- Table View
- List View
The Dictator’s Muse: the captivating novel by the Richard & Judy bestseller
by Nigel Farndale'[A] riveting novel... a fast-paced, brilliantly constructed thriller, in which the fates of the three young British protagonists hang in the balance at the end of every chapter' A. N. Wilson, SPECTATOR'I loved the brash brilliance of this' Peter Bradshaw, Guardian film criticIt is the early 1930s, and Europe is holding its breath. As Hitler's grip on power tightens, preparations are being made for the Berlin Olympics. Leni Riefenstahl is the pioneering, sexually-liberated star film-maker of the Third Reich. She has been chosen by Hitler to capture the Olympics on celluloid but is about to find that even his closest friends have much to fear. Kim Newlands is the English athlete 'sponsored' by the Blackshirts and devoted to his mercurial, socialite girlfriend Connie. He is driven by a desire to win an Olympic gold but to do that he must first pretend to be someone he is not. Alun Pryce is the Welsh communist sent to infiltrate the Blackshirts. When he befriends Kim and Connie, his belief that the end justifies the means will be tested to the core.Through her camera lens and memoirs, Leni is able to manipulate the truth about what happens when their fates collide at the Olympics. But while some scenes from her life end up on the cutting room floor, this does not mean they are lost forever...'Profound and moving... a beautifully written evocation of turbulent times' Daily Express'A novel rich in historical detail, but wearing its research lightly, and the story is told in a French Lieutenant's Woman kind of way, veering from the present to the past with superb flair... this novel has an uncomfortable prescience, with a plot twist at the end which is ingenious. - IRISH INDEPENDENT'A masterly exploration of conflicting loyalties ... Sharply characterised, richly atmospheric and completely engrossing' John Preston, author of The Dig------------------Readers love The Dictator's Muse:***** 'An addictive, all-consuming read'***** 'Flows beautifully with love, hopes, desires and propaganda of the time. Fascinating, engaging and terrifying'***** 'Thoughtful, well researched and atmospheric with engaging characters'***** 'I can't recommend this book highly enough'
Devon Cream
by Aishling MorganThis novel traces the history of the innocent but wilful Octavia Challacombe as she is corrupted by the wicked Maray family. Along with Polly Endicott and a group of other buxom Devon girls, she is cajoled and teased into providing increasingly perverse services for the Squire and his family. Part of the Cream Series. Other titles include Peaches and Cream and Cream Tease.
Daisy and the Trouble with Nature (A Daisy Story #14)
by Kes GrayThe BRAND NEW laugh-out-loud new Daisy adventure, from bestselling author of the Oi Frog series, Kes Gray.Here comes trouble! Daisy and her class are so excited when their new school nature garden is unveiled. But the trouble with their nature garden is, there's not very much nature in it. There are NO:BirdsButterfliesGrizzly BearsWolverinesIf there's one thing Daisy HATES it's waiting. Especially waiting for nature to appear. Luckily, she's going camping with Gabby, and will find LOTS of nature to bring back.Only, the trouble with nature is, it's really hard to control...
Dickens at Christmas
by Charles DickensDiscover this selection of the best of Dickens' Christmas stories and writings in one beautiful gift edition. The ultimate Christmas present.It is said that Charles Dickens invented Christmas, and within these pages you'll certainly find all the elements of a quintessential traditional Christmas brought to vivid life: snowy rooftops, gleaming shop windows, steaming bowls of punch, plum puddings like speckled cannon balls, sage and onion stuffing, miracles, magic, charity and goodwill. This beautifully produced Vintage Classics edition gathers together not only Dickens' Christmas Books ('A Christmas Carol', 'The Chimes', 'The Battle of Life', 'The Cricket on the Hearth' and 'The Haunted Man') but also stories that Dickens wrote for the special seasonal editions of his periodicals All the Year Round and Household Words, and a festive tale from The Pickwick Papers. A must-have for Christmas, this edition should be as necessary to your festivities as holly, mistletoe and silver bells.
