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The Soho Leopard
by Ruth PadelBeautiful, disturbing and a pleasure to read, Ruth Padel's new poems are her most ambitious yet, adding animal legend and zoological science to her glitteringly imaginative canvas. With her gift for bringing together experiences and tones of voice that normally stay far apart, she sweeps us from Dulwich Pizza Hut to ancient Siberia, King's Cross to nineteenth-century Burma. We meet Socrates, urban foxes, Louisiana alligators and the endangered Amur leopard in poems resonating with sensuous delight in nature, but also with history and loss.Finally, a Chinese painter searches for tigers in a forest doomed to the sawmill while the minister who sold it scoffs an aphrodisiac bowl of tiger-penis soup.Hallucinatory and lyrical, passionately musical, seething with life, The Soho Leopard explores our human need for wildness- and also for stories, wherever we find them. A wonderfully ferocious new collection from one of our most exciting poets.
Soft Keys
by Michael Symmons RobertsWhen Corpus won the Whitbread Poetry Award, the judges described it as 'an outstanding, perfectly weighted collection that inspires meditation on the nature of the soul...reading it feels like making an exciting discovery and coming back to an acknowledged classic all at once.' Michael Symmons Roberts' first book, Soft Keys, was the original and most exciting discovery of all. The poems in Soft Keys engage in a search for meaning and order in the everyday and in the extraordinary - a locust officer tracking swarms in an African desert, a hobbyist building a replica of the world out of matchsticks, a chance encounter with the French mystic Simone Weil playing video games in a Torquay arcade... Richly inventive, and written in a wide diversity of poetic forms, Soft Keys looks for those places and moments where the curtain between earth and heaven is thinnest; it was a powerful, arresting debut and the beginning of a remarkable career. As Les Murray said at the time: 'Like Nijinsky, he can leap into the air and stay there. You can reach up and feel the thump of the stage finely persisting in an ankle bone. Roberts is a poet for the new, chastened, unenforcing age of faith that has just dawned.'
Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society
by Peter TrudgillThis is a classic book on a fascinating subject. Peter Trudgill examines the close link between language and society and the many factors that influence the way we speak. These range from gender, environment, age, race, class, region and politics. Trudgill's book surveys languages and societies from all over the world drawing on examples from Afrikaans to Yiddish. He has added a fascinating chapter on the development of a language as a result of a non-native speaker's use of it. Compelling and authoritative, this new edition of a bestselling book is set to redraw the boundaries of the study of sociolinguistics.
The Society Of Sin
by Sian Lacey TaylderAn erotic, Gothic thriller set in rural Dorset in the late 19th Century, a period when educated women were beginning to question their sexuality.The Society of Sin was conceived on a hot and sticky summer's evening inside a mansion house on a large country estate when, after an opium-fuelled night of passion, Lady P and her close friend Samantha Powerstock succumbed to desires they had both repressed for years. Now, a year later, they have invite a select few to join their exclusive association. But only genuine hedonists need apply.Prospective members are interrogated over a sumptuous dinner then given an assignment which they must fulfil. Failure to do so results in instant expulsion and the prospect of being 'named and shamed' in the exclusive circles they currently frequent. However, successful completion of the task opens for them a Pandora's box of pain and pleasure.
Social Mobility: And Its Enemies (Pelican Books)
by Lee Elliot Major Stephen MachinWhat are the effects of decreasing social mobility?How does education help - and hinder - us in improving our life chances?Why are so many of us stuck on the same social rung as our parents? Apart from the USA, Britain has the lowest social mobility in the Western world. The lack of movement in who gets where in society - particularly when people are stuck at the bottom and the top - costs the nation dear, both in terms of the unfulfilled talents of those left behind and an increasingly detached elite, disinterested in improvements that benefit the rest of society.This book analyses cutting-edge research into how social mobility has changed in Britain over the years, the shifting role of schools and universities in creating a fairer future, and the key to what makes some countries and regions so much richer in opportunities, bringing a clearer understanding of what works and how we can better shape our future.
