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Castle Rackrent and Ennui: Castle Rackrent; An Essay On Irish Bulls; An Essay On The Noble Science Of Self-justification; Ennui; And The Dun
by Maria EdgeworthThady Quirk, devoted steward to the decaying estate of the Rackrent family, narrates a riotous story of four generations of a dying dynasty in Castle Rackrent (1800). Thady will defend his masters to the end, but eventually his naivety and blind loyalty cause him to ignore the warning signs as the family's excesses lead them to ruin. This volume also includes Ennui, the entertaining 'confessions' of the Earl of Glenthorn, a bored, spoiled aristocrat. Desperate to be free from 'the demon of ennui', Glenthorn's quest for happiness takes him through violence and revolution, and leads to intriguing twists of fate. Both novels offer a darkly comic and satirical exposé of the Irish class system, and a portrait of a nation in turmoil.
Castles In The Air: The Restoration Adventures of Two Young Optimists and a Crumbling Old Mansion
by Judy CorbettCastles in the Air is a beautifully written, autobiographical story of rescuing an ancient mansion. Gwydir Castle was inhabited by ravers and rats until Judy Corbett and her husband Peter Welford found and acquired this 500-year-old house mouldering in the foothills of Snowdonia. Despite the toads, strange smells and squatters, they decided to mortgage themselves to the hilt to bring the castle back to life.This is an evocatively written and genuinely moving book and is infused with an extraordinary sense of place. The couple's adventures in a gothic wonderland lead them through plots both supernatural and historical. In a museum storeroom in a Bronx warehouse they find a missing room, in the castle's Solar Tower the ghost of a young woman appears and from the far edges of the woods a silent man called Sven emerges to befriend the couple and their beloved castle.For everyone who has ever wanted to live in a glorious house or escape from the mundanity of life - Castles in the Air is pure magic.
Charles: The Heart of a King
by Catherine MayerThe Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller'Breathtaking' The Times'[The book that] made headlines around the world.' IndependentThe former Prince of Wales has lived his whole life in the public eye, yet he remains an enigma. He was born to be king, but he aims much higher. A landmark publication, Charles: The Heart of a King reveals Charles in all his complexity: the passionate views that mean he will never be as remote and impartial as his mother; the compulsion to make a difference and the many and startling ways in which the Prince and now King of the United Kingdom and fifteen other realms has already made his mark.The book offers fresh and fascinating insights into the first marriage that did so much to define him and an assessment of his relationship with the woman he calls, with unintended accuracy, his 'dearest wife': Camilla, now Queen Consort. We see Charles as a father and a friend, a serious figure and a joker. Life at court turns out to be full of hidden dangers and unexpected comedy.Now, updated and revised with a new preface and two new chapters - covering details of Harry and Meghan's exit and its implications, the cash-for-honours scandal, Prince Andrew, and more - this significant study reveals a monarchy threatened and a man in sight of happiness yet still driven by anguish and a remarkable belief system, a charitable entrepreneur, activist, agitator and avatar of the Establishment who just as often tilts against it.Based on multiple interviews with his friends and courtiers, palace insiders and critics, and rare access to Charles himself, before his kingship, this biography explores his philanthropy and his compulsive interventionism, his faith, his significant impact on politics and the philosophy that means when he seeks harmony he sometimes creates controversy.Gripping, at times astonishing, often laugh-out-loud, this is a royal biography unlike any other.'A must-read ... this important book is nothing short of a manual to our future King's world-view' GQ'A sustained piece of higher journalism' Independent
Charles I: An Abbreviated Life (Penguin Monarchs)
by Mark KishlanskyThe tragedy of Charles I dominates one of the most strange and painful periods in British history as the whole island tore itself apart over a deadly, entangled series of religious and political disputes. In Mark Kishlansky's brilliant account it is never in doubt that Charles created his own catastrophe, but he was nonetheless opposed by men with far fewer scruples and less consistency who for often quite contradictory reasons conspired to destroy him. This is a remarkable portrait of one of the most talented, thoughtful, loyal, moral, artistically alert and yet, somehow, disastrous of all this country's rulers.
Charles II: The Star King (Penguin Monarchs)
by Clare JacksonCharles II has always been one of the most instantly recognisable British kings - both in his physical appearance, disseminated through endless portraits, prints and pub signs, and in his complicated mix of lasciviousness, cynicism and luxury. His father's execution and his own many years of exile made him a guarded, curious, unusually self-conscious ruler. He lived through some of the most striking events in the national history - from the Civil Wars to the Great Plague, from the Fire of London to the wars with the Dutch.Clare Jackson's marvellous book takes full advantage of its irrepressible subject.
