Search results for ""MACMILLAN""

Garth Greenwell is the author of Cleanness and What Belongs to You. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Vursell Award for prose style from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU.

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Cleanness revisits and expands the world of Garth Greenwell’s beloved debut, What Belongs to You, declared ‘an instant classic’ by the New York Times Book Review. In exacting, elegant prose, Greenwell transcribes the strange dialects of desire, cementing his stature as one of our most vital living writers.‘This is an exceptional work of fiction, which places Greenwell among the very best contemporary novelists.’ – IndependentSofia, Bulgaria, a landlocked city in southern Europe, stirs with hope and impending upheaval. Soviet buildings crumble, wind scatters sand from the far south, and political protesters flood the streets with song.In this atmosphere of disquiet, an American teacher navigates a life transformed by the discovery and loss of love. As he prepares to leave the place he’s come to call home, he grapples with the intimate encounters that have marked his years abroad, each bearing uncanny reminders of his past. A queer student’s confession recalls his own first love, a stranger’s seduction devolves into paternal sadism, and a romance with a younger man opens, and heals, old wounds. Each echo reveals startling insights about what it means to seek connection: with those we love, with the places we inhabit, and with our own fugitive selves.Chosen as a book of the year in the New Yorker, Daily Telegraph, Observer and Irish Times.

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Mixed is a charming and thought-provoking picture book with characterful illustrations and humour. Follow the colours as they overcome their differences in this sweet tale of acceptance and celebrating difference.The Blues, Reds and Yellows lived in harmony. Reds were the loudest, Yellows the brightest and Blues were the coolest. However when one of the colours proclaims they are the best, discord breaks out and eventually the colours decide to live in different parts of the city. Then one day a Yellow befriends a Blue and they become inseparable, discovering a world of different possibilities and colours.From the brilliantly talented Arree Chung comes a timely tale of difference and acceptance.

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Orbus continues the adventure of Captain Orbus in Neal Asher's high-octane, science fiction Spatterjay series.A cold war is turning white hot.Old Captain Orbus commandeered a ship to flee Spatterjay, desperate to escape the violent planet. Orbus’s alien enemy, the Prador Vrell, is also moving on. The Spatterjay virus mutated him into something even more dangerous. And he’s hunting the Prador King himself – who sought to kill him, to bury the secret of their similar transformations.Orbus and Vrell clash in the Graveyard, a lawless zone where the Prador have seized a key space station. Official action by humanity or Prador would end peace, as a centuries-long cold war simmers. So Earth commands Orbus to destroy the station, even as the King recruits a monster to exterminate Vrell. But their actions will awaken an intelligence that annihilated civilizations, as it stirs after five million years . . .

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It was a quest for vengeance; now it’s full-blown rebellion. Zero Point is the second book in Neal Asher’s high-octane Owner trilogy.He must flee or face his enemy . . .Earth’s Zero Asset citizens no longer face extermination from orbit. Thanks to Alan Saul, the Committee’s network of control is a smoking ruin. Its robotic enforcers also lie dormant. But power abhors a vacuum, and the Committee’s Serene Galahad seizes command.On Mars, Var Delex is fighting to save the Antares Base. She must also crush the first signs of its own rebellion, while the Argus Space Station speeds towards the red planet. Var knows that whoever trashed Earth is still aboard. And aboard Argus Station, Alan Saul’s mind has expanded into its computer network. There, he learns of the Humanoid Unit Development and its ghastly experiments; the possibility of eternal life; and of a madman who may hold the keys to interstellar flight. But Earth’s agents are close, and the killing will soon begin.'A thoroughly enjoyable novel' – Walker of Worlds'A real page turner' – I Will Read Books'Asher’s ability to write exciting set-piece action scenes featuring cool SF hardware is undimmed . . . Those who enjoy Neal Asher’s fast-paced, technologically rich SF stories will find a lot to like' – Concatenation

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In Neal Asher's The Technician, the Theocracy has been dead for twenty years, and the Polity rules on Masada – but it is an order that the rebels of the Tidy Squad cannot accept, and the iconic Jeremiah Tombs is top of their hitlist.Its secrets could mean our survival . . .On the savage planet of Masada, one of the native aliens is spreading terror through the human population. It creates sculptures from its victims’ remains, earning it its nickname: the Technician. And only Jeremiah Tombs has survived an encounter. This sent him mad, but he may have learned something key to humanity’s survival – if he lives to remember it. Jeremiah was a member of a brutal regime, now deposed, and a radical sect still wants its revenge. The Technician buried something in Jeremiah’s mind about the alien Atheter, an entire race that committed suicide. However, in seeking to understand their disappearance, we may somehow be attracting the same fate. And to unlock Jeremiah’s secrets, Polity operatives must keep him alive.

