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Dear Austen
by Nina BawdenAccidents happen to other people. But on On May 10th 2002, Nina Bawden discovered what it feels like to be one of the 'other people'. It was to be a lovely outing to Cambridge for a friend's birthday party. Nina Bawden and her husband Austen Kark boarded the 12:45 from Kings Cross and settled down with their books and papers. A few minutes later the train derailed. Seven people were killed and 76 badly hurt. Nina Bawden was gravely injured and Austen was killed instantly. In this powerful and poignant letter to her husband, Nina Bawden uses her considerable writing skills to try and make sense of it all. She explains how she - now in her late 70s - found herself the outspoken spokesperson for the survivors of the crash, interviewed here and abroad and even one of the characters portrayed in David Hare's The Permanent Way. Although liability has finally been admitted, as of October 2004, there has been no resolution to this tragedy, nor a public enquiry into how it happened.
Cooking In A Bedsitter
by Katharine WhitehornThere is one powerful smell closely associated with the making of coffee in bedsitters. It is the smell of burning plastic, and will go away if you move the handle of the pot away from the flame.Legendary journalist Katharine Whitehorn's classic handbook of quick, simple meals - including Swedish Sausage Casserole, Lamb Tomato Quickie and Shrimp Wiggle - became the essential survival manual for the busy single person living in their first rented room.Whitehorn's trademark intelligent, practical and fabulously funny writing shines as brightly as ever, addressing the problems of 'cooking at ground level, in a hurry, with nowhere to put the salad but the washing-up bowl, which is in any case full of socks'. Delightful, entertaining and utterly indispensable.Praise for Katharine Whitehorn:'A meteor: clever, funny, compassionate, insightful, beautiful' RACHEL COOKE'Everyone grabbed the Observer to read her column on a Sunday morning' JILLY COOPER 'Wise, witty, mischievous' JAY RAYNER
Zimmer Men: The Trials and Tribulations of the Ageing Cricketer
by Marcus BerkmannTen years after his classic Rain Men - 'cricket's answer to Fever Pitch,' said the Daily Telegraph - Marcus Berkmann returns to the strange and wondrous world of village cricket, where players sledge their team-mates, umpires struggle to count up to six, the bails aren't on straight and the team that fields after a hefty tea invariably loses. This time he's on the trail of the Ageing Cricketer, having suddenly realised that he is one himself and playing in a team with ten others every weekend. In their minds they run around the field as fast as ever; it's only their legs that let them down. ZIMMER MEN asks all the important questions of middle-aged cricketers. Why is that boundary rope suddenly so far away? Are you doomed to getting worse as a cricketer, or could you get better? How many pairs of trousers will your girth destroy in one summer? Chronicling the 2004 season, with its many humiliating defeats and random injuries, this coruscatingly funny new book laughs in the face of middle age, and starts thinking seriously about buying a convertible.
Zimmer Men: The Trials and Tribulations of the Ageing Cricketer
by Marcus BerkmannTen years after his classic Rain Men - 'cricket's answer to Fever Pitch,' said the Daily Telegraph - Marcus Berkmann returns to the strange and wondrous world of village cricket, where players sledge their team-mates, umpires struggle to count up to six, the bails aren't on straight and the team that fields after a hefty tea invariably loses. This time he's on the trail of the Ageing Cricketer, having suddenly realised that he is one himself and playing in a team with ten others every weekend. In their minds they run around the field as fast as ever; it's only their legs that let them down. ZIMMER MEN asks all the important questions of middle-aged cricketers. Why is that boundary rope suddenly so far away? Are you doomed to getting worse as a cricketer, or could you get better? How many pairs of trousers will your girth destroy in one summer? Chronicling the 2004 season, with its many humiliating defeats and random injuries, this coruscatingly funny new book laughs in the face of middle age, and starts thinking seriously about buying a convertible.
