Search results for ""Quercus Publishing""
Quercus Publishing Priest of Gallows
Gangster, soldier, priest. Queen's Man. Governor.'If you haven't yet picked up this riveting and unique series, I highly recommend you do' Fantasy Book Critic Tomas Piety has everything he ever wanted. In public he's a wealthy, highly respected businessman, happily married to a beautiful woman and governor of his home city of Ellinburg. In private, he's no longer a gang lord, head of the Pious Men, but one of the Queen's Men, invisible and officially non-existent, working in secret to protect his country.The queen's sudden death sees him summoned him back to the capital - where he discovers his boss, Dieter Vogel, Provost Marshal of the Queen's Men, is busy tightening his stranglehold on the country.Just as he once fought for his Pious Men, Tomas must now bend all his wit and hard-won wisdom to protect his queen - even when he can't always tell if he's on the right side.Tomas has started to ask himself, what is the price of power? And more importantly, is it one he is willing to pay? 'If you like your fantasy with a side of dark and gritty, you won't want to miss this' CHRISTINA HENRY, bestselling author of The Girl in Red on Priest of Lies
£11.55
Quercus Publishing Can Fish Count?: What Animals Reveal about our Uniquely Mathematical Mind
'What I like best about this fascinating book is the detail. Brian Butterworth doesn't just tell us stories of animals with numerical abilities: he tells us about the underlying science. Elegantly written and a joy to read' - Professor Ian Stewart, author of What's the Use? and Taming the Infinite'Full of thought-provoking studies and animal observations' - Booklist'Enlightening and entertaining' - Publishers WeeklyThe Hidden Genius of Animals: Every pet owner thinks their own dog, cat, fish or hamster is a genius. What makes CAN FISH COUNT? so exciting is the way it unveils just how widespread intelligence is in nature. Pioneering psychologist Brian Butterworth describes the extraordinary numerical feats of all manner of species ranging from primates and mammals to birds, reptiles, fish and insects. Whether it's lions deciding to fight or flee, frogs competing for mates, bees navigating their way to food sources, fish assessing which shoal to join, or jackdaws counting friends when joining a mob - every species shares an ability to count.Homo Sapiens may think maths is our exclusive domain, but this book shows that every creature shares a deep-seated Darwinian ability to understand the intrinsic language of our universe: mathematics CAN FISH COUNT? is that special sort of science book - a global authority in his field writing an anecdotally-rich and revelatory narrative which changes the way you perceive something we take for granted.
£20.00
Quercus Publishing How to Play the Piano
'Internationally acclaimed pianist, author and all-round nice guy James Rhodes promises that this book can teach anyone with access to a piano or an electric keyboard and 45 minutes to practice every a day, the tools they need to learn to play Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major in 6 weeks' RED MAGAZINELearn to play one of Bach's most exquisite preludes in just 6 weeks, even if you have never played the piano before.An accessible and inspiring book by the pianist and international bestselling writer James Rhodes, who promises that it gives anyone with two hands, a piano or an electric keyboard and just 45 minutes a day the tools they need to learn to play Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major in 6 weeks, even if they know nothing about music and have never even touched a piano before.How often do we convince ourselves that it's just too late - too late to learn how to ride a bike, too late to know how to meditate, too late to travel the world... As we get older and time slips through our fingers like water, we become resigned, almost defeatist, about abandoning our dreams. For James Rhodes, after the inevitable "How many hours a day do you practice?" and "Show me your hands", the most common thing people say to him when they hear he's a pianist is "I used to play the piano as a kid. I really regret giving it up". Where does this mourned and misplaced creativity go? For Rhodes, it's still there to be tapped into by all of us, at any point. This inspirational book gives us the means to do this, by breaking up Bach's seminal Prelude No. 1 from the Well-Tempered Clavier into manageable segments, teaching us the basics of piano playing - how to read music, the difference between the treble and the bass clef, sharp and flat notes, how to practice etc.. - and encouraging personal interpretation in a way that is guaranteed to soothe the mind, feed the soul and unleash creative powers we didn't know we still had. All of this will culminate in an ability to perform one of Bach's masterpieces."If listening to music is soothing for the soul, then playing music is achieving enlightenment. It's going from kicking a ball around with a few pals to playing alongside Ronaldo."
£11.55
Quercus Publishing Women on Top of the World
'A brilliant testament to those reclaiming their sexual power' - RUBY RARE'Searingly honest ... A beautiful and important work' - VANITY FAIR'This is a book that really should be pressed into the hands of a generation of young men who have learnt everything they wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask from porn ... Holmes has done an admirable job' SUNDAY TIMES'An important read for any young women starting out on their sexual life' SUNDAY INDEPENDENTWITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISSIE HYNDE, JENNY ECLAIR AND MANY OTHERSWhat goes through a woman's head while she's having sex?Women on Top of the World is a collection of 51 first person testimonies by 51 women from around the globe, from all ages and from all walks of life. Searingly honest, they reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings during sex to writer Lucy-Anne Holmes. The result is an incredible compendium of true disclosures that are funny and sad, shocking and tender.Every experience is different, unique and fascinating. From 19-year-old Melodie in the UK to 32 year-old Wambui from Kenya and 74-year-old Lucy in New Zealand, we as readers are led down as many paths as there are ways to have sex. There are heterosexual women, gay women, bisexual women, queer women, monogamous women, polyamorous women, those who identify as non-binary and transgender women. There is beautiful sex, bored sex, auto-sexuality, crazy sex, tantric sex, sad sex and sex that is experienced as colours and melted toffee. A range of hugely talented, cutting-edge artists from all over the world - both male and female - have given their visual interpretations with rich and remarkable illustrations that convey the range of emotions contained within these intimate revelations.The result is a stunning, transportive book that will help quench the obvious thirst for narratives for women by women about their journeys of sexual self-discovery.
