Beautiful Losers
¥73.58
One of the best-known experimental novels of the 1960s, this uninhibited tale centres on the hapless members of a love triangle, and their sexual obsession and shared fascination with a mythic saint. Revolving around four central – and intrinsically flawed – characters, ‘Beautiful Losers’ is the frank and humorous story of a nameless narrator, his wife Edith, their domineering friend and mentor ‘F’ and Catherine Tekakwitha, a mythic 17th-century Mohawk virgin saint. The complexities of this three-way love, pain and lust are sent spiralling by the death of Edith and ‘F’ at the novel’s start, leading the damaged narrator to question the nature of love, sexuality and spirituality in a series of explicit flashbacks. The extraordinary and inimitable singer-songwriter’s classic novel, this is Leonard Cohen’s most critically acclaimed literary work, echoing the dark poetry and wry humour of his timeless songs of loss, love, sex and religion. Not just an extremely funny novel, but an incredibly original and explicit examination of friendship, sex and spirituality.
Under Heaven
¥71.22
An epic historical adventure set in an alternate 8th century China, from the author of the 2008 World Fantasy winner, Ysabel. Under Heaven is a novel of heroes, assassins, concubines and emperors set against a majestic and unforgiving landscape. Honour is beyond measure But its price may be an empire… For two years Shen Tai has mourned his celebrated father and lived like a hermit beyond the borders of the Kitan Empire. There, by a mountain lake, the bones of the soldiers killed in great battles between the Kitai and the Tagurans lie unburied and their wailing ghosts strike terror into the living. Tai has laboured alone, laying to rest the mingled dead of both empires, until a letter arrives. It contains the promise of a poisoned chalice: Tai will be given two hundred and fifty Sardian horses by the Tagurans, legendary steeds from the far west, as a reward for his courage and piety. Now, Tai must try to return alive from solitude to a glittering, dangerous court. For to give a man even one of the famed Sardians is to honour him greatly; to give him so many is a reward which would overwhelm an emperor, and could be Tai's death warrant.
Oscar Wilde’s Stories for All Ages
¥95.75
One of the world’s best loved presenters meets one of the world’s greatest authors in this beautiful selection of timeless, haunting stories. Vividly brought to life through abundant illustrations and Stephen’s masterly introductions, Oscar Wilde’s short stories are here made accessible to an entirely new generation. Whether you know it or not, the stories in this book are familiar. Like old friends whose charm and warmth never fade, Oscar Wilde's short stories have enchanted generations of readers, and this beautiful book makes them accessible to an entirely new readership. Selected and presented by one of Wilde's biggest fans, the book includes a foreword from Stephen Fry, who will also supply short introductions to the stories themselves, explaining why they mean so much to him and why they should mean a lot to you too. Meet the selfish giant, whose garden was cloaked in perpetual winter until he allowed the children to enter and play, the happy prince whose statue stood overlooking his city, who gave the rubies and sapphires embedded in his eyes and clothing to feed the poor, and the tiny swallow who helped him. And let's not forget the remarkable rocket who was so convinced that he would be the brightest, most remarkable rocket of all, yet who ended up in a ditch. There's also the Canterville ghost, so inept at being scary that every attempt to spook his American visitors results in failure. Stephen Fry has always been passionate about Oscar Wilde's writing but he has a particular fondness for his short stories. In this beautifully illustrated book he shares with us what each story means to him and what he feels the reader can take away with them, whether they're five or fifty years old. As well as a general introduction, Stephen offers introductions to the stories themselves, taking the reader through his selection. Illustrated by Nicole Stewart, stunning artwork accompanies each story to give shape to the reader's imagination. Whether you are buying this for yourself, for your wife, your son or daughter, for your nephew, your niece, your mother, your brother or your sister, the book will be a gift that you or they will cherish forever and return to time and time again. These are stories for adults and children of all ages, for all time.