The Meerkats Of Summer Farm: The True Story of Two Orphaned Meerkats and the Family Who Saved Them
by Jayne CollierThe Colliers are a pretty normal family: mum, dad, two kids, two dogs and two cats ... Oh, and a few wallabies, two lemurs, several owls, Ringo the bad-tempered crane and two cheeky, hand-reared meerkats named Wren and Rascal.THE MEERKATS OF SUMMER FARM is the remarkable story of a year at Axe Valley Bird and Animal Park, following the birth of the adorable young kits. In her charming and often hilarious memoir, Jayne Collier describes how these two playful and ever-curious creatures became the park's star attraction and - in spite of permanent damage to her kitchen floor and occasional (subterranean) breaks for freedom - found a permanent place in the family's heart.
The Meerkats of Summer Farm: The True Story of Two Orphaned Meerkats and the Family Who Saved Them
by Jayne CollierThe Colliers are a pretty normal family: mum, dad, two kids, two dogs and two cats ... Oh, and a few wallabies, two lemurs, several owls, Ringo the bad-tempered crane and two cheeky, hand-reared meerkats named Wren and Rascal.THE MEERKATS OF SUMMER FARM is the remarkable story of a year at Axe Valley Bird and Animal Park, following the birth of the adorable young kits. In her charming and often hilarious memoir, Jayne Collier describes how these two playful and ever-curious creatures became the park's star attraction and - in spite of permanent damage to her kitchen floor and occasional (subterranean) breaks for freedom - found a permanent place in the family's heart.
This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Summer of Letting Go, Loving from Afar and 21 Jars of Tomato Sauce
by Laura MunsonWhen Laura Munson's essay was first published, the New York Times was so flooded with responses that they had to close down the comment feature on their website. Readers sent it to their friends and therapists gave it to their clients. What did Munson write that caused such a fervour? Laura detailed what happened when her husband of more than twenty years told her he wasn't sure he loved her anymore and wanted to move out. Laura's response to her husband: I don't buy it. In this poignant and funny memoir, Laura recounts the time her faith in her marriage was put to the test. Shaken to the core after the death of her beloved father, not finding the professional success that she had hoped for, and after much therapy, Laura, aged forty, realised she had to stop basing her happiness on things outside her control and commit to an 'End of Suffering'.
Walking With The Wounded: The Incredible Story of Britain's Bravest Warriors and the Challenge of a Lifetime
by Mark McCrumIn April 2011, four soldiers - each a hero of recent conflicts who suffered devastating injuries in the line of duty - set out on a challenge that even an able-bodied athlete would balk at. A two-hundred mile trek, unsupported, to the North Pole.It was the culmination of a journey that began long before, when two friends decided to mount an expedition that would demonstrate how remarkable our armed forces are and raise funds for the rehabilitation of injured service men and women. Little did they know that their idea would ultimately gain global attention, and royal endorsement. The year-long selection process was more physically and emotionally draining than anyone had anticipated. But by September 2010 the final team was set: the two founders, four wounded soldiers, a polar guide, and patron Prince Harry. Once they'd ventured inside the arctic circle they had to contend with new challenges. Pulling sleds weighing more then 100kg over vast swathes of ice rubble, pressure ridges and dangerous open water 'leads'; constant daylight; ground that could literally tear itself apart beneath them as they slept; and temperatures as low as -35 degrees. And all the time, they had to be alert for signs of the notoriously aggressive Polar Bears that roam the desolate landscape. With every step fraught with risk, the trek tested its participants' resilience to the limit. Each of these brave men tells their story here, along with that of the extraordinary expedition itself - the rigorous training, the meticulous preparation, and of course, the final, awe-inspiring journey across the ice. They returned as heroes again - proof that strength of mind can be every bit as powerful as strength of body, and an inspiration to us all.