The Charlie Moon Collection
by Shirley HughesCharlie gets into all sorts of sticky situations when his seaside summer holiday turns into a missing jewellery mystery - and detective Charlie finds himself in the middle of a muddle once again when a gang of bungling burglars threatens to spoil the Big Library Bonanza . . .
Charlie Small: Destiny Mountain (Charlie Small #7)
by Charlie SmallORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS: THE DAREDEVIL DESPERADOS OF DESTINYThis fourth volume of Charlie Small's journal was found by one of our editors propped behind a bottle at the back of a dusty bar in the valley where Charlie was last seen, and it's full of more adventures than ever!Having escaped the clutches of the evil Puppet Master, Charlie joins The Daredevil Desperados of Destiny, whose sole aim is to get rid of the outrageous outlaw, Horatio Ham. Charlie, aka The Lariat Kid, brings down Ham's posse of gunslingers, takes part in a daring bank raid, is caught up in a ferocious gunfight, lands up in jail, and is about to be sacrificed to The Great Bird of Death. Can Charlie possibly escape?
Charlie Small: The Final Showdown (Charlie Small #16)
by Charlie SmallSomething happened to Charlie when he was just eight years old. He went on a journey - and he's been trying to get back for over four hundred years!Yippee! Charlie is finally on his way home! But first he has to tackle a horrible hairy yeti, dodge crazy tumbleweed spiders and navigate the bustling metropolis of Fortune City. And all with his archenemy hot on his heels. YIKES!GADGETS, INVENTIONS, MONSTROUS CREATURES, EVIL VILLAINS... No adventure is too BIG for Charlie Small!
Charlie Small: Forest of Skulls (Charlie Small #12)
by Charlie SmallWhisked away by his old adversaries, the Perfumed Pirates of Perfidy, Charlie is put to work aboard their new galleon. Held captive and forced to raid an unsuspecting ship with the bloodthirsty crew, Charlie is sure things can't get much worse... Until the pirates spot an enormous blunt-headed, sharp-toothed whale. A terrible battle ensues as the pirates try to harpoon the beast and Charlie tries his best to stop them. Will Charlie and the whale escape from the evil pirate crew's clutches? And, more importantly, will Charlie Small EVER find his way home?
Charlie Small: Frostbite Pass (Charlie Small #8)
by Charlie SmallAt the end of his fifth journal, Charlie Small rocketed out of the strange and dark Underworld, over desert sands and a snowy white mountain range. With a table cloth over his head and a cushion strapped round his bottom, Charlie parachuted right into the middle of a small, swampy island. Clutching a mainly blank map that's supposed to help him find the infamous Jakeman, he sets off for the next island, only to find himself face to face with a slimy, stinking, roaring swamp monster . . . Will Charlie manage to slip through its gloopy claws?
Charlie Small: The Hawk's Nest (Charlie Small #15)
by Charlie SmallSomething happened to Charlie when he was just eight years old. He went on a journey - and he's been trying to get back for over four hundred years!Crikey! Poor Charlie is trapped on a wind-swept, rain-lashed moor with every single one of his blood-thirstiest enemies out to get him. Can Charlie outwit them all? And will he EVER get safely back home?EVIL GENIUSES, MECHANICAL MONSTERS, FOREST SPRITES ... No adventure is too BIG for Charlie Small!
Charlie Small: Land of the Remotosaurs (Charlie Small #14)
by Charlie SmallSomething happened to Charlie when he was just eight years old. He went on a journey - and he's been trying to get back for over four hundred years!Crumbs! Charlie is about to be devoured by deadly dinosaurs. Will he and his piggy pals survive this deadly game of life and death? And will Charlie EVER get safely back home?EVIL GENIUSES, MECHANICAL MONSTERS, FOREST SPRITES ... No adventure is too BIG for Charlie Small!
Charlie Small: The Mummy's Tomb (Charlie Small #10)
by Charlie SmallPrepare to be utterly amazed by the latest instalment of Charlie Small's incredible yet 100% true adventures.On his way to Jakeman's factory, Charlie is grabbed by Tristram Twitch, who sends him off on three dangerous errands. Charlie must find a pearl from the giant oyster beds of the Pangaean Ocean, a diamond-encrusted tiara from a mummified corpse, and a gold quill from the back of the extremely rare golden porcupine of Mayapazan. AND he has to befriend his old enemy, Thrak the gorilla along the way! If he doesn't succeed, Jakeman will be fed to a man-eating barracuda - and Charlie will NEVER get back home...!
