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Can't Stand Up For Sitting Down
by Jo BrandThe Stand-Up while Sitting Down Years...Jo Brand is one of our best-loved comedians, according to a quote she made up. This memoir is full of hard-won wisdom, hilarity and her views on life, laughs, friendships and all the good and bad things in the world. If she was Prime Minister, the country would be in even more of a mess than it is.
Atlantic Shift: A life-affirming novel with delicious twists
by Emily BarrIs it really necessary to go halfway round the world to find the real you?Bestselling author Emily Barr transports readers to New York City in Atlantic Shift as world-famous Evie attempts to start a new life for herself. The perfect read for fans of Dorothy Koomson and Lisa Jewell.'Superb characterisation and edgy style' - Glasgow Daily RecordGorgeous, world-famous cellist Evie Silverman is classicalite through and through. Real musicians despise her. Her talent has been promoted way beyond its value because - apparently - everyone loves a blonde girl in lipstick who can do interesting things between her thighs. She's played for the President of the United States. She's played at No. 10 Downing Street. And tonight she's playing for Royalty. But tonight she's also going to change her life. Tonight she's going to leave her husband. Tonight, for the first time in fifteen years, she's going to stand on her own two feet. For tomorrow begins her new life - starting with a trip to New York. It all too soon becomes apparent that breaking the rules - and escaping from your past - isn't what it's cracked up to be...What readers are saying about Atlantic Shift:'A real page-turner''The story of figuring out what's important in life is really relatable''Gripping story with a fantastic twist'
The Death Instinct: A Novel
by Jed RubenfeldA spellbinding literary thriller about terror, war, greed, and the darkest secrets of the human soul, by the author of the million-copy bestseller, The Interpretation of Murder. September 16, 1920. Under a clear blue September sky, a quarter ton of explosives is detonated in a deadly attack on Wall Street. Fear comes to the streets of New York. Witnessing the blast are war veteran Stratham Younger, his friend James Littlemore of the New York Police Department, and beautiful French radiochemist Colette Rousseau. A series of inexplicable attacks on Colette, a secret buried in her past, and a mysterious trail of evidence lead Younger, Littlemore, and Rousseau on a thrilling international and psychological journey -- from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Dr Sigmund Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and ultimately to the hidden depths of our most savage instincts. As the seemingly disjointed pieces of Younger and Littlemore's investigations come together, the two uncover the shocking truth about the bombing -- a truth that threatens to shake their world to its foundations.
Destiny
by Louise BagshaweOrphan Kate Fox is determined to make her mark in the world, and with her gorgeous looks, what better way to secure her future than to marry money? When she attracts the attention of media mogul Marcus Broder - sophisticated, powerful and wealthy beyond measure - it seems as though all of Kate's dreams have come true.But marriage to Marcus isn't everything she imagined. A closet filled with designer clothes, and nothing to do with her time but shop, lunch and be beautiful, does not bring happiness. Before long, Kate wants out of her marriage, a career of her own, and a chance at love. But Kate's reputation as a gold-digger is sealed. Ruthlessly pursued by Marcus, who will stop at nothing to destroy her, Kate knows she has to defeat her past if she is to win the trust of the man she loves.
