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Tono-Bungay
by H. G. WellsPresented as a miraculous cure-all, Tono-Bungay is in fact nothing other than a pleasant-tasting liquid with no positive effects. Nonetheless, when the young George Ponderevo is employed by his Uncle Edward to help market this ineffective medicine, he finds his life overwhelmed by its sudden success. Soon, the worthless substance is turned into a formidable fortune, as society becomes convinced of the merits of Tono-Bungay through a combination of skilled advertising and public credulity. As the newly rich George discovers, however, there is far more to class in England than merely the possession of wealth.
Too Late to Die Young: Nearly True Tales from a Life
by Harriet McBryde JohnsonWith a voice as disarmingly bold, funny, and unsentimental as its author, a thoroughly unconventional memoir that shatters the myth of the tragic disabled lifeHarriet McBryde Johnson isn't sure, but she thinks one of her earliest memories was learning that she will die. The message came from a maudlin TV commercial for the Muscular Dystrophy Association that featured a boy who looked a lot like her. Then as now, Johnson tended to draw her own conclusions. In secret, she carried the knowledge of her mortality with her and tried to sort out what it meant. By the time she realized she wasn't a dying child, she was living a grown-up life, intensely engaged with people, politics, work, struggle, and community.Due to a congenital neuromuscular disease, Johnson has never been able to walk, dress, or bathe without assistance. With help, however, she manages to take on the world. From the streets of Havana, where she covers an international disability rights conference, to the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, to an auditorium at Princeton, where she defends her right to live against philosopher Peter Singer, she lives a life on her own terms. And along the way, she defies and debunks every popular assumption about disability. This unconventional memoir opens with a lyrical meditation on death and ends with a surprising sermon on pleasure. In between, we get the tales Johnson most enjoys telling from her own life. This is not a book "about disability" but it will surprise anyone who has ever imagined that life with a severe disability is inherently worse than another kind of life.
Torment, Incorporated
by Martin MurileeSouthern California, 1990s, Charlene and Ed run a very kinky business providing sexual domination for the jaded tastes of La-La-Land. With Ed behind the scenes and Charlene front of house, they make their clients' juices - and their money flow. Ed thinks of himself as the gentle type but, when Charlene begins to take her on-the-job training a little too seriously, Ed must face how dominant his own tendencies really are.
Travels in the Land of Kubilai Khan (Penguin Great Ideas #Vol. 27)
by Marco PoloThroughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are. A profound influence on medieval Europe's view of the wider world, this thirteenth-century account of a Venetian merchant's amazing experiences in the court of the great Mongol leader, Kubilai Khan, remains one of the most fascinating tales of exploration ever written.
The Travels of Sir John Mandeville
by John MandevilleOstensibly written by an English knight, the Travels purport to relate his experiences in the Holy Land, Egypt, India and China. Mandeville claims to have served in the Great Khan's army, and to have travelled in 'the lands beyond' - countries populated by dog-headed men, cannibals, Amazons and Pygmies. Although Marco Polo's slightly earlier narrative ultimately proved more factually accurate, Mandeville's was widely known, used by Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci and Martin Frobisher, and inspiring writers as diverse as Swift, Defoe and Coleridge. This intriguing blend of fact, exaggeration and absurdity offers both fascinating insight into and subtle criticism of fourteenth-century conceptions of the world.
The Trial of Jack the Ripper: The Case of William Bury (1859-89)
by E MacphersonA shocking and brutal murder had taken place in the city in February that year, and the words 'Jack Ripper is at the back of this door' were found written in chalk on a door at the scene of the crime. When he was arrested, the accused, William Bury, admitted that he was 'afraid he would be arrested as Jack the Ripper'.The police investigation uncovered some disturbing details. William Bury was a small dark-haired man who was known to have been violent towards women. He had been born and brought up in the Midlands but had moved to the East End of London in the late autumn of 1887. On 20 January 1889, he and his wife travelled by boat to Dundee. This meant that he had arrived in London before the start of the Jack the Ripper murders and had left around the same time that they ceased. Could this be coincidence, people wondered. Could it also be a coincidence that the murder in Dundee carried all the hallmarks of a 'ripper' murder?In the month before the trial, the local newspapers in Dundee began to run sensational stories linking the accused with the notorious Whitechapel murders. When the trial opened to a packed courtroom, many in the public gallery were wondering if the man standing in the dock was none other than Jack the Ripper himself.In this sensational and ground-breaking book, Euan Macpherson presents the evidence that the long arm of the law really did catch up with Jack the Ripper ... in a dingy basement flat in Dundee in the cold winter months of early 1889.
Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco
by Peter ShapiroA long-overdue paean to the predominant musical form of the 70s and a thoughtful exploration of the culture that spawned itDisco may be the most universally derided musical form to come about in the past forty years. Yet, like its pop cultural peers punk and hip hop, it was born of a period of profound social and economic upheaval. In Turn the Beat Around, critic and journalist Peter Shapiro traces the history of disco music and culture. From the outset, disco was essentially a shotgun marriage between a newly out and proud gay sexuality and the first generation of post-civil rights African Americans, all to the serenade of the recently developed synthesizer. Shapiro maps out these converging influences, as well as disco's cultural antecedents in Europe, looks at the history of DJing, explores the mainstream disco craze at it's apex, and details the long shadow cast by disco's performers and devotees on today's musical landscape. One part cultural study, one part urban history, and one part glitter-pop confection, Turn the Beat Around is the most comprehensive study of the Me Generation to date.
Under the Bridge: The True Story Of The Murder Of Reena Virk
by Rebecca Godfrey*Now a Hulu limited series starring Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi!* &“A swift, harrowing classic perfect for these unnerving times.&” —Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home. In this &“tour de force of crime reportage&” (Kirkus Reviews), acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls—and boy—accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers. Laced with lyricism and insight, Under the Bridge is an unforgettable look at a haunting modern tragedy.
The Understudy: A comic masterpiece by the author of ONE DAY
by David Nicholls***Pre-order David Nicholls' new novel YOU ARE HERE now - Coming April 2024***A COMIC MASTERPIECE BY BELOVED BESTSELLER DAVID NICHOLLSA scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy and love'Irresistible' DAILY MAIL 'Wonderfully chaotic' THE TIMES 'Delightful' OBSERVER 'Brilliant' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'Funniest book of the year' MARIE CLAIRE For Josh Harper, being in show-business means everything he ever wanted: money, fame, a beautiful wife and a lead role on the London stage. For Stephen C. McQueen, it means being stuck with an unfortunate name, a hopeless agent and a job as understudy to Josh Harper, the 12th Sexiest Man in the World. When Stephen falls in love with Josh's clever, funny wife, Nora, things get even more difficult. But might there yet be a way for Stephen to get his big break?ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now'FINANCIAL TIMES'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love'THE TIMES'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does'EVENING STANDARD'Genuinely brilliant'NEW STATESMAN
Unnatural Selection
by Alaine HoodHailey is an up-and-coming biologist, and sexual evolution is her passion. Natural selection works best, she believes, when a woman has lots of options. Between her studies and her job as a bike messenger, Hailey hasn't had time to do much more than be a voyeur watching the nocturnal habits of her own species in the city's nightclubs.Everything changes when she meets Noah and Cade, two very sexy men who will overturn her views on human mating games. But Hailey knows a lot more about animal passion than they realise and, before they know it, she's the one doing the hunting - with Cade, Noah, and a rugged big cat handler named Rick as her prey.
Urne-Burial (Penguin Great Ideas #Vol. 32)
by Thomas BrowneThroughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.Written after the discovery of over forty Bronze Age burial urns in seventeenth-century Norfolk, Sir Thomas Browne's profound consideration of the inevitability of death remains one of the most fascinating and poignant of all reflections upon the vanity of mankind's lust for immortality.
The Velvet Rope: A Novel
by Brenda L. ThomasLife is a party, but be careful who you invite. When Tiffany Johnson, a street-smart publicist at Platinum Images, decides to launch Teaz Entertainment and open a club, she's setting out to be the queen of Philly nightlife. Keeping it in the family, she partners up with her fiancé, Malik, and her sister, Kamille, and counts on her friend DJ Essence to bring the noise. Investors seem to be lining up and the buzz is gettin' loud. When Tiffany finds out that Malik and Kamille had an affair—and that it might not be the only secret they share—she spirals downward and gets swept up in two unexpectedly erotic affairs of her own. Awakening to a new kind of sexual freedom and reeling from betrayal, Tiffany is raw and vulnerable. So vulnerable that she doesn't realize that her new lovers are involved in more than kinky sex, and that they might take her new club down with them...unless she takes them down first.