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Set in a lethal waterworld where sudden death is a way of life, The Skinner is the first novel in the far-future Spatterjay series by Neal Asher.The savage ocean planet of Spatterjay draws visitors with very different agendas. Erlin is immortal and seeks a reason to keep living. Janer hosts a hive mind, which paid him to find this planet. And Keech is an agent of Earth who’s been dead for seven hundred years – but still hunts a notorious criminal.On Spatterjay’s vast waterscapes, only the Old Captains risk the native life forms and their voracious appetites. However, they are now barely human. And somewhere out there Keech’s target – the Skinner – runs wild. Keech pursues the Skinner for atrocities committed in a centuries-past war, fought with the alien Prador. But one of these Prador is fast approaching Spatterjay to exterminate witnesses to his own war crimes. And he won’t spare its visitors.Continue the science fiction adventure with The Voyage of Sable Keech and Orbus.

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For fans of He Said/She Said and Anatomy of a Scandal, Penny Hancock’s I Thought I Knew You is about secrets and lies – and whose side you take when it really matters.Who do you know better? Your oldest friend? Or your child?And who should you believe when one accuses the other of an abhorrent crime?Jules and Holly have been best friends since university. They tell each other everything, trading revelations and confessions, and sharing both the big moments and the small details of their lives: Holly is the only person who knows about Jules’s affair; Jules was there for Holly when her husband died. And their two children – just three years apart – have grown up together.So when Jules’s daughter Saffie makes a serious allegation against Holly’s son Saul, neither woman is prepared for the devastating impact this will have on their friendship or their families.Especially as Holly, in spite of her principles, refuses to believe her son is guilty.

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A Times Literary Supplement Book of the YearA riveting account of a forgotten holocaust: the slaughter of over one hundred thousand Ukrainian Jews in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. In the Midst of Civilized Europe repositions the pogroms as a defining moment of the twentieth century.'Exhaustive, clearly written, deeply researched' – The Times'A meticulous, original and deeply affecting historical account' – Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetBetween 1918 and 1921, over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine by peasants, townsmen, and soldiers who blamed the Jews for the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. In hundreds of separate incidents, ordinary people robbed their Jewish neighbors with impunity, burned down their houses, ripped apart their Torah scrolls, sexually assaulted them, and killed them. Largely forgotten today, these pogroms – ethnic riots – dominated headlines and international affairs in their time. Aid workers warned that six million Jews were in danger of complete extermination. Twenty years later, these dire predictions would come true.Drawing upon long-neglected archival materials, including thousands of newly discovered witness testimonies, trial records, and official orders, acclaimed historian Jeffrey Veidlinger shows for the first time how this wave of genocidal violence created the conditions for the Holocaust. Through stories of survivors, perpetrators, aid workers, and governmental officials, he explains how so many different groups of people came to the same conclusion: that killing Jews was an acceptable response to their various problems.

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A brand new title from award-winning Marta Altes.This dog may be alone and without a home, but he’s excited and ready to embrace a new life in a new town - and EVERYONE in it! This town is a busy, vibrant place but sometimes it’s hard being new and feeling different. Who will embrace him back?A big-hearted celebration of kindness and human connection, from the award-winning creator of Little Monkey. Rich in detail and meaning, with beautiful artwork, this uplifting story is ideal for any child facing a new or daunting situation.

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Meet a big, friendly dog looking for a home in this warm and reassuring story by award-winning Marta Altes.This dog may be alone and without a home, but he’s excited and ready to embrace a new life in a new town – and EVERYONE in it! This town is a busy, vibrant place but sometimes it’s hard being new and feeling different. Who will embrace him back?A big-hearted celebration of kindness and human connection, from the award-winning creator of Little Monkey. Rich in detail and meaning, with beautiful artwork, this uplifting story is ideal for any child facing a new or daunting situation.

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Set amid the decadence of Victorian England, A Dangerous Fortune tells of the dramatic highs and lows of the wealthy Pilaster family in Victorian England, from the author of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett.A Tragic Accident1866: at an exclusive school, a student drowns in a mysterious accident. His death and its aftermath will have repercussions for decades to come . . .A Fierce RivalryThere on that fateful day were Hugh Pilaster and his older cousin Edward, heirs of a powerful banking dynasty with connections that reach from London to far-afield colonies.A Lethal SecretThe cousins find themselves locked in a vicious competition for the top job at the bank. But the respectable veneer of the family, and even Victorian England itself, looks to shatter as the deadly event from their schooldays threatens everything the Pilasters have built.'A compulsively readable, enjoyable thriller-cum-saga' – Sunday Times'Banks, brothels, and a high body count . . . it's all there' – Financial Times

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The Breakfast Club meets One Day in Floored, a unique collaborative novel by seven bestselling and award-winning YA authors: Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood. When they got in the lift that morning, they were strangers. Sasha, who is at the UK's biggest TV centre desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he's by far the richest – and best-looking – guy in the lift; Velvet, who regrets wearing the world's least comfortable shoes to work experience; Dawson, who isn't the good-looking teen star he was and desperate not to be recognized; Kaitlyn, who's slowly losing her sight but won't admit it, and Joe, who shouldn't be there at all, but who wants to be there the most. And one more person, who will bring them together again on the same day every year . . .