A Song At Sunset: A moving World War Two love story of family, heartbreak and guilt
by Amelia CarrA wartime love affair tears a family apart. Can old wounds ever be healed?The past takes action on the present in A Song At Sunset, as secret lovers torn apart in World War Two separates a mother and daughter by guilt and shame forty years later. Amelia Carr's novel is the perfect read for fans of Lucinda Riley, Rachel Hore and Katherine Webb.When the Second World War breaks out, Carrie Chapman rebels against her controlling husband to work at a local hospital. Amidst the chaos of the Bristol blitz, Carrie finds herself falling in love with a young doctor, Dev. Carrie's willing to defy convention and leave her stifling marriage for Dev, but one summer evening, horrific events change Carrie's life for ever. Since that night, for forty years, Carrie's beloved daughter, Gillian, has refused to see or speak to her. Now, someone is digging into the past. Will Carrie break her long silence and, if she does, will Gillian finally be able to forgive?What readers are saying about A Song At Sunset:'A lovely read. Don't miss it''I could not put this book down, it has everything - love, misunderstandings, duty, family''It is a tale of the way a troubled family interacts. Beautifully and sympathetically observed'
Fast Friends
by Jill MansellFAST FRIENDS is a warm and funny romantic novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Jill Mansell. For fans of Lucy Diamond, Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes.When the chips are down, who better to turn to then your oldest friends? When bored housewife and mother Camilla Stewart impulsively invites her old schoolchums for dinner she hardly imagines that the evening will shatter her comfortable existence. But Roz Vallender and Loulou Marks are no ordinary guests. Roz, stunning and self-assured, is notorious as a TV presenter and superbitch, whilst the reckless Loulou owns Vampires, the trendiest wine bar in town. Horrified to discover that husband Jack has been playing around, Camilla determines to make some changes. With a little help from her friends she soon finds out that life in the fast lane is a lot more fun and the future still holds plenty of surprises.What readers are saying about Fast Friends: 'I am a huge lover of Jill Mansell books but this has to be her best to date. I enjoyed savouring every moment of it' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'The tangled web of relationships within the book are so much fun to read about, that the book becomes just impossible to put down!' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'Loved this book from start to finish... funny, sad, agonising, teasing and touching' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars
All the Hopeful Lovers
by William Nicholson'Nicholson is a subtle and addictive writer who deserves to be a household name . . . [with] his remarkable eye for detail and for the weaknesses of human nature' ObserverThis is our own familiar world rendered pacy, funny, emotionally on the button and hugely entertaining.Belinda wistfully reflects how much better at sex she is now than when she was in her twenties. She's thought about taking a lover, but ultimately could never do that to her husband Tom. So imagine her despair when she discovers he's having an affair... And what about Tom, and his lover Meg? It's not easy for them either. Alongside this knot of middle-aged lovers is a tangle of younger ones, as Belinda's flirty daughter Chloe tries to set up Jack with shy Alice, without realizing that Jack actually has a crush on her. Nicholson casts an unflinching eye on men's attitude to sex, on women, love and family life.
Variety: The Life of a Roman Concept
by William FitzgeraldThe idea of variety may seem too diffuse, obvious, or nebulous to be worth scrutinizing, but modern usage masks the rich history of the term. This book examines the meaning, value, and practice of variety from the vantage point of Latin literature and its reception and reveals the enduring importance of the concept up to the present day. William Fitzgerald looks at the definition and use of the Latin term varietas and how it has played out in different works and with different authors. He shows that, starting with the Romans, variety has played a key role in our thinking about nature, rhetoric, creativity, pleasure, aesthetics, and empire. From the lyric to elegy and satire, the concept of variety has helped to characterize and distinguish different genres. Arguing that the ancient Roman ideas and controversies about the value of variety have had a significant afterlife up to our own time, Fitzgerald reveals how modern understandings of diversity and choice derive from what is ultimately an ancient concept.
Empire of the Moghul: Brothers at War
by Alex Rutherford** EXCITING TV SERIES IN PRODUCTION **The second enthralling installment in Alex Rutherford's Empire of the Moghul series. 1530, Agra, Northern India. Humayun, the newly-crowned second Moghul Emperor, is a fortunate man. His father, Babur, has bequeathed him wealth, glory and an empire which stretches a thousand miles south from the Khyber pass; he must now build on his legacy, and make the Moghuls worthy of their forebear, Tamburlaine. But, unbeknownst to him, Humayun is already in grave danger. His half-brothers are plotting against him; they doubt that he has the strength, the will, the brutality needed to command the Moghul armies and lead them to still-greater glories. Perhaps they are right. Soon Humayun will be locked in a terrible battle: not only for his crown, not only for his life, but for the existence of the very empire itself.
Play it Again?
by Julie HighmoreEver wonder what happened to that old flame? In the wilds of Norfolk, Dylan is mending his broken heart by rebuilding his house. Next door, teenager Ellie gazes longingly at him over the fence, while her mother Fliss contemplates a school reunion. Should she risk an encounter with her first crush? Meanwhile, Dylan’s once-famous father Alex is also recalling the perils of first love – but will Marie return his renewed affection? Can an old rock star recapture the magic of his first hit?
