Search results for ""Transworld""

NOW UPDATED to include material on the Discworld books up to Raising Steam.Most of us grow up having always known to touch wood or cross our fingers, and what happens when a princess kisses a frog or a boy pulls a sword from a stone, yet sadly some of these things are now beginning to be forgotten. Legends, myths, fairytales: our world is made up of the stories we told ourselves about where we came from and how we got there. It is the same on Discworld, except that beings which on Earth are creatures of the imagination - like vampires, trolls, witches and, possibly, gods - are real, alive and in some cases kicking on the Disc. In The Folklore of Discworld, Terry Pratchett teams up with leading British folklorist Jacqueline Simpson to take an irreverent yet illuminating look at the living myths and folklore that are reflected, celebrated and affectionately libelled in the uniquely imaginative universe of Discworld.

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Heard the one about the airline that has introduced 'corpse cupboards' on new planes to cope with the number of people who die in the air? Heard the story about the First Class air hostess who got fired for sitting on the face of a passenger during a long haul flight? Heard about the amount of knickers and false teeth that are left behind in the body of the plane? Heard how pissed-off stewards put laxatives in your drinks? Heard about the pilot who ran out of runway? Heard of the disabled passengers who miraculously walk again?No? Then you haven't read Air Babylon.Do you know the best place to have sex on a plane? Do you know how to dress for an upgrade? Do you know that one drink in the air equals three on the ground? Do you know who is checking you in? Who is checking you out? Do you know exactly what happens to your luggage once it leaves your sight? Is it secure? Are you safe? Do you really know anything about the business that you entrust your life to several times a year?Air Babylon is a trawl through the highs, the lows, and the rapid descents of the travel industry. It catalogues the births, the deaths, the drunken brawls, the sexual antics, and the debauchery behind the scenes of the ultimate service industry - where the world is divided into those who wear the uniform and those who don't...

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Bryan Sykes, the world's first genetic archaeologist, takes us on a journey around the family tree of Britain and Ireland, to reveal how our tribal history still colours the country today.In 54BC Julius Caesar launched the first Roman invasion of Britain. His was the first detailed account of the Celtic tribes that inhabited the Isles. But where had they come from and how long had they been there? When the Romans eventually left five hundred years later, they were succeeded by invasions of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. Did these successive invasions obliterate the genetic legacy of the Celts, or have very little effect?After two decades tracing the genetic origins of peoples from all over the world, Bryan Sykes has now turned the spotlight on his own back yard. In a major research programme, the first of its kind, he set out to test the DNA of over 10,000 volunteers from across Britain and Ireland with the specific aim of answering this very question: what is our modern genetic make-up and what does it tell us of our tribal past? Are the modern people of the Isles a delicious genetic cocktail? Or did the invaders keep mostly to themselves forming separate genetic layers within the Isles? As his findings came in, Bryan Sykes discovered that the genetic evidence revealed often very different stories to the conventional accounts coming from history and archaeology. Blood of the Isles reveals the nature of our genetic make-up as never before and what this says about our attitudes to ourselves, each other, and to our past. It is a gripping story that will fascinate and surprise with its conclusions.

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Fall in love with Jilly Cooper, one of Britain's most popular authors, in this fabulously frothy rom-com. Fans of Jojo Moyes, Marian Keyes, Dolly Alderton and Jane Fallon will love this witty and whimsical read - the perfect dose of laugh-out-loud escapism!'Unputdownable' -- Marian Keyes'Joyful and mischievous' -- Jojo Moyes'The funniest and sharpest writer there is' -- Jenny Colgan'Flawlessly entertaining' -- Helen Fielding'An absolute delight to read' -- ***** Reader review'The pages just whizzed by and I'm gutted to have finished it' -- ***** Reader review'Frothy, light, humorous.....loving it' -- ***** Reader review'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'Wonderful writing from Jilly, she really grabs you and pulls in you the book' -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************************The trouble with the Mulholland family, Prudence decided, was that they were all in love with the wrong people. She'd been overjoyed when Pendle, her super-cool barrister boyfriend, invited her home for the weekend to meet his family.But home turned out to be a decaying mansion in the Lake District, and family were his glamorous, scatty mother who forgot the mounting bills by throwing wild parties, and brothers, Ace, dark and forbidding, and Jack, handsome, married and only too ready to take over with Pru if Pendle didn't get a move on.It was only when she noticed the way Pendle looked at Jack's wife Maggie that it began to dawn on Pru that there was more to this weekend than met the eye.It looked like a non-stop game of changing partners . . .

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It was 1882 when Antoinette Giry, Maitresse du Corps de Ballet at the Paris Opera House, took her small daughter to the funfair at Neuilly. And there, in a cage, she saw a filthy manacled creature whose tormented eyes shone from a grotesquely deformed face. It was Antoinette Giry who saved him, freed him, cured his wounds and finally let him find a dwelling place in the labyrinthine depths of the Opera House. The creature - Erik - whose hideous face hid a brilliant brain of near-genius, was to become the Phantom of the Opera - magician, artists, musician, and lover. When he tried to lure the object of his adoration to his underground domain - it was to end in tragedy.It was Madame Giry who saved him once more, set him on a ship to the New World - and there Erik Muhlheim began a new and secret life, a life that began in misery and poverty but in which his incredible skills finally carved out an unexpected kingdom of power. And there it was he learned again of Christine, whose life had changed dramatically since that night in the Paris Opera House.Inevitably, their paths must cross again in the old sequence of tragedy and triumph.The Phantom, one of the most mysterious and romantic figures ever created, soars again in a world of his own making. Frederick Forsyth's magnificent and evocative story adds a new dimension to the legend of the Phantom.