The Devil's Gardens: The Story of Landmines
by Lydia Monin'The image I have is a kid on a country lane on a Saturday afternoon herding his family cattle, meaning no harm to anybody and putting one step wrong. It's one thing to die in combat, it's one thing to die defending land, but it's another thing to die tending cattle on a Saturday afternoon and we want a world where that doesn't happen' - Michael IgnatieffDuring the twentieth century a landmine plague raged across the globe. It began on the battlefields of two world wars, it gathered momentum in Korea and Vietnam and then spread like wildfire throughout the developing world. The Devil's Gardens is the definitive story of the landmine. It is the story of the development and proliferation of a weapon of terror. It is also the story of suffering and devastation, and a worldwide crusade to put an end to the curse of landmines forever. The issues surrounding landmines and their continued use are controversial. Drawing on a wide range of distinguished interviewees and the authors' first-hand experiences in severely mine-affected countries, The Devil's Gardens look at all sides of the landmine story.
Daisy and the Trouble with Maggots (A Daisy Story #6)
by Kes GrayDaisy is incredibly excited when her uncle offers to take her on a fishing trip. There's so much new stuff to learn! Like how water witches turn fishermen into dog poos, why supermarkets don't stock picknicky things like lemonade and chicken wings on the same shelf, and why it's a really, really bad idea to use wriggly tiggly maggots as catapult amunition...
The Devil's Footsteps
by E E RichardsonIt was just a bit of fun, a local legend. The Devil's Footsteps: thirteen stepping stones, and whichever one you stopped on in the rhyme could predict how you would die. A harmless game for kids - and nobody ever died from a game. But it's not a game to Bryan. He's seen the Dark Man, because the Dark Man took his brother five years ago. He's tried to tell himself that it was his imagination, that the Devil's Footsteps are just stones and the Dark Man didn't take Adam. But Adam's still gone. And then Bryan meets two other boys who have their own unsolved mysteries. Someone or something is after the children in the town. And it all comes back to the rhyme that every local child knows by heart: Thirteen steps to the Dark Man's door, Won't be turning back no more . . .
Dice With Domination
by P S BrettHaving taken up the reins of river-side casino The Paddle-Boat, the sexy and wickedly imaginative Valerie McKnight is determined to bring a new service to her thrill-seeking gamblin public. Her beautuful croupiers are re-trained to provide a sideline in Domination and Fantasy in the cellar of the grand casino building. Rumours alone soon attract the attention of many curious local gents.
Devil's Fire
by Melissa MacnealDestitute following her father's death, young Mary Grace visits the handsome but lecherous mortician Hyde Fortune, who once promised her employment. It isn't too long before they are consummating their lust for each other and involving Fortune's housekeeper, the exotic Yu Ling, and his dark assistant Sebastian.When Fortune gets Mary a live-in position as a seamstress at Heaven's Gate - a local Abbey - she envisions a time of abstinence and piety. The monks, however, are a randy lot and her assigned roommate Sybil quickly teaches her the ins and outs of their erotic rituals - much to the delight of Father Luc and her voyeur lover, Hyde Fortune.
Daisy and the Trouble With London (A Daisy Story #16)
by Kes GrayThe BRAND NEW laugh-out-loud Daisy adventure for readers of 6-9, from bestselling author of the Oi Frog series, Kes Gray.Here comes trouble!Daisy is off to actual, actual London for the day!!!Nanny and Grampy are taking her to see the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and lots more.Trouble is, all Daisy really wants to see is Cooey the pigeon . . .
