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Six Foot Six
by Kit de WaalIt's an exciting day for Timothy Flowers. It's the third of November, and it's Friday, and it's his twenty-first birthday. When Timothy walks to his usual street corner to see his favourite special bus, he meets Charlie. Charlie is a builder who is desperate for Timothy's help because Timothy is very tall, six feet six inches. Timothy has never had a job before - or no work that he's kept for more than a day. But when Timothy and Charlie have to collect money from a local thug, things don't exactly go according to plan...Over the course of one day, Timothy's life will change for ever.
Six Facets Of Light
by Ann Wroe'She's a genius, I believe, because she lights up every subject she touches.' Hilary Mantel A Spectator Book of the YearGoethe claimed to know what light was. Galileo and Einstein both confessed they didn't. On the essential nature of light, and how it operates, the scientific jury is still out. There is still time, therefore, to listen to painters and poets on the subject. They, after all, spend their lives pursuing light and trying to tie it down.Six Facets of Light is a series of meditations on this most elusive and alluring feature of human life. Set mostly on the Downs and coastline of East Sussex, the most luminous part of England, it interweaves a walker's experiences of light in Nature with the observations, jottings and thoughts of a dozen writers and painters - and some scientists - who have wrestled to define and understand light. From Hopkins to Turner, Coleridge to Whitman, Fra Angelico to Newton, Ravilious to Dante, the mystery of light is teased out and pondered on. Some of the results are surprising.By using mostly notebooks and sketchbooks, this book becomes a portrait of the transitoriness, randomness, swiftness, frustrations and quicksilver beauty that are the essence of light. It is a work to be enjoyed, pondered over, engaged with, provoked by; to be packed in the rucksack of every walker heading for the sea or the hills, or to be opened to bring that outside radiance within four dark town walls.Lifescapes by Ann Wroe is coming in August 2023.
Sitopia: How Food Can Save the World
by Carolyn Steel'A visionary look at how quality food should replace money as the new world currency' Tim Spector'Hugely ambitious and beautifully written...destined to become a modern classic' Bee WilsonHow we search for, make and consume food has defined human history. It transforms our bodies and homes, our politics and our trade, our landscapes and our climate. But by forgetting our culinary heritage and relying on cheap, intensively produced food, we have drifted into a way of life that threatens our planet and ourselves.What if there were a more sustainable way to eat and live? Drawing on many disciplines, as well as stories of the farmers, designers and economists who are remaking our relationship with food, this inspiring and deeply thoughtful book gives us a provocative and exhilarating vision for change, and points the way to a better future.'Utterly brilliant' Thomasina MiersWINNER OF THE 2021 GUILD FOOD OF WRITERS AWARD FOR BEST FOOD BOOK*Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2020*
Sit-Down Comedy: Stand-ups swap the stage for the page
by John Fleming Malcolm HardeeTo satisfy the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people who pay good money to see stand-up every year, Malcolm Hardee ('the comedian's comedian' WHSmith Online; 'a national monument' The Guardian) presents a comedy club on the page with a bill featuring the glitterati of British stand-up comedy. We let the famous names and new talents alike try out their written humour and their only brief is to make us laugh. We plan to make the book an annual event, and are sure it will soon become the world's largest virtual comedy club. Contributors include: Keith Allen, Jo Brand, Simon Day, Jenny -clair, Boothby Graffoe, Ricky Grover, Jeremy Hardy, Hattie Hayridge, John Hegley, Jeff Innocent, Mark Lamarr, Chris Lynam, Simon Munnery, Rob Newman, Mark Steel, Arthur Smith, Jim Tavare, Mark Thomas
A Sister's Secret: A heart-warming and uplifting Regency romance from bestseller Mary Jane Staples
by Mary Jane StaplesPerfect for fans of Georgette Heyer and Netflix hit Bridgerton, a dashing Regency romance from multi-million copy seller Mary Jane Staples. READERS ARE LOVING A SISTER'S SECRET! "Mary Jane Staples is a genius! The storyline was amazing. I could not put the book down. Her characterization was wonderful and her intertwining of her characters with some famous historical characters is nothing short of genius." - 5 STARS"Mary Janes Staples is one of my favourite authors - loved her Adams Family series. This is such a lovely book: emotional, serious and funny in all ways. Read this book in one night." - 5 STARS "Enjoyed this book from start to finish." - 5 STARS. "I couldn't put this down - it was brilliant." - 5 STARS.************************************WILL SHE PROTECT HER SISTER AND LEARN TO LOVE AGAIN?A disastrous marriage has left the young and beautiful Lady Caroline widowed and vowing never to marry again.When she sees her younger sister, Annabelle, falling for a man who is notoriously unfaithful, she determines to intervene and save Annabelle from a similar fate, hiring the handsome and witty adventurer Captain Burnside to distract her. But all does not go to plan...A Sister's Secret was previously published as A Professional Gentleman.