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A moving true story of love on the front lines.It was July 1944 when Madge stepped onto a troopship that was to carry her thousands of miles away from home. Only twenty years old and not long qualified as a nurse, she had signed up to serve in the Burma Campaign. She would be based on the Indian border, near the frontline where a fierce battle was raging between Allied forces and the Japanese.As Madge arrived in Chittagong, she wondered how she would adapt to the ever present danger of invasion and to life in a military hospital. She spent long, exhausting hours nursing the badly-injured young soldiers in her care, but found strength in her friendship with the other nurses. And then, one day, she met Captain Basil Lambert . . . Could their fragile, new found romance survive the terrifying final months of war? Heart-warming and poignant, Some Sunny Day by Madge Lambert is a story of courage, sacrifice and the power of true love.

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The phenomenal international number one bestseller with exclusive interviews with Richie McCaw, Steve Hansen, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, The Jersey is the definitive story behind the greatest sports team on the planet.‘Extremely well written. Compelling, accurate, insightful and brilliant in the way it captures the New Zealand way’ – John Hart, former All Blacks coach.With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conquer the world?Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than forty years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. Peter talked at length with ninety people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked.

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A young woman finds herself on the wrong side of the law in The Knock, a gripping gangland thriller from top ten bestselling author Jessie Keane.Dora O’Brien had a good start in life, but things went bad when she began to mix with the wrong company. Pregnant by her gangster lover, she found herself on the streets and then in the grips of a bent copper called Donny Maguire.When her daughter Angel is born, Dora is already under the influence of drink and drugs. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s abusive relationship, Angel is nothing like her mother, but when matters turn murderous, Angel is forced to grow up fast and survival becomes the name of the game.For some, being on the wrong side of the law is the safest place to be . . .No one uncovers the underworld like Jessie Keane.

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Full of heart and humour, Molly Flatt's The Charmed Life of Alex Moore is one woman's adventure – with a most unexpected twist How would you feel if everything in your life suddenly started to go . . . right? Six months ago, Alex Moore was stuck in a dead-end job, failing to unleash one grand plan after another. Then, seemingly overnight, she launched her dream start-up and became one of London's fastest rising tech stars. At thirty, her life has just begun. But Alex’s transformation isn’t easy for those around her. Her friends are struggling to accept her sudden success, her parents are worried that she’s running on empty and her fiancé is getting cold feet. Then weird things start to happen. Muggings, stalkers and even a claim that she murdered a stranger. But when Alex visits the Orkney Islands to recharge, weird turns into WTF. Because there she discovers the world’s oldest secret – and it’s a secret that Alex’s stratospheric rise has royally messed up.'I was hooked after the first paragraph' Minnie Driver'A fabulous tale for the fabulist in all of us. Black Mirror for Generation Me' Philip Jones, Editor of The Bookseller

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The epic exploration of football in the twenty-first century through the prism of sociology, politics, and economics, by David Goldblatt, the critically acclaimed author of The Ball is Round.'David Goldblatt is not merely the best football historian writing today, he is possibly the best there has ever been' - Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesIn the twenty-first century football is first. First among sports themselves, but it now commands the allegiance, interest and engagement of more people in more places than any other phenomenon. In the three most populous nations on the earth - China, India and the United States where just twenty years ago football existed on the periphery of society - it has now arrived for good. Nations, peoples and neighbourhoods across the globe imagine and invent themselves through playing and following the game.In The Age of Football, David Goldblatt charts football’s global cul

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Meet 10-year-old Zac – a boy on a mission – in Katy Regan’s Little Big Man . . .You can't see the truth from the outside, that's what I've worked out. Ten-year-old Zac has never met his dad, who allegedly did a runner before he was born. But when his mum lets slip that he’s the only man she’s ever loved, Zac turns detective and, roping in his best friend, hatches a plan to find his father and give his mum the happy-ever-after she deserves. What he doesn’t realize, though, is that sometimes people have good reasons for disappearing . . .Little Big Man is a story about family secrets and fierce, familial love. It's about growing up and being accepted; grief and lies, and the damage they can do. Most of all though, it’s about a little boy determined to hunt down the truth; a boy who wants to give the Dad he’s never met a second chance to be a father – and his mum a second chance at love.

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'An adrenalin-fuelled, gritty story of heroism on the frontline in Afghanistan' - Andy McNabUnflinching and laced with wry humour, Johnny Mercer's We Were Warriors is an action-packed account of his journey from young commando to a captain with one of the most pressurized and skilled jobs in the army.A captain in 29 Commando, Johnny Mercer served in the army for twelve years. On his third tour of Afghanistan he was a Joint Fires Controller, with the pressurized job of bringing down artillery and air strikes in close proximity to his own troops. Based in an area of northern Helmand that was riddled with Taliban leaders, he walked into danger with every patrol, determined to protect them. Then one morning, in brutal close quarter combat, everything changed . . . In We Were Warriors Johnny takes us from his commando training to the heat, blood and chaos of battle. With brutal honesty, he describes what it is like to risk your life every day, pushing through the fear that follows watching your friends die. He took the fight back to the enemy with a relentless efficiency that came at a high personal cost. Back in the UK, seeing the inadequate care available for veterans and their families, he was inspired to run for Parliament in the hope he could improve their plight.'This is NOT the stereotypical account of war, it's without doubt the best first hand account in a war zone I've ever read.' – Tom Marcus, ex MI5 Surveillance Officer, author of Soldier, Spy