£20.00
Quercus Publishing The Ruins
'I loved this novel' SARAH PEARSE, bestselling author of The Sanatorium 'Rippling with suspense' VICTORIA SELMAN, author of Truly, Darkly, Deeply 'Haunting at its core' SHEA ERNSHAW, author of The Wicked Deep BEHIND EVERY STRONG WOMAN IS A GIRL WHO SURVIVED. . .Summer, 1985: Ruby has stayed at the chateau with her family every summer since she can remember. It was her favourite place to be, but this year uninvited guests have descended, and everything is about to change. . .As the intense August heat cloaks the chateau, the adults within start to lose sight of themselves, and darkness begins to creep around them. With the summer spiralling out of control, Ruby and her two young friends soon discover it is best not to be seen or heard until, one fateful night, an incident occurs that can never be undone. . .Summer, 2010: One of the three young girls, now grown and newly widowed, returns to the chateau. In her fight to free herself from its grip, she uncovers what truly happened that long, dark summer.The Ruins is a dark and suspenseful tale of control, and the women determined to fight back.~*~ WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE RUINS ~*~"Dark and compelling""I couldn't stop reading it. . . I wanted justice""A dark, disturbing and gripping read""Unnerving, tense and compelling"
£10.92
Quercus Publishing Hell and High Water: A blistering Swedish crime thriller, with the most original heroine you'll meet this year
The first in a new Swedish crime series featuring Tekla Berg, a fearless doctor with a remarkable photographic memory"Watch your blood pressure! A tense and clever thriller" Lilja SigurðardóttirWith 85% per cent burns to his body and a 115% risk of dying, it's a miracle the patientis still alive.He only made it this far thanks to Tekla Berg, an emergency physician whose unorthodox methods and photographic memory are often the difference between life and death.Convinced that the fire was a terrorist attack - and that the patient was involved - the police are determined to question him. Almost as determined as those who would silence him at any cost. And while Tekla battles to keep him breathing, she can't shake the thought that something about him is strangely familiar . . .Tekla has always hidden her remarkable mind from her hospital colleagues, resorting to amphetamines to take the edge off the endless whirl of lucid memories. But now she'll need to call on all her wits as she's drawn into a mystery involving corrupt police, the godfather of the Uzbek mafia, and her beloved but wayward brother.Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding
£9.99
Quercus Publishing The Lodger
London, 1919: a city of ghosts and absences, haunted by the men who marched away but never came back. 'A poignant and readable mystery' THE TIMES Grace Armstrong believes that she has come to terms with her own loss, the death of her dazzling fiancé who was declared Missing in Action. But soon he starts to reappear both in her waking life and dreams. To make matters worse, a body, dragged from the Thames, is identified as Elizabeth Smith, who lodged with Grace and her family for the last eight years before suddenly disappearing. Elizabeth had been more than a lodger; she had become a close friend to Grace, who feels compelled to uncover the true circumstances of her death. In doing so, she is drawn reluctantly into the sordid and dangerous underbelly of London and a scandal that rocked Edwardian society. Will Grace find the answers she so desperately craves, or will she lose herself in the search?********************Praise for The Lodger'A deliciously Gothic page-turner' BEST'A gripping historical mystery' A. J. WEST '[Helen Scarlett] has a gift for pulling readers into the twists and turns of her story' SUNDAY TIMES'A devastating reveal and a tangled web I won't forget' AMANDA GEARD
£9.99
Quercus Publishing Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different Journal
THE JOURNAL TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD-WINNING AND BESTSELLING STORIES FOR BOYS WHO DARE TO BE DIFFERENT John Lennon, Gandhi, Trevor Noah, Grayson Perry, Roald Dahl, Martin Luther King... all dared to be different - and now young boys can too with this fun and enlightening guided journal. Stories for Boys Who Dare to Be Different Journal is full of tips and ideas to help boys everywhere explore their dreams and release their creativity in an environment where emotions and feelings are celebrated. Thanks to an array of imaginative and thoughtful prompts, and short biographies of some real-life inspiring figures who followed their personal dreams, this journal will help boys construct their own world away from gender stereotypes and social conventions. Activities include:· Devising a plot for a film in which your biggest fear is quashed· Identifying what cause you would go out and protest for· Creating a list of characteristics about human beings for aliens · Imagining what would make you happy a week, a month, ten years from now It is the must-have journal for all those boys who worry about stuff and all those parents who worry about their boys who worry about stuff. ___________ Praise for STORIES FOR BOYS WHO DARE TO BE DIFFERENT: "This book can save lives. This book can change lives. This book can help to bring forth another generation of boys who dare to be different" - Benjamin Zephaniah "[The stories] coalesce into a rousing symphony of against-the-odds achievement" - Financial Times "It will help to inspire a younger generation to understand that you don't have to be tough, strong and a dragon killer to be worthwhile" - Stylist "Offer[s] a refreshing twist . . . and will encourage young boys to resist the gender stereotypes that can damage men as much as women" - Daily Express
£11.69
Quercus Publishing All I Want for Christmas
The sparkling Christmas romance to pick you up this year...'A hilarious and heartwarming festive treat' Heidi Swain'So funny, sweet, warm and fuzzy' Clodagh MurphyWhat if the love of your life was your best friend's girl?When Nick loses his job and is dumped by his glamorous but demanding girlfriend, he is forced to grudgingly accept work as a Santa at a local Christmas grotto. As his friends are getting married or promoted, Nick spends his days being terrorised by unfriendly elves and cried on by snotty, spoiled children.Then he meets 4-year-old Alfie. All Alfie wants for Christmas is for his mum, Sarah, to be happy again. Moved by the boy's selfless wish, Nick arranges a date between Sarah and his best friend, Matt. But as Sarah and Alfie become part of all their lives, Nick realises that happiness for Sarah and Matt might mean heartbreak for himself.'A hilarious and touching festive read' Heat'A festive romance in all its technicolour fairy-light glory' My WeeklyREADERS ARE LOVING ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS'Will have you laughing out loud' *****'I'd have given it 10 stars if I could!' *****'Impossible to put down' *****'A funny, fuzzy, festive feast of a book!' *****'Absolutely perfect escapism' *****
£9.04
Quercus Publishing The Secret Diary of Boris Johnson Aged 13¼
**STRICTLY UNOFFICIAL**'Deliciously funny and highly impudent' - Jon Culshaw The newly discovered diary of Boris Alexander de Pfeffel Johnson, aged 13¼, provides a fascinating glimpse into how Boris, a lazy, bumptious and overweening child, comes to believe he should be Prime Minister. Along the way, we see him hone the techniques and persona that will one day hoodwink a nation. ***Extract from 13-year-old Boris's TEN RULES FOR LIFE:It's not lying if you don't bother to learn the truth. Many people - politicians, for instance - make the mistake of going about laden with facts and statistics. However, when studiously ignorant of the aforementioned, one may argue one's case with total conviction.A friend is just an enemy you haven't yet made. Some say there's no 'I' in 'team'. Well, I say you can't spell 'friend' without 'fiend'. No matter how dear your chum, you never know what sort of treachery they harbour inside. After all, there are many people who consider me a friend!