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‘Possibly the most accurate picture of police work in crime fiction today… An absolute cracker’ – Mike RipleyDenton is having more than its fair share of crime. A serial killer is murdering local prostitutes; a man demolishing his garden shed uncovers a long-buried skeleton; there is an armed robbery at a local minimart and a ram raid at a jewellers.But Detective Inspector Jack Frost's main concern is for the safety of a missing eight-year-old. And soon after another girl is reported missing, her body is found . . . raped and strangled. Then Frost's prime suspect hangs himself in his cell, leaving a note blaming Frost for driving him to suicide. Frost may be coarse, insubordinate and fearless. But he’s also in serious trouble.

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Set in Europe through the World Wars, three generations of women share a story that will echo across time.The summer of 1915 was a time of prosperity and unease for the Wittgenstein family, and for eldest daughter Beata it was a time of awakening. By the glimmering waters of Lake Geneva, she met a young French officer and fell in love. As the years pass, Beata must watch in horror as Europe is once again engulfed in war. Her daughter Amadea is forced into hiding, and family and friends are swept away without a trace. Taking on daring missions behind enemy lines, Amadea discovers her place in an unbreakable chain between generations . . . between her lost family and the family of her future.

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In 1986 Brian Keenan and John McCarthy were forced to take a journey without maps. For the next four years they were incarcerated in a Lebanese dungeon. From the blank outlook of a tiny cell, with only each other and a few volumes of an ancient American encyclopaedia to sustain them, they could only wander the wide open spaces of their imagination. To displace the ugly confines of their existence, they envisaged walking in the High Andes and across the wastes of Patagonia.Five years after their return Brian and John chose to travel together again to see how the reality of Chile matched their imagination and to revisit their past experiences. They journeyed by every means available through vast empty deserts, verdant plains and barren tundra. Between Extremes is the story of that journey which once more found them far from home, in an unfamiliar landscape, but which for the first time allowed them to live by their own rules.

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As she checked into the lush Beverly Hills Hotel, Tanya Harris dreaded being away from her husband, Peter, and three teenaged children. Dressed as pure Marin County mom among supermodels and movie stars, Tanya was here to do a major screenplay after years of writing stories and articles on the side, always putting her family first. And when Tanya steps into her temporary home, she is amazed at what she finds: lilies, orchids and roses. A pink marble tub. Her favorite chocolates, a cashmere robe, and slippers that fit perfectly. Things are going to be different in Bungalow 2.From her first day on the set, Tanya is thrust into an intoxicating new world, where friendships and romances come and go . . . and where she feels reborn, energized by the creativity and genius swirling around her. Suddenly she's working alongside A-list actors and a Hollywood legend: Oscar-winning producer Douglas Wayne, a man who always gets what he wants - and seems to have his sights set on her. Flying back to Marin County between shoots, struggling to reconnect with a family that seems to need her less and less, Tanya watches helplessly as her old life is pulled out from under her in the most crushing of ways. As her two lives collide, as one Award-winning film leads to another, Tanya begins to wonder if she can be a wife, a mother and a writer at the same time. And just as she confronts the toughest choice she has faced, she is offered another dazzling opportunity - one that could recast her story in the most amazing of ways, complete with an ending she never could have written herself. In Bungalow 2, Danielle Steel takes us into a world few ever see - a world of fame and fortune, celebrity and genius - daring to show us the real lives, real dreams, and real struggles hidden beneath the flash and glitter of Hollywood.

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A young woman's dream, an old man's gift, and the surprises that await us behind every closed door. . .The house on the hill outside San Francisco was magnificent, built in 1923 by a wealthy man for the woman he adored. When Sarah, a perfectly sensible lawyer, walks through its empty rooms, she is drawn to the once-grand mansion in a way she cannot explain.- to a drama that first unfolded in war-torn France, and to a history she never knew she had.Using an unexpected legacy, Sarah takes on the dilapidated house and its mysteries. With the help of architect Jeff Parker Sarah brings the exquisite house back to life, and as one relationship shatters and another begins, she discovers a whole new future.A novel of daring and hope, of embracing life and taking chances ...

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Mary, Tanya and Zoe had been inseparable in college. But in the twenty years or more that followed, the three had moved on with their lives, settled in different cities, and found successful careers and new roles as mothers and wives. At a sprawling ranch in Wyoming the three women, each by chance finding themselves alone for a few weeks one summer, come together and find courage, healing and truth, and reach out to each other again.Once they shared everything, but now pretence between them runs high. Mary, married for twenty-two years to a Manhattan lawyer, masks the guilt and fear that her husband will never forgive her for their son's death. Tanya, a singer and rock star, enjoys all the trappings of fame and success - a mansion in Bel Air, legions of fans, and a broken heart - for the children she wanted but never had, and the men who have takehn advantage of her. Zoe has her hands full as single mother to an adopted two-year-old, and as a doctor at an AIDS clinic in San Francisco, until unexpected news forces her to re-evaluate both her future, and her current life.But their friendship is still a bond they all treasure and share. For each of the women, a few weeks at the ranch bring healing and release. In The Ranch, bestselling author Danielle Steel brings reality to the meaning of friendship, with dramas whose truths we all share.