The Social Distance Between Us: How Remote Politics Wrecked Britain
by Darren McGarvey*A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK**SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION**LONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE*'An Orwell for today's poor' - The Times'The standout, authentic voice of a generation' Herald'McGarvey is a rarity: a working-class writer who has fought to make the middle-class world hear what he has to say' Nick Cohen, GuardianWhy are the rich getting richer while the poor only get poorer? How is it possible that in a wealthy, civilised democracy cruelty and inequality are perpetuated by our own public services? And how come, if all the best people are in all the top jobs, Britain is such an unmitigated bin fire?Join Darren McGarvey on a journey through a divided Britain in search of answers. Here, our latter-day Orwell exposes the true scale of Britain's social ills and reveals why our current political class, those tasked with bringing solutions, are so distanced from our lived experience that they are the last people you'd want fighting your corner.Praise for Darren McGarvey:'Utterly compelling' Ian Rankin, New Statesman'Brilliant' Russell Brand'An absolutely fascinating individual' Owen Jones'Offer[s] an antidote to populist anger that transcends left and right... articulate and emotional' Financial Times
Social Class in the 21st Century (Pelican Books)
by Mike SavageA fresh take on social class from the experts behind the BBC's 'Great British Class Survey'.Why does social class matter more than ever in Britain today?How has the meaning of class changed?What does this mean for social mobility and inequality?In this book Mike Savage and the team of sociologists responsible for the Great British Class Survey look beyond the labels to explore how and why our society is changing and what this means for the people who find themselves in the margins as well as in the centre.Their new conceptualization of class is based on the distribution of three kinds of capital - economic (inequalities in income and wealth), social (the different kinds of people we know) and cultural (the ways in which our leisure and cultural preferences are exclusive) - and provides incontrovertible evidence that class is as powerful and relevant today as it's ever been.
The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups
by Tracey Camilleri Samantha Rockey Robin Dunbar'A remarkable and important book . . . a highly accessible, timely and invaluable guide to anybody working in groups.' Prof Paul Gilbert OBE___________________________________________________How many people does the ideal team contain? How do groups bond, earn trust and forge shared identities? How can leaders build environments adaptable enough to respond to shocks and still enable people to thrive together? How can you feel close to people if your only point of contact is a phone or a computer?In The Social Brain leading experts from the worlds of evolutionary psychology and business management come together to offer a primer on great team working. They explain what size groups work and how to shape them according to the nature of the task at hand. They offer practical hints on how to diffuse tensions and encourage cooperation. And they demonstrate the vital importance of balancing unity and the need for different views and outlooks. By explaining precisely how the 'social brain' works, they show how human groups function and how to create great, high-performing teams._____________________________________'This wonderful book reminds us that businesses are also biological and social . . . It could not be more timely, wise and useful.' Margaret Heffernan, author of Wilful Blindness'Buy it for yourself and your colleagues. Essential reading.' Mark Earls, author of HERD
Soccer Shocks
by Rob Childs'WHAT A WAY TO END THE SEASON!'The football season may be drawing to a close, but Luke Crawford - skipper, player-manager and coach of the Swillsby Swifts Sunday League team - is still full of running . . . when he's not tripping up over his own feet! He's also still full of ideas and dreams. Luke's new sweeper system for the Swifts relies on the unpredictable talents of his Italian cousin Ricki, but will it be too late to save them from relegation? Luke would dearly love to win a medal in the school Cup Final too, if only he's given the chance to get on the pitch. One thing's for certain. With soccer-mad Luke on the loose, there are bound to be plenty of shocks in store for everyone before the final whistle blows . . .
Soccer At Sandford
by Rob ChildsJeff Thompson is delighted to be picked as captain of Sanford Primary School’s football team. With an enthusiastic new teacher and a team full of talent – not least that of loner Gary Clarke, with his flashes of goal-scoring brilliance – he is determined to lead Sandford to success. Their goal is the important League Championship- and their main rivals are Tanby, who they must first meet in a vital Cup-tie…From kick-off to the final whistle, through success and disappointment, penalties and corners, to the final nail-biting matches of the season, follow the action and excitement as the young footballers of Sandford Primary School learn how to develop their skills and mould together as a real team – a team who are determined to win by playing the best football possible!