£12.99
Quercus Publishing The Prophets: a New York Times Bestseller
*A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*'This visionary and deeply evocative debut carves a radiant love story out of the bleakest of landscapes.' Waterstones - Best Books to Look Out For in 2021'An Outstanding novel' Guardian'A lyrical, poetic novel' Independent'Epic in its scale' Marlon James, author of Black Leopard, Red Wolf'A rare marvel' Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous'Magisterial' Courttia Newland, author of A River Called Time'A spellbinding debut' COSMO'Ambitious and intense' Vanity Fair----------------------------One of:The New York Times Book Review's Books to Watch for in JanuaryThe Washington Post's 10 Books to Read in JanuaryTIME's 10 New Books You Should Read in JanuaryO, the Oprah Magazine's 32 LGBTQ Books That Will Changethe Literary Landscape in 2021Cosmopolitan's New LGBTQ+ Books to Add to Your Reading ListBuzzFeed's Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of 2021Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of 2021--------------------------In this blinding debut, Robert Jones Jr. blends the lyricism of Toni Morrison with the vivid prose of Zora Neale Hurston to characterise the forceful, enduring bond of love, and what happens when brutality threatens the purest form of serenity. The Halifax plantation is known as Empty by the slaves who work it under the pitiless gaze of its overseers and its owner, Massa Paul. Two young enslaved men, Samuel and Isaiah dwell among the animals they keep in the barn, helping out in the fields when their day is done. But the barn is their haven, a space of radiance and love - away from the blistering sun and the cruelty of the toubabs - where they can be alone together.But, Amos - a fellow slave - has begun to direct suspicion towards the two men and their refusal to bend. Their flickering glances, unspoken words and wilful intention, revealing a truth that threatens to rock the stability of the plantation. And preaching the words of Massa Paul's gospel, he betrays them. The culminating pages of The Prophets summon a choral voice of those who have suffered in silence, with blistering humanity, as the day of reckoning arrives at the Halifax plantation. Love, in all its permutations, is the discovery at the heart of Robert Jones Jr's breathtaking debut, The Prophets.
£9.04
Quercus Publishing An Inconvenient Woman: an addictive thriller with a devastating emotional ending
She says he is a killer. He says she is delusional. Somebody is lying.When Claire Fontaine learns that her ex-husband Simon is marrying again, to a woman with a teenage daughter, her blood runs cold. She is sure that years ago Simon molested her own daughter and was responsible for her mysterious death. She can't let him get away with it a second time. Vandalism, harassment; whatever it takes, Claire will expose him.Simon doesn't know where Claire got this delusion from; her daughter's death was ruled a suicide, but she has always blamed herself - is she just lashing out? Wanting to protect his new fiancee, he hires Sloane Wilson, an ex-cop turned 'sin-eater', whose job it is to handle delicate cases without getting the police involved, to get Claire off his back.Sloane must navigate the wreckage of Claire and Simon's marriage to discover the truth. Two people with conflicting stories and a whole lot of reasons to want to hurt each other. Is she crazy or is he manipulative? And can Sloane stay clear-headed enough to figure it out?
£9.04
Quercus Publishing The Quality of Madness: A Life of Marcelo Bielsa
Marcelo Bielsa is one of football's greatest eccentrics and greatest enigmas. This will be the first English biography of one of football's most contradictory characters.He has coached some of the greatest names in world football - Gabriel Batistuta, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano, Juan Sebastian Veron and Ander Herrera. He has been cited as a mentor by Pep Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone. Yet Marcelo Bielsa remains one of the great enigmas of world football - a fabulously innovative and obsessive coach, who has transformed Leeds United, Marseille and Athletic Bilbao. He also lasted two days at Lazio and led Argentina to their greatest footballing disaster.Featuring interviews from across South America, Europe and Yorkshire, The Quality of Madness is a comprehensive and compelling biography, tracing Bielsa's story from growing up as a member of one of Argentina's most remarkable families to his revival of Leeds. Bielsa has long been known as 'El Loco' - the Madman - and yet as Tim Rich's revelatory study reveals, there is mercurial method and audacious logic to the madness.
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Songs for the Flames
"Like Bolaño, Vásquez is a master stylist and a virtuoso of patient pacing and intricate structure" LEV GROSSMAN, Time Magazine"Juan Gabriel Vásquez . . . has succeeded García Márquez as the literary grandmaster of Colombia" ARIEL DORFMAN, New York Review of BooksA morally complex, searing set of stories by the award-winning author of The Sound of Things Falling and The Shape of the Ruins (shortlisted for the Booker International Prize 2019).A renowned photographer probes a traumatic incident in the life of a fellow guest at a countryside ranch. A chance meeting at a regimental reunion obliges a Korean War veteran to confront a shameful secret. And in the title story, an internet search for a book published in 1887 leads to the discovery of the life of a remarkable woman: Aurelia de Léon, who arrives in Colombia as a child orphan of the Great War, but as a free-spirited adult runs foul of her adoptive country's deep conservatism.The characters in Songs for the Flames are all men and women touched by violence - sometimes directly, sometimes tangentially - but the lives of all of them are irrevocably changed by the experience.Translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean
£16.99
Quercus Publishing The Last House: an intense psychological thriller of locked doors and family secrets
'I'm completely hooked. Adams is a skilled and engaging writer' Alex MarwoodTHREE GENERATIONS OF SECRETSSocial worker Kit Goddard is convinced that Sandbeach Child Services have let an injured seventeen-year-old boy down, just like they'd done to her brother ten years earlier. Since the referral came in, it had been passed between departments, her own manager Georgia and colleague Tim brushing it off as a low risk, low priority case. But Kit can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right. Scanning the referral, she notices that the house seventeen-year-old Dylan Meredith lives in with his 'weird' mother had been described as decrepit. The anonymous caller said he was injured, frightened and afraid to tell the truth. As Kit begins to look deeper into the history of the family, she learns that Dylan's grandmother had been an inpatient at Penlan psychiatric hospital and had died there in 2012. But as her colleague Tim had stressed, this was not a case for psychiatric services. In a bid to trace the anonymous caller for more information, Kit sets off to the small coastal town of Rock. Only to be confronted with the sense of strangeness that surrounds the Meredith family and the rumours that have troubled this small community for years. An intense psychological thriller, The Last House shows that the darkest secrets are hidden within the walls. But no matter how big you build them the truth will always find a way of breaking out.
£18.99
Quercus Publishing The Last House: an intense psychological thriller of locked doors and family secrets
'I'm completely hooked. Adams is a skilled and engaging writer' Alex MarwoodTHREE GENERATIONS OF SECRETSSocial worker Kit Goddard is convinced that Sandbeach Child Services have let an injured seventeen-year-old boy down, just like they'd done to her brother ten years earlier. Since the referral came in, it had been passed between departments, her own manager Georgia and colleague Tim brushing it off as a low risk, low priority case. But Kit can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right. Scanning the referral, she notices that the house seventeen-year-old Dylan Meredith lives in with his 'weird' mother had been described as decrepit. The anonymous caller said he was injured, frightened and afraid to tell the truth. As Kit begins to look deeper into the history of the family, she learns that Dylan's grandmother had been an inpatient at Penlan psychiatric hospital and had died there in 2012. But as her colleague Tim had stressed, this was not a case for psychiatric services. In a bid to trace the anonymous caller for more information, Kit sets off to the small coastal town of Rock. Only to be confronted with the sense of strangeness that surrounds the Meredith family and the rumours that have troubled this small community for years. An intense psychological thriller, The Last House shows that the darkest secrets are hidden within the walls. But no matter how big you build them the truth will always find a way of breaking out. What readers are saying about THE LAST HOUSE'Gripping' 5*'Brilliant' 5*'Engaging' 5*'Full of twists' 5*
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Last Christmas
'The perfect gift for anyone who loves all things Christmas ... it's a festive gem' Woman & Home'A beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays' Prima___________The perfect gift book, featuring the writing of Meryl Streep, Bill Bailey, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Caitlin Moran, Richard Ayoade, Emily Watson and others, to coincide with the upcoming movie Last Christmas, starring Emma Thompson, Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding.When you think back to Christmases past, what (if anything) made it magical? Looking towards the future, what would your perfect Christmas be? What would you change? What should we all change?This is a beautiful, funny and soulful collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas, written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent Garden.Away from the John Lewis advert, the high street decorations and the candied orange in Heston Blumenthal's Christmas pudding, this gem of a book introduced and curated by Emma Thompson and Greg Wise celebrates the importance of kindness and generosity, acceptance and tolerance - and shows us that these values are not just for Christmas.