A Diary of The Lady: My First Year As Editor
by Rachel JohnsonRachel Johnson takes on the challenge of saving The Lady, Britain's oldest women's weekly, in her hilarious diary, A Diary of The Lady: My First Year and a Half as Editor.'The whole place seemed completely bonkers: dusty, tatty, disorganized and impossibly old-fashioned, set in an age of doilies and flag-waving patriotism and jam still for tea, some sunny day.'Appointed editor of The Lady - the oldest women's weekly in the world - Rachel Johnson faced the challenge of a lifetime. For a start, how do you become an editor when you've never, well, edited? How do you turn a venerable title, full of ads for walk-in baths, during the worst recession ever? And forget doubling the circulation in a year - what on earth do you wear to work when you've spent the last fifteen years at home in sweatpants?Will Rachel save The Lady - or sink it?'Action-packed, entertaining, marvellously indiscreet. Johnson is everything you want in a diarist and has a compulsive habit of saying the wrong thing' Sunday Times'She's a loose cannon. All she thinks of is sex. You can't get her away from a penis' Mrs Julia Budworth, co-owner, The Lady'A total romp, wonderfully readable, unflinchingly described' Guardian'HYSTERICAL. For the first time, everyone is talking about The Lady for reasons other than nannies' Piers MorganRachel Johnson is a journalist who has written two previous novels and two volumes of diaries. The Mummy Diaries, Notting Hell, Shire Hell and A Diary of The Lady are all available now from Penguin.
Daisy and the Trouble with Life (A Daisy Story #1)
by Kes GrayThe trouble with life is it's SOOOOOOOOO unfair. Daisy's been grounded. No HOPPING or SKIPPING, FLYING or PARACHUTING. She's lucky she's even been allowed out of her bedroom after what she's done. But what HAS she done that is SOOOOOOOOOOO naughty? You'll have to read the book to find out!
Devil to Pay
by Ross KempNick Kane is a man with nothing to lose, and everything to prove.A model soldier fighting for queen and country, it seemed nothing could stop him becoming one of the very top officers. But that was then.And this is now. Injured in a bomb blast on reconnaissance in Iraq he's forced out of the army and into the quiet life.But after a year in civvies rebuilding his life and his relationship with his family, things for Nick are looking up. That is until he finds out that his old army buddy Ben is dead. Word is that he took his own life, but Nick knows that Ben had everything to live for, and when he starts to question the circumstances of his friend's death, he discovers that there are people who will stop at nothing to cover up the terrifying truth.Explosive and gripping, Devil to pay is the electrifying new action thriller from bestselling author Ross Kemp.
The Diary of Lady Murasaki
by Murasaki ShikibuThe Diary recorded by Lady Murasaki (c. 973-c. 1020), author of The Tale of Genji, is an intimate picture of her life as tutor and companion to the young Empress Shoshi. Told in a series of vignettes, it offers revealing glimpses of the Japanese imperial palace - the auspicious birth of a prince, rivalries between the Emperor's consorts, with sharp criticism of Murasaki's fellow ladies-in-waiting and drunken courtiers, and telling remarks about the timid Empress and her powerful father, Michinaga. The Diary is also a work of great subtlety and intense personal reflection, as Murasaki makes penetrating insights into human psychology - her pragmatic observations always balanced by an exquisite and pensive melancholy.
The Devil Rides Out: Wickedly funny and painfully honest stories from Paul O’Grady
by Paul O'GradyTHE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER'Far and away the best writer of the lot . . . his turn of phrase is a joy.' The Sunday TimesBirkenhead, 1973. The eighteen-year-old Paul O'Grady gets ready for a big Saturday night out on the town. New white T-shirt, freshly ironed jeans, looking good. As he bids farewell to his mum, who's on the phone to his auntie, and wanders off down the street in a cloud of aftershave, he hears her familiar cry: 'Oh, the devil rides out tonight, Annie. The devil rides out!'The further adventures of Paul O'Grady - following on from the million-copy-selling At My Mother's Knee - are, if anything, even more hilarious and outrageous than what has come before. To say that The Devil Rides Out is action-packed is an understatement. Its extraordinary cast of characters includes lords and ladies, the legendary Vera, a serial killer, more prostitutes than you can shake a stick at and drag queens of every shape and size. Wickedly funny, often moving, and searingly honest, Paul's tales of the unexpected will make your jaw drop and your hair stand on end. And you'll laugh like a drain. The Devil Rides Out is one hell of a read!Readers love The Devil Rides Out:'At times heart-breaking but . . . incredibly funny.' *****'A powerful story of the man behind the persona . . . the most fabulous and modest tart with a heart of gold.' *****'Very down to earth, heart-breaking at times but Paul always comes back making you laugh.' *****
Daisy and the Trouble with Kittens (A Daisy Story #4)
by Kes GrayDaisy is going on holiday! In an actual plane to actual Spain! It's so exciting! She's never seen a palm tree before, or eaten octopus, or played zombie mermaids, or made so many new friends! TROUBLE is, five of them are small and cute and furry kittens!!!! And guess who wants to be their new English Mum?!?