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Help little Monkey find his mum in the brilliantly funny Monkey Puzzle, from the unparalleled picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, creators of The Gruffalo.Where is Monkey's mummy? It's not too much fun being lost in the jungle, and little monkey wants his mum. Kindly butterfly is keen to help, but they don't seem to be having much luck and keep finding the wrong animals! But eventually, they find . . . Dad! It's just as well that he knows exactly where Mum is, and she's waiting with a well-deserved cuddle.This hardback edition features the classic story plus extra content from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, making this the perfect gift.Enjoy more family favourite picture books from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler: The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom.

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The Collectors by bestselling sensation David Baldacci is the exciting second instalment of a breathtaking series.Oliver Stone – the leader of four highly skilled misfits who call themselves the Camel Club. Their mission – to hold America’s political elite to account.Washington DC. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is assassinated in broad daylight. Then the head of the Rare Books Division at the Library of Congress is found dead amongst his cherished collection.While chaos engulfs the city, only the Camel Club can make the connection that exists between the two murders.Joining forces with a beautiful con artist, Stone and his team need all the help they can get as they enter a world of espionage that threatens to bring America to its knees . . .The Collectors is followed by Stone Cold, Divine Justice and Hell's Corner.

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Volumes have been written by and about Patrick Leigh Fermor, but his wife Joan is almost entirely absent from their pages. Now Simon Fenwick, the first archivist to see the Leigh Fermor papers, reveals a woman hitherto only fleetingly glimpsed. A talented photographer, Joan defied the social conventions of her times and, though she came from a wealthy and well-connected family, earned her own living. Through her lover, and later editor of the TLS, Alan Pryce-Jones, she met and mingled with the leading lights of 1930s bohemia – John Betjeman, Cyril Connolly, Evelyn Waugh, Maurice Bowra (who adored her) and Osbert Lancaster, among others. She featured regularly in the gossip columns, not only for her affairs and her fashionable clothes, but for her intrepid travels to Russia and America.In 1936 she met and subsequently married the journalist John Rayner, but her belief in open marriage was not shared by her husband and their relationship foundered. Then, in 1944 in Cairo, where she was a cypher clerk, she met Paddy Leigh Fermor, lionized for his daring kidnap of the Nazi General Kreipe in Crete. They would remain together until her death in 2003.In this riveting biography, written with full access to Joan’s personal archive, Simon Fenwick reveals the extraordinary life of a woman who, until now, has been defined by the man she married and their famous friends. Here, at last, Joan is placed at the centre of her own story. It is also a riveting portrait of a marriage and a milieu, revealing the sexual and intellectual mores of that wartime generation who lived life at full tilt, no matter what the consequences.

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'She imagines the experiences of the sisters with empathy and patience ... and ably manages to coax the few sparks of evidence into flames of personality ... Whoop, whoop! If anyone can find me another clutch of rebel princesses, let's get crowd-funding.' Hermione Eyre, SpectatorVirginal, chaste, humble, patiently waiting for rescue by brave knights and handsome princes: this idealized – and largely mythical – notion of the medieval noblewoman still lingers. Yet the reality was very different, as Kelcey Wilson-Lee shows in this vibrant account of the five daughters of the great English king, Edward I. The lives of these sisters – Eleanora, Joanna, Margaret, Mary and Elizabeth – ran the full gamut of experiences open to royal women in the Middle Ages. Living as they did in a courtly culture founded on romantic longing and brilliant pageantry, they knew that a princess was to be chaste yet a mother to many children, preferably sons, meek yet able to influence a recalcitrant husband or even command a host of men-at-arms. Edward’s daughters were of course expected to cement alliances and secure lands and territory by making great dynastic marriages, or endow religious houses with royal favour. But they also skilfully managed enormous households, navigated choppy diplomatic waters and promoted their family’s cause throughout Europe – and had the courage to defy their royal father. They might never wear the crown in their own right, but they were utterly confident of their crucial role in the spectacle of medieval kingship. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary sources, Daughters of Chivalry offers a rich portrait of these spirited Plantagenet women. With their libraries of beautifully illustrated psalters and tales of romance, their rich silks and gleaming jewels, we follow these formidable women throughout their lives and see them – at long last – shine from out of the shadows, revealing what it was to be a princess in the Age of Chivalry.