£9.99
Quercus Publishing Calm the F**k Down Journal: Practical ways to stop worrying and take control of your life
Do you waste time overthinking things you can't do anything about? Do you freak out when things don't go to plan? Does anxiety get in the way of you living your best life? 'I love Knight's book' - Sunday Times Magazine on The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k'Life-affirming' - Guardian on The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k'Absolutely blinding. Read it. Do it' - Mail on Sunday on The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k 'Changed my life . . . I wasn't alone - the book became an international bestseller' - Vogue on The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**kFrom the white noise of what-ifs to the white-hot terror of a full-blown crisis, 'Anti-guru' Sarah Knight is on hand to help you help yourself to manage any situation, however stressful. Through practical advice and guided interactive exercises, the Calm the Fuck Down Journal is a place for you to ask and answer questions that may have been swirling around your brain like minnows on a meth bender. The Journal will help you learn how to stop dwelling on unlikely outcomes in favor of creating more likely ones. How to plow forward rather than agonize backward. And crucially, how to separate your anxiety about what might occur from the act of handling it when it does occur.Armed with this beautifully designed journal you will have ample calamity management tools at your fingertips to help you manage whenever the shit threatens to or already has hit the fan.
£14.39
Quercus Publishing A Philosophical Investigation
London, 2013, and the city is battling an epidemic of serial killings - even with the widespread government use of DNA detection, brain-imaging, and the 'punitive coma'. Detective Isadora 'Jake' Jacowicz is hunting a murderer, code-named 'Wittgenstein,' who has taken it upon himself to eliminate anyone who has tested positive for a tendency towards violent behaviour - even if they've never committed a crime. His intellectual brilliance is matched only by his homicidal madness.
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Believe It or Snot: The Definitive Field Guide to Earth's Slimy Creatures
A compendium of slimy and repulsive facts from the authors of Does it Fart?What is hyena butter, and would you want to put it on toast? A hagfish can produce how much slime in 60 seconds? Which animal produces a snotty sleeping bag? How does a bubble snail use mucus to get around? Which organism is the slime champion?Find out the answer to these and other slimy facts and more in Believe it or Snot, the new book from the authors of the New York Times bestseller Does it Fart? and the follow-through True or Poo. Slime, sludge, mucus, ooze, goo - it's all covered in here (but at least you're not covered in it).
£9.04
Quercus Publishing The Standardization of Demoralization Procedures: a world of spycraft, betrayals and surprising fates
'The best novel I've encountered this year, brilliant and funny and profound, producing some of the most complex, fascinating characters I've ever known. As far as I'm concerned, the novel is an instant classic' Jaroslav Kalfar, author of Spaceman of Bohemia'This is art of the highest order, a masterpiece of restraint, insight and style' Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves9th November 1989, East Berlin, the day the Berlin Wall will fall - Bernd Zeiger, a Stasi agent whose life's work, a manual on the demoralisation of political opponents, once made him renowned now faces an ailing psyche and the fading twilight of his career. His whole life has been reduced to a preoccupation with the disappearance of Lara, a young waitress at his local café. Twenty-five years earlier, during the Cold War, a physicist Johannes Held had been sent by the East Germans to infiltrate a US military operation in the Arizona desert, where teleportation and other paranormal activities were being investigated. On his return to Germany he refused to divulge what he had learned there and Zeiger was summoned to obtain his confession. The torturer and the tortured strangely became friends. But Zeiger soon betrayed Held - a treachery that haunts him to this day and one that will prove to be connected to Lara's disappearance. Darkly comic and hauntingly surreal, The Standardization of Demoralization Procedures examines obsession, Cold War paranoia and the dwindling career of a Stasi operative. Set against the brutal backdrop of communist East Germany, Hofmann's debut captures the fate of humanist fantasies under an extreme surveillance state.
£9.04
Quercus Publishing Older and Wider: A Survivor's Guide to the Menopause
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! (June 2020)'If you're after an in-depth medical or psychological insight into the menopause, I'm afraid you've opened the wrong book - I'm not a doctor . . . However, I am a woman and I do know how it feels to be menopausal, so this book is written from experience and the heart and I hope it makes you laugh and feel better.' JEOlder and Wider is Jenny Eclair's hilarious, irreverent and refreshingly honest compendium of the menopause. From C for Carb-loading and G for Getting Your Shit Together to I for Invisibility and V for Vaginas, Jenny's whistle-stop tour of the menopause in all its glory will make you realise that it really isn't just you. Jenny will share the surprising lessons she has learnt along the way as well as her hard-won tips on the joy of cardigans, dealing with the empty nest (get a lodger) and keeping the lid on the pressure cooker of your temper (count to twenty, ten is never enough).As Jenny says, 'I can't say that I've emerged like a beautiful butterfly from some hideous old menopausal chrysalis and it would be a lie to say that I've found the 'old me' again. But what I have found is the 'new me' - and you know what? I'm completely cool with that.'