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A tale of two schools...At Bagley Hall, a notoriously wild, but increasingly academic, independent, crammed with the children of the famous, trouble is afoot. The ambitious and fatally attractive headmaster, Hengist Brett-Taylor, hatches a plan to share the facilities of his school with Larkminster Comprehensive - known locally, as 'Larks'.His reasons for doing so are purely financial, but he is encouraged by the opportunities the scheme gives him for frequent meetings with Janna Curtis, the dynamic new head of Larks, who has been drafted in to save what is a fast-sinking school from closure. Janna is young, pretty, enthusiastic and vastly brave - and she will do anything to rescue her demoralised, run-down and cash-strapped school.Neither parents nor staff of either school are too keen on this radical move, although some can see the possible financial advantages. For the students, however, it offers great opportunities to get up to even more mayhem than usual.------------------------------------'Simply enjoy the wicked pleasures Cooper does so well' The Observer 'A brilliantly refreshing read' Polly Vernon'The perfect beach companion' Daily Mail'I devoured it with as much joy as I would a bucket of pistachio ice cream' Daily Mail

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A bloody, brutal and breath-taking epic heroic fantasy by the Sunday Times bestselling author David Gemmell, perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, Duncan M. Hamilton and Conn Iggulden."Gemmell is past the point of needing recommending - he is an institution that becomes more valuable with each new novel." -- ENIGMA"Gemmell's premium-grade heroic fantasies stress the positive values of individualism...stirring, emotionally charged, superbly written." -- TIME OUT"A classic of its genre" -- ***** Reader review"Another masterpiece [-] couldn't put it down. Loved the characters and the twists and turns of the plot.Not many do it better than the master storyteller." -- ***** Reader review"A very good read, with several surprising twists. This book will keep you guessing until the end." -- ***** Reader review************************************************Even in death, Skilgannon the Damned's name lives on. Now, as an ancient evil threatens to flood the Drenai heartlands in a tide of blood, he returns...A thousand years after they fell in battle, two heroes - Druss and Skilgannon - are revered throughout the war-torn lands of the Drenai, where men and women live in abject fear of the dark sorceress known as the Eternal...But what if one such hero could be called back from the void? An ancient prophecy foretold that Skilgannon would return in his people's darkest hour. To most, this was a foolish hope. But not so to Landis Kan. Having found Skilgannon's ancient tomb, he gathers up the bones and peforms the mystic ritual.But the reborn hero is an enigma: a young man whose warrior skills are blunted and whose memories are fragmented. He is marooned in a world as strange to him as a dream, remote from all he knew and loved. Or nearly all - for Landis Kan has also experimented upon other bone fragments found in the hero's tomb resulting in a surly giant who possesses astounding strength but no memories. To Kan, he is a dangerous failure. To Skilgannon, this giant represents their last hope.As ageless evil threatens to drown the Drenai lands in blood, two legendary heroes will once again lead the way to freedom.

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'If you want to know what is was like to go to Vietnam as a young American... and find yourself caught in ferocious, remorseless combat with an enemy as courageous and idealistic as you were, then you must read this book. Moore and Galloway have captured the terror and exhilaration, the comradeship and self-sacrifice, the brutality and compassion that are the dark heart of war' THE TIMESTHE MUST READ CLASSIC OF THE VIETNAM WARIn November 1965, 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt.Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered - how they sacrificed themselves for their comrades and never gave up - is both inspiring and devastating. General Moore and Joseph Galloway, the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting, have interviewed hundreds of the men who fought there, including the North Vietnamese commanders, to present a picture of soldiers facing the sort of brutal challenge they would have found unimaginable only a few hours earlier. It is a spellbinding true portrait of warfare at its most visceral and desperate, which reveals to us, as rarely before, the extraordinary resources man can summon in the darkest of hours.

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From Manhattan high-society to warn-torn France, Mirror Image is a compelling story about the mysterious bond between twin sisters. For twins Olivia and Victoria, their bond was mysterious, marvellous, and often playful – a secret realm only they inhabited. Shy, serious Olivia, born eleven minutes before her sister, had taken over the role of mother in their lush New York estate. Free-spirited Victoria wanted to change the world, and embraced the women’s suffrage movement, dreaming of sailing to war-torn Europe. Then, in the girls’ twenty-first year, as the First World War escalates overseas, a fateful choice changes their lives forever . . .

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Shortly after Fiona's return to Fort Weyr, three Turns older and wiser, her queen, Talenth, is infected with the dreaded sickness that has consumed so many of Pern's precious fire-breathing dragons. Talenth's recovery and the recovery of all the other dragons of Pern is delivered by the unflagging efforts of Lorana and Kindan at Benden Weyr - but their one vital clue is only bought with the loss of all the dragons of Telgar Weyr. Fiona is sent to relieve the distressed weyrfolk of the now-dragonless Weyr. When her queen, Talenth, rises to mate, Fiona finds herself not only Telgar's senior Weyrwoman but in the center of the dilemma that confronts all Pern - how can the one thousand fighting dragons do the job of three thousand? And, if they can't, how long will it be before all of Pern is consumed by Thread?

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India Taylor lived in a world of manicured lawns and neatly-maintained calendars. With four wonderful children, India believed in commitment and sacrifice, just as she believed in Doug, the man she had married seventeen years before. She had chosen this life, not the award-winning career as a photojournalist she once had, and it was a choice she had never regretted - until she began to regret it with all her heart.India couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when the price of the sacrifices she she'd made began to seem high. But when she met Paul Ward, a Wall Street tycoon married to a bestselling author, India could share her dreams with him, and offer comfort when he suffered a heartbreak of his own. India hadn't planned to become Paul's friend, and anything more was unthinkable.When Paul urged India to reclaim her career, Doug was adamantly against it, determined to keep her tied to the home. But with Paul's encouragement India slowly, painfully, began to break free and find herself again.