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'Poignant and compelling, an equine Bridget Jones.' Racing PostBeing a stable lass is probably one of the hardest jobs in the country, and yet for Gemma Hogg it is the most rewarding. She works in the beautiful Yorkshire market town of Middleham and if her colleagues are occasionally challenging, then the horses are downright astonishing. Now, in Stable Lass, she takes us into the closed world of a top racing yard, from the elation of having several winners in one day to the almost indescribable grief of losing a horse. Like most stable lads and lasses, Gemma arrived in her yard as a teenager fresh out of racing college and had to cope with living away from home for the first time, as well as adapting to the brutal long hours, backbreaking work and often treacherous weather. She describes falling in love with Polo Venture, the first racehorse in her care, the pure exhilaration of riding him on Middleham Gallops for the first time and what happens when a horse takes against you, from the growling gelding Valiant Warrior to the potentially lethal Broadway Boy. She brings to life the characters around the yard, from straight-talking boss Micky Hammond to the jockeys starving themselves to make weight, the wealthy owners and the other stable lads and lasses who come from a range of different places and backgrounds. Stable Lass by Gemma Hogg is a unique look into the world of horse racing filled with heart-warming stories and amazing thoroughbreds – some loveable, some cantankerous, all impressive.

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There is always hope, even when we cannot seem to seek it within ourselves.From the best advice you’ll ever get to the joy of crisps, the 101 brilliant contributors to The Book of Hope will help you to find hope whenever you need it most. Award-winning mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, MBE, and co-editor Britt Pflüger bring together people from all walks of life – actors, musicians, athletes, psychologists and activists – to share what gives them hope.These 101 key voices in the field of mental health, from the likes of Lemn Sissay, Dame Kelly Holmes, Frank Turner and Zoe Sugg, to Joe Tracini, Elizabeth Day, Hussain Manawer and Joe Wicks, share not only their experiences with anxiety, psychosis, panic attacks and more, but also what helps them when they are feeling low. This joyful collection is a supportive hand to anyone looking to find light on a dark day and shows that, no matter what you may be going through, you are not alone.Jonny Benjamin is known for his book and documentary film, The Stranger on the Bridge, which fought to end stigma around talking about mental health, suicidal thoughts and schizoaffective disorder. When his campaign to find the man who prevented him from taking his own life went viral, Jonny was one of a wave of new figures lifting the lid on mental health struggles. In this book, he brings together a range of voices to speak to the spectrum of our experiences of mental health and the power of speaking up and seeking help.

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A brilliantly entertaining 'be-careful-what-you-wish-for' tale that's full of farmyard fun – from the bestselling Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Anna Currey in her charming, classic style.Old Macdonald is cleaning out his farmhouse kitchen when he comes across a dusty old teapot. And no one could be more surprised when a wish-granting genie pops out of the spout. Old Macdonald wishes for a wife, who wishes for a baby. A baby who wishes for a dog, who wishes for a cat, who wishes for some mice! It doesn't take long before the farmyard starts getting very busy, and VERY noisy! Will the genie ever get a break from granting wishes, and find some peace? If only there was someone who could grant him a wish . . .The Teeny Weeny Genie is a magical picture book adventure packed with lots of favourite farmyard animals from Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey, creators of Rosie's Hat and One Ted Falls Out of Bed.

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The Woolworths girls have come a long way together . . .Fun loving Maisie, is devoted to her young family and her work at Woolworths. But her happy life with her RAF officer husband, their baby daughter leads her to think of the family she left behind . . . With the war now into its fourth year, what will she find when she sets about searching for them?Sarah and her husband, Alan, are blissfully happy and long for a sibling for their daughter. But dark days lay ahead for this close family.Freda heads home to Birmingham, to go in search of her family, back to the life she fled – far from the safety of Woolworths and her new friends.With families’ separated by war, will the Woolworths girls be able to pull together?Wartime at Woolworths is the third moving instalment in the much-loved Woolworths series by bestselling author Elaine Everest.

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Benjamin Franklin was a pioneering scientist, leader of the Enlightenment and founding father of the USA. But perhaps less well known is that he was also the first person to use artificial respiration to revive an electric shock victim. Odder still, it was actually mouth-to-beak resuscitation on a hen that he himself had shocked. Welcome to some of the most weird and wonderful experiments ever conducted in the name of science. Packed full of eccentric characters, irrational obsessions and extreme experiments, Electrified Sheep is the follow-up to the bestselling Elephants on Acid. Watch as scientists attempt to blow up the moon, wince at the doctor who performs a self-appendectomy - and catch the faint whiff of singed wool from an electrified sheep.

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With its sweet and natural portrayal of love accidentally blooming between two aardvarks, this heartwarming picture book makes a brilliant gift for a loved one.Aardvarks Aalfred and Aalbert both need a pal. But Aalfred sleeps in the day, and Aalbert sleeps at night. How will they ever get the chance to meet?Bird conjures up a series of sillier and sillier schemes to get the two aardvarks into the same place, but their paths simply refuse to cross. Until one day, when they find each other in the most unexpected way – and now Aalfred and Aalbert will never lose each other again.Aalfred and Aalbert is as funny and memorable as Morag Hood's other books, Colin and Lee, Carrot and Pea, and The Steves.