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Kokoschka's Doll
"A novel par excellence that is destined to become a classic' of almost byzantine splendour . . . At its best worthy of comparison with Gabriel García Márquez" Catherine Taylor, Irish Times"Afonso Cruz is one of the strongest voices in contemporary Portuguese literature" Antonio Saez Delgado, El PaisAt the age of forty-two, Bonifaz Vogel begins to hear a voice.But it doesn't belong to the mice or the woodworm, as he first imagines. Nor is it the voice of God, as he comes to believe. It belongs to young Isaac Dresner, who takes refuge in the cellar of Vogel's bird shop on the run from the soldier who shot his best friend. Soon Vogel comes to rely on it for advice: he cannot make a sale without first bending down to confer with the floorboards. Thus begins the story of two Dresden families, fractured and displaced by the devastating bombing of the city 1945, their fates not only intertwined, but bound also to that of a life-sized doll commissioned by the artist Oskar Kokoschka in the image of his lost lover.Based on a curious true story, Kokoschka's Doll is an imaginative and playful novel that transports the reader to Dresden, Paris, Lagos and Marrakesh, introducing them to an unforgettable cast of characters along the way.Translated from the Portuguese by Rahul BeryRahul Bery's translations from Portuguese and Spanish have been published in Granta, The White Review, Words Without Borders and the T.L.S. His first full-length translation, Rolling Fields by David Trueba, was published in 2020. From 2018 to 2019 he was translator-in-residence at the British Library.With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
£10.00
Quercus Publishing The Antarctica of Love
"Compassionate and complex" Financial Times"Stridsberg writes with chilling poise" New York Times"A haunting portrait of the starkest meanings of love and family. Stridsberg's literary talent left me awestruck" KATE REED PETTY, author of True Story**A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021**Inside me was voiceless silence, above me only bare defenceless sky and beneath me the earth's unrelenting gravity, pulling me downThe moment of Inni's death will never end. Not ever. Murdered one summer's day on a lake shore at the heart of a distant, rain-washed forest, she tells the story of the moment her life was violently extinguished by an anonymous man.But amidst that moment of death lies the story of what came before, and of the lives that carry on afterwards. This is the story of her children, her parents and the chain of choices, tragedies and accidents that lead her to a life on the streets and take her into the wrong crowd, the wrong places and, finally, the wrong car with the wrong person.The Antarctica of Love is the unflinching testimony of a woman on the margins, giving voice to the voiceless and offering an insight into depths of absolute vulnerability, brutality and isolation. Hauntingly beautiful yet at times disturbing, this is a devastating story of unexpected love, tenderness and light in the total darkness.Translated from Swedish by Deborah Bragan-Turner
£9.99
Quercus Publishing The Summer Kitchen
From the million-copy bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes an inspiring novel about one woman's effect on a struggling Dallas neighbourhood.Sometimes hope springs up in unlikely places. Sandra Kaye Darden certainly never expects to find it in the little pink house left by her uncle Poppy. With her adopted son, Jake, missing thousands of miles away, and her family life disintegrating, Sandra feels as if her life is falling apart. A decaying house in a struggling Dallas neighbourhood just adds to her burden. But what begins for Sandra as a simple painting project to help sell the house for sale becomes a secret venture that starts to change everythingCass Blue is having trouble keeping food on the table since she left her foster care. When Sandra Kaye shows up with lunch one day, Cass has no way of knowing that the meeting will lead to the creation of the Summer Kitchen, a place of refuge that could reunite a divided community.In this moving story of second chances, two unlikely allies realize their ability to make a difference... and the power of their Summer Kitchen to nourish the soul.Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes and Santa Montefiore.
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Rust: One woman's story of finding hope across the divide
''[a] memoir of modern American industrial life, written by the insider who got away - or got away enough to reflect intelligently on where they came from. Think JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy and even Tara Westover's Educated . . . We could all learn from her example.' New York Times Book ReviewEliese wasn't supposed to be a steelworker. Raised by staunchly Republican and Catholic parents, Eliese dreamed of escaping Cleveland and achieving greatness in the convent as a nun. Full of promise and burgeoning ideals, she leaves her hometown, but one night her life's course is violently altered. A night that sets her mind reeling and her dreams waning. A cycle of mania and depression sinks in where once there were miracles and prayers, and upon returning home she is diagnosed with mixed-state bipolar disorder.Set on a path she doesn't recognize as her own, Eliese finds herself under the orange flame of Cleveland's notorious steel mill, applying for a job that could be her ticket to regaining stability and salvation. In Rust, Eliese invites the reader inside the belly of the mill. Steel is the only thing that shines amid the molten iron, towering cranes, and churning mills. Dust settles on everything - on forklifts and hard hats, on men with forgotten hopes and lives cut short by harsh working conditions, on a dismissed blue-collar living and on what's left of the American dream.But Eliese discovers solace in the tumultuous world of steel, unearthing a love and a need for her hometown she didn't know existed. This is the story of the humanity Eliese finds in the most unlikely of places and the wisdom that comes from the very things we try to run away from most. A reclamation of roots, Rust is a shining debut memoir of grit and tenacity and the hope that therefore begins to grow.
£20.00
Quercus Publishing A Month of Summer
From the million-copy bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a novel about one summer like no other.When Rebecca Macklin receives a long-distance call from the Dallas police to explain her aging father has been found repeatedly wandering the city streets alone, and his wife has suffered a serious illness and landed in a nursing home, it is not what she is expecting. Despite the demands of the busy LA legal practice Rebecca shares with her husband, she must put aside old resentments and return to her childhood home.When Hanna Beth Parker hears about the arrival of her stepdaughter, Rebecca, who has stayed away for decades, she knows something is terribly wrong. Suddenly, the last person she'd ever turn to for help is the only one she can count on. But forging a relationship with Rebecca will require awakening old ghosts. In this moving story of separation and forgiveness, two women will unravel the betrayals of the past, examine the yearnings of the heart, and discover the truest meaning of family.Perfect for fans of Kathryn Hughes and Santa Montefiore.
£9.99
Quercus Publishing Aera: A wonderfully twisty thriller by the internationally bestselling author of The Dwarves
The complete omnibus of the ten-part novella serialisation AERA: The Return of the Ancient Gods, from the internationally bestselling author of The Dwarves. The gods are back, the world is in uproar - and only one man has the strength to seek the truth.I've never believed in any kind of god.But that's a problem when they start manifesting.It was a problem for everyone else too, especially those whose gods did not appear. We are divided, a fractured globe, because you'd start to question everything you'd believed, wouldn't you?Or would you fight?Because I don't think these really are the gods we've worshipped. Zeus, The Mórrígan, Thor - they can go to hell. We're in the middle of an invasion, and I'm the only one who believes in that reality.My name is Malleus Bourreau. I'm an atheist and an investigator - and I will find the answers.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing Map's Edge: The Tethered Citadel Book 1
Follow a renegade sorcerer off the edge of the map, in a thrilling adventure perfect for fans of Scott Lynch, Brandon Sanderson and Sebastien de Castell . . .Soldier, sorcerer and exiled nobleman Raythe Vyre has run out of places to hide. When the all-conquering Bolgravian Empire invaded, Raythe grabbed his daughter Zar and after taking part in a disastrous rebellion, they washed up on the edge of the continent.Now he's found a chance of redemption for himself and the precociously talented Zar: a map showing a hitherto unknown place that's rich in istariol, the rare mineral that fuels sorcery. Mining it will need people, but luckily there are plenty of outcasts, ne'er-do-wells and loners desperate enough to brave haunted roads through the ruins of an ancient, long-dead civilisation, to seek wealth and freedom. But the Bolgravian Empire is not about to let anyone defy it - and even out here, at the edge of the map, implacable imperial agent Toran Zorne has caught Raythe's scent.The hunt is on . . .