After Midnight: A Novel (The\post-war Trilogy Ser. #1)
by Robert RyanIn 1964, a young Australian girl, Linda Carr, is trying to track down the wreckage of the Liberator bomber in which her father died when it crashed in North Italy in 1944 during World War Two. She employs the help of Jack Kirby, a British Mosquito fighter pilot who was on operations in the area when her father died. He is now a motorcycle racer competing in the Isle of Man TT, but he is finding it hard to adjust to life during peacetime. He too was shot down during the war and spent some time helping the Italian partisans on the ground so he knows a great deal about Nazi brutality, betrayal, corruption and the settling of scores that was the partisan's life in Italy at the time. He also fell in love with Francesca, one of the partisan leaders, and he is keen to find out what happened to her and renew their affair. However, what they uncover is more dangerous and complex than either Linda or Jack could ever have imagined.
Forbidden Places
by Penny VincenziPenny Vincenzi's Sunday Times No 1 bestseller, FORBIDDEN PLACES is an unmissable novel about love and marriage, families and secrets, and about wartime and what it does to every accepted social value. 'Deliciously readable' Mail on Sunday. A mesmerising novel perfect for any reader of Jilly Cooper, Santa Montefiore, Kate Morton or Harriet Evans.It is the story of three women and one family. One is married and widowed within five years. She is free to start again. Or is she? The second has a perfect husband she thinks she loves. He becomes a grotesque parody of what he once was. Is that love real? The third becomes trapped in a nightmare marriage. Can the war free her?
Euripides I: Alcestis, Medea, The Children of Heracles, Hippolytus (The Complete Greek Tragedies)
by EuripidesEuripides I contains the plays “Alcestis,” translated by Richmond Lattimore; “Medea,” translated by Oliver Taplin; “The Children of Heracles,” translated by Mark Griffith; and “Hippolytus,” translated by David Grene. Sixty years ago, the University of Chicago Press undertook a momentous project: a new translation of the Greek tragedies that would be the ultimate resource for teachers, students, and readers. They succeeded. Under the expert management of eminent classicists David Grene and Richmond Lattimore, those translations combined accuracy, poetic immediacy, and clarity of presentation to render the surviving masterpieces of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides in an English so lively and compelling that they remain the standard translations. Today, Chicago is taking pains to ensure that our Greek tragedies remain the leading English-language versions throughout the twenty-first century. In this highly anticipated third edition, Mark Griffith and Glenn W. Most have carefully updated the translations to bring them even closer to the ancient Greek while retaining the vibrancy for which our English versions are famous. This edition also includes brand-new translations of Euripides’ Medea, The Children of Heracles, Andromache, and Iphigenia among the Taurians, fragments of lost plays by Aeschylus, and the surviving portion of Sophocles’s satyr-drama The Trackers. New introductions for each play offer essential information about its first production, plot, and reception in antiquity and beyond. In addition, each volume includes an introduction to the life and work of its tragedian, as well as notes addressing textual uncertainties and a glossary of names and places mentioned in the plays. In addition to the new content, the volumes have been reorganized both within and between volumes to reflect the most up-to-date scholarship on the order in which the plays were originally written. The result is a set of handsome paperbacks destined to introduce new generations of readers to these foundational works of Western drama, art, and life.
Raptor (Phoenix Poets)
by Andrew FeldRaptor, the second book by the author of the widely praised Citizen, is a collection of formal poems and measured free verse unified by its investigation of our ancient poetic, mythic, and scientific fascination with birds of prey: hawks, eagles, owls, vultures, and falcons. Drawing extensively on his own experience working at a raptor rehabilitation center, along with a variety of sources ranging from medieval texts on falconry to the latest conservation studies of raptor anatomy and habitat, Andrew Feld shows these killing birds to be mirrors for humanity, as indicator species, and as highly charged figures for the intersection of that which we call “wild” and that which we think of as domesticated or domestic—and how these opposed terms apply to the imperiled natural world, to our human social relations, and to our most private, interior selves. In these poems, Feld does not shy away from either the damaging world or “the new, more comprehensive view / damage affords” in its aftermath.
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions And Illusions
by Neil GaimanThe storytelling genius of Neil Gaiman, bestselling author of The Ocean at the End of the Lane and Stardust, is one dazzling display in the variety of Smoke and Mirror's original and brilliant short pieces. 'A very fine and imaginative writer' The Sunday Times. If you love Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected or Terry Pratchett, Smoke and Mirrors is highly recommended.An elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat. A stray cat fights and refights a terrible nightly battle to protect his unwary adoptive family from unimaginable evil. A young couple receives a wedding gift that reveals a chilling alternative history of their marriage. These tales and much more await in this extraordinary book, revealing one of our most gifted storytellers at the height of his powers.