Ngaio Marsh: Her Life in Crime
¥63.18
The Empress of Crime's life was the ultimate detective story – revealed for the first time in this forthright and perceptive biography. While Ngaio Marsh had a flamboyant public persona, she was fiercely protective of her private life. And no one knows better how to cover tracks with red herrings and remove incriminating evidence than a crime fiction writer… This fascinating biography of Ngaio Marsh pieces together both the public and private Marsh in a way that is as riveting as a crime novel. Through her writing and her theatre work, Joanne Drayton assembles the pieces to the puzzle that is Marsh, proving that life can be as thrilling as fiction. Marsh wrote her first detective novel in a London flat in the depths of the 1930s Depression, bringing life to Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn in her first book, A Man Lay Dead. Through 32 novels he would establish himself as one of the great super-sleuths, and Marsh as one of the four Queens of Golden Age detective fiction, alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Margery Allingham. In 1932, a family tragedy brought Marsh home to New Zealand, to a life divided - between hemispheres, between passionate relationships at home and abroad, and between the world of publishing and her life as a stage director. In 1949 her writing would earn her the ultimate distinction when Penguin and Collins released the 'Marsh Million': 100,000 copies each of ten of her titles on to the world market. The popular appetite for classic whodunits was insatiable and Ngaio Marsh was one of the best. But her greatest love was the stage - or was it?
Journey of a Lifetime
¥69.26
The iconic broadcasting legend dusts down his suitcase for a final journey around the globe, revisiting locations of significance to his life and career. Published to coincide with a major Bbc Tv series of the same name, this is a glorious celebration of 50 years in front of the camera. For as long as most can remember, Whicker has roamed far and wide in search of the eccentric, the ludicrous, and the socially-revealing aspects of everyday life as lived by some of the more colorful of the world's inhabitants. Since the late 1950s, when the long-running Whicker's World documentary was first screened, he has probed and dissected the often secretive and unobserved worlds of the rich and famous, rooting out the most implausible and sometimes ridiculous characters after gaining admittance to the places where they conduct their leisure hours. The great man's legacy contains a number of genuine television firsts. As well as landmark interviews with figures as diverse as Papa Doc, Paul Getty, and The Sultan of Brunei, he was a pioneer, covering subjects like plastic surgery, gay weddings, polygamy, swinging, and following gun-toting cops, fly-on-the-wall style, for British screens long before anyone else. This wonderful new book is the end product of a very personal journey. Whicker retraces his steps, catching up with some past interviewees and reflecting on how the world has changedfor good and badover the passing of time. Lyrical and uplifting, this autobiography is peppered with a celebrated globetrotter's brand of subtle satire.
Horse Under Water
¥63.18
The dead hand of a long-defeated Nazi Third Reich reaches out to Portugal, London and Marrakech in Deighton’s second novel, featuring the same anonymous narrator and milieu of The IPCRESS File, but finds Dawlish now head of the secret British Intelligence unit, WOOC(P). The Ipcress File was a debut sensation. Here in the second Secret File, Horse under Water, skin-diving, drug trafficking and blackmail all feature in a curious story in which the dead hand of a long-defeated Hitler-Germany reaches out to Portugal, London and Marrakech, and to all the neo-Nazis of today's Europe. The detail is frightening but unfaultable; the story as up to date as ever it was. The un-named hero of The Ipcress File the same: insolent, fallible, capricious - in other words, human. But he must draw on all his abilities, good and bad, when plunged into a story of murder, betrayal and greed every bit as murky as the waters off the coast of Portugal, where the answers lie buried.
The Ipcress File
¥32.08
Len Deighton’s classic first novel, whose protagonist is a nameless spy – later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine. The Ipcress File was not only Len Deighton’s first novel, it was his first bestseller and the book that broke the mould of thriller writing. For the working class narrator, an apparently straightforward mission to find a missing biochemist becomes a journey to the heart of a dark and deadly conspiracy. The film of The Ipcress File gave Michael Caine one of his first and still most celebrated starring roles, while the novel itself has become a classic.