£12.99
Quercus Publishing The Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen - War, Pestilence, Famine and Death - first appeared in the Book of Revelations a thousand years ago, but they continue to track us in our own time. This original and inspiring study bycelebrated historian Emily Mayhew traces the advances in science, technology and humanitarianism that are enabling us to take them on, one by one.'The beauty of The Four Horsemen is how she takes her quaking readers to the edge of the abyss . . . I was left moved and uplifted . . . [A] first-class example of popular science' The Times'[A] thoughtful and ultimately uplifting analysis of the unsung heroes of our age' IndependentIt begins in Mosul, our oldest surviving city, and the extraordinary coalition created in a matter of days to save its people from the worst horrors of the liberation battle against ISIS. As the city and the humanitarian operation that helped it to survive are restructured for a new age, Mayhew shows other people whose work gives us hope for the future, from the search to find new ways to discover and use antimicrobial medicines and the innovations in preventing the spread of deadly viruses; the laboratory work being taken to protect crops from disease and reduce famine, and why the potato, not the banana is the future; to the unique courage and resolution of those dedicated to securing the rights of the dead and their families. Standing in the way of the Horsemen is what Emily Mayhew calls, 'the most extraordinary alliance ever to come together in defence of our humanity.' These are the doctors, scientists, statisticians, engineers, peace negotiators, pharmacists, historians, forensic scientists, vaccinators and volunteers who are creating solutions to life and death problems which threaten us all. They are the new heroes of our age and this book is about them.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing The Washington Decree
The New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of the Department Q series is back, with a terrifyingly relevant stand-alone novel about an America in chaos. THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR27 MILLION BOOKS SOLDWINNER OF THE GLASS KEY AWARD"The president has gone way too far. . . . These are practically dictatorial methods we're talking about." When Democratic Senator Bruce Jansen is elected president of the United States, it is a personal victory for Dorothy "Dottie" Rogers. She has secured a job in the White House, has proved to her Republican father that she was right to support Jansen, and is proud to see the rise of an intelligent, inspiring leader who shares her ideals. But the triumph is short-lived: Jansen's pregnant wife is assassinated on election night, and the alleged mastermind behind the shooting is none other than Dottie's own father. When Jansen ascends to the White House, he is a changed man, determined to end gun violence by any means necessary. Rights are taken away as quickly as weapons. Checkpoints and roadblocks destroy infrastructure. The media is censored. Militias declare civil war on the government. The country is in chaos, and Dottie's finds herself fighting for the life of her father, who just may be innocent.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing Grave's End: the brilliant third book in the DS Alexandra Cupidi investigations
'If you're not a fan yet, why not?' VAL MCDERMID'A superb storyteller' PETER MAYA BIZARRE DISCOVERYAn unidentified corpse is found in a freezer in the garage of an unoccupied house. DS Alexandra Cupidi is handed a case that is made even colder by no-one seeming to know or care whose body it is.A HISTORIC CRIMEIt becomes clear there is a connection between the crime and a skeleton uncovered underneath a housing development of Trevor Grey, a boy who went missing twenty five years earlier.A BURIED LIFEDigging deep into secrets that have long been concealed brings Cupidi to face a deadly conspiracy to hide these crimes. Her investigation is complicated by a secret liaison, a political cover-up and the underground life of Trevor Grey's only friend.With meticulously realised characters and a brooding setting, Grave's End confronts the crisis in housing, environmentalism, historic cases of abuse and the protection given to badgers by the law. The third book in the DS Alexandra Cupidi series confirms William Shaw as one of our finest writers of crime fiction
£10.30
Quercus Publishing Under the Wig: A Lawyer's Stories of Murder, Guilt and Innocence
'This is a gripping memoir from one of our country's greatest jury advocates, offering a fascinating, no-holds-barred tour behind the scenes of some of the most famous criminal cases of modern times' The Secret Barrister'Gripping' - The Times'Mixes the excitement of the courtroom and some practical tips on the advocacy with the more mundane life of the working lawyer' - Sunday Times 'Between such serious case studies, his jovial memoir reflects on the challenges and satisfactions of life as a barrister.' - Daily Mail___________ How can you speak up for someone accused of a savage murder? Or sway a jury? Or get a judge to drop a case?In this memoir, murder case lawyer William Clegg revisits his most intriguing trials, from the acquittal of Colin Stagg to the shooting of Jill Dando, to the man given life because of an earprint.All the while he lays bare the secrets of his profession, from the rivalry among barristers to the nervous moments before a verdict comes back, and how our right to a fair trial is now at risk.Under the Wig is for anyone who wants to know the reality of a murder trial. It has been praised as "gripping" by The Times, "riveting" by the Sunday Express and "fascinating" by the Secret Barrister, who described the author as "one of our country's greatest jury advocates."Several prominent barristers, including Matthew Scott and Bob Marshall-Andrews QC, have said Under the Wig is a "must read" for anyone with an interest in the criminal law. Switch off the TV dramas and see real criminal law in action. Well-known cases featured:The Murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common The Chillenden Murders (Dr Lin and Megan Russell) The Trial of Private Lee Clegg The Murder of Jill Dando The first Nazi war crimes prosecution in the UK The Murder of Joanna Yeates The Rebekah Brooks Phone Hacking Trial
£10.30
Quercus Publishing The Murder Box: some games can be deadly...