Lex
by James MyletLex is seventeen. But being seventeen is a rollercoaster ride and Lex is about to run into trouble. If he survives the humiliation of his final summer, he is determined to go out with a bang. And he will, but it might not be quite what he had in mind...
Rumour Has It: A feel-good romance novel filled with wit and warmth
by Jill MansellIn RUMOUR HAS IT by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Tilly's not looking for love, but love certainly has its eye on her! Perfect for readers of Milly Johnson and Lucy Diamond. 'The characters are so funny and the sub-plots are written with such a light touch' TelegraphWhen newly single Tilly Cole impulsively quits her London job for a fresh start in the small town of Roxborough she finds she's arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue and rampant rivalry for the most desirable men. Tilly has no intention of joining in - she's just happy with her new Girl Friday job. Then she meets Jack Lucas. Jack is irresistible... and he's got his eye on Tilly. But there are shocking rumours about his wicked reputation. Tilly doesn't want to be just another notch on anyone's bedpost. But is she being mature and sensible - or is she running away from the love of her life?What readers are saying about Rumour Has It: 'From the first page, the characterisation was outstanding and the writing strong - so warm and funny and easy to read. Definitely five star fiction' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'Once again [Jill Mansell] had me enthralled with her wit and humour, so much so I couldn't put it down! A brilliant author' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'The characters are beautifully written to add flavour and interest to this lovely story. This is real curl up in front of the fire reading' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
The Last Sunrise: A Novel (The\post-war Trilogy Ser. #2)
by Robert Ryan1948: INDO-CHINA. Lee Crane is an American pilot flying demobbed air transports - C47 Dakotas - across South-East Asia for the highest bidder. He'll fly anywhere, if the price is right. But his experiences during the war are haunting him, and when he meets a woman from the past, it is, literally, a slap in the face. 1941: BURMA. Crane is a young and innocent airman, flying P-40 Tomahawk fighter planes for the notorious Flying Tigers, the American Volunteers who are helping the Allies push back the Japanese. But when he falls for the charms of a beautiful Anglo-Indian girl she has a devastating affect on him. As the Japanese create chaos in Indo-China and all around him people are looting and lining their pockets, Crane desperately needs to return to find his Indian lover, no matter what the cost.
The Order of Forms: Realism, Formalism, and Social Space
by Anna KornbluhIn literary studies today, debates about the purpose of literary criticism and about the place of formalism within it continue to simmer across periods and approaches. Anna Kornbluh contributes to—and substantially shifts—that conversation in The Order of Forms by offering an exciting new category, political formalism, which she articulates through the co-emergence of aesthetic and mathematical formalisms in the nineteenth century. Within this framework, criticism can be understood as more affirmative and constructive, articulating commitments to aesthetic expression and social collectivity. Kornbluh offers a powerful argument that political formalism, by valuing forms of sociability like the city and the state in and of themselves, provides a better understanding of literary form and its political possibilities than approaches that view form as a constraint. To make this argument, she takes up the case of literary realism, showing how novels by Dickens, Brontë, Hardy, and Carroll engage mathematical formalism as part of their political imagining. Realism, she shows, is best understood as an exercise in social modeling—more like formalist mathematics than social documentation. By modeling society, the realist novel focuses on what it considers the most elementary features of social relations and generates unique political insights. Proposing both this new theory of realism and the idea of political formalism, this inspired, eye-opening book will have far-reaching implications in literary studies.
Making England Western: Occidentalism, Race, and Imperial Culture
by Saree MakdisiThe central argument of Edward Said’s Orientalism is that the relationship between Britain and its colonies was primarily oppositional, based on contrasts between conquest abroad and domestic order at home. Saree Makdisi directly challenges that premise in Making England Western, identifying the convergence between the British Empire’s civilizing mission abroad and a parallel mission within England itself, and pointing to Romanticism as one of the key sites of resistance to the imperial culture in Britain after 1815. Makdisi argues that there existed places and populations in both England and the colonies that were thought of in similar terms—for example, there were sites in England that might as well have been Arabia, and English people to whom the idea of the freeborn Englishman did not extend. The boundaries between “us” and “them” began to take form during the Romantic period, when England became a desirable Occidental space, connected with but superior to distant lands. Delving into the works of Wordsworth, Austen, Byron, Dickens, and others to trace an arc of celebration, ambivalence, and criticism influenced by these imperial dynamics, Makdisi demonstrates the extent to which Romanticism offered both hopes for and warnings against future developments in Occidentalism. Revealing that Romanticism provided a way to resist imperial logic about improvement and moral virtue, Making England Western is an exciting contribution to the study of both British literature and colonialism.