Vengeance (Rogue Warrior #12)
by Richard Marcinko Jim DeFeliceFormer SEAL Team Six leader and American hero Richard Marcinko is back in action with a thriller ripped from tomorrow's headlines. Mixing fact with fiction, Marcinko returns to his authentic, no-holds-barred style in the latest explosive installment of his New York Times bestselling series, Rogue WarriorR®: Vengeance. Armed with irreverent wit and a fully loaded submachine gun, Marcinko's fictional alter ego takes no prisoners as he and his Red Cell II team tackle fat-cat American bureaucrats as well as terrorists. Interspersing action with his classic combination of wisecracks and earthy humor, Marcinko crams a chemical explosion, a high-speed helicopter chase, a train hijacking, and a headless corpse into the first few pages. When it becomes clear that terrorists are gunning for Demo Dick as well as the country's most precious symbols and institutions, things become very personal. Forget the Rogue Warrior's usual terms of endearment -- this time he's out for blood. Launched on an all-out international hunt, Demo Dick discovers a plot targeting the country's largest shipping port for liquefied petroleum gas...but that's just a prelude for Independence Day. Of all the thriller writers out there today, only one has truly walked the walk and talked the talk. Marcinko infuses his new book with stories and details that could come only from the inside -- which makes them all the more alarming. Reserve the edge of your seat for this one....
The Villain: The Life of Don Whillans
by Jim PerrinDon Whillans has an iconic significance for generations of climbers. His epoch-making first ascent of Annapurna's South Face, achieved with Dougal Haston in 1970, remains one of the most impressive climbs ever made - but behind this and all his other formidable achievements lies a tough, recalcitrant reality: the character of the man himself.Whillans carried within himself a sense of personal invincibility, forceful, direct and uncompromising. It gave him sporting superstar status - the flawed heroism of a Best, a McEnroe, an Ali. In his own circle, his image was the working-class hero on the rock-face, laconic and bellicose, ready to go to war with the elements or with any human who crossed his path on a bad day.
Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Their Son
by Peter ManseauThe 1950s was a boom time for the Catholic Church in America, with large families of devout members providing at least one son or daughter for a life of religious service. Boston was at the epicenter of this explosion, and Bill Manseau and Mary Doherty -- two eager young parishioners from different towns -- became part of a new breed of clergy, eschewing the comforts of homey parishes and choosing instead to minister to the inner-city poor. Peter Manseau's riveting evocation of his parents' parallel childhoods, their similar callings, their experiences in the seminary and convent, and how they met while tending to the homeless of Roxbury during the riot-prone 1960s is a page-turning meditation on the effect that love can have on profound faith. Once married, the Manseaus continued to fight for Father Bill's right to serve the church as a priest, and it was into this situation that Peter and his siblings were born and raised to be good Catholics while they witnessed their father's personal conflict with the church's hierarchy. A multigenerational tale of spirituality, Vows also charts Peter's own calling, one which he tried to deny even as he felt compelled to consider the monastic life, toying with the idea of continuing a family tradition that stretches back over 300 years of Irish and French Catholic priests and nuns. It is also in Peter's deft hands that we learn about a culture and a religion that has shaped so much of American life, affected generations of true believers, and withstood great turmoil. Vows is a compelling tale of one family's unshakable faith that to be called is to serve, however high the cost may be.
Walking the Talk: Building a Culture for Success (Revised Edition)
by Carolyn TaylorA new, fully revised edition.The culture of an organisation can mean the difference between success and failure. Leaders cast long shadows, and if you want to change the culture you have to walk the talk. This book shows you how.Walking the Talk covers everything from measuring corporate culture to changing people's behaviour (including your own) and describes in detail six archetypes of company culture: Achievement, Customer-Centric, One-Team, Innovative, People-First and Greater-Good. Packed with fascinating examples and case histories, and drawing extensively on Carolyn Taylor's twenty years' experience of building great cultures, it will give you the confidence to build a culture of success in your own organisation.
