. The shorter poems which comprise the second half of the book are, by turns, dramatic and hard-hitting, contemplative and reflective, and together present an equally powerful and graphic picture of the poet's homeland.In Radwa Ashour's excellent translation, and with a helpful introduction by Guy Mannes-Abbott who recorded a number of conversations with the poet over a period of several weeks, this selection of Mourid Barghouti's poems marks an important addition to the body of Arabic literature available to English-language readers world-wide. Mourid Barghouti was born in July 1944 in Deir Ghassana near Ramallah, Palestine. He has published twelve books of poetry, the last of which is Muntasaf al-Layl / Midnight, Beirut, 2005. His Collected Works came out in Beirut in 1997. A Small Sun, his first poetry book in English translation, was published by The Aldeburgh Poetry Trust in 2003. In 2000, he was awarded the Palestine Award for Poetry. He lives in Cairo.About the translator:Radwa Ashour is an Egyptian writer and scholar, currently Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Ain Shams University, Cairo. Well-known as a novelist and writer of short stories, she has also co-edited a major work on Arab Women's literature. As a translator, she has translated into English much of the poetry of Mourid Barghouti, to whom she has been married for many years. In 2007, Radwa Ashour was awarded the Constantine Cavafy International Prize for Literature. About the introducer:Guy Mannes-Abbott has written about writers and thinkers from across the world for The Independent, Guardian, New Statesman and other publications. He has written catalogue essays on contemporary Indian art, speculative essays about London and taught at the AA School of Architecture in London. He is the author of a series of widely published texts – poems, stories and aphorisms called e.things.

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THE INSTANT SATURDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLERA DYMOCKS BOOK OF THE MONTHA PANDORA SYKES/FANE BOOK CLUB PICK'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you'll ever read' Joanna Cannon'Unique and tender' Pandora Sykes'An arresting debut novel about grief, but in the most wonderfully oblique way' Reverend Richard Coles Heartbreaking and heart-stealing, this bestselling modern-day fable is an unforgettable novel about sorrow, joy, friendship and love.When Isaac Addy walks into the woods on the worst day of his life and finds something extraordinary there, he already knows he's going to take it home. A grieving Isaac and his curious new friend are unlikely companions. They don't even speak the same language. But their chance encounter will transform Isaac's life in ways he cannot yet imagine. And maybe he will finally be able to tell the truth. Sometimes, to get out of the woods, you have to go into them. Isaac and the Egg is one of the most hopeful, honest and wildly imaginative novels you will ever read. --- THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THAT EGG BOOK...'Mad, sad and funny' PATRICK GALE'I read it in one breath... true and tragic and funny and hopeful and big - big enough somehow to contain all of our stories and all of our lives inside it' JOANNA GLEN'I laughed, I cried, I sat quietly and thought about what I'd read... a future classic' CLARE MACKINTOSH 'This book is just magic' KATE SAWYER'A tender, funny and surprising meditation on grief and hope . . . like nothing I've ever read before' STYLIST 'Fresh, original and beautifully written' RUTH HOGAN'An utter sparkler of a novel... highly imaginative, extremely funny and profoundly empathetic' SUNDAY INDEPENDENT 'Will stay with me for a long time' MARK WATSON'Heart-wrenching yet oddly soothing, this is utterly beautiful' PRIMA 'Book of the Month' 'Sublime' BRYONY GORDON'An extraordinary story . . . brimming with magic and - perhaps most importantly - hope' GLAMOUR'Wonderfully playful... exquisitely written' i NEWS 'A mesmerising debut, capturing everything that's funny and sad about real life' DAVID WHITEHOUSE 'Moving and clever... Although it starts with a death and darkness, it's a story of hope and embracing newness' JUSTIN MYERS, THE GUYLINER'Clever and imaginative' WOMAN & HOME'Quirky and raw' GRAZIA'Measured, comic and moving... A sad, funny and original novel about grief, loss and embracing change' DAILY MAIL'One of the most eagerly awaited books of the year . . . an incredibly moving and at times heartbreaking - and sometimes funny - book' HELLO!'A strange but beautiful tale about grief, which can make you laugh and cry all on the same page' IRISH EXAMINER'A bold, beautiful undertaking' POORNA BELL 'Bizarre, beautiful and like nothing else I've ever read' ANNIE LORD

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When Clarence Thomas joined the Supreme Court in 1991, he found with dismay that it was interpreting a very different Constitution from the one the framers had written—the one that had established a federal government manned by the people’s own elected representatives, charged with protecting citizens’ inborn rights while leaving them free to work out their individual happiness themselves, in their families, communities, and states. He found that his predecessors on the Court were complicit in the first step of this transformation, when in the 1870s they defanged the Civil War amendments intended to give full citizenship to his fellow black Americans. In the next generation, Woodrow Wilson, dismissing the framers and their work as obsolete, set out to replace laws made by the people’s representatives with rules made by highly educated, modern, supposedly nonpartisan “experts,” an idea Franklin Roosevelt supersized in the New Deal agencies that he acknowledged had no constitutional warrant. Then, under Chief Justice Earl Warren in the 1950s and 1960s, the Nine set about realizing Wilson’s dream of a Supreme Court sitting as a permanent constitutional convention, conjuring up laws out of smoke and mirrors and justifying them as expressions of the spirit of the age. But Thomas, who joined the Court after eight years running one of the myriad administrative agencies that the Great Society had piled on top of FDR’s batch, had deep misgivings about the new governmental order. He shared the framers’ vision of free, self-governing citizens forging their own fate. And from his own experience growing up in segregated Savannah, flirting with and rejecting black radicalism at college, and running an agency that supposedly advanced equality, he doubted that unelected experts and justices really did understand the moral arc of the universe better than the people themselves, or that the rules and rulings they issued made lives better rather than worse. So in the hundreds of opinions he has written in more than a quarter century on the Court—the most important of them explained in these pages in clear, non-lawyerly language—he has questioned the constitutional underpinnings of the new order and tried to restore the limited, self-governing original one, as more legitimate, more just, and more free than the one that grew up in its stead. The Court now seems set to move down the trail he blazed. A free, self-governing nation needs independent-minded, self-reliant citizens, and Thomas’s biography, vividly recounted here, produced just the kind of character that the founders assumed would always mark Americans. America’s future depends on the power of its culture and institutions to form ever more citizens of this stamp.

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