The Sober Girl Society Handbook: An empowering guide to living hangover free
by Millie GoochUPDATED WITH A BRAND NEW CHAPTER ON SOBER CURIOSITY*Voted an Independent best self-care book for 2021**Voted one of Heat's best self-help books to help you reach your full potential*If you've ever woken up feeling anxious, or cringing with embarrassment, about something you did or said whilst drunk the night before, this book may just change your life.Whichever way you look at it, it's hard to avoid how alcohol really makes us feel: terrible. After years of partying and hangovers started taking a toll on her mental health, Millie Gooch gave up alcohol and has never looked back.Offering tips and advice on staying sober and curious in a world obsessed with booze, this handbook will change your life for ever, by showing you not only why you should drink less, but how. Millie shares essential information to empower you to transform your relationship with alcohol so that you can lead your most fulfilling life.Whether you're sober curious or determined to make a more permanent change, it's time to join the Sober Girl Society!It's time to join the Sober Girl Society:'I LOVE this book already, just received today and I can't put it down!''I recommend this to anyone; whether they want to stop drinking permanently, or even would just like to cut down on their drinking.''I love how relatable and non-preachy this book is.''Approaches what can be a tricky and confusing subject for many with humour and wit.''Perfect for those reconsidering their relationship with alcohol. Brilliant book.'
So Vegan: Quick, nutritious and delicious plant-based recipes using ingredients that you (probably) already have at home
by SO VEGAN Roxy Pope Ben PookGet your hands on the must-have guide for all things, QUICK, EASY AND VEGAN'These speedy, fuss-free plant-based dinners use ingredients already in your cupboard' Take a BreakSO VEGAN’s Roxy Pope and Ben Pook believe the food we choose to eat can have a positive impact on our planet and our health. But not just any old food. They’re talking about simple and speedy plant-based meals, which you’ll find right here in EASY – a collection of 100 irresistible vegan recipes designed to be nutritious, delicious and totally fuss-free.- Creamy Pesto Rosso Gnocchi- Teriyaki Meatball Ramen- Barbecued Mushroom Tacos- Lemongrass + Coconut Curry- Harissa Bolognese- Red Pepper Tapenade Baguette Pizzas- Sloppy Joe Quesadillas- Gooey Chocolate BrowniesWith chapters covering speedy midweek meals, healthy but hearty weekend dinners and indulgent desserts, discover the EASY way to eat mouth-watering, plant-based meals every day of the week.
So Much To Tell
by Valerie GroveKaye Webb, a journalist with no publishing experience, burst into the world of children's books in 1961 and changed the face of children's publishing forever. Her child-like enthusiasm and shrewd business mind led her to become Puffin's most successful editor and the genius behind the Puffin Club, which opened up the exciting world of authors and books to children across Britain. But whilst Kaye's professional life had worked out beautifully, her private life had been the reverse. Kaye had two husbands before her marriage to the artist Ronald Searle, and the torment of his sudden and shocking departure never left her.Yet to the outside world Kaye Webb remained passionate and unstoppable. This is the unknown story of the woman who brought the joy of books to children everywhere whilst battling the emotional pain that plagued her private life.
So Long At The Fair: a compelling saga of one woman’s search for fulfilment that you won’t be able to put down…
by Jess FoleyIf you like Catherine Cookson, Dilly Court and Katie Flynn, then this absorbing, moving and highly emotional saga from much loved author Jess Foley is perfect for you. A wonderful coming of age saga you'll want to revisit time and time again...'A jolly good read... Abbie is a great character, buffeted by fate but a powerful woman of her time' -- Susan Sallis'Jess has really captured the sense of a family united against great odds. Her heroine, Abbie, is strong but flawed as all good heroines should be and as we follow her triumphs and trials we see her change from a girl to a woman in the most dramatic and satisfying of ways' -- Iris Gower'Compulsive and well-paced' -- Wiltshire Times'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review'I have read this book over and over and never get tired of reading it.' -- ***** Reader review'Lovely read!' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************LOVE, PASSION AND THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE...Growing up in a small Wiltshire village, Abbie Morris has always known what lies ahead of her - a dull and dismal life of drudgery. Matters get worse when Abbie is twelve and their emotional, spirited mother casts them into a crisis for which no one is prepared.Six years later, the Morris family have rebuilt their lives, and when Abbie and Beatie, Abbie's adored elder sister, set off for the county fair, the world seems a good place.But their new-found happiness is short-lived. A chance encounter with Louis, a personable, handsome stranger, has repercussions that threaten to destroy Abbie's peace of mind for ever.Abbie struggles to forget what happened that night and to get on with her life, and when she meets charming, honourable Arthur - and re-encounters Louis - it becomes clear that she might never recover from the night they stayed so long at the fair...