A Sister's Secret: Two Sisters. A Harrowing Secret. One Fight For Justice.
by Debbie Grafham'I was nine and the big sister. I wanted to keep her safe. He basically promised me that if I let him abuse me, he wouldn't touch my sister again.' Debbie Grafham’s childhood had been far from normal, but when she was just nine years old her life changed forever. Debbie discovered that her neighbour was abusing her younger sister, Laraine – and there was a price to pay to make him stop. Alone and scared, she made a decision that was to haunt her life, and send her spiralling out of control. But after nearly forty years of harbouring her shocking secret, Debbie found the courage to tell her sister and together they made the decision to fight for justice.
Sisters of the East End
by Helen BattenHeart-warming tales of nursing and midwifery from the Sisters who worked with Jennifer Worth.‘A second’s silence and then an almighty scream. It was the most moving thing I had ever seen … A baby, a real live baby, another human life had entered the world. It didn’t seem possible and yet I had witnessed it with my very own eyes.’Born into a happy working-class North London family in the mid-twentieth century, Katie is determined to ‘do something’ with her life. Working in the impoverished East End in the 1950s, she meets the Sisters of St John the Divine – a community of nuns dedicated to nursing and midwifery. The Sisters have been present at births, cared for the sick and laid out the dead of the East Enders for a hundred years, and Katie soon joins them to start her journey to becoming Sister Catherine Mary. As a nurse and midwife, Katie learns to deal with everything from strokes to breech births. Tragedy is never far away, but there are also moments of pure joy as lives are saved and the Poplar residents rally round. As a young novice Katie rallies against the vow of obedience, yet over the years learns much about the nature of dedication and love.Full of desperate hardship, humour and compassion, Katie’s story brings to life the unique world of these nursing Sisters in London’s East End. Sister Catherine Mary’s story was written by Helen Batten after in-depth interviews with today’s Sisters of the Community of St John the Divine.The Community of St John the Divine was founded in 1848 in a bid to make nursing a respectable profession. Early Sisters worked in the Crimea with Florence Nightingale and were instrumental in developing recognised training and qualifications for nurses and midwives. In the early 20th century they were working in areas such as Poplar and Deptford becoming a treasured part of the community. Today the Sisterhood is based in Birmingham and their website is www.csjd.org.uk.Helen Batten studied history at Cambridge and then journalism at Cardiff University. She went on to become a producer and director at the BBC and now works as a writer and a psychotherapist. She lives in West London with her three daughters.
Sisters Of Severcy
by Jean AvelineThe villa at Severcy is a place of extremes. Here, innocence and love vie with experience and cruelty as young Isabelle is led into perversion by Robert, the handsome Englishman who visited the villa one summer. As Isabelle is introduced to the dark pleasures of Severcy, so her sister aids in the sensual education of Charlotte, Robert's bride in England.As Robert enjoys the girls of the villa, his new wife is visited by five of his friends. Each is provided with a key that will open the door to her bedroom and which commands her full obedience.Meanwhile, Isabelle must endure the cruelty of the Maitre of Severcy, Alain, and Absolem whip master of the stables. Only passions as strong as those shared by Charlotte and Isabelle can survive these dark tests. As they are enslaved, so they enslave all who use them.