Some games can be deadlyAt first, Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan believes the murder mystery game sent to her office is a birthday gift from one of her colleagues. But when Frankie studies the game's contents, she notices a striking resemblance between the 'murder victim' and missing twenty-two-year-old Lydia Callin. As Frankie and her team investigate, a series of grisly crimes connected to the game are discovered across Dublin city and Lydia's involvement with a shadowy network of murder mystery players becomes clear. On the hunt for Lydia's murderer, Frankie is drawn more deeply into the game. Every successful move brings her closer to the killer. But the real question is not what happens should she lose -- but what happens if she wins. PRAISE FOR OLIVIA KIERNAN:'A wonderfully rich lead character and a story that twists in unforeseen directions' Claire McGowan'What an absolute winner of a book. Five stars from me' Gytha Lodge 'The heir to Tana French's throne' Irish Times 'Cracking . . . Taut, gripping and beautifully written' Steve Cavanagh 'An ending you definitely won't see coming' JP Delaney 'A superior crime thriller . . . Highly recommended' Mark Edwards'A superior police procedural' Sarah Vaughan'Pin-sharp prose, brilliant characters and a hook to die for' Phoebe Locke'Tight, tense, pacy and full of twists. A cracker' Neil Lancaster'Very clever, chilling and brilliantly written! LOVED it!' Karen Hamilton'Clever, shocking, and psychologically astute - this deserves to be huge' Caz Frear'Grabs you by the throat from the first page and doesn't let go until the last' Araminta Hall'An original concept that kept me utterly gripped from start to finish' Nikki Smith'Sleekly written, atmospheric, and beautifully macabre' Charlotte Philby'Authentic, taut, intriguing storytelling' Mari Hannah'You won't be able to close it until you've solved the puzzle' Trevor Wood'The Murder Box is compulsive reading - and has the most genius twist' Sam Blake'A genius premise and beautiful writing. Loved it' Susi Holiday'A masterful and original thriller' Rachel Edwards'Line of Duty fans, here's your next obsession!' Amanda Reynolds'Olivia's Kiernan's The Murder Box cements her position as one of the rising stars of crime fiction' Fiona Cummins
£9.04
Quercus Publishing Fat: the Secret Organ: The surprising science behind the most misunderstood part of the body
The International Bestseller, as featured in The Times Fat is a vital yet hugely under-rated organ. Fat has become a dirty word, but we know so little about how it really works. In Fat, expert doctors and obesity researchers Dr Mariëtte Boon and Professor Liesbeth van Rossum present the ground-breaking research which explodes many of the myths and prejudices surrounding body fat and will make us completely rethink our relationship with it. Making use of the cutting-edge research in this specialist field, this fascinating and entertaining book will explain how fat generates important hormones, communicates with our brains and is, indeed, essential for staying alive. Informative yet accessible, Fat: The Secret Organ is important reading, not only for people who have struggled with their weight, but for everybody who is serious about their health.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing The Workhouse Waif: A heartwarming tale, perfect for reading on cosy nights
Destined to a life of poverty, this little girl has bigger plans in life...After the death of her father in a mining accident, Megan and her family had no choice but to move to the local workhouse. Separated from her mother and five siblings, young Megan must learn how to stand on her own two feet. But one day she meets a young boy who's stealing apples from the local market and together, they set out on a path to find a better life for themselves...A heartwarming saga, perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Katie Flynn and Nadine DorriesPlease note: this edition contains editorial revisions
£8.99
Quercus Publishing Dog Island
From the author of Grey Souls and Brodeck's Report: a chilling island fable of murder, exploitation and complicity"A parable about modern migration that is also the kind of detective story Mikhail Bulgakov might have written: visionary and darkly humourous" Lucy Hughes-Hallet, New Statesman BOOKS OF THE YEAR"A timely and elegant examination of the migrant situation in the Mediterranean from the point of view of a remote, volcanic island" The New European BOOKS OF THE YEARThe Dog Islands are a small, isolated cluster of islands in the Mediterranean - so called because together, when viewed from above, they form the shape of a dog, twisting and baring its teeth against a brilliant blue sea. One of the only inhabited islands (the one that takes the place of one of the dog's teeth) is dominated by a gently smoking volcano, fringed by black volcanic beaches and under the iron rule of the heads of community who are loath to let any outside influence disrupt the quiet way of life on the island.Then one morning, an old woman comes across three bodies that have washed up with the tide: three young black men, who have apparently drowned in their attempt to cross the sea. The initial reaction of the island community is that this tragedy must be covered up, lest any association with the drownings damages the island's tourism industry . . .But the island's deliberate isolation from the realities of the world cannot last for long, and when a visiting detective arrives on the island and starts asking awkward questions, it becomes clear that the deaths of these three men indicate something far more sinister and deeply rotten lying at the heart of this godforsaken fragment of sea-bound land.Translated from the French by Euan CameronEUAN CAMERON is a literary translator from the French and a former publisher. His previous translations include works by Patrick Modiano, Didier Decoin and Paul Morand, as well as biographies of Marcel Proust and Irène Némirovsky. His debut novel, Madeleine, was published in 2019.With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union
£16.99
Quercus Publishing Fair Play: Share the mental load, rebalance your relationship and transform your life
"A hands-on, real talk guide for navigating the hot-button issues that so many families struggle with" - Reese WitherspoonDo you find yourself taking on the lion's share of all the thankless, invisible but time-consuming work in the home? FAIR PLAY is the first book that shows you that there can be a different way: a way to get more done, with less fuss, in a way that feels more balanced.Eve Rodsky is changing society one relationship at a time, by coming up with a 21st-century solution to an age-old problem: women shouldering the brunt of domestic responsibilities, the mental load, the emotional labour. Everything that is required to keep the fridge full, the children's homework in their bags, and the household running. The unequal division of all this invisible work in relationships is a recipe for disaster, but no one has offered a real solution to this dilemma, until now. Eve Rodsky was tired of always being the one who has to remember to buy loo roll, or to book the family's dentist appointments, or to send the thank you cards - all while working full time. So Eve decided to do what she does every day as an organisational management consultant: Organise. She conducted original research with more than 500 couples to figure out WHAT the invisible work in a family actually is and HOW to get it done effectively and all in a way that makes relationships even stronger. FAIR PLAY identifies the 100 main tasks in any relationship, and then divides those tasks fairly (not necessarily equally) so that both parties contribute their fair share. If we don't learn to rebalance our home life and reclaim some time to develop the skills and passions that keep us unique, then we risk losing our right to be interesting, not just to our partner, but to ourselves. Getting this right isn't a luxury, it's a necessity for a happy, lasting partnership. Part how-to guide for couples, part modern relationship manifesto, FAIR PLAY offers an innovative system with a completely original lexicon to discuss how relationships actually work ... and how we can make them work better.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing Two Soldiers: Ewert Grens 5
THE MILLION-SELLING AND CWA AWARD-WINNING DCI EWERT GRENS SERIES CONTINUES, AS ROSLUND AND HELLSTRÖM SHIFT THEIR SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT TO SWEDEN'S NETWORK OF CHILD GANGS.'You will find yourself utterly engaged from the very first chapter' Independent'Very bold and very scary . . . a book to appreciate' Crime Thriller FellaTWO SIDES.In the Stockholm suburb of Råby, tensions between the Swedish authorities and organised juvenile gangs are approaching critical mass. TWO SENTINELS.Investigators José Pereira and DCI Ewert Grens are increasingly disturbed by the escalating militancy of these criminal enterprises. TWO SOLDIERS.The police are of little concern to blood brothers Leon and Gabriel. They have vowed to secure dominance in the area, at any cost. A dangerous collision awaits both sides. And so does a shocking revelation that will make all four men question the direction their lives have taken.Loved Two Soldiers and now want to start the DCI Ewert Grens series from the beginning? Take a look at Pen 33 . . .
£9.04
Quercus Publishing Bloodline
From the creator of BBC drama Silent Witness, comes the gripping sixth instalment in the acclaimed DCI Mark Lapslie series.When Isabel, a British university student, travels to a remote Spanish town it isn't only to enjoy the atmosphere. It's also to trace how and why her family name might have derived from the town, a quest her father, Sebastian made nine years ago, not long before his death in a car accident. But as Isabel, aided by local guide Mauricio, starts digging into her family's possible links with Alarcon, she's unprepared for the dark secrets uncovered; secrets that the current ruling nobility of Alarcon are keen to keep buried.Ten days into her stay in Alarcon, Isabel mysteriously disappears, presumed dead. Inspector Mark Lapslie and DC Emma Bradbury are sent out to investigate alongside the local Spanish police. A possible gangland link is suspected - Isabel's stepfather in Valencia is a retired British gangster and a mob-hitman from Malaga is identified in Alarcon at the time of Isabel's disappearance. But Mauricio, suspects the Mayor's son, Dario, is the real culprit - to uncover the truth, Lapslie and Bradbury must delve into the murky, chequered past of Isabel's gangland stepfather while also following in her footsteps through Alarcon's dark and tempestuous history.