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Everyone in Washington knows Madeleine and Jack Hunter. Maddy is an award-winning TV anchorwoman, and Jack is the head of her network and an adviser to the President on media issues. To the world, theirs is a storybook marriage. But behind the locked doors of their lush Georgetown home, a very different story emerges. For as Maddy's career soars, a bitter edge of control and jealousy has crept in, so that the woman the nation idolises lives in degradation and fear. The cruelty she experiences at Jack's hands leaves no bruises, no scars, only the wounds of fear, humiliation and isolation.Maddy's journey to healing begins when the President's wife offers her the opportunity to join her newly-formed Commission on Violence against Women. There Maddy hears chilling stories from terrified wives and girlfriends that sound eerily familiar. And there she meets Bill Alexander, a distinguished scholar and diplomat who also works on the commission. Bill suspects that something is terribly wrong in Maddy's marriage and, as she takes the first steps towards freedom, a remarkable series of events begin to unfold. White House headlines bring the country to a standstill, and a devastating tragedy occurs which forces Maddy to realise just how much she has lost - her confidence, her trust, her self-respect. As her journey comes to a close, she finds a strength she never knew she had...and a gift which will change her life forever.

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'One of his best works for a long time' Sunday Times'Another strong performance by a writer who know exactly what he's about' Publisher's Weekly'A cunningly constructed action thriller . . . the story is terrifying and timely and grips you to the end' Daily Telegraph_______________________________From the world-renowned, bestselling author of The Day of the Jackal and The FoxIt is 1999 and Russia is on the edge of total implosion.Social and moral order has collapsed. The only rule is imposed by mafia-like criminal gangs. And a visionary patriot whose voice rises above it all: Igor Komarov.It is in to this world that former CIA agent Jason Monk is plunged. Drawn out of retirement by the CIA's desperate bid to halt Komarov's meteoric rise, he must slip back in to Russia undetected and carry out a covert mission that the world depends on. With Komarov set to win the next election, Monk discovers a secret document that is smuggled in to the British Embassy in Moscow. Named The Black Manifesto, it reveals Komarov's horrifying and deadly secret agenda.With many Western leaders persuaded that Komraov can lead his country into a new age, and the election looming, time is running out. . .

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Sattareh Farman Farmaian, the daughter of a once-powerful and wealthy Iranian prince, was raised and educated in the 1920s and 1930s in a Persian harem compound, along with numerous mothers and more than 30 brothers and sisters. As a young woman, she broke with Muslim tradition and travelled to America, where she became the first Persian to study at the University of Southern California. Her new life in the West fired a vision to lift her own people out of backwardness and poverty, and she returned to Iran to found the Tehran School of Social Work. For more than 20 years, Sattareh and her students waged a war against poverty, disease and overcrowding, and then, soon after the collapse of the Shah's regime, she was forced to flee the country in fear of her life. In this account of her experiences, she provides an insider's view of Iran's journey through the 20th century and of the events which led up to, and followed, the Islamic revolution.

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Although frequent business meetings keep her husband, Brad, away from home, Page Clarke feels blessed with her happy family and comfortable marriage. They have a house near San Francisco and she keeps busy looking after their seven-year-old son, Andy, and their teenage daughter, Allyson.Allyson, at fifteen, is trying her wings and one weekend, instead of an evening with her friend Chloe, the girls lie and go out with two older high school boys. But a Saturday night that was supposed to be fun ends in tragedy when their car collides head-on with another.At the hospital, Page finds Chloe's divorced father, Trygve, and, unable to locate Brad, she leans on his strength throughout the the long hours of tormenting questions. Will Allyson live? Will any of them? Were the teenagers drinking? Using drugs? Who was at fault? And where is her husband? Without Brad by her side Page feels her life start to come apart as she is forced to confront the fact that Allyson may not live, and if she does, she may never be the same again. In an inspiring novel that explores how many people are affected by one tragic accident and how they survive it, Danielle Steel brings us close to the characters whose lives are as familiar as our own... and who live, as we all do, in a world where everything can change in a single moment.

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In Lightning, bestselling novelist Danielle Steel tells the story of a woman whose life is changed by one swift, unexpected stroke of fate.As a partner in one of New York's most prestigious law firms, Alexandra Parker barely manages to juggle husband, career, and the three-year-old child she gave birth to at forty. Then lightning strikes - a routine medical check-up turns her world upside down when tests reveal shattering news. Her husband Sam, a Wall Street whiz-kid, is as proud of his long-time marriage to Alex as he is of his successful career - until he is caught off guard by Alex's illness. Terrified of losing his wife and family, Sam fails to provide any kind of emotional support.Almost overnight, Sam takes his distance from Alex, and they become strangers. As lightning strikes them yet again, Sam's promising career suddenly explodes into disaster, and his very life and identity are challenged. With his future hanging in the balance, Alex must decide what she feels for Sam, if life will ever be the same for them again, or if she must move on without him.

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Family history (he is half Norwegian) and a passion for the fiction of Bernard Cornwell inspired GILES KRISTIAN to write. Set in the Viking world, his bestselling 'Raven' and 'The Rise of Sigurd' trilogies have been acclaimed by his peers, reviewers and readers alike. In The Bleeding Land and Brothers' Fury, he tells the story of a family torn apart by the English Civil War. He also co-wrote Wilbur Smith's No.1 bestseller, Golden Lion. His contemporary survival thriller, Where Blood Runs Cold, won the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. With his Sunday Times bestseller Lancelot, Giles plunged into the rich waters of the Arthurian legend. His epic reimagining of our greatest island 'history' continued in Camelot and draws to a breath-taking close with Arthur. Giles Kristian lives in Leicestershire.To find out more, visit www.glieskristian.com. You can follow him on X @GilesKristian and Facebook/Giles Kris

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He collects books: Interior designer for the rich and powerful, Matt de Voy lends his tasteful eye to the households of his wealthy female clients. This chilling encounter between old money and new, between the real world and the imagined, is also a moving portrayal of a confused hero's battle to know himself.