A Sister's Duty
by June FrancisShe will do what it takes, for the sake of the children…Rosie Kilshaw is only fifteen when her mother Violet is killed in a tragic accident, but as the oldest of her siblings, she vows to keep her family together, no matter what the sacrifice.But as distant family members begin to resurface into their lives, Rosie quickly realizes that there is a lot more to parenting than she first thought. And when her estranged aunt Amelia decides to take them in, she will have a difficult choice to make…
A Sister’s Courage
by Audrey ReimannCan Alice protect her siblings?Eldest child Alice Davenport has always helped to look after her younger brothers and sister when her Mama was unwell. But when her Mama dies suddenly and her Papa leaves to fight in the war, young Alice is left to care for her family alone.When her Papa returns home safe, Alice’s troubled days seem to be over. And when she meets the handsome Major Fredrick Blackshaw, a new life finally seems to be within reach. But when her Papa remarries, the jealously of their new stepmother leaves Alice fearing for the safety of her siblings. Will she sacrifice her own happiness to keep her family safe?A gritty, heart-warming family saga perfect for fans of Maggie Hope, Val Wood and Emma Hornby.
Sisters: Heroic true-life stories from the nurses of World War Two
by Barbara MortimerOn 3 September 1939, the Prime Minister declared that Britain was at war with Nazi Germany.Thousands of young women, many of them barely out of school, were sent headlong into gruelling training regimes that would see them become wartime nurses. Sisters features over 150 previously unpublished stories from the archives of the Royal College of Nursing. The vivid, poignant and riveting stories capture these nurses' incredible bravery and touching friendships.
Sisterhood Of The Institute
by Maria Del ReyThe strict Mistress Shirer has always kept the residents of the Institute on a tight rein. Her charges are girls whose behavior is apt to get out of hand and who need special discipline. Now they've opened a male dormitory and all manner of strange goings-on have come to her attention. Determined to restore order, Mistress Shirer sends Jaki. Her cross-dressing slave, into the dormitories to find out exactly what is going on.
Siren
by Annemarie NearyIreland, 2004Róisín Burns has spent over twenty-five years living a lie.Brian Lonergan, a rising politician, has used the time to reinvent himself.But scandal is brewing around him, and Róisín knows the truth.Lonergan stole her life as a young girl. And now she wants it back.But he is still one step ahead …
Sir Thomas Lipton: The Man Who Invented Himself
by Dr James MackayThomas Lipton burst onto the national scene in 1897, the year of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The Princess of Wales had launched a £30,000 fund to provide a Jublilee dinner for the poor, but, with only weeks to go, no more than £5,000 had been subscribed. Lipton saved the day by writing a cheque for £25,000. The annonymous gift created massive press speculation and even greater publicity when the identity of the donor leaked out two days later. Lipton's generosity earned him a knighthood and propelled him into society at the highest level, a personal friend of the future King and Queen.Many of the myths that surrounded Lipton in the latter part of his life were created at this time and would be fixed for ever in his autobiography, published shortly after his death in 1931. Until now, what we know of Sir Thomas Lipton, grocery millionaire and yachtsman, is what he chose to tell the world about himself. Now literally detective James Mackay has uncovered the true story of one of the turn of the century's most extrordinary, larger-than-life characters, a story which is indefinitely more dramatic than the accepted version.Virtually everything Lipton tells us about himself is now shown to be untrue - even the origins of his family, his name, his date of birth and the place where he was born. The man who was hailed as the world's most eligible bachelor (his name was linked romantically with Rose Fitzgerald, the future mother of John F. Kennedy) had at least two skeletons in the closet - a youthful indescretion which led to a forced marriage, and a homosexual affair which lasted for thirty years.As a self-publicist he was a genius, and this was the key to his remarkable success. Beginning with a small shop in Glasgoe in 1871 he created a nationwide grocery chain second to none. In the process, he revolutionised the grocery retail trade, dealing direct with producers and eventually controlling production himself, with tea estates in Ceylon and meat-packing plants in Chicago. He combined a flair for organisation with superb showmanship, with stunts such as five-ton cheeses stuffed with gold sovereigns. In 1898 his company went public in one of the most successful share issues in stockmarket history.Lipton developed an interest in yachting which he pursued with the same single-mindedness as his business ventures. Between 1898 and 1930 he challenged for the America's Cup with a succession of yachts called Shamrock, but the rules of the race were heavily weighted in favour of the American defenders. The saga of his challenges, his near triumphs and the disappointments that would have destroyed a less heroic figure has become the most stirring in the annals of sport, and provides a fitting conclusion to the life of a maverick and outsider who was also one of the most colourful and flamboyant tycoons of all time.