£9.37
Quercus Publishing How to Destroy the Universe: And 34 other really interesting uses of physics
How to survive an earthquake. How to make an invisibility cloak. How to turn lead into gold. How to read someone's mind. Physics = tedious and unfathomable, right? No longer. If you thought physics was all about measuring the temperature of an ice bucket or trying to understand complicated equations, think again. How to Destroy the Universe will make you see the world around us through fresh eyes.
£10.99
Quercus Publishing Churchill
Winston Churchill attracted far more criticism alive than he has since his death. He was, according to Evelyn Waugh, 'always in the wrong, surrounded by crooks, a terrible father, a radio personality'. Whatever one's view of 'the greatest Briton', and despite the best efforts of an army of writers who have penned portraits of him, Winston Churchill remains splendidly unreduced. In this new biography Ashley Jackson describes the contours of Winston Churchill's remarkable life and political career, and gives a sense of the man behind the dark eyes and bulldog features. From Cabinet outcast to the greatest war leader ever, this is the eternally fascinating story of Winston Churchill's appointment with destiny.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing The Folded Earth
In a remote town in the Himalaya, Maya tries to put behind her a time of great sorrow. By day she teaches in a school and at night she types up drafts of a magnum opus by her landlord, a relic of princely India known to all as Diwan Sahib. Her bond with this eccentric, and her friendship with a peasant girl, Charu, give her the sense that she might be able to forge a new existence away from the devastation of her past. As Maya finds out, no place is remote enough or small enough. The world she has come to love, where people are connected with nature, is endangered by the town's new administration. The impending elections are hijacked by powerful outsiders who divide people and threaten the future of her school. Charu begins to behave strangely, and soon Maya understands that a new boy in the neighbourhood may be responsible. When Diwan Sahib's nephew arrives to set up his trekking company on their estate, she is drawn to him despite herself, and finally she is forced to confront bitter and terrible truths. A many-layered and powerful narrative, by turns poetic, elegiac and comic, by the author of An Atlas of Impossible Longing.
£9.99
Quercus Publishing A Walk Across the Sun
Ahalya Ghai and her younger sister Sita are as close as sisters can be. But when a tsunami rips through their village on India's Coromandel coast, their home is swept away, and the sisters are the sole survivors of their family. Destitute, their only hope is to find refuge at a convent many miles away. A driver agrees to take them. But the moment they get into that car their fate is sealed. The two sisters - confused, alone, totally reliant on each other - are sold. On the other side of the world, Washington lawyer Thomas Clarke is struggling to cope after the death of his baby daughter and the collapse of his marriage. He takes a sabbatical from his high-pressure job and accepts a position with the Bombay branch of an international anti-trafficking group. Thomas is now on a desperate path to try and save not only himself and his marriage, but also the lives of the two sisters.
£9.99
Quercus Publishing Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness
How is consciousness possible? What biological purpose does it serve? Why do we value it so highly? In Soul Dust the psychologist Nicholas Humphrey, a leading figure in consciousness research, returns to the front-line with a startling new theory. Consciousness, he argues, is nothing less than a magical-mystery show that we stage for ourselves inside our own heads. This self-made show lights up the world for us, making us feel special and transcendent. Tightly argued, intellectually gripping and a joy to read, Soul Dust is a keenly anticipated book that provides answers to the deepest questions. It dovetails the 'hard problem of consciousness' with the matters that obsess us all - the fear of death, how life should be lived. Resting firmly on neuroscience and evolutionary theory, it is an uncompromising yet life-affirming work that never loses sight of the majesty and mystery of consciousness.
£12.99
Quercus Publishing Curious Warnings: The Great Ghost Stories of M.R. James
A lavishly illustrated collector's edition containing all the supernatural tales ever written by M.R. James, the undisputed father of the modern ghost story.'James is clearly the best that's ever been' MARK GATISSM.R. James is one of the finest authors of supernatural fiction in the English language and revered as the father of the modern English ghost story. Many of his stories were originally written as Christmas entertainments and were read aloud by the author to selected gatherings of friends.'There are all sorts of writers of all sorts of nightmares, but M.R. James wrote the best ghost stories. He may well have created the ghost story in its current form. Nobody can do what he did as well as he could' NEIL GAIMANAuthorised by the writer's estate, Curious Warnings: The Complete Ghost Stories is the only volume that collects together all of James' much-loved supernatural tales - including the classics, 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad', 'A Warning to the Curious' and 'Canon Alberic's Scrapbook' - together with his novel The Five Jars, story fragments, essays and poetry. Illustrated by award-winning artist Les Edwards and featuring an extensive historical Afterword by editor Stephen Jones, this is the ultimate collection for fans of M.R. James and the classic British ghost story.
£31.50
Quercus Publishing Fall from Grace
'This is a high-profile death with several possible explanations. Which can be summarized as jumped, fell or pushed.' Adam Blaine returns to Martha's Vineyard out of duty rather than grief, after his father - bestselling author and celebrated human rights activist Benjamin Blaine - falls to his death. Having been estranged from his father for ten years, Adam is surprised to discover himself appointed the executor of his estate; especially as the will disinherits Adam's family, leaving their wealth and home to Ben's recent lover, young actress Carla Pacelli. Adam's mission - to undo the will and protect his blood, whether innocent or guilty, from criminal charges - forces him to confront his own past, and pulls him into a labyrinth of lies, deception and betrayal . . .
£9.99
Quercus Publishing An Epic Swindle: 44 Months with a Pair of Cowboys
AN EPIC SWINDLE is the inside story of how Liverpool FC came within hours of being re-possessed by the banks after the shambolic 44-month reign of American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. It is the tale of a civil war that dragged Britain's most successful football club to its knees, through the High Court and almost into administration. Players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher tell of their anger at the broken promises, as well as their pain at watching loyal fans in open revolt. Manager, chief executive, board members, leading fans and journalists reveal the turmoil at a revered sporting institution run by two men at war with each other, who trampled Liverpool's cherished traditions into the gutter. No story sums up the naked greed at the heart of modern football quite like Hicks' and Gillett's attempt to turn a buck at Liverpool. No-one has had as much access to the truth, or tells it with as much passion, wit and insight as Brian Reade. AN EPIC SWINDLE is the riveting story of how close one of the great football clubs came to financial implosion.
£10.99