Charlie Small: Pirate Galleon (Charlie Small #2)
by Charlie SmallFIRST PUBLISHED AS: THE PERFUMED PIRATES OF PERFIDYNo one knows the full story of Charlie Small. At least, not yet. His original battered journal was found washed up on a remote, windswept shore in the north of England. This second volume was found encased in ice, high on a glacial plateau in the Himalayas. It details even more remarkable deeds and thrilling acts aboard the Betty Rae with the dastardly lady-pirates of perfidy - and a lot more besides.
Charlie Small: Planet of the Gerks (Charlie Small #13)
by Charlie SmallSomething happened to Charlie when he was just eight years old. He went on a journey - and he's been trying to get back for over four hundred years!Yikes! Charlie has been whisked into outer space. Get ready for alien encounters and a totally cosmic adventure. Will Charlie EVER get safely back home?GADGETS, INVENTIONS, MONSTROUS CREATURES, EVIL VILLAINS... No adventure is too BIG for Charlie Small!
Charlie Small: The Puppet Master's Prison (Charlie Small #11)
by Charlie SmallFIRST PUBLISHED AS: THE PUPPET MASTERNo one knows the full story of Charlie Small. At least, not yet. His original battered journal was found washed up on a remote, windswept shore in the north of England. Now, a third instalment has been tracked down and salvaged from beneath the seat of a bus shelter in Pimlico. Having finally escaped from the perfidious pirates, Charlie travels through icy waters and hair-raising mountains and encounters man-eating bats, a wolf whose bark is worse than his bite, and ultimately finds himself ensnared by the evil Puppet Master, a figure of pure unadulterated evil. Will Charlie manage to escape his clutches, or will he remain a puppet for ever, never to adventure again?
Charlie Small: The Underworld (Charlie Small #5)
by Charlie SmallIn the fifth journal found by us, the lucky and smug publisher, we learn that Charlie Small has become embroiled in an underworld from his nightmares . . . Previously, Charlie had bumped into the infamous Jakeman -- but when the mad professor was dragged down into the Underworld, Charlie had to follow - otherwise, how would he discover how to get back to his mum and dad? This latest adventure takes him into an unreal darkened world, where anything is possible. But will Charlie Small ever find a way out, or will he be trapped underground forever . . . ?
Charlie the Kitten Who Saved A Life
by Sheila NortonHeartwarming and lovable, Charlie will squirm his way into your heart. Perfect for fans of A Streetcat Named Bob and Alfie the Doorstep Cat.But what could I do? I was just a little cat and nobody ever listened to me. I made a promise to myself that I’d do everything I possibly could to save her, whatever the danger to me, and no matter how many lives I lost in the process...Charlie the kitten would do anything for his human. Having just recovered from a debilitating illness, eleven-year-old Caroline isn’t feeling her best, and the arrival of a new baby only makes her feel even more left out.So when Caroline decides to run away, Charlie follows, vowing to protect her at all costs. But for such a little kitten, it’s a big and scary world outside the comfort of the cottage – how far will he go to save his greatest friend?
Chart Throb
by Ben EltonChart Throb.The ultimate pop quest. Ninety five thousand hopefuls. Three judges. Just one winner. And that's Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show. Calvin always wins because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits smugly in judgement upon the mingers, clingers and blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted 'search' for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The 'real' is about to be put back into 'reality' television and Calvin and his fellow judges (the nation's favourite mum and the other bloke) are about to become ex-factors themselves.Ben Elton, author of Popcorn and Dead Famous returns to blistering comic satire with a savagely hilarious deconstruction of the world of modern television talent shows.Chart Throb. One winner. A whole bunch of losers.
The Charterhouse of Parma
by StendhalHeadstrong and naïve, the young Italian aristocrat Fabrizio del Dongo is determined to defy the wrath of his right-wing father and go to war to fight for Napoleon. He stumbles on the Battle of Waterloo, ill-prepared, yet filled with enthusiasm for war and glory. Finally heeding advice, Fabrizio sneaks back to Milan, only to become embroiled in a series of amorous exploits, fuelled by his impetuous nature and the political chicanery of his aunt Gina and her wily lover. Judged by Balzac to be the most important French novel of its time, The Charterhouse of Parma is a compelling novel of extravagance and daring, blending the intrigues of the Italian court with the romance and excitement of youth.