Walking With The Wounded: The Incredible Story of Britains Bravest Warriors and the Challenge of a Lifetime
by Mark McCrum Prince HarryIn April 2011, four soldiers - each a hero of recent conflicts who suffered devastating injuries in the line of duty - set out on a challenge that even an able-bodied athlete would balk at. A two-hundred mile trek, unsupported, to the North Pole.It was the culmination of a journey that began long before, when two friends decided to mount an expedition that would demonstrate how remarkable our armed forces are and raise funds for the rehabilitation of injured service men and women. Little did they know that their idea would ultimately gain global attention, and royal endorsement. The year-long selection process was more physically and emotionally draining than anyone had anticipated. But by September 2010 the final team was set: the two founders, four wounded soldiers, a polar guide, and patron Prince Harry. Once they'd ventured inside the arctic circle they had to contend with new challenges. Pulling sleds weighing more then 100kg over vast swathes of ice rubble, pressure ridges and dangerous open water 'leads'; constant daylight; ground that could literally tear itself apart beneath them as they slept; and temperatures as low as -35 degrees. And all the time, they had to be alert for signs of the notoriously aggressive Polar Bears that roam the desolate landscape. With every step fraught with risk, the trek tested its participants' resilience to the limit. Each of these brave men tells their story here, along with that of the extraordinary expedition itself - the rigorous training, the meticulous preparation, and of course, the final, awe-inspiring journey across the ice. They returned as heroes again - proof that strength of mind can be every bit as powerful as strength of body, and an inspiration to us all.
What Language Do I Dream In?: A Memoir
by Elena LappinElena Lappin's life could be described as 'five languages in search of an author'. She now lives in London, but she was born in Russia and has lived in Czechoslovakia, Germany, Israel, Canada, and the United States. As a multiple émigré, her decision to write in English was the unexpected result of many wanderings, and this memoir tells the story of finding a voice in a language that is not one's own. Russian, Czech, German, Hebrew, and finally English: how do they, and the family roots and cultures they represent define who she is, and how has adopting English allowed her to be a writer?The story of Lappin's identity is unexpectedly complicated by the discovery, in middle age, that her biological father was an American living in Russia. Their encounter introduces an element of mystery to the search for her roots, and a surprise: suddenly, English is more than the accidental 'home in exile' - it is the language she may have been close to from the very beginning.
Brave Girl Eating: The inspirational true story of one family's battle with anorexia
by Harriet BrownMillions of families are affected by eating disorders, which usually strike young women between the ages of fourteen and twenty. But current medical practice ties these families' hands when it comes to helping their children recover. Conventional medical wisdom dictates separating the patient from the family and insists that 'it's not about the food', even as a family watches a child waste away before their eyes. In BRAVE GIRL EATING Harriet Brown describes how her family, with the support of an open-minded paediatrician and a therapist, helped her daughter recover from anorexia using a family-based treatment developed at the Maudsley Hospital in London. Chronicling her daughter Kitty's illness from the earliest warning signs, through its terrifying progression, and on toward recovery, Brown takes us on one family's journey into the world of anorexia nervosa, where starvation threatened her daughter's body and mind. BRAVE GIRL EATING is essential reading for families and professionals alike, a guiding light for anyone who's coping with this devastating disease.
Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim
by David Sedaris'No one has a turn of phrase like David Sedaris. This series of essays about his life and family is a joy from start to finish' Adam KayDavid Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters.He goes on vacation with his family.He gets a job selling drinks.He attends his brother's wedding.He mops his sister's floor.He gives directions to a lost traveller.He eats a hamburger.He has his blood sugar tested.It all sounds so normal, doesn't it?In his new book David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives - a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim finds one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today at the peak of his form.
When You Are Engulfed In Flames
by David SedarisDavid Sedaris's remarkable ability to uncover the hilarious absurdity teeming just below the surface of everyday life is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this new book of stories.Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life - the etiquette of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger or how to soundproof your windows with LP covers against neurotic songbirds - to the most deeply resonant human truths. Taking in the parasitic worm that once lived in his mother-in-law's leg, an encounter with a dingo and the purchase of a human skeleton, and culminating in a brilliant account of his attempt to quit smoking - in Tokyo - David Sedaris's sixth story collection is a fresh masterpiece of comic writing.