Sir Matt Busby: The Definitive Biography
by Patrick BarclayThe Man Who Made A Football ClubSir Matt Busby, who took Manchester United to unprecedented glory before seeing the club through profound tragedy, created the global entity that spreads from Old Trafford today.A player with Manchester City and Liverpool before the Second World War, Busby remained at the forefront of football through four decades and made an extraordinary contribution to the game in terms of both style and substance. In this definitive biography, Patrick Barclay looks back at Busby’s phenomenal life and career, including the rise of the Busby Babes in the 1950s, the Munich disaster that claimed 23 lives and the Wembley victory ten years on that made United the first English team to win the European Cup. Denis Law, Pat Crerand and such other members of that great side as Alex Stepney, David Sadler and John Aston are among the host of voices testifying to the qualities that set Sir Matt apart.This is the story of one of the greatest figures in football history, and of the making of a legacy that will last for ever.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Legends from the Ancient North)
by Petra Borner'Tomorrow I must set off to receive that blow, to seek out that creature in green, God help me!'J.R.R. Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating and teaching the great epic stories of northern Europe, filled with heroes, dragons, trolls, dwarves and magic. He was hugely influential for his advocacy of Beowulf as a great work of literature and, even if he had never written The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, would be recognised today as a significant figure in the rediscovery of these extraordinary tales.Legends from the Ancient North brings together from Penguin Classics five of the key works behind Tolkien's fiction.They are startling, brutal, strange pieces of writing, with an elemental power brilliantly preserved in these translations.They plunge the reader into a world of treachery, quests, chivalry, trials of strength.They are the most ancient narratives that exist from northern Europe and bring us as near as we will ever get to the origins of the magical landscape of Middle-earth (Midgard) which Tolkien remade in the 20th century.
Sir Francis Drake
by Dr John SugdenHow well do you know the life of one of Britain’s great maritime heroes? Discover the truth behind a man who remains a legendary figure of history more than four hundred years after his death.Sir Francis Drake’s career is one of the most colourful on record. The most daring of the corsairs who raided the West Indies and Spanish Main, he led the English into the Pacific, and cirumnavigated the world to bring home the Golden Hind laden with Spanish treasure. His attacks on Spanish cities and ships transformed his private war into a struggle for surivival between Protestant England and Catholic Spain, in which he became Elizabeth I's most prominent admiral and marked the emergence of England as major maritime nation.‘Excellent...It deserves to become the standard Drake life. His scholarship is impeccable’ Frank McLynn, Sunday Telegraph
Sink the Belgrano
by Mike RossiterOn the evening of 30 March, 1982, Commander David Hall, chief engineer of the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror received a telephone call giving him the order to 'store for war'. At first he didn't believe it. In the early hours of 2 April, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Isles.The sinking of the Belgrano was one of the most dramatic moments of the Falklands conflict. For many it signalled Britain's entry into the war and it has been seen as a politically motivated decision deliberately designed to take the country irrevocably into the fight. Now Mike Rossiter - with unprecedented access to sailors from the Belgrano and HMS Conqueror - gives us a dramatic and definitive retelling of the events that led up to the sinking.With all the pace and tension of a thriller, Sink the Belgrano takes us inside the battle for the South Atlantic and shows us the human drama behind the famous, and controversial, Sun headline 'Gotcha!' We track the collision course between the British submarine Conqueror and the Argentine warship - as the two sides and everyone aboard head towards the climactic moment just outside the exclusion zone set up by the British around the Falkland Isles. We witness the behind-the-scenes arguments , discussions and powerbroking that led to the decision to fire the three torpedoes. And, for the first time, we hear from the sailors on both sides - the personal testimony of the hunt for and attack on the Belgrano, and from the Argentine side the experience of being under attack and the sinking that left 340 members of her crew dead.
