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万本电子书0元读

Tape
Tape
Steven Camden
¥45.62
TAPE is an outstanding debut. Told with crackling prose, shimmering with humour and deeply moving, it will haunt anyone who reads it… Record a voice and it lasts forever… In 1993, Ryan records a diary on an old tape. He talks about his mother’s death, about his dreams, about his love for a new girl at school who doesn’t even know he exists. In 2013, Ameliah moves in with her grandmother after her parents die. There, she finds a tape in the spare room. A tape with a boy’s voice on it – a voice she can’t quite hear, but which seems to be speaking to her. Ryan and Ameliah are connected by more than just a tape. This is their story.
The Road to Reckoning
The Road to Reckoning
Robert Lautner
¥61.51
A novel that hits right to the heart of fans of Cold Mountain and True Grit. Set in 1837, this is the completely compelling story of 12-year-old orphan Thomas Walker and his treacherous journey home through the wide open lands of America. ‘I, to this day, hold to only one truth: if a man chooses to carry a gun he will get shot. My father agreed to carry twelve.’ Young Tom Walker cannot believe his luck when his father allows him to accompany him on the road, selling Samuel Colt’s newly-invented revolver. They will leave behind the depression and disease that is gripping 1830’s New York to travel the country together. Still only twelve years old, Tom is convinced that he is now a man. Fate, it seems, thinks so too … On the road west the towns get smaller, the forests wilder, and the path more unforgiving. A devastating encounter cuts their journey tragically short, and leaves Tom all alone in the wilderness. Struggling to see a way home, he finds his only hope: ageing ranger Henry Stands, who is heading back east. Tom’s resolve to survive initiates an unlikely partnership that will be tested by the dangers of the road ahead, where outlaws prowl.
The Illusionists
The Illusionists
Rosie Thomas
¥62.59
From the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The Kashmir Shawl London 1885 As a turbulent and change-filled century draws to a close, there has never been a better time to alter your fortune. But for a beautiful young woman of limited means, Eliza’s choices appear to lie between the stifling domesticity of marriage or a downwards spiral to the streets – no matter how determined she is to forge her own path. One night at a run-down theatre, she meets the charismatic Devil Wix – showman, master of illusion, fickle friend. Drawn into his circle, Eliza becomes the catalyst of change for his colleagues – a dwarf, an eccentric engineer, and an artist – as well as Devil himself. And as Eliza embarks on a dangerous adventure, she must decide which path to choose, and how far she should go when she holds all their lives in her hands.
The Death of Eli Gold
The Death of Eli Gold
David Baddiel
¥73.58
The new novel from David Baddiel, comedian, columnist and author of the critically-praised The Secret Purposes. In New York's Mt. Sinai hospital, the world's greatest living writer, Eli Gold, is dying. Witnessing his death are his precocious 8-year-old daughter by his present (fifth) wife, his anxiety-ridden 44-year-old son from his third marriage, and his 89-year-old first wife, watching on TV from a care home in London. And also, secretly, his fourth wife's fundamentalist Mormon brother, who has never got over his sister's death in a suicide pact with Eli, a suicide pact that Eli survived. The Death of Eli Gold is a comedy, a thriller, and a meditation on love, death, aging, sex, fame, and the idea - the dying idea - of The Great Man.