Aggers’ Ashes
¥146.27
An inside account of England’s Ashes triumph in Australia 2010/11. England’s much celebrated Ashes win by two clear matches with three comprehensive innings victories must rank as one of the finest of any English cricket team from any era. It kept people at home glued to their televisions, computers and radios – often all three at the same time – long into the night as the bitter winter and a depressed economy were forced into the background by the sheer joy and exhilaration of giving the old enemy a trouncing. It had been twenty-two years since a touring side won three Tests in Australia and twenty-four since the Ashes were last won on Australian soil. The current England team bears worthy comparison with some of the legendary teams of the past, captained by greats like Brearley, Hutton and Jardine. Andrew Strauss with back-to-back Ashes wins can now sit amongst that illustrious company. From the first ball of the tour in Perth to a closing rendition of the infamous ‘Sprinkler Dance’ on the outfield in Sydney some two months later – a clip that received some 250,000 hits in just three days – one person was there throughout, BBC Cricket Correspondent Jonathan Agnew, better known to his legion of Test Match Special fans as ‘Aggers’. Following the success of his last book Thanks, Johnners, Agnew has written a highly personal diary of his experiences in Australia. Whether he is sharing late night conversations in the bar with England coach Andy Flower, exchanging banter with new TMS recruit Michael Vaughan or keeping cricket junkies around the world sated with his daily Twitter feed, Aggers brings his unique sense of theatre and excitement to every day’s proceedings. With additional contributions from the best BBC cricket bloggers and the resident TMS statistician, Aggers Ashes is the only companion you will need to relive those glorious days when history was made Down Under.
Girl on the Platform
¥9.71
A quick read from the bestselling storyteller, Josephine Cox. Love at first sight and a mysterious disappearance. Best friends Mark and Pete board a train to London for a night out. As Pete finds a seat he notices a girl sitting on a bench. She looks sad and lonely. When the train leaves, he can't get her out of his mind because in her he has seen a glimpse of himself. Over the coming months Pete sees the girl often, but when tempted to speak to her, his courage fails. Then one day she simply disappears. Hopelessly besotted by this girl he believes to be his kindred spirit, Pete will not rest until he finds her…
David and Me: My path to solo motherhood
¥11.77
“This is the very beginning of the story of my life with my son. In some ways it is an unconventional one; a tale of choosing solo motherhood, with all its painful and joyful twists and turns. But at its heart it simply recounts a mother’s love for her child; a love that has been replicated throughout time all over the world.” The true story of Esther, who, at the age of 42, found herself single yet longing to be a mother. Flying in the face of the advice and scaremongering from the media, she made the brave decision to go it alone. Initially, the path was smooth, and Esther received nothing but encouragement and support from family and friends. But, as she ventured further down the path towards solo motherhood, Esther began to run up against bureaucracy, crushing negativity, obstructions and, occasionally, in amongst the care and compassion of doctors, nurses, embryologists and sonographers, bewildering incompetence. From IUI to IVF, dramatic hormonal fluctuations creating frustration and exhaustion, and a devastating blow, through to the joy of motherhood at last, Esther’s story is both moving and life-affirming.
20 MINUTES TO MASTER … STRESS MANAGEMENT
¥27.17
A strong addition to the ‘Principles series’ of introductory guides. The book explains what stress is, how it causes physical and mental problems and how to cope successfully with the increased pressures of modern day living. The book introduces the reader to the stress-prone personality types, what the potential stress triggers are, and suggests effective exercises to help you relax. Covering the physical stress symptoms and behavioural problems associated with stress such as compulsive behaviour the book shows why the scourge of modern day Western living needs to be understood to be beaten. Whether you are a perfectionist, ambitious, anxious, or stimulus-seeking person, the book will be an invaluable eye-opener – a key to learning to deal with stress positively.
MY BODY, MY ENEMY: My 13 year battle with anorexia nervosa
¥45.62
This new edition of a classic, bestselling autobiography completes Claire Beeken’s powerful story, taking the reader on an inspirational journey to the present day. Claire Beeken first went to hospital with an eating disorder aged 10. For over a decade she locked herself into a vicious cycle of starvation, laxative abuse, binge-eating and vomiting, attempted suicide and periods in a psychiatric hospital. This graphically honest, deeply-affecting, and darkly funny account of Claire’s illness tells the story of an ordinary girl from Luton living life with rare intensity. Since publication of the previous issue, Claire Beeken’s groundbreaking techniques and work with sufferers of eating disorders has come to be internationally recognised. Claire’s charity Caraline is now internationally acclaimed and the help-line that began life in her parents’ front-room has become an established, and enormously successful, care and counselling centre. The updated material tells Claire’s personal story – her feelings and her achievements since the early days of Caraline and also includes further inspirational ‘case histories’ of girls who have recovered from bulimia and anorexia with counselling.