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'Reason to Be Happy is a wise and witty book that shows how thinking clearly can help us find happiness in our daily lives, get more of what we want, and even make the world a better place' Hannah FryWhy do our friends have more friends than we do? How do you book the best available seats on a plane? And if jogging for ten minutes adds eight minutes to our life expectancy, should we still go jogging?The ability to reason is one of our most undervalued skills. In everyday life, the key is to put yourself in the shoes of a clever competitor and think about how they might respond. Whether you are dealing with events on the scale of the Cuban missile crisis or letting go of anger, leading economist Professor Kaushik Basu shows how game theory - the logic of social situations - can help us achieve better outcomes and lasting happiness.Full of fascinating thought experiments and puzzles, Reason to Be Happy is a paean to the power of rationality. If you want to have a good life and even make the world a better place, you can start by thinking clearly.

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The Secret History meets Ninth House . . . the discovery of a mysterious deck of tarot cards lays bare shocking secrets within a close-knit circle of researchers at New York's famed Met Cloisters museum.-------'Glamour, power, seduction, ambition – The Cloisters has it all. I adored this deliciously gothic, beautifully written novel.' LOUISE O'NEILL,'Dark and enigmatic . . . a story of academic obsession, Renaissance magic and the ruthless pursuit of power. Captivating in every sense.' SARAH PEARSE'Elegant and atmospheric and suffused with brooding menace.' LUCY CLARKE'Sultry and sinister . . . teems with sexual tension, the secrets of divination, and scholarly obsessiveness . . . jaw-dropping.' SARAH PENNER‘Beguiling and atmospheric, an entrancing and gripping tale.’ KATE MOSSE-------Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.Drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, Ann happy to indulge some of their more outlandish theories, including the museum's curator who is fixated on tarot and the real possibility of predicting the future.But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide who she trusts . . .The instant Sunday Times bestseller, January 2023

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AS FEATURED ON 'BBC RADIO 4 'GOOD READS'.Woodlands Awards 2019: Woodland Books of the Year'The oak is the wooden tie between heaven and earth. It is the lynch pin of the British landscape.' The oak is our most beloved and most common tree. It has roots that stretch back to all the old European cultures but Britain has more ancient oaks than all the other European countries put together. More than half the ancient oaks in the world are in Britain. Many of our ancestors - the Angles, the Saxons, the Norse - came to the British Isles in longships made of oak. For centuries the oak touched every part of a Briton's life - from cradle to coffin It was oak that made the 'wooden walls' of Nelson's navy, and the navy that allowed Britain to rule the world. Even in the digital Apple age, the real oak has resonance - the word speaks of fortitude, antiquity, pastoralism.The Glorious Life of the Oak explores our long relationship with this iconic tree; it considers the life-cycle of the oak, the flora and fauna that depend on the oak, the oak as medicine, food and drink, where Britain's mightiest oaks can be found, and it tells of oak stories from folklore, myth and legend.

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Reacher never backs down from a problem.And he's about to find a big one, on a deserted Arizona road, where a Jeep has crashed into the only tree for miles around. Under the merciless desert sun, nothing is as it seems.Minutes later Reacher is heading into the nearby border town, a backwater that has seen better days. Next to him is Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent, who is trying to find her twin brother. He might have got mixed up with some dangerous people.And Reacher might just need to pay them a visit.Their leader has burrowed his influence deep into the town. Just to get in and meet the mysterious Dendoncker, Reacher is going to have to achieve the impossible.To get answers will be even harder. There are people in this hostile, empty place who would rather die than reveal their secrets.But then, if Reacher is coming after you, you might be better off dead.Although the Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order, Better Off Dead is the 26th book in the internationally popular series.And be sure not to miss Reacher's newest adventure, no.27, No Plan B! ***OUT NOW***____Jack Reacher is today's James Bond, a thriller hero we can't get enough of.' Ken Follett'If you haven't read any Jack Reacher, you have a treat in store . . . a hitchhiker without a phone, a one-man force for good.' The Times'A contemporary version of the knight in shining armour . . . Reacher is a mythic figure.' Literary Review'Jack Reacher is a wonderfully epic hero; tough, taciturn, yet vulnerable... Irresistible.' People'Jack Reacher has long since earned his prominent place in the pantheon of cool, smart-talking American heroes.' New York Times

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NEIL GAIMAN: 'Glorious. A story that will be found and enjoyed and dreamed about for years to come'A celebration of friendship, courage and imagination inspired by Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz.__________________________It all starts on the morning the letter D disappears from the language. First, it vanishes from her parents' conversation at breakfast, then from the road signs outside. Soon the local dentist and the neighbour's Dalmatian are missing, and even the Donkey Derby has been called off. Though she doesn't know why, Dhikilo is summoned to the home of her old history teacher Professor Dodderfield and his faithful Labrador, Nelly Robinson. And this is where our story really begins. Set between England and the wintry land of Liminus, a world enslaved by the monstrous Gamp and populated by fearsome, enchanting creatures, D (Tale of Two Worlds) is a mesmerising tale of friendship and bravery in an uncertain world. Told with simple beauty and warmth, its celebration of moral courage and freethinking is a powerful reminder of our human capacity for strength, hope and justice.'Dhikilo is a splendid heroine for our time: She stands for kindness, honesty and humanity' DIANE SETTERFIELD'Young adult readers will love it, but Faber's brio and bubbly ingenuity will delight adult readers too.' Daily Mail