So Bright and Delicate: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne
by Jane Campion John KeatsPublished to coincide with the release of the film Bright Star, written and directed by Oscar Winner Jane Campion (The Piano, In the Cut), starring Abbie Cornish (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and Ben Whishaw (Brideshead Revisited, Perfume)John Keats died aged just twenty-five. He left behind some of the most exquisite and moving verse and love letters ever written, inspired by his great love for Fanny Brawne. Although they knew each other for just a few short years and spent a great deal of that time apart - separated by Keats' worsening illness, which forced a move abroad - Keats wrote again and again about and to his love, right until his very last poem, called simply 'To Fanny'. She, in turn, would wear the ring he had given her until her death. So Bright and Delicate is the passionate, heartrending story of this tragic affair, told through the private notes and public art of a great poet.
The Snow Ghost and Other Tales: Classic Japanese Ghost Stories
by VariousEnter the haunted world of Ancient Japan in this spine-tingling collection of ghostly tales told and retold across the centuries. From Goblin infested caves and haunted Tombs, to vengeful spirits and strange, sinister happenings, Ancient Japan was a country and culture that lived with between realms: the world of everyday and the world of supernatural.It was a time and place where men could be brought down by karmic forces or lured into deadly danger by ghostly apparitions, and where the land held sorrowful secrets or stories that long-awaited an opportunity to reveal them and seek reparation.The Snow Ghost and Other Tales brings together some of the best and scariest tales that endured across centuries of folk lore in one new beautiful hardback collection. Finally commited to writing during the turn of the twenieth cenutry by a unique set of folklorists, the ghost stories presented in this new anthology will transport readers to a time of magic and mystery, and let them relish in the spine-tingling traditions of Japanese culture largely lost now to modernity.For readers of Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell and Shirley Jackson
Snow Dog
by Malorie Blackman"IT'S GOING TO BE WOOF-ONDERFUL!"There is nothing Nicky wants more in the world than a dog to play with. But Mum and Dad don't want a dog. Then Grandad has an idea - he and Nicky can make a dog: a snow-dome dog. Even better, he has some special clay, found at the end of a rainbow, so that the dog will be extra-special. Maybe even magic . . .
Snow Blonde
by Astrid FoxLilli Sandstrom is an archaeologist in her mid-thirties; cool blond fisherman Arvak Berg is her good-looking lover. When their tempestuous relationship becomes too hot to handle Lilli retreats to the northern forests of her childhood. There, in the beauty of the wilderness, she is seduced by a fellow archaeologist, woodcutter Henrik and the glacial but bewitching Malin. However Arvak is constantly in her sexual thoughts and when she comes across some ancient rune carvings, she discovers evidence of an old, familiar story that may teach her how to handle the moody but hunky Arvak.
Snow
by Ellen Mattson'The sky was now a block of darkness, punctured only by driving snow. The stars had gone out, the king was dead. And the wound on his arm refused to heal.' So begins Snow, the first novel by Ellen Mattson to be published in Britain - a brilliant exploration of an individual's codes of ethics and honour in the face of political and social collapse. The man is Jakob Torn, a small-town apothecary, stumbling drunkenly through the streets, a refugee from his own home, carrying a deep stab-wound inflicted by his wife. He does not understand what brought on this sudden violence, any more than he can come to terms with the death, in battle, of his king. When the town begins to fill with the starving, frostbitten remnants of the defeated army, and Jakob is conscripted into helping to embalm the king's body, all his certainties are called into question.Though set in 1718 in the west coast of Sweden, Snow is a profoundly modern and universal novel, interested less in the real-life historical drama that forms the backdrop than in the emotional and moral dilemma of Jakob Torn - a simple, loyal, honourable man who finds himself the damaged centre of a collapsing world.