Devil-Land: England Under Siege, 1588-1688
by Clare Jackson*WINNER OF THE WOLFSON HISTORY PRIZE 2022*A BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021, AS CHOSEN BY THE TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, TELEGRAPH AND TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 'A big historical advance. Ours, it turns out, is a very un-insular "Island Story". And its 17th-century chapter will never look quite the same again' John Adamson, Sunday Times A ground-breaking portrait of the most turbulent century in English history Among foreign observers, seventeenth-century England was known as 'Devil-Land': a diabolical country of fallen angels, torn apart by seditious rebellion, religious extremism and royal collapse. Clare Jackson's dazzling, original account of English history's most turbulent and radical era tells the story of a nation in a state of near continual crisis. As an unmarried heretic with no heir, Elizabeth I was regarded with horror by Catholic Europe, while her Stuart successors, James I and Charles I, were seen as impecunious and incompetent. The traumatic civil wars, regicide and a republican Commonwealth were followed by the floundering, foreign-leaning rule of Charles II and his brother, James II, before William of Orange invaded England with a Dutch army and a new order was imposed. Devil-Land reveals England as, in many ways, a 'failed state': endemically unstable and rocked by devastating events from the Gunpowder Plot to the Great Fire of London. Catastrophe nevertheless bred creativity, and Jackson makes brilliant use of eyewitness accounts - many penned by stupefied foreigners - to dramatize her great story. Starting on the eve of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and concluding with a not-so 'Glorious Revolution' a hundred years later, Devil-Land is a spectacular reinterpretation of England's vexed and enthralling past.
Diary of a Wartime Affair: The True Story of a Surprisingly Modern Romance
by Doreen Bates'Unflinchingly honest... this diary is exceptional' Elizabeth Buchan'Tuesday 23 October, 1934 Another glorious sunny day. Lunch in Kens Gdns. E had not slept well "as I longed and longed for you". It made me happy that he wanted me. I suppose that is mean. He said, "I could pick you out in the dark from fifty women . . ." ' The diary of Doreen Bates is a candid, spellbinding portrait of a gutsy young woman working in London in the years before and during the Second World War, as well as an extraordinary account of her long affair with an older, married colleague - one that brazenly challenged the strict conventions of the day.'Startlingly frank and readable' David Kynaston'Absolutely engrossing' Virginia Nicholson'Astute, passionate, remarkably intimate, showing us the day-to-day picture of a long relationship' Guardian
Daisy and the Trouble with Giants (A Daisy Story #3)
by Kes GrayFee Fi Fo Fum! What has Daisy gone and done?! Daisy has decided she wants to meet a REAL giant! If Daisy met a real giant he'd pick Daisy up and put her on his shoulder and they'd have giant adventures! They'd eat crunchy creams as big as tractor tyres, and if she got thirsty, they'd have giant lemonades out of giant straws. It would be sooooo gooood! Trouble is . . . if you want to meet a giant you need a magic bean. And finding magic beans can be troublesome . . . The trouble with giants is they really shouldn't live at the top of magic beanstalks. If giants didn't live at the top of magic beanstalks then Daisy is convinced that she wouldn't have got into big trouble AGAIN!
The Devil Inside
by Portia Da CostaWhen the usually conventional Alexa Lavelle suffers a minor head injury whilst holidaying in the Caribbean she unleashes a devil inside of her. In order to satisfy her strange and voluptuous new appetites, she is compelled to seek the enigmatic and sophisticated doctors at an exclusive medical practice in London. Their specialist knowledge of psycho-sexual medicine takes Alexa into a wolrd of bizarre fetishism and erotic indulgence. And one particularly attractive doctor has concocted a plan which will prove to be the ultimate test of her senses...