A Shed Of One's Own: Midlife Without the Crisis
by Marcus BerkmannFor many men, middle age arrives too fast and without due warning. One day you are young, free and single; the next you are bald, fat and washed-up, with weird tendrils of hair growing out of your ears. None of it seems fair. With age should come dignity and respect, but instead everyone makes tired jokes about buying a motorbike.Marcus Berkmann isn't having it. Having marked his fiftieth birthday by hiding under the duvet for six weeks, the author of the cricket classics Rain Men and Zimmer Men is now determined to find some light in the all-consuming darkness. Musing over birth, death and all the messy stuff in between, he concludes that however dreadful you look in the mirror today, it will be much worse in ten years' time. His brutally candid despatch from the frontline is not for the faint-hearted, which is to say anyone under thirty-five.
The Lady's Handbook For Her Mysterious Illness: A Memoir
by Sarah Ramey'A visceral, scathing, erudite read that digs deep into how modern medicine continues to fail women and what can be done about it' Booklist The darkly funny memoir of Sarah Ramey's years-long battle with a mysterious illness that doctors thought was all in her head - but wasn't. A revelation and an inspiration for millions of women whose legitimate health complaints are ignored. In her harrowing, defiant and unforgettable memoir, Sarah Ramey recounts the decade-long saga of how a seemingly minor illness in her senior year of college turned into a prolonged and elusive condition that destroyed her health but that doctors couldn't diagnose or treat. Worse, as they failed to cure her, they hinted that her devastating symptoms were psychological.The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness is a memoir with a mission: to help the millions of (mostly) women who suffer from unnamed or misunderstood conditions--autoimmune illnesses, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic Lyme disease, chronic pain and many more. Ramey's pursuit of a diagnosis and cure for her own mysterious illness becomes a page-turning medical mystery that reveals a new understanding of today's chronic illnesses as ecological in nature, driven by modern changes to the basic foundations of health, from the quality of our sleep, diet and social connections to the state of our microbiomes. Her book will open eyes, change lives and, ultimately, change medicine.'Ramey's uncanny grit and fortitude will deeply inspire the multitudes facing similar issues' Publishers Weekly'This is a book for anyone who has ever asked a question that didn't have an immediate or easy answer, anyone who has worried about themselves or a loved one who isn't getting better - despite following all the experts' advice - and anyone interested in their own health, public health or medicine; in other words, it's a book with something resonant and useful for all of us' Chelsea Clinton
The Real Queen Of France: Athenais and Louis XIV
by Lisa HiltonThe resplendent sex symbol of the splendid century'... The reign of Athenais de Montespan as principal mistress of Louis XIV corresponds with the most glorious period of the Grand Siecle. Athenais was 'the true Queen of France', symbol of a dazzling French culture in the seventeenth century. As a lover, she risked the disgrace of double adultery to conduct an affair which scandalized Europe; as a patron she supported many of the leaders of the cultural renaissance including Moliere and Racine; as a mother she is the ancestor of most of the royal houses of Europe. The greatest beauty of her day, Athenais lived her life publicly and sensationally until accusations of witchcraft forced her from power in the 'Affair of the Poisons', a mystery which remains unsolved. She fascinates not only because she achieved power at a time when it was denied to most women, but because she achieved that power through her manipulation of a prescribed role.