Bugsy Malone (Essential Modern Classics)
¥45.22
Read the story behind the beloved film – now available in Essential Modern Classics. In Prohibition-era New York City, Fat Sam runs one of the most popular speakeasies in town – but his rival Dandy Dan is trying to shut him down. It’s up to the baby-faced Bugsy Malone to save the day… Packed with thrills and spills (and more than a few custard pies and splurge), this is a mobster story with a twist – the stars are kids!
Confessions of an Undercover Cop (The Confessions Series)
¥66.22
The sixth book in the bestselling Confessions series. What is life like for a female Undercover Cop? Ash Cameron gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at life in the Police. Funny, moving and irreverent, you’ll never look at a bobby the same way again…! What is life like for an Undercover Cop? Ash Cameron joined the police in the 70s – think Life on Mars with added ladders in her tights. From arresting East End gangsters, dealing out justice to football hooligans and coping with sexism on the job, Ash did it all. So when she was asked to go undercover, well, it was just another job, wasn’t it? Told with warmth and humour, these ‘confessions’ will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you roll your eyes as you learn exactly what goes on behind-the-scenes in the police…
The Book of Lies
¥63.77
A spectacular fantasy adventure, where three children, led by Marcel, battle against the Book of Lies to find their true identities. What is the Book of Lies? It is a collection of all the lies ever told… If you open the Book and tell a lie the Book has not heard, it will add it to its collection. If you tell the Book a lie it has heard before, it will speak the lie out loud. If the Book speaks a lie over and over, it will convince you it is the truth, so a lie and the truth become one… In the dead of night, an unconscious boy is brought to an orphanage. All traces of anything that could identify the boy are removed, including the gold ring he wears, engraved with the name Marcel. A book is placed in front of the boy and opened. But this is no ordinary book – it is the Book of Lies. A powerful magic user, Lord Alwyn, uses the lies the Book contains to erase Marcel’s former life, and give him a new identity. But there is someone else in the room, someone who fills Marcel’s ears with wax to prevent him absorbing the lies flowing from the Book. For Marcel is not the only orphan who has had his identity changed by the Book of Lies, and he is soon thrown into an adventure that will see him encounter wolves, a flying horse, elves, a usurper king and his army and enchanted prisons. But the final battle will be with the Book of Lies itself, as only it can provide Marcel with his true identity.
50 x 50: The mini-sagas
¥9.71
Bite-sized stories from one of the masters of contemporary fiction. Thanks to social media, the world is getting ever more adept at writing concisely. However, Brian Aldiss was writing in this style long before twitter. In this collection of stories, Aldiss returns to the mini-saga tradition that ran for 6 years in The Telegraph, offering 50 brand-new 50-word narratives that will delight readers of any genre.
The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw
¥51.50
The third book in this fast-paced and hilarious fantasy quest in the grand tradition of Shrek and The Princess Bride, starring four very unlikely, but likeable, heroes. Prince Liam. Prince Frederick. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav… The four princes that have the worst luck in the world. After saving the kingdom YET AGAIN and going their separate ways, the princes are back in trouble… and this time it’s serious! Somehow, everyone thinks they have MURDERED a princess! And with bounty hunters after them, and a dastardly scheme sure to be behind it all, the princes have to overcome their differences, reunite, and clear their names. Oh, and save the kingdom again…
Our Land at War: A Portrait of Rural Britain 1939–45
¥73.58
A rich account of the impact of the Second World War on the lives of people living in the farms and villages of Britain. On the outbreak of war, the countryside was invaded by service personnel and evacuee children by the thousand; land was taken arbitrarily for airfields, training grounds and firing ranges, and whole communities were evicted. Prisoner-of-war camps brought captured enemy soldiers to close quarters, and as horses gave way to tractors and combines farmers were burdened with aggressive new restrictions on what they could and could not grow. Land Girls and Lumber Jills worked in fields and forests. Food – or the lack of it – was a major preoccupation and rationing strictly enforced. And although rabbits were poached, apples scrumped and mushrooms gathered, there was still not enough to eat. Drawing from diaries, letters, books, official records and interviews, Duff Hart Davis revisits rural Britain to describe how ordinary people survived the war years. He tells of houses turned over to military use such as Bletchley and RAF Medmenham as well as those that became schools, notably Chatsworth in Derbyshire. Combining both hardship and farce, the book examines the profound changes war brought to Britain’s countryside: from the Home Guard, struggling with the provision of ludicrous equipment, to the role of the XII Corps Observation Unit. whose task was to enlarge rabbit warrens and badger setts into bunkers for harassing the enemy in the event of a German invasion; to the unexpected tenderness shown by many to German and Italian prisoners-of-war at work on the land. Fascinating, sad and at times hilarious, this warm-hearted book tells great stories – and casts new light on Britain during the war.