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For more than three decades, Madonna has been generating headlines and topping charts. Now J. Randy Taraborrelli has written the definitive biography of one of the richest and most successful pop stars in the world, whose music has constantly evolved and who has remained relevant even as she hits her sixtieth year.From the driven, ambitious young woman struggling to get a break in New York to the outrageous pop diva and more spiritual mother, the changing faces of Madonna are revealed. We see her relationships with men like Basquiat, Tupac, Prince and Warren Beatty, and what happened in her marriages to Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie. We see her embracing motherhood. And we see her today with five children, still recording and touring, finding happiness with much younger boyfriends, defiantly living life on her own terms. Madonna is based on decades of research and exclusive interviews with people speaking of her publicly for the first time – including friends, business associates and even family members. J. Randy Taraborrelli has also interviewed the star herself on numerous occasions and he draws on first-hand experiences to bring Madonna to life as not merely a sensational tabloid delight, but as a flesh-and-blood woman with human foibles and weaknesses, as well as great strengths and ambitions.

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When Ellinor addresses her best friend Anna, she does not expect a reply. Anna has been dead for forty years, killed in the same skiing accident that claimed Henning: Ellinor’s first husband and Anna’s lover.Ellinor instead tells her that Georg has died – Georg who was once Anna’s, but whom Ellinor came to love in her place, and whom she came to care for, along with Anna’s two infant sons. Yet with Georg’s death Ellinor finds herself able to cut the ties of her assumed life with surprising ease.Returning to the area of Copenhagen where she grew up, away from the adopted comfort of the home she shared with Georg, Ellinor finds herself addressing her own history: her marriage to Henning, their seemingly charmed friendship with the newly-wed Anna and Georg, right back to her own mother's story – a story of heartbreaking pride.Because there are some secrets – both our own and of others – that we can only share with the dead. Secrets that nonetheless shape who we are and who we love. Often I Am Happy by Jens Christian Grøndahl is a profoundly moving work of fiction.

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Winner of the Branford Boase award, Fly By Night is the stunning YA fantasy novel from Frances Hardinge, author of the Costa Award winning The Lie Tree. As the realm struggles to maintain an uneasy peace after years of civil war and tyranny, a twelve-year-old orphan called Mosca Mye and her loyal companion, a cantankerous goose, are about to become the unlikely heroes of a radical revolution.Mosca is on the run, heading for the city of Mandelion. There she finds herself living by her wits among cut-throat highwaymen, spies and smugglers. With peril at every turn, Mosca uncovers a dark plot to terrorize the people of Mandelion, and soon merry mayhem leads to murder . . .Fly By Night has an unforgettable cast of characters and an inspiring message at its heart – sometimes the power of words can change the world.Fly By Night is followed by its thrilling sequel, Twilight Robbery.'Everyone should read Frances Hardinge. Everyone. Right now' - Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls.

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The fifth book in the exciting Little Legends series, The Secret Mountain by Tom Percival sees the fairy tale friends on a thrilling adventure to the mysterious mountain home of the trolls.Everyone in Tale Town knows that trolls mean trouble, and the Mayor and his guards have captured a fearsome troll spy. But when Jack, Red and Anansi see the prisoner, they find out the so-called spy is just a lost troll child . . .With the help of all their friends, the Little Legends decide to rescue the young troll and take it back to its secret mountain home. But what they find out when they get to Troll Mountain changes everything they've ever known!Little Legends is a brilliant highly illustrated series featuring all the fairy-tale characters you know and love having brand-new adventures!

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Brian Blessed has a lifelong love of animals and over the years has rescued cats and dogs, horses and ponies, and even a very ungrateful fighting cock. All were characters in their own right, such as Jessie, a dog left languishing for a year at the local RSPCA, who ruled the entire household with a rod of iron, when she wasn’t out harassing the local vicar. Then there was Bodger, an abused terrier cross breed, who was nursed back to health by Brian and his wife, and Peppone, a stray cat and notorious thief, who was responsible for a crime epidemic in the Bagshot area. Most of all there was Misty, a soul mate and the first Jack Russell Brian met who didn’t take an instant dislike to him. Over the years Brian has encountered more exotic animals too, from Kali the black panther who had free run of his kitchen and the gentle boa constrictor Bo Bo who went for walks with him in Richmond Park to the female gorillas who found him incredibly attractive. Written with all of Brian’s ebullience, The Panther in My Kitchen is a laugh-out-loud, life-affirming book about the joy animals bring and why we should care for them.