Snooker's World Champions: Masters of the Baize
by Luke Williams Paul GadsbyThe top snooker players in the world compete for several trophies every year, but one carries more prestige than all the others put together - the World Championship. No other tournament in the sport carries with it so much history, so many golden moments of spectacular success and dramatic failure. Meticulously researched and including exclusive interview material with Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy, among others, Masters of the Baize is a comprehensive guide to the men who have lifted the greatest prize in snooker. From the legendary Joe Davis, the first champion in 1927, to modern-day masters like Mark Williams, all the sport's world champions are put under the microscope, while the colourful careers of forgotten figures such as Walter Donaldson and John Pulman and rogue heroes like Alex Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan are brought vividly to life. After uncovering the inauspicious origins of the game in nineteenth-century India, the authors examine every former world champion in his own comprehensive chapter. Additionally, a special section focuses on the extraordinary popularity of Jimmy White, by far the greatest player never to have won the title and one of the most emotive names in the sport.
Snakes with Wings and Gold-digging Ants
by HerodotusSo much of what we know of the Ancient World comes from Herodotus (c.490 BC - c.420 BC) that he will always remain the greatest of historians. But in addition such a large part of the entertainment value of the Ancient World comes from his enormous, omnivorous, sometimes credulous appetite for stories of distant lands and strange creatures.Great Journeys allows readers to travel both around the planet and back through the centuries – but also back into ideas and worlds frightening, ruthless and cruel in different ways from our own. Few reading experiences can begin to match that of engaging with writers who saw astounding things: Great civilisations, walls of ice, violent and implacable jungles, deserts and mountains, multitudes of birds and flowers new to science. Reading these books is to see the world afresh, to rediscover a time when many cultures were quite strange to each other, where legends and stories were treated as facts and in which so much was still to be discovered.
Snail In My Prime
by Paul DurcanSince the publication of his first book in 1967, Paul Durcan has made satirical, celebratory and extraordinarily moving poetry out of his country's fortunes and misfortunes. His readings are legendary and each new collection, from his collaboration with Brain Lynch, Endsville (1967) to Daddy, Daddy (winner of the 1990 Whitbread Poetry Award), Crazy about Women (1991) and Greetings to Our Friends in Brazil (1999) has borne out the truth of Ezra Pound's dictum that "literature is news that stays news". This book contains Durcan's own selection from his work. It is a literary milestone that has set the seal on his reputation as a poet of international standing.
The Smuggler’s Wife (The Smuggler’s Daughters #3)
by Evie GraceThe brand new novel from bestselling author Evie Grace, set amongst the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800s. Perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Poldark. _______________________KENT 1815 Her heart led her to him, but will loyalty be enough to make her stay . . .When the beautiful but naïve Grace Lennicker falls for Isaiah Feasey, son of a rival smuggling family and owner of a local tavern, her sisters try to intervene. But as tensions grow, there is another suitor also hoping to win her hand in marriage, the dashing and more favourable Albert Enderby, a young lieutenant in the Revenue.Grace is unwittingly drawn back into the world of smuggling that her sisters fought hard to leave behind, and as violence erupts, she finds herself unable to stand by, knowing the rival gangs will kill anyone who stands in their way. When her husband becomes involved, Grace is forced to make a difficult decision - turn him in and risk her life, or stay loyal and risk the lives of those she loves . . .Praise for Evie Grace'Intriguing' Val Wood'A charming historical read that hits all the right notes' Woman's Weekly'Heart-tugging saga of which Catherine Cookson would've approved' Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The Smelliest Day at the Zoo
by Alan RusbridgerSlap bang in the middle of the hottest day of the year, the zoo’s drains have blocked up and there’s nowhere for the animals' poo to go! Mr Pickles the zoo keeper (who is looking distinctly green) must decide what to do with it all . . . Before the naughty chimps beat him to it!
A Smell Of Fish
by Matthew SweeneyThe poems in A Smell of Fish connect and radiate like the spokes of a wheel: haiku, sestinas, poems beginning with a line by somebody else or sparked off by foreign travel, a version of Dante, a sea sequence set on the Suffolk coast, and - long overdue - Matthew Sweeney's own version of the old Irish poem where his namesake is turned into a bird.In this, his seventh collection, we are back in a world where all explanations are withheld. 'If Beckett and Kafka come to mind', as Sean O'Brien wrote in his essay on Sweeney in The Deregulated Muse, 'they are not simply influences but kindred imaginations'. So we encounter a valley mysteriously filling with the smell of fish, second-world-war planes reappearing over London, a secret attic mural of a naked ex-lover, a cosmonaut abandoned on the moon, and a subterranean tunnel that runs the length of Ireland. Whatever the subject, we are in the confident hands of one of the most imaginatively gifted poets now writing.