The Diary of a Provincial Lady (Penguin Modern Classics)
by E.M. Delafield'January 22nd - Robert startles me at breakfast by asking if my cold - which he has hitherto ignored - is better. I reply that it has gone. Then why, he asks, do I look like that? Feel that life is wholly unendurable, and decide madly to get a new hat'It's not easy being a Provincial Lady in Devonshire in the 1920s, juggling a grumpy husband, mischievous children and a host of domestic dilemmas - from rice mould to a petulant cook. But this Provincial Lady will not be defeated; not by wayward flower bulbs, not by unexpected houseguests, not even by the Blitz. She will continue to preside over the W.I., endure rain-drenched family picnics and succeed as a published author, all the while tending to her strawberries. The Diary of a Provincial Lady is a brilliantly observed comic novel, as funny and fresh today as when it was first written.Widely regarded as one of the funniest English authors and an heir to Jane Austen, E.M. Delafield was born in Sussex in 1890. She took the name Delafield to distinguish herself from her mother (De la Pasture), also a novelist, and wrote over 30 books which could be 'as laugh-out-loud funny as PG Wodehouse' before her death in 1943.
Devil Incarnate: A Depraved Mercenary's Lifelong Swathe of Destruction
by Wayne ThallonAthol Visser, or 'Ivan the Terrible', is a ruthless torture technician who has maimed and murdered his way around the globe. He killed his first victim at 16, his last at 60, and, in between, has been a mercenary, drug smuggler, gun runner and spy. In his own words, Visser takes us on a chilling journey through his memory bank of horrors and gives his account of one of the most high-profile assassinations of the 1980s, that of the Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. Visser's chaotic instincts led him from one deadly right-wing organisation to the next, before he rose to the highest ranks of the CCB, South Africa's foreign assassination unit. He was posted to London, where he drew up his plans to eliminate key opponents of apartheid. Devil Incarnate is the disturbing story of a degenerate, evil man who killed for pleasure and then adopted it as a profession. In the end, now ravaged by Aids, he has taken it upon himself to find out the reasons behind his unforgivable actions.
Daisy and the Trouble with Coconuts (A Daisy Story #7)
by Kes Gray'The trouble with coconuts is they are the worst type of nuts in the whole wide world. If you ask me, coconuts shouldn’t be allowed in a funfair. If you double ask me, they shouldn’t even be allowed to grow. Coconuts are too big. Coconuts are too hairy. Plus, if you try to win one, they just get you into trouble. Which isn’t my fault!'Get up to no good with Daisy as she heads to the funfair - for a whole lot more trouble!
The Diary of a Nobody
by George Grossmith Weedon Grossmith'The funniest book in the world' Evelyn Waugh'The jewel at the heart of English comic literature' William Trevor Mr Pooter is a man of modest ambitions, content with his ordinary life. Yet he always seems to be troubled by disagreeable tradesmen, impertinent young office clerks and wayward friends, not to mention his devil-may-care son Lupin with his unsuitable choice of bride. In the bumbling, absurd, yet ultimately endearing character of Pooter, the Grossmith brothers created a wonderful portrait of the class system and the inherent snobbishness of the suburban middle-class suburbia - one which sends up the late Victorian crazes for Aestheticism, spiritualism and bicycling, as well as the fashion for publishing diaries by anybody and everybody. This edition contains the original illustrations by Weedon Grossmith and an introduction by Ed Glinert, author of The London Compendium, discussing the novel's serialisation in Punch, the growth of the suburbs and the figure of Mrs Pooter.George Grossmith (1847-1912) initially worked as a journalist, reporting Police Court proceedings for The Times. In 1870 he began his career as a singer and entertainer, creating some of the most memorable characters in Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas. Weedon Grossmith (1854-1919) brother of George, was educated at the Slade and the Royal Academy with a view to following a career as a painter, and exhibited at the Grosvenor Gallery and the Royal Academy. Joining a theatre company in 1885, he toured the provinces and America. The best-known of his many plays, The Night of the Party, was published in 1901.'True humour ... with its mixture of absurdity, irony and affection ... a masterpiece, immortal' J.B. Priestley