A Modern Way to Eat
¥191.59
‘A simply brilliant book – modern, clever, beautiful and full of delicious recipes.’ Jamie Oliver A modern vegetarian cookbook packed with quick, healthy and fresh recipes, that fits perfectly with how we want to eat now. How we want to eat is changing. More and more people want to cook without meat a couple of nights a week, or are looking for interesting ideas for dishes for their vegetarian friends (whilst pushing their own vegetarian repertoire beyond a red onion and goat’s cheese tart or a mushroom risotto). At the same time we want to eat food that is a little lighter, a little healthier, a little easier on our pockets, but that won’t have us chopping mountains of veg or slaving over the stove for hours. Anna Jones is a brilliant young cook and food writer, who worked with Jamie Oliver for many years. Her first cookbook is a totally modern take on vegetarian eating – recipes that are healthy, nourishing, truly tasty and satisfying, introducing new dishes that are simple to make. Based on how Anna likes to eat day to day, A Modern Way to Eat covers everything from a blueberry and amaranth porridge to start the day to a quick autumn root panzanella or avocado, butterbean and miso salad for lunch; a tomato and coconut cassoulet, pistachio and squash galette, or mint, ricotta and courgette polpette for dinner. Packed with recipes that explore the full breadth of vegetarian ingredients – different grains, nuts, seeds and seasonal vegetables – and alternative approaches to cooking that avoid too much dairy or heavy carbs and gluten, this is a cookbook for how we want to eat now.
The Slow Fix: Why Quick Fixes Don’t Work (extract)
¥9.71
This is a free extract taken from the full version of THE SLOW FIX by Carl Honoré. What do we do when things go wrong in a fast world? Many of us go for the quick fix that delays the problem rather than solving it. To make real progress we need real solutions – we need to take time for THE SLOW FIX. People have long been in search of a quick fix. Truth is, it doesn’t work. The problems facing us today are bigger and more urgent than ever before and we need to learn to start fixing things properly, rather than settling for short-term solutions. The Slow Fix offers real, life-changing solutions to tackling these problems and extends the movement defined by Carl Honore in his global bestseller, In Praise of Slow, to offer a recipe for problem-solving that can be applied to every walk of life, from business and politics to relationships, education and health reform.
Lady Sybil and Mr Tom Branson (Downton Abbey Shorts, Book 4)
¥11.77
This richly illustrated short, extracted from the official book The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, focuses on the characters individually, examining their motivations, their actions and the inspirations behind them. Forwarded by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes. On the face of it, the young newlyweds Sybil and Tom hope to live an unobtrusive, quiet existence in Dublin as ‘Mr and Mrs Branson’, happily waiting for the arrival of their baby. But as the gossip back at Downton Abbey shows, nothing of their way of life is normal. An earl’s daughter and a chauffeur-turned-Irish-revolutionary cannot expect an uneventful life together. ‘She doesn’t want Tom to alter,’ says Jessica Brown Findlay, who plays Sybil, ‘she loves him for his fire and passion, and his desire to change things.’ But when they come home she doesn’t want to cause unnecessary fuss – she adores her family and respects their desire to live as they wish. Unlike Tom, she sees no harm in it. Trying to keep harmony is almost more than she can bear. Purchase this ebook short and the others in the series to get closer still to the characters at Downton Abbey and to understand more about their social context – from the changing role of the aristocracy to fashion and beauty, American Anglophiles, the Suffragette movement and life below stairs in a big country house like Downton. Search for The Chronicles of Downton Abbey to purchase all shorts combined.

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