All Of Me: My incredible true story of how I learned to live with the many personalities sharing my body
by Jeff Hudson Kim NobleKim Noble is an accomplished artist whose work has been exhibited around the world. She is a mother with a 13-year-old daughter. She is a bubbly and vivacious woman. To meet her you wouldn't think anything was wrong. But when Kim was younger than five years old, her personality splintered and fractured. In 1995 she was finally diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) which has been described as a creative way to cope with unbearable pain. Now her body plays host to more than 20 different personalities, or 'alters'. There are women and men, adults and children; there is a scared little boy who speaks only Latin, an elective mute, a gay man and an anorexic teenager. Some alters age with her body; others are stuck in time. ALL OF ME takes the reader through the extraordinary world of a woman for whom the very nature of reality is different. It will tell of her terrifying battles to understand her own mind; of her desperate struggle against all odds to win back the child she loved; and of her courage and commitment in trying to make sense of her life. It is by turns shocking, inspiring, sometimes funny, and deeply moving.
A Countryman's Lot: Tales From The Dales
by Max HardcastleMax and Vicky Hardcastle have a daydream . . .One day, they'll sell their cramped city-centre antiques shop and the overflowing upstairs flat and relocate to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. If they could only find the perfect place to house both family and business, then that fantasy might become a reality. . . When a smallholding in a remote Dales village comes on the market, it seems like the answer to their prayers. Bullpen Farm might need 'some renovation', but it has an orchard, outbuildings and all the charm they've dreamt of. Before long, the Hardcastles find themselves the proud owners of a collection of ramshackle buildings and the newest members of a close-knit community which seems to have more than its fair share of eccentrics.From the antics of the antiques trade to the uproarious incidents of village life, it turns out that rural living isn't quite as tranquil as they'd imagined!'A happy, satisfying and very funny book' James Herriot
A Countryman's Lot: Tales From The Dales
by Max HardcastleMax and Vicky Hardcastle have a daydream . . .One day, they'll sell their cramped city-centre antiques shop and the overflowing upstairs flat and relocate to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. If they could only find the perfect place to house both family and business, then that fantasy might become a reality. . . When a smallholding in a remote Dales village comes on the market, it seems like the answer to their prayers. Bullpen Farm might need 'some renovation', but it has an orchard, outbuildings and all the charm they've dreamt of. Before long, the Hardcastles find themselves the proud owners of a collection of ramshackle buildings and the newest members of a close-knit community which seems to have more than its fair share of eccentrics.From the antics of the antiques trade to the uproarious incidents of village life, it turns out that rural living isn't quite as tranquil as they'd imagined!'A happy, satisfying and very funny book' James Herriot
The Middle Class: A History
by Lawrence James'A wonderfully enjoyable history of the changing fortunes of the middle orders over the past 500 years. A magisterial survey of the entire British class system, filled with richly detailed observation of the social differences on which it has thrived' Sunday Times'Comprehensive, engaging, sharp-eyed and fair-minded. A treasure trove for anyone who wants to know how we get from yokels to 'Marks and Sparks plonk' Daily Telegraph'An enchanting compendium of the games the English play, and the anxieties, frictions and resentments engendered in the pursuit of status' Times Literary Supplement This is the enthralling story of the great powerhouse of British history - the middle class. The death of feudalism, the advancement of democracy, the spread of literacy, the industrial and sexual revolutions, the development of mass media - the middle class is never far away, drawing up petitions, pushing for change in attitude and legislation, engaging in philanthropy. In this scholarly and hugely entertaining account, Lawrence James brings to life the stories of churchmen and charity-workers, lawyers and lobbyists to create an engaging and colourful social and political panorama. Richly textured and highly relevant, this is narrative history at its best.
The Middle Class: A History
by Lawrence JamesThis is the enthralling story of the great powerhouse of British history - the middle class. The death of feudalism, the advancement of democracy, the spread of literacy, the industrial and sexual revolutions, the development of mass media - the middle class is never far away, drawing up petitions, pushing for change in attitude and legislation, engaging in philanthropy. In this scholarly and hugely entertaining account, Lawrence James brings to life the stories of churchmen and charity-workers, lawyers and lobbyists to create an engaging and colourful social and political panorama. Richly textured and highly relevant, this is narrative history at its best.