The Playful Parent
The Playful Parent
Julia Deering
¥81.03
The Playful Parent offers a new solution for parents and carers looking for a calmer, happier and smarter way to parent the under-fives. This activity-led parenting guide shows how to get young children involved and learning, thinking and growing, helping and cooperating without any need for ‘the naughty step’ or punishment at all, but by making play the beating heart of family life. Julia Deering offers support and advice to busy parents, combining down-to-earth practicality with hundreds of simple activities, tips, tricks and fixes, guidance, prompts and brilliant ideas that show parents how to tap into their child's playful instincts. You can use The Playful Parent to: ? Make your little one’s good behaviour become their normal behaviour ? Remove those parent/child battle-of-will situations ? Help steer clear of the flashpoint furies and melt-down moments of the ‘terrible twos’ ? Run fuss-free errands with your toddlers in tow ? Tackle tricky transitions such as bedtimes and car journeys with ease ? Develop your child's independence and unleash their natural creativity ? Bond with a child in the first language they know: play Whether you've forgotten how to play or you're still a child at heart, The Playful Parent equips you with all the know-how you need to make play work for you and your family; transforming parenting during the early years into a more enjoyable, rewarding and memorable experience. Includes: ? A guide to the principles of play and how to use the 7 Ways to Play concept ? Advice on how to organise your home – and your life – for maximum play with minimum stress ? Over a hundred uncomplicated and irresistible activities for your 18 month – 5 year olds ? A Family Favourites chart so you can record favourite activities and start building daily and weekly planners
The Darkest Hour
The Darkest Hour
Barbara Erskine
¥61.51
From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes an epic tale of love, passion and heartbreak. In the summer of 1940, eyes are focussed on the skies above the South of England: the Battle for Britain has just begun. But Evie Lucas has eyes for no-one but a dashing young pilot called Tony. Evie has a glittering career as an artist ahead of her but seems only to be fascinated in sketching portraits of him… Seventy years later, recently widowed art historian Lucy is putting the pieces of her life back together, and to do that she needs to uncover the mystery surrounding a painting in her home. As Lucy ties up the loose ends of one lifetime, she stirs up a hornet’s nest of history in another. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself in danger from people past and present who have no intention of letting an untold truth ever surface. Some stories are buried in the darkness forever. Some are just waiting to be told…
Insurgent (Divergent Trilogy, Book 2)
Insurgent (Divergent Trilogy, Book 2)
Veronica Roth
¥58.86
Fighting for survival in a shattered world… the truth is her only hope. The thrillingly dark sequel to No. 1 New York Times bestseller, DIVERGENT. I have done bad things. I can’t take them back, and they are part of who I am. Tris has survived a brutal attack on her former home and family. But she has paid a terrible price. Wracked by grief and guilt, she becomes ever more reckless as she struggles to accept her new future. Yet if Tris wants to uncover the truth about her world, she must be stronger than ever… because more shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.
Black Magic Sanction
Black Magic Sanction
Kim Harrison
¥53.76
The eight stirring instalment of the urban fantasy-thriller series starring Rachel Morgan. A pacey and addictive novel of sexy bounty-hunting witches, cunning demons and vicious vampires. Rachel Morgan has fought and hunted vampires, werewolves, banshees, demons, and other supernatural dangers as both witch and bounty hunter – and lived to tell the tale. But she’s never faced off against her own kind… until now. Denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic, Rachel’s best hope is life imprisonment – the worst, a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. Only her enemies are strong enough to help her win her freedom, but trust comes hard when it hinges on the unscrupulous tycoon Trent Kalamack, the demon Algaliarept, and an ex-boyfriend turned theif. It takes a witch to catch a witch, but survival bears a heavy price.
Imran Khan: The Cricketer, The Celebrity, The Politician
Imran Khan: The Cricketer, The Celebrity, The Politician
Christopher Sandford
¥147.35
The definitive biography of Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain and all-rounder – the Oxbridge graduate and vociferous campaigner; the devout Muslim whose kaleidoscopic social life flooded the gossip columns; the man who raised $60 million for cancer research and who is now one of the most important political figures in Pakistan. On one thing, Imran Khan’s friends and enemies agree: it all began with the leopard print satin trousers. In November 1974, the Cricketer International published an article about the new elite group of young talented players, ‘into concepts like fashion and pop music’, and bent on challenging cricket’s eternal stereotypes. Of the five featured stars on the cover, a superbly hirsute 21-year-old wearing a tight black shirt and gaudy trousers, with a facial expression of supreme self-confidence, stood out. Imran Khan has always been a controversial figure, a man who gives rise to hot debate on account of his strong conviction and hard line views. From his achievements on the cricket field as the Pakistan captain who captured the World Cup and the game’s best all-rounder in history, through to his racy social life – the practising Muslim boogieing on the dancefloor of Annabel’s, ‘an astonishing lovemaker’, according to one overnight partner, praised by Diana Princess of Wales, close friend to his then wife Jemima Goldsmith, as a ‘devoted husband’ – the Imran story is full of colour and contradictions. Acclaimed biographer Christopher Sandford has approached a richly varied cast list of Imran associates past and present – from Geoff Boycott, Javed Miandad, Mike Brearley, David Gower and John Major through to Nelson Mandela and close acquaintances male and female such as Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, John Major, Keith Richards, sources close to the late Princess of Wales and Pakistan’s General Musharraf. Imran Khan himself has agreed to be interviewed for the book and given Sandford exclusive access to his inner sanctum.