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Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett, twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, is a beautifully illustrated story full of animal fun – perfect for cheeky monkeys everywhere!A mischievous little girl and her toy monkey swing irresistibly through the pages of this playful book. Children will love guessing the animals they pretend to be, before shouting out the answers as the pages are turned to reveal the real creatures. Soon everyone will be waddling like a penguin, jumping like a kangaroo and waving their arm like an elephant's trunk!'Gravett weaves her magic again.' – Irish Times

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The Winter Secret is a thrilling mystery from Lulu Taylor, top ten bestselling author of The Snow Rose.‘My dear boy, the place is cursed. It always has been and it always will be . . .’Buttercup Redmain has a life of pampered luxury, living in beautiful Charcombe Park, Dorset. Her older husband, Charles Redmain, is wealthy and successful, and proud of the house he has painstakingly restored, once owned by a famous ancestor. Buttercup is surrounded by people who make her life delightfully easy. But the one thing she really wants seems impossible.There are other discomforting realities: her husband’s ex-wife still lives nearby – though Buttercup has never met her. Soon, it becomes very clear that all the people who make Buttercup’s life so carefree are also watching her every move. Does she actually live in a comfortable but inescapable cage? And what is the truth of her husband’s previous marriage?In the late 1940s, Xenia Arkadyoff lived in Charcombe Park with her father, a Russian prince, and her mother, a famous film star. Life seemed charmed, full of glamour and beauty. But behind the glittering facade lay pain, betrayal, and the truth about the woman Xenia spent her life protecting.Now Charcombe Park is calling back people who were once part of its story, and the secrets that have stayed long hidden are bubbling inexorably to the surface . . .

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Filled with all the larger-than-life characters and enchanting storytelling that made readers fall for The Reader on the 6.27, Jean-Paul Didierlaurent’s follow-up novel, The Rest of Their Lives, is set to charm the world.It’s difficult to find love in a profession like Ambroise’s – even his father despises what he does . . .And while Manelle – a home-help for the elderly in the same small French town – adores her days spent with her eccentric clients, she too often ends her evenings alone.So when an unusual request from Manelle’s favourite client – eighty-two-year-old retired chef-gourmand Samuel – brings the two of them together for an unlikely road-trip to Switzerland, along with Ambroise’s cake-loving grandmother, it might just be time for the rest of their lives to begin . . .

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'Here ends one of the finest achievements of recent crime fiction' - Sunday Telegraph'Outstanding' - The Times*Winner of the 2022 CWA Historical Dagger and Gold Dagger*Los Angeles. Christmas, 1967. A devil is loose in the City of Angels . . .A young nurse, Kerry Gaudet, travels to the City of Angels desperate to find her missing brother, fearing that something terrible has happened to him: a serial killer is terrorising the city, picking victims at random, and Kerry has precious few leads.Ida Young, recently retired Private Investigator, is dragged into helping the police when a young woman is discovered murdered in her motel room. Ida has never met the victim but her name has been found at the crime scene and the LAPD wants to know why . . .Meanwhile mob fixer Dante Sanfelippo has put his life savings into purchasing a winery in Napa Valley but first he must do one final favour for the Mob before leaving town: find a bail jumper before the bond money falls due, and time is fast running out.Ida’s friend, Louis Armstrong, flies into the city just as her investigations uncover mysterious clues to the killer’s identity. And Dante must tread a dangerous path to pay his dues, a path which will throw him headlong into a terrifying conspiracy and a secret that the conspirators will do anything to protect . . .Completing his American crime quartet, Ray Celestin's Sunset Swing is a stunning novel of conspiracy, murder and madness, an unforgettable portrait of a city on the edge.

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An epic historical joke and fact book from TV legend Sir Tony Robinson, author of the bestselling The Worst Children's Jobs in History and the Weird World of Wonders series.Sir Tony Robinson's Weird World of Wonders Joke Book is hilarious historical fun!Q: How did the Vikings send secret messages?A: Norse code!Q: Why were the early days of history called the Dark Ages? A: Because there were so many knights.Plus many many more!

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Whitney Terrell's remarkable novel of the Iraq War, The Good Lieutenant, literally starts with a bang, as an operation led by Lieutenant Emma Fowler goes spectacularly wrong. Men are dead - one, a young Iraqi, by her hand. Others of the casualties were soldiers in her platoon. And the signals officer, Dixon Pulowski. Pulowski is another story entirely - Fowler and Pulowski have been lovers since they first met at Fort Riley in Kansas . . . From this conflagration, The Good Lieutenant unspools backward in time as Fowler and her platoon are guided into disaster by suspect informants and questionable intelligence, their very mission the consequence of a previous snafu in which an American soldier had been kidnapped by insurgents. We hear the voice of Lieutenant Fowler but also those of jaded career soldiers and Iraqis both innocent and not so innocent. Ultimately, as all these stories unravel, Terrell reveals what can happen when good intentions destroy, experience distorts, and survival becomes everything.

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Ken Clarke needs no introduction. One of the genuine 'Big Beasts' of the political scene, during his forty-six years as the Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire he has been at the very heart of government under three prime ministers. He is a political obsessive with a personal hinterland, as well known as a Tory Wet with Europhile views as for his love of cricket, Nottingham Forest Football Club and jazz. In Kind of Blue, Clarke charts his remarkable progress from working-class scholarship boy in Nottinghamshire to high political office and the upper echelons of both his party and of government. But Clarke is not a straightforward Conservative politician. His position on the left of the party often led Margaret Thatcher to question his true blue credentials and his passionate commitment to the European project has led many fellow Conservatives to regard him with suspicion – and cost him the leadership on no less than three occasions.Clarke has had a ringside seat in British politics for four decades and his trenchant observations and candid account of life both in and out of government will enthral readers of all political persuasions. Vivid, witty and forthright, and taking its title not only from his politics but from his beloved Miles Davis, Kind of Blue is political memoir at its very best.