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'Dark, timely and thought-provoking. It's a must-read' THE SUN'Visceral and raw. Buy it' GLAMOUR'Reminiscent of HBO's hit The White Lotus... The obvious read-alike is My Dark Vanessa' BOOKLIST'Packs an incredible punch' THE TIMES'It's set to be a big summer hit' The IndependentAn idyllic island. An all-consuming romance. The best summer of your life . . .But what if everything you remember was a lie?**********Rachel has loved Alistair since she was seventeen.Even though she hasn't seen him for sixteen years and she's now married to someone else.Even though she was a teenager when they met.Even though he is almost twenty years older than her.Now in her thirties, Rachel has never been able to forget their golden summer together on a remote, sun-trapped Greek island. But as dark and deeply suppressed memories rise to the surface, Rachel begins to understand that Alistair - and the enigmatic, wealthy man he worked for - controlled much more than she ever realized.Rachel has never once considered herself a victim - until now.**********For fans of GIRL A, MY DARK VANESSA and LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE, The Girls of Summer is a bold compulsive exploration of sex, power and consent, and what happens when we revisit the past with rose-tinted glasses.'Beautifully written, transportive, and thought-provoking' LUCY CLARKE, author of THE CASTAWAYS'A mesmerising, unsettling and gripping debut' CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD, author of RUN TIME'Thought-provoking, timely' SARAH TURNER, author of STEPPING UP***********Readers are talking about THE GIRLS OF SUMMER:* 'In the age of #MeToo, this book is one that will ring true with so many people'* 'Beautifully written with a tense, emotive plot that will be relatable to so many women'* 'An excellent debut. Raw, real, and gut-wrenchingly familiar'* 'Wow wow wow! I am still thinking about it, it's one of those stories that stays with you'

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'An important book on several levels... Read a few sentences out loud, wherever you are.' Rosamund YoungEverybody thinks they know what sheep are like: they're stupid, noisy, cowardly ('lambs to the slaughter'), and they're 'sheepwrecking' the environment.Or maybe not. Contrary to popular prejudice, sheep are among the smartest animals in the farmyard, fiercely loyal, forming long and lasting friendships. Sheep, farmed properly, are boons to biodiversity. They also happen to taste good and their fleeces warm us through the winter - indeed, John Lewis-Stempel's family supplied the wool for Queen Elizabeth's 'hose'.Observing the traditional shepherd's calendar, The Sheep's Tale is a loving biography of ewes, lambs, and rams through the seasons. Lewis-Stempel tends to his flock with deep-rooted wisdom, ethical consideration, affection, and humour. This book is a tribute to all the sheep he has reared and sheared - from gregarious Action Ram to sweet Maid Marion. In his inimitable style, he shares the tales that only a shepherd can tell.

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The uplifting Japanese bestsellerTHE PERFECT GIFT FOR CAT LOVERS'Compassionate and touching' DAILY MAIL'Totally beguiling' OBSERVERPerfect fans of The Travelling Cat Chronicles and Convenience Store Woman____________On the outskirts of Tokyo, local cats weave their way through the lives and homes of their owners as they navigate difficult times.- A cat named Chobi sends silent messages of courage to a young woman, willing her to end a faltering relationship- A gifted artist fatally misunderstands her boss's enthusiasm for her paintings- A manga fan shuts herself away after the death of her friend, while her cat Cookie hatches a plan to persuade her outside- A woman who has dedicated her life to a distant husband learns a lesson in independence from her catAgainst the urban backdrop of humming trains and private woes, SHE AND HER CAT explores the gentle magic of the everyday.Populated by both the friendly and the feral, it reveals - with heartstopping clarity and warmth - how even in our darkest moments, community and connection may lead us to a happier place.***Includes four fabulous illustrations***____________'A beautiful, uplifting novel. As mesmerizing as it is strange' SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE'Goes to show how cats will save us all' Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and the City'A gem, written with deep insight and finely attuned to the ways of cats and their humans. An absolute delight' HAZEL PRIOR author of Call of the Penguins

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'Small Things Like These meets Under Milk Wood - this slim but devastating novel captures an entire village, an entire world, and the many ways in which a woman can be trapped. A real gem.' RUTH GILLIGAN, author of The ButchersA wonderful novella, full of atmosphere and feeling' SARA BAUME, author of A LINE MADE BY WALKING'Beautiful, incredibly painterly and full of breathtaking details. A devastating portrait of a particular place, which draws you in with its brutality and beauty' CARYL LEWIS, author of DRIFT'Incredibly assured, carefully observed, full of heart. A quietly devastating read which lingers long after the final page' JAN CARSON, author of THE RAPTURES_____________Tucked into the Welsh valleys and encircled by silver birch and pine, the village of Cwmcysgod may appear a quiet, sleepy sort of place. But beneath the surface, tensions simmer, hearts ache, and painful truths threaten to emerge.Sixteen-year-old Catrin Bone knows only what she has been told. Now, she is beginning to question her small world, and a version of the past that seems to entrap and embitter her reclusive mother, Mary.Mary had a sister once, a girl of unparalleled beauty. Why did she disappear from the village in a shroud of shame all those years ago - and where is she now?Meanwhile the Clements brothers, skint and all out of hope, run rampant across the hills and lanes. And old Dai Bevel, whose frailty masks a dark history, dreams of a girl he used to know...The sins of the past are approaching, for it takes a village: to raise a child, to bring down a woman, to hide something monstrous and to look the other way.In this tender, sly, exquisitely wrought novella, a unique cast of characters give voice to their versions of the truth. But it is the story of Rosalind Bone, of her strength and of all that she has endured, that rises above the rest, shimmering with hope and possibility...