The Single Mum's Wish List
by Charlene Allcott--------------------------'One of the freshest, funniest, most exciting new voices I’ve read for a long time' JANE FALLON'Fresh and funny and REAL ... Martha really spoke to me. She will steal everyone's heart!' VERONICA HENRY'Beautifully written and emotionally intelligent. I rooted for Martha from the start.' Daily MailMeet Martha Ross. She dreams of being a singer, but she’s been working in a call centre for far too long. She’s separating from her husband, the father of her son. And she’s moving back home to her parents’ as a single mum, toddler in tow.Life has thrown her a few lemons . . . but Martha intends to make a gin and tonic. It’s time to become the woman she’s always wanted to be. And at least her mum’s on hand to provide childcare – and ample motherly judgement, of course.Soon Martha realises that in order to find lasting love and fulfilment, she needs to find herself first . . . But her attempts at reinvention – from writing a definitive wish list of everything she wants in a new man, to half-marathons, business plans and meditation retreats – tend to go awry in the most surprising of ways . . . A warm, vibrant and painfully funny novel for fans of Why Mummy Drinks, Fiona Gibson and Lucy Vine. *Also published as The Reinvention of Martha Ross*
Sing for Your Supper
by Rosie HarrisA mother will do anything to protect her child...Karen and Tudor Morgan have moved from a small mining community to the bustle and noise of Cardiff in search of a new life. Tudor longs to be a star entertainer and so Karen gets a job, leaving her husband to look after their young daughter Delia, doing stints at clubs in the evening, whenever he can get them. Until one day Tudor is arrested for begging and Karen is horrified to learn that he has been busking during the day and taking three-year-old Delia with him to collect the money. When Tudor comes out of prison he gets an honest job but soon he is back to his old ways. And when his life of petty crime quickly turns into something far more sinister, it is all Karen can do to ensure she and her daughter survive ...
Sindi in Silk
by Yolanda CelbridgeAfter the destruction of most of the northern world in a long-forgotten war, Madagascar survives as the most powerful country on Earth. Silk stockings become the most precious currency, which only bare-breasted noblewomen and vampire girl slaves are allowed to wear. Sindi, having been a whip-wielding mistress, herself becomes enslaved, and a smuggler of illicit stockings from Zanzibar. The prince of Madagascar is victorious in the war against his twin brother, the prince of Zanzibar -- but both men fall in love with her. And when it is time for the victor to choose a princess, only the girl whose legs fit the one pair of silk stockings, from the old times, will do. It is Sindi. She becomes Whip mistress of the Islands, Princesse du Fouet, and Dame des Bas Sacrés, Lady of the Sacred Stockings.
Sindbad the Sailor and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights
by N. J. DawoodSome of the best-loved stories in the world. Originating in Persia, India and Arabia, they were the daily entertainment of the common people. In this edition they are retold especially for children. this collection includes the voyages of Sindbad the Sailor, Ali Baby and the Forty Thieves and the Tale of the Hunchback.
Since I Was a Princess: The Fourteen-Year Fight to Find My Children
by Jacqueline PascarlIn Once I Was a Princess, Jacqueline Pascarl related the gripping story of her abusive childhood and her subsequent teen marriage to a prince. What should have been a fairy tale with a happy ending deteriorated into a nightmare of deceit and betrayal - ending in the kidnapping of her two small children by her former husband, who spirited them back to Malaysia.In Since I Was a Princess, Pascarl peels back the layers of her life after the abduction. She tells how she channelled her grief, forging an existence as an aid worker and humanitarian ambassador in war-torn countries and working with refugees and the dispossessed. She describes how she persuaded some of the world's most influential figures to support her aid work and became a human rights activist on the international stage, championing the cause of other parents whose children had been kidnapped and reuniting scores of families.Pascarl also explains how she lived frenetically as she painfully rebuilt her life and re-evaluated her relationships, grappling with the emotional complexities of a new pregnancy and beginning a second family. And she reveals for the first time the dramatic details of how, at last, she was able to be reunited with her long-lost children and make her family whole.Candid and compelling, Since I Was a Princess is an unforgettable ride through tragedy, loss and, finally, triumph.
Sin.Net
by Helena RavenscroftAn overbearing brother and a bullying husband have made Carrie unsure of her sexuality. All this changes when she discovers the steamy world of adult internet chat rooms. Assuming the name Dominique, she soon begins a number of X-rated, on-line liasons.Her attempts to juggle reality with her virtual life are complicated, however, by the advances of Max - a great bear of a man who won't take no for an answer - and by Sam, a young internet addict with a tempting line in lustful submission. And when she employs a sulky male house-slave with blond ringlets and a taut young bottom, Carrie is suddenly having more fun than ever before. Is it submission or strength that she truly desires in her partners, or can she blend all the admirable qualities of Dominique into her own personality?