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The Big Steps series is designed to help little ones (and their parents) cope with everyday experiences. In I'm Starting Nursery, Ben is sad when Daddy drops him off for his first day . . . but not for long! He soon makes friends and in no time at all, Daddy is back.Watch Ben and his friends play with trucks, paint pictures, dress up and listen to a story in this fun-filled novelty book with flaps and mechanisms. Each page has really helpful tips for parents and carers that are endorsed by The Good Play Guide and leading Early Years Consultant, Dr Amanda Gummer. With delightful illustrations from Marion Cocklico, I'm Starting Nursery is the perfect book to share and to reassure every little person starting nursery.The Big Steps series has been endorsed and recommended by Dr Amanda Gummer's Good Toy Guide.For more toddler tips read We're Having a Baby, I'm Not Sleepy and No More Nappies: A potty-training guide.

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Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2017.'A Skinful of Shadows confirms Hardinge's status as one of our finest storytellers. It's rare to find a book which is every bit as intelligent and stylish as it is riveting - I was enthralled' - Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent.Frances Hardinge weaves a dark, otherworldly tale in A Skinful of Shadows, her first book since the Costa Award-winning The Lie Tree.When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding.Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment.And now there's a ghost inside her.The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, but it may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death.

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Perfect for fans of Shirley Hughes, I'm Actually Really Grown-Up now is a warm and funny story from the creator of Anna and Otis."Inclusive illustrations are bright, busy and drawn with charming naivety"Praise for Anna and Otis – The Sunday TimesThe grown-ups are having a party, and Meena would really love to join in but instead she's sent to bed. Only grown-ups get to stay up late. So the next day she makes a very important announcement to her parents: "I'm actually really grown-up now!"In this very funny story we join Meena as she plans her very own grown-up party and explores what it REALLY means to be a grown up. She has a lot of fun experimenting with fashion, going to work and party planning, but she soon finds out that being grown-up might not always be as easy as it seems. I'm Actually Really Grown-Up Now by Maisie Shearring is the follow-up to the wonderful Anna and Otis. Maisie has a special talent for capturing the bittersweet highs and lows of childhood and the humour to be found in everyday situations.

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A hugely endearing, very funny story about kindness, friendship and overcoming fears, from award-winning illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring.Anna and Otis the snake are great friends and they love having fun together. But Otis knows people are scared of snakes, so he usually just plays at home or in the garden. He is nervous when Anna suggests a new adventure. At first people are afraid, and Otis feels he isn't welcome in the town. But Anna encourages Otis not to give up, and it soon turns out that maybe snakes aren't as scary as people thought! The hairdresser enjoys shampooing a reptile for a change, and at the skate shop Sally has a lot of fun fitting Otis with his own set of awesome wheels. Anna and Otis is full of endless rich details to spot and Maisie's artwork is a treat to pore over.

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Explore crowded canopies, towering treetops and the dense forest floor in First Explorers: In the Jungle. Meet tigers, monkeys, leopards and lots of other amazing creatures who live in the jungle.Each scene has chunky push, pull and slide mechanisms, animals to spot and fun facts about jungle animals. Beautifully illustrated by Jenny Wren, this title has gentle learning and is a magical introduction to the natural world.Also available: Night Animals, Sea Creatures, Dinosaurs

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The New York Times and No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestsellerBlue Ocean Shift is the essential follow-up to the classic Blue Ocean Strategy, the 3.6 million copy global bestseller by world-renowned professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.Drawing on more than a decade of new work, Kim and Mauborgne show you how to move beyond competing, how to inspire people’s confidence and seize new growth, guiding you step by step through how to take your organization from a red ocean, crowded with competition, to a blue ocean of uncontested market space. By combining the insights of human psychology with practical market-creating tools and real-world guidance, Kim and Mauborgne deliver the definitive guide to shift yourself, your team, or your organization to new heights of confidence, market creation and growth. They show why non-disruptive creation is as important as disruption in seizing new growth.Blue Ocean Shift is packed with all-new research and examples of how leaders in diverse industries and organizations made the shift and created new markets by applying the processes and tools outlined in the book. Whether you are a cash-strapped start-up or a large, established company, a non-profit or national government, you will learn how to move from red to blue oceans in a way that builds people’s confidence so that they own and drive the process.With battle-tested lessons learned from successes and failures in the field, Blue Ocean Shift is critical reading for leaders, managers and entrepreneurs alike. You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the pitfalls along the way. This book will empower you to succeed as you embark on your own blue ocean journey. Blue Ocean Shift is indispensable for anyone committed to building a compelling future.

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