The War in the Air
by H. G. WellsFollowing the development of massive airships, naïve Londoner Bert Smallways becomes accidentally involved in a German plot to invade America by air and reduce New York to rubble. But although bombers devastate the city, they cannot overwhelm the country, and their attack leads not to victory but to the beginning of a new and horrific age for humanity. And so dawns the era of Total War, in which brutal aerial bombardments reduce the great cultures of the twentieth century to nothing. As civilization collapses around the Englishman, now stranded in a ruined America, he clings to only one hope - that he might return to London, and marry the woman he loves.
A Waxing Moon: The Modern Gaelic Revival
by Roger HutchinsonThirty years ago, the Gaelic language and culture which had been eminent in Scotland for 1,300 years seemed to be in the final stages of a 200-year terminal decline. The number of Gaelic speakers in Scotland had fallen tenfold over the previous century. The language itself was commonplace only in the scattered communities of the north-west Highlands and Hebrides.By the early years of the 21st century, however, a sea-change had taken place. Gaelic - for so long a subject of mockery and hostility - had become what some termed 'fashionable'. Gaelic-speaking jobs were available; Gaelic-medium education was established in many areas; and politicians and business-people saw benefits in acting as friends of the culture. While the numbers of Gaelic-speakers continued to fall as older people passed away, the decline was slowed and for the first time in 100 years the percentage of young people using the language began to rise proportionately. What had happened was a kind of renaissance: a Gaelic revival that manifested itself in popular music, literature, art, poetry, publishing, drama, radio and television. It was a phenomenon as obvious as it was unexpected. And at the heart of that movement lay education. A Gaelic Modern History will tell the story of one institution, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, the Gaelic College in Skye that has stood at the centre of this revival. But, chiefly, the book will examine how a venerable culture was given hope for the future at the point when all seemed lost. It recounts the scores of personalities, from Sorley Maclean and Runrig to Michael Forsyth and Gordon Brown, who have become involved in that process.
A Wayne in a Manger
by Gervase PhinnA Wayne in a Manger is the hilarious compilation of nativity stories by Gervase Phinn.Discover some wonderfully funny and touching nativity play anecdotes, including children forgetting their lines, ad-libbing, falling of the stage, picking their noses and showing their knickers. One brilliant anecdote tells of an innkeeper who generously says there's plenty of room for Mary and Joseph, while another child, jealous of Joseph's starring role, allows Mary to come in but not Joseph, who can 'push off' ... There's the baby Jesus who suddenly pipes up with 'My name is Tammy, are you my Mommy?' and funniest of all, Mary who tells Joseph, 'I'm having a baby - oh and it's not yours'.Gervase Phinn's A Wayne in a Manger is the perfect gift this Christmas.'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staff-rooms' Daily TelegraphGervase Phinn is an author and educator from Rotherham who, after teaching for fourteen years in a variety of schools, moved to North Yorkshire to be a school inspector. He has written autobiographies, novels, plays, collections of poetry and stories, as well as a number of books about education. He holds five fellowships, honorary doctorates from Hull, Leicester and Sheffield Hallam universities, and is a patron of a number of children's charities and organizations. He is married with four adult children. His books include The Other Side of the Dale, Over Hill and Dale, Head Over Heels in the Dales,The Heart of the Dales, Up and Down in the Dales and Trouble at the Little Village School.
Weekend Love Coach: How to Get the Love You Want in 48 Hours
by Lynda Field'Weekend Love Coach' is written in the friendly and interactive style of 'Weekend Life Coach' and includes tips, strategies, exercises, questionnaires, relaxation techniques, with many celebrity case histories. 'Weekend Love Coach' shows you how to get smart about how relationships really work. Why do some people seem to have everything going for them; how can they be so positive and brimming with enthusiasm as well as have brilliant relationships? Did these people just get lucky in love as well as in everything else? These people are no different from you; they have no special tricks up their sleeve, they just decided that they deserved the very best that life and love could offer and they got clear about their goals and then they went for them! 'Weekend Love Coach' offers you the chance to get your love life in order once and for all! First allocate some time to spend alone relaxing with this book and focusing on you and your needs. Put yourself first, and have a 48-hour personal love-coaching session-for only £7.99!