Your Place or Mine?
by Julie HighmoreWhen Bea’s husband dies, she decides not to be a lonely widow, rattling around her big Oxford house. Instead, she chooses three tenants, each of whom needs her help, and each, in return, offers Bea more affection than her own son. Over the years they become a strange ‘family’, until the day they must find a new housemate. Will needs a place to stay, and expects the usual grimy kitchen and sloppy students. Bea’s beautiful house seems too good to be true – until he meets the housemates. They’re all at least twenty years older than him, and range from being outrageously camp to irritatingly raucous. Will takes the stunning spare room, and once he’s moved in it’s hard to escape. His sister, Harrie, falls in love with more than just the house when she comes to visit, and together they’re soon caught up in Bea’s final secret…
Passion
by Louise BagshaweA failed marriage between Melissa Elmett and Will Hyde did a lot of damage. She was too young, he was hurt when she left him. Years later, Melissa becomes the target for a kidnap plot, a consequence of her father’s ground-breaking energy-saving invention, and Will is the only man who can protect her. Now they’re on the run, thrown together again by the pursuit of vengeance, will their passion for each other reignite?
Empire of Sand: Empire Of Sand, Death On The Ice, And Signal Red (The\great British Heroes And Antiheroes Trilogy Ser. #1)
by Robert RyanA sweeping epic historical novel about Lawrence of Arabia, one of the most compelling characters in British history, from bestselling author Robert Ryan.1915: While the war in Europe escalates, a young intelligence officer named Thomas Edward Lawrence is in Cairo, awaiting his chance for action. His superiors, however, have consigned him to the Map Room at GCHQ. But there’s more to Lieutenant Lawrence than meets the eye. A man of immense energy, he runs a network of agents across the Levant. Lawrence is convinced that an Arab revolt is the only way to remove the Ottoman presence, and leave a free self-governed Arabia. Soon, alarming reports reach him of trouble in Persia, orchestrated by infamous German agent Wilhelm Wassmuss. Intent on taking down Wassmuss and, at the same time, unlocking the secret of his success, Lawrence assembles a small group and travels to Persia...
Raptor (Phoenix Poets)
by Andrew FeldRaptor, the second book by the author of the widely praised Citizen, is a collection of formal poems and measured free verse unified by its investigation of our ancient poetic, mythic, and scientific fascination with birds of prey: hawks, eagles, owls, vultures, and falcons. Drawing extensively on his own experience working at a raptor rehabilitation center, along with a variety of sources ranging from medieval texts on falconry to the latest conservation studies of raptor anatomy and habitat, Andrew Feld shows these killing birds to be mirrors for humanity, as indicator species, and as highly charged figures for the intersection of that which we call “wild” and that which we think of as domesticated or domestic—and how these opposed terms apply to the imperiled natural world, to our human social relations, and to our most private, interior selves. In these poems, Feld does not shy away from either the damaging world or “the new, more comprehensive view / damage affords” in its aftermath.
Wicked Games: A racy, romantic romp you won’t want to put down
by Sasha WagstaffAll's fair in love and war... Sasha Wagstaff explores feuding families, star-crossed lovers, sex, scandal and secrets in her sensational read Wicked Games. The perfect read for fans of Cathy Bramley and Lucy Diamond.Debonair and dynamic, millionaire Judd Harrington is back at Brockett Hall. With his socialite wife and family in tow, he's returned from LA a glittering success. But as he stares across the valley at Lochlin Maguire's beautiful country house, all he can think of is revenge.Meanwhile Judd's arch-rival has troubles of his own. Lochlin's record label is losing major talent to an unknown competitor, his wife Tavvy is distracted and he can't seem to see eye to eye with his son Shay. And, unbeknownst to Lochlin, his talented singer daughter Iris has fallen for irresistible racing driver Ace Harrington out in LA. Ace is under orders from Judd to break Iris's heart. What he hadn't bargained for was losing his own in the process. Can he go against his father's wishes? Or will Judd's wicked games ruin love's young dream?What readers are saying about Wicked Games:'The characters are so real - you love to love some of them and love to hate others''I absolutely loved this book and found it gripping from end to end''Romance, revenge and glamour, what more could one ask for in a book'