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_____________"Everything you need to know about keeping plants in your house... lovely pictures, tips, tricks... I love it." (Zoe Sugg a.k.a Zoella)Love plants, but short on outdoor space? Keen to fill your home with greenery but don't know where to start? Or perhaps you've been labelled a house-plant serial killer? Then this is the book for you.With stunning photography and expert step-by-step tips, Bring The Outside In reveals everything you need to know to help your plants thrive, from dramatic statement foliage and miniature citrus trees to table-top terrariums and hanging planters. With chapters on orchids, cacti, herb gardens and chilli plants, your home will be flourishing in no time.

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'The only book that will give you a hangover' Chris Evans Breakfast Show---The hilarious, no holds barred autobiography from sporting legend and broadcaster Alan Brazil.As Alan recounts tales from his extraordinary life, he relives the sporting occasions, radio broadcasts and famously long drinking sessions that have defined his career. He takes readers inside the talkSPORT studio for a behind-the-scenes view of his most memorable interviews, and talks for the first time about the on-pitch rivalries and dressing room debriefs of his footballing career.With his typically outspoken and irreverent delivery, Alan shares everything from his thoughts on how the sports he loves have changed to his top tips for picking winners (and many losers) at Cheltenham. And he revels in wine-soaked jaunts in the South of France and late-night supermarket sweeps with Ray Parlour - if you can keep up.Packed full of never-before-told stories, refreshing appraisals, sporting controversy and a cast of larger-than-life characters, this is a brutally honesty and wickedly funny insight into an extraordinary life.

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A young girl struggles to realise her dreams when her life is derailed - from the Sunday Times bestselling author Val Wood.---------------------Holderness, 1846.For reliable, thirteen-year-old Bella, life isn't turning out quite as she'd hoped. She lives at the Woodman Inn - an ancient hostelry run by her family in the Yorkshire countryside - with her parents and siblings, but when she learns not only that her father is seriously ill, but that her mother is expecting a fifth child, her dreams of leaving home to become a schoolteacher are quickly dashed.Times are hard, and when their father dies Bella also has to take on the role of mother to her baby brother. Her days are brightened by the occasional visit from Jamie Lucan - the eighteen-year-old son of a wealthy landowning neighbour. Also grieving the loss of a parent, Jamie has more in common with Bella than she thinks.When her mother announces out of the blue that she wants to move the family to Hull, Bella is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. They arrive to find that the public house they are now committed to buying is run-down and dilapidated. Could things get any worse? Or could this move turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Bella?If you've liked books by Dilly Court and Katie Flynn, you'll love Val Wood's heartwarming stories of triumph over adversity.---------------------Praise for Val Wood:'A heart-warming story filled with compelling action' Rosie Goodwin'Hull's answer to Catherine Cookson' BBC Radio 4's Front Row'Wonderfully fully-fleshed characters are the mainstay of [Val Wood's] stories' Peterborough Telegraph

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Readers have fallen in love with Paige and Noah:'Totally touched my heart''I completely LOVED this book''I'm now obsessed with this author and can't wait to see what she does next!''A hilarious and heartwarming novel ... a definite five star read''If you're a fan of rom-coms, you HAVE to pick this up!''I adored this book and raced through it'---------------------------Two men to choose from. One fantastic mistake.Paige might bake wedding cakes for a living but that doesn't mean shes dreaming about her own perfect day. Far from it.Trusting people is hard after she was badly let down by her family and boyfriend just when she needed them most. And to make things worse, her ex has just walked into her bakery with his new fiancée...Needing a little no-strings-attached fun, Paige goes to a party where her friend knows just the guy - the guy in the black top.There's just one problem. There are two men wearing black tops.Noah was meant to be her perfect distraction...instead, he wants more than just a bit of fun. But could the wrong guy turn out to be the right choice?PRAISE FOR THE MIX-UP: 'So funny and so moving. I could not stop reading" Sophie Cousens, author of This Time Next Year'Holly strikes a perfect balance between raw and relatable, funny and heart-warming' Abigail Mann, author of The Lonely Fajita'A gorgeous, uplifting read that packs a real emotional punch' Gillian Harvey, author of Perfect on Paper

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AS HEARD ON RADIO 4'S 'ABILITY''A truly eye-opening book from a fantastic comedian.' ADAM KAY'Comedy genius... The funniest book I've read in years.' DAVID WALLIAMS_______________Lee Ridley won the hearts and minds of the nation on Britain's Got Talent. Now the much-loved comedian opens up about what it's like to be him.I'm Only In It for the Parking is a wonderful romp through Lee's extraordinary life, by way of the people who like to pray for him, the comparisons with Stephen Hawking, some perilous falls, some epic fails and more information about Lee's private life than you probably need.This is the wickedly funny story of the stand-up who struggles to stand up, but who learns to finds his feet. The Geordie without the accent. The entertainer who really can't speak at all, but who has something important to say._______________What readers are saying:***** 'Such a brilliant and honest book.'***** 'The funniest book I've read this year.'***** 'Written with poignancy and humour.'***** 'Had me laughing out loud all the way from start to finish.'

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Perfect fiction for fans of BBC TV's hit series BRIDGERTON and HARLOTS'A remarkable picture of a fascinating age' Daily Express'A full-blooded historical' Independent_____________________My tale is not for the faint of heart.Born illegitimate in eighteenth-century England, the scandalous Henrietta Lightfoot gives us her version of the truth about her criminal life in this delicious coming-of-age.Fleeing her childhood home for the big city, Henrietta is now swimming in the London underworld of rakes, rogues, sharks, pimps and courtesans - she quickly sees that true liberty is a man's privilege.What must Henrietta do to survive in a world designed for men?Gripping, twisty, shocking, MISTRESS OF MY FATE illuminates the dark lives of the women written out by the masters of eighteenth-century literature. Vibrant and full-blooded, it is an irresistible picaresque story for our times'Two parts Lizzie Bennett and Tom Jones's Sophia Western to one part Moll Flanders' INDEPENDENT'Combines extraordinary bawdiness with silky sophistication' DAILY EXPRESS

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In Hooked, reformed addict Clare Gee draws on her own experiences of cocaine addiction, alcoholism and prostitution in telling the sensational story of a woman living on the edge. From this dark emotional pit, Katie starts her painful journey back to 'wellness' and attempts to rid herself of her addictions for good.