Chasing Dreams
by Susan LewisGrowing up in a small town, Sandy Paull dreams of something better. When she lands a job with one of London's leading theatrical agencies her dreams appear to be coming true, particularly when she meets Michael McCann, her handsome and dynamic boss.Ellen Shelby, as a highly respected and successful agent, has Hollywood at her feet. But she is as insecure with relationships as she is confident with deals. And when she meets her British rival, Michael McCann, there is a powerful attraction between them that they are powerless to deny.But Michelle, the woman Michael once loved and lost, still haunts his thoughts. And when a dramatic event pulls him back into the past, a nightmare of untenable proportions begins to close in on those he loves...
Chasing Killers: Three Decades of Cracking Crime in the UK's Murder Capital
by Joe JacksonGlasgow is known as the murder capital of Britain and no one understands why better than Joe Jackson. For over 30 years, Jackson worked the crime beat, first as a uniformed cop then as a seasoned murder squad detective. In this hard-hitting memoir of his most memorable cases, he reveals the reality behind chasing killers and other crooks in 'No Mean City'.As a young cop, Jackson was threatened by Glasgow's most ruthless gangster, Arthur Thomson, and, as a fresh detective, he took part in the hunt for Bible John, Glasgow's most shadowy serial killer. He locked up more than his fair share of paedophiles and sex beasts along the way and, as a veteran Senior Investigating Officer, he cracked the hardest homicide nut there is: a murder without a body. Jackson's investigations have grabbed headlines, while his 'collars' have filled jails.Chasing Killers will shock readers with its behind-the-scenes look at how murder probes are run. Every case is related with candour and humour, and is laced with the kind of detail that only an expert can provide. Joe Jackson has been called the real-life Taggart, but this is no TV fantasy - this is real city police work: concrete hard, soot black and blood red.
Chasing Lost Times: A Father and Son Reconciled Through Running
by Geoffrey Beattie Ben BeattieGeoffrey Beattie is an extremely successful academic and celebrity psychologist. He was perhaps a less successful father. His obsession with his career and his driving passion for running when he was at home almost destroyed his relationship with his son, but, ironically, it is running that has brought them back together.Chasing Lost Times is the emotional story of a father and son trying to repair a relationship through a shared activity that depends on sheer physical effort, the kind of physical effort that may once have been the source of commonality between father and son in all previous generations but which seems to be absent in the modern world.
Chasing Rainbows
by Katie FlynnIs love just an illusion?To the outside, Clare has everything: a beautiful home, a devoted husband and daughter, and plenty of money. But she is bored.And she is plagued by doubts. Her hysband Clive spends most of the year abroad – but what does he do after work hours? And her daughter Sally claims to spend all her time with horses and homework – but what about boys?Lonely, thwarted and unfulfilled – and against Clive’s wishes – Clare takes a job managing a café. Her ambition is to experience real life, to escape the imaginary feelings that plague her. But when a handsome stranger walks through the door, there is nothing imaginary about her feelings…
Chasing the Ghost: My Search for all the Wild Flowers of Britain
by Peter Marren**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN’S BEST BOOKS OF 2018**Join renowned naturalist Peter Marren on an exciting quest to see every species of wild plant native to Britain.The mysterious Ghost Orchid blooms in near darkness among rotting leaves on the forest floor. It blends into the background to the point of invisibility, yet glows, pale and ghostly. The ultimate grail of flower hunters, it has been spotted only once in the past twenty-five years. Its few flowers have a deathly pallor and are said to smell of over-ripe bananas. Peter Marren has been a devoted flower finder all his life. While the Ghost Orchid offers the toughest challenge of any wild plant, there were fifty more British species Peter had yet to see, having ticked off the first 1,400 rummaging in hedges, slipping down gullies and peering in peat bogs. But he set himself the goal of finding the remaining fifty in a single summer. As it turned out, the wettest summer in years. This expert and emotional journey takes Peter the length and the breadth of the British Isles, from the dripping ancient woods of the New Forest to the storm-lashed cliffs of Sutherland. He paddles in lakes, clambers up cliffs in mist and rain, and walks several hundred miles, but does he manage to find them all? Partly about plants, partly autobiography, Chasing the Ghost is also a reminder that to engage with wild flowers, all we need to do is look around us and enjoy what we see. Praise for Chasing the Ghost:‘Peter Marren is the unsung hero of Britain’s nature writers’ Stephen Moss, author of Dynasties‘Jolly, quixotic and ends with real poignancy’ Guardian ‘A poignant reminder to us all to engage with the wild flowers that grow around us’ i Newspaper