What Is Existentialism? (Penguin Great Ideas)
by Simone de Beauvoir'It is possible for man to snatch the world from the darkness of absurdity'How should we think and act in the world? These writings on the human condition by one of the twentieth century's great philosophers explore the absurdity of our notions of good and evil, and show instead how we make our own destiny simply by being.One of twenty new books in the bestselling Penguin Great Ideas series. This new selection showcases a diverse list of thinkers who have helped shape our world today, from anarchists to stoics, feminists to prophets, satirists to Zen Buddhists.
The Wheelman: A Novel
by Duane SwierczynskiNonstop action, twists and turns, and as hardboiled as they come, don't miss Duane Swierczynski 's thrilling The Wheelman.Meet Lennon, a mute Irish getaway driver who has fallen in with the wrong heist team on the wrong day at the wrong bank. Betrayed, his money stolen and his battered carcass left for dead, Lennon is on a one-way mission to find out who is responsible—and to get back his loot. But the robbery has sent a violent ripple effect through the streets of Philadelphia. And now a dirty cop, the Russian and Italian mobs, the mayor's hired gun, and a keyboard player in a college rock band maneuver for position as this adrenaline-fueled novel twists and turns its way toward its explosive conclusion.One thing's for sure: this cast of characters wakes up in a much different world by novel's end—if they wake up at all.
When Hell Freezes Over: A Novel
by Darrien LeeThe unforgettable characters from the bestseller What Goes Around Comes Around are backin a smashingly suspenseful tale of love, trust, and the secrets that have the power to control our lives.The dashingly handsome Keaton Lapahie has watched many of his friends do the one thing he has vowed he will never do: get married. His plan is to enjoy his retirement, open a restaurant, and remain a bachelor for life. But when he is unexpectedly put on mandatory medical leave, he decides to visit his sister and her family, not realizing fate is about to take him on a trip—not just out of town, but toward his own heart.In Philadelphia, Keaton is reacquainted with Dr. Meridan St. John, his sister's pediatrician. Meridan is seemingly the perfect woman—smart, bold, and beautiful. But why can't Keaton attract her attention? He soon learns that Meridan is haunted by something in her past—and though Keaton can read her better than anyone else, he cannot figure out the cause of her nightmares and fears. Things become even more complicated when Jacob, her jealous childhood friend, arrives in Philadelphia and threatens to expose all the dark secrets of her past. Worried that Keaton will not believe she was innocent in her situation, she does the only thing she can—run. Thus, Keaton must decide: does he follow her and get to the truth, or does he leave the woman he loves to her own dark nightmares?Penetrating in language and powerful in meaning, When Hell Freezes Over is a remarkable story about how accepting the past is the only way to make a future.
The Whisper
by Bali RaiThe Crew didn't think things could ever get that bad again. They were seriously wrong. Things have calmed down for the Crew (Billy, Ellie, Della, Jas and Will) and life in the Ghetto is ticking on as usual. But things are about to kick-off all over again. The police have launched Operation Clean-up and dealers are regularly being pulled off the street and into the police station. Someone's got to be grassing them up, and soon Nanny and the Crew are getting blamed. Billy is mugged, Ellie is picked on in school, and Billy's house is being targeted. The Crew need to find out who's pointing the finger before things get really serious. As tough and uncompromising as ever, Bali's latest novel won't disappoint his army of fans and will undoubtedly win him many more. A thrilling sequel that also stands alone.
The Whispering Road
by Livi MichaelA moving and powerful story about brother and sister, Joe and Annie, who flee from a pitiful existence as servants. They embark on a tough and perilous journey to Manchester in search of their mother who was forced to leave them at the workhouse when they were very young. Their future is tainted by the horrors of their past and as Annie is increasingly troubled by spirits, Joe is forced to make a tough decision. Driven by the lust for freedom, he sells Annie to a fair owner who plans to use her as a medium, and sets about creating a new identity for himself on the streets of Manchester. But the voices of the past won't leave Joe alone and ultimately he finds himself gravitating back to Annie and their original quest to discover the whereabouts of their mother.