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The war on drugs has been lost for want of courage to admit that the world is becoming a vast criminal network. From pop stars and princes to crack whores and street kids, we are all partners in crime. This collection of interconnected stories travels through the kaleidoscope world created by law.

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SEX, LIES, AND ROCKY ROADS …Life is simple for Champa. He has a good job as a chauffeur in his hometown of Lhasa, and if his Chinese boss Plum is a little domineering, well, he can understand that – she’s a serious art-collector after all. And he does get to drive her huge Toyota.When he starts to sleep with his boss as well as drive her around, life becomes a whole lot more complicated. But not in a bad way. Suddenly Champa’s sex life is beyond his wildest dreams.But then Plum brings home a Tara statue - a statue that shines with exquisite feminine beauty – and suddenly life is not simple at all, as Champa finds himself on the long road to Beijing in search of its inspiration …THE UNBEARABLE DREAMWORLD OF CHAMPA THE DRIVER is a rollicking road novel brim-ful of sensuality and danger. Underlying the optimism and humour of its hero is a darker picture of racism and rough justice in modern Beijing.

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A community on the brink.An abandoned chapel burns. In this part of Manchester, destruction is not unusual. But this time, the body of a man lies inside.And it’s down to Scott and Bailey to save them all...Detective Constable Rachel Bailey is struggling to come to terms with huge change, just as her partner, DC Janet Scott grapples with a horrifying tragedy. But they must put aside their own troubles if they are to solve this murder investigation. Especially when a second building goes up in flames…

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'An excellent action-thriller' Daily Telegraph'The action never lets up for a moment' Daily Mail'Very entertaining' Guardian'An old-fashioned blockbuster...Conway writes with brio and ambition' Financial Times'The most incredible spy franchise since Ian Fleming’ Matthew Vaughn_____________________The globe-trotting spy thriller that inspired the upcoming action blockbuster Argylle , featuring a star-studded cast including Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Cena.One Russian magnate's dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events which will take the world to the brink of chaos. Only Frances Coffey, the CIA's most legendary spymaster, can prevent it. But to do so, she needs someone special.Enter Argylle. His life came to a crashing halt as a teenager. Since then he has been treading water, building barriers between himself and the world. Until one moment of compassion and brilliance will bring him to the attention of the most powerful woman in the secret world.Coffey knows all about Argylle's dark past. She knows it haunts him. But she also knows it may give him the skills to join the team going up against one of the most powerful men in the world. His crash course in espionage will take him from the jungles of Thailand to the boulevards of Monaco, from the monasteries of Mount Athos to a forgotten cavern buried deep in the mountains.It is a deathly rollercoaster ride that will either make him - or break him...

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The new novel from a master of the Cold War thriller . . .'This is Robert Harris storytelling territory' Daily Mail'Outstanding' Sunday Times'Tense, exciting and authentic' Charles Cumming, author of Judas 62'Stunning' The Times'Brilliantly plotted' John Sweeney, author of Killer in the Kremlin'A standout thriller' Financial Times1963. In a desolate Russian penal colony, the radio broadcasts news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasin's new posting as director of a gulag camp in the middle of the frozen tundra is far from a promotion. This is where disgraced agents, like Vasin, disappear - sent to die forgotten. And quietly. But tensions in the camp are running high and when a violent revolt breaks out, Vasin finds himself on the run. With him is a mysterious prisoner - who holds the key to the most dangerous secret in the world: who ordered Kennedy's murder.In a breathless race that takes them through the Soviet Union - from the barren Siberian wastelands to the stunning halls of the Katerina Palace and the grey streets of Leningrad and Moscow - Vasin must stay one step ahead of the most ruthless spy and police organizations in the world . . . and keep the most wanted man in Russia alive. It's a journey that will push Vasin's loyalty, morality and his patriotism to the limit. And he must confront the ultimate choice: fall in line, or die fighting the system.With masterful storytelling that weaves together an explosive moment in history with the cutthroat machinations of Soviet politics, Owen Matthews' White Fox captures the paradigm-shifting assassination from a unique Soviet point of view. This is a page-turning thriller - a race against time across Soviet Russia, where the participants face impossible odds and must decide between truth, justice and all-out war.

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From the New York Times bestselling author, a provocative book of hard-won wisdom for achieving a fulfilling career and life. - How can you have a meaningful career, not just a lucrative one?- Is a work/life balance really possible?- What does it take to make a long-term relationship succeed?- What can you do now so there are no regrets aged 40, 50 or 80? As Scott Galloway puts it, by the time you hit your mid twenties sh*t gets real. Life become stressful. Even the smart, the hard working and the elite can feel lost in a chaotic, noisy and unpredictable world. As a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, the debate in Galloway's MBA class often veers away from business strategy to the challenging issue of life strategies. Which is why Galloway, in his signature, take-no-prisoners style, has developed a dynamic formula for a life well lived. In The Algebra of Happiness Galloway tells you how life can be navigated and negotiated better to maximise happiness and minimise the inevitable stress. Delivering practical advice and hard-won wisdom on everything from when to own property to how hard to work, this is self-help for anyone struggling with life's big questions. Through simple equations that measure the relationship between success, resilience and failure or the correlation between happiness and money, Galloway attempts to convert intangible advice to tangible equations.

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