Michael Jackson – Legend, Hero, Icon: A Tribute to the King of Pop
Michael Jackson – Legend, Hero, Icon: A Tribute to the King of Pop
James Aldis
¥100.06
A lavishly illustrated tribute to the greatest entertainer of a generation. ‘The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever’ - Madonna Michael Jackson was the undisputed King of Pop and his untimely death has provoked tributes from around the world. With a colourful life spanning from 1968 when Michael was a member of the Jackson 5 to his recent announcement of a final comeback tour at the O2 in London, nobody can dispute the achievements of the man who was arguably the greatest artist of the millenium. This fully illustrated book offers an insightful tribute to the man behind Thriller, the world's best selling album of all time. Including sections on Michael's early life and the Jackson 5, the making of Off the Wall and Thriller, and the troubled years leading right up to his announcement of a comeback tour, this will be a comprehensive and fitting tribute to a legendary pop star, the likes of which the world will never see again.
The House is Full of Yogis
The House is Full of Yogis
Will Hodgkinson
¥66.22
A witty memoir about the trials of adolescence, the tribulations of family life and the embarrassment that ensues from having larger-than-life parents Neville and Liz Hodgkinson bought into the Thatcherite dream of home ownership, aspiration and advancement. The first children of their working class parents to go to university and have professional careers, they lived in a semi-detached house in Richmond, sent their sons Tom and Will to private school, and went on holiday to Greece once a year. Neville was an award-winning science writer and Liz was a high-earning tabloid hack. Then a disastrous boat holiday, followed by a life-threatening bout of food poisoning from a contaminated turkey, led to the search for a new way of life. Nev joined the Brahma Kumaris, who believe evolution is a myth, time is circular, and a forthcoming Armageddon will make way for a new Golden Age. Out went drunken dinner parties and Victorian décor schemes; in came large women in saris meditating in the living room and lurid paintings of smiling deities on the walls. Liz took the arrival of the Brahma Kumaris as a chance to wage all-out war on convention, from announcing her newfound celibacy on prime time television to writing books that questioned the value of getting married and raising children. By an unfortunate coincidence, this dramatic and highly public transformation of the self coincided with the onset of Will’s adolescence. This is his story.
20 MINUTES TO MASTER … STRESS MANAGEMENT
20 MINUTES TO MASTER … STRESS MANAGEMENT
Vera Peiffer
¥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
MY BODY, MY ENEMY: My 13 year battle with anorexia nervosa
Claire Beeken,Rosanna Greenstreet
¥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)
Bugsy Malone (Essential Modern Classics)
Alan Parker
¥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)
Confessions of an Undercover Cop (The Confessions Series)
Ash Cameron
¥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
The Book of Lies
James Moloney
¥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
50 x 50: The mini-sagas
Brian Aldiss
¥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
The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw
Christopher Healy
¥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
Our Land at War: A Portrait of Rural Britain 1939–45
Duff Hart-Davis
¥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
A Modern Way to Eat
Anna Jones,Jamie Oliver
¥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)
The Slow Fix: Why Quick Fixes Don’t Work (extract)
Carl Honore
¥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.