Three Wishes: An extraordinary true story of good friends on their journey to motherhood
by Carey Goldberg Pamela Ferdinand Ms Beth JonesCarey, Beth, and Pam, have good luck in their friendships and careers, but terrible luck in relationships. Which makes it more difficult to get what they truly desire: children. And time is running out. Carey is the first to abandon the traditional path to motherhood. She decides to go it alone, and buys eight vials of his sperm from the perfect donor. Maybe it's newfound confidence from taking control of her destiny. Maybe it's sheer coincidence. But on the day the vials arrive, she meets a man online. They fall in love. And she gets pregnant the old fashioned way. Carey passes the vials to Beth, who has just recovered from a wrenching divorce. But before she can use the vials, Beth meets a man on an ice-climbing trip. She too falls in love. And gets pregnant. So she gives the vials to Pam. Pam will never stop searching for the love of her life, but she's ready to be a single mother. Then the magic strikes again. Is it lucky sperm? Or shared hope, determination, and resilience that pave the way to these happy endings? Despite soured relationships and crushing losses, three women become three families, revelling in the shared joys of love, friendship, and never giving up.
The Heirs Of The Prophet Muhammad: And the Roots of the Sunni-Shia Schism
by Barnaby RogersonThe Prophet Muhammad taught the word of God to the Arabs. Within a generation of his death, his followers - as vivid a cast of heroic individuals as history has known - had exploded out of Arabia to confront the two great superpowers of the seventh-century and establish Islam and a new civilization. That the protagonists originated from the small oasis communities of central Arabia gives their adventures, their rivalries, their loves and their achievements an additional vivacity and intimacy. So that on one hand, THE HEIRS OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD is a swaggering saga of ambition, immense achievement, self-sacrificing nobility and blood rivalry, while on the other it allows us to understand some of the complexities of our modern world. For within this fifty-year span of conquest and empire-building, Barnaby Rogerson also identifies the seeds of discord that destroyed the unity of Islam, and traces the roots of the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims to the rivalry of the two individuals who best knew and loved the Prophet: his cousin and son-in-law Ali and his wife Aisha.
The Heirs Of The Prophet Muhammad: And the Roots of the Sunni-Shia Schism
by Barnaby RogersonThe Prophet Muhammad taught the word of God to the Arabs. Within a generation of his death, his followers - as vivid a cast of heroic individuals as history has known - had exploded out of Arabia to confront the two great superpowers of the seventh-century and establish Islam and a new civilization. That the protagonists originated from the small oasis communities of central Arabia gives their adventures, their rivalries, their loves and their achievements an additional vivacity and intimacy. So that on one hand, THE HEIRS OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD is a swaggering saga of ambition, immense achievement, self-sacrificing nobility and blood rivalry, while on the other it allows us to understand some of the complexities of our modern world. For within this fifty-year span of conquest and empire-building, Barnaby Rogerson also identifies the seeds of discord that destroyed the unity of Islam, and traces the roots of the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims to the rivalry of the two individuals who best knew and loved the Prophet: his cousin and son-in-law Ali and his wife Aisha.
The Prophet Muhammad: A Biography
by Barnaby RogersonThe Prophet Muhammad is a hero for all mankind. In his lifetime he established a new religion, Islam; a new state, the first united Arabia; and a new literary language, the classical Arabic of the Qur'an, for the Qur'an is believed to be the word of God revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. A generation after his death he would be acknowledged as the founder of a world empire and a new civilisation. Any one of these achievements would have been more than enough to permanently establish his genius. To our early twenty-first century minds, what is all the more astonishing is that he also managed to stay true to himself and retained to his last days the humility, courtesy and humanity that he had learned as an orphan shepherd boy in central Arabia. If one looks for a parallel example from Christendom, you would have to combine the Emperor Constantine with St Francis and St Paul, an awesome prospect. Barnaby Rogerson's elegant biography not only looks directly at the life of the Prophet Muhammad, but beautifully evokes for western readers the Arabian world into which he was born in 570 AD.