A splendid and sumptuous historical novel from the internationally bestselling author, Philippa Gregory, telling of the early life of Katherine of Aragon. I was born a princess, destined to be queen, and I know my duty. 1491. Henry VII’s eldest son Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, has been betrothed since childhood to the Spanish princess Katherine of Aragon. Their marriage will cement the alliance Henry Tudor craves to secure his country. But when Arthur’s sudden death leaves an 11-year-old boy heir to the kingdom, Henry Tudor must choose whether to send Katherine back to Spain, or to marry her himself. Katherine has no son from her brief marriage to secure her future; her substantial dowry and his powerful contract are at stake. Henry has reckoned without the determination of a young woman set on fulfilling her own destiny to be a queen – and the ambition of Prince Harry, the future Henry VIII.

A stunning novel set in the Tudor court, from the Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Philippa Gregory. I would have been a fool indeed to tell the truth in this court of liars… 1553. King Edward is on his deathbed, and the future of the Tudor dynasty swings perilously. Forced out of Spain by the Inquisition, Hannah Green arrives in a volatile kingdom. She is identified as a seer and sworn into the service of Robert Dudley, the son of King Edward’s protector and a key player at court. Her task: to keep watch on Princess Mary, the forgotten heir. Mary’s grip on the Crown is fragile. Elizabeth, Mary’s half-sister, is ready to take England’s throne. Caught in the rivalry between the daughters of Henry VIII, Hannah must navigate her way through a treacherous court if she is to survive.

From the bestselling author of The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory, comes a wonderfully atmospheric evocation of the court of Henry VIII and his final queens.

A hilarious and moving story of old age, adventure, stolen jewels and swimming the Thames, from David Walliams, number one bestseller and fastest growing children’s author in the country.

The stunning and magical new novel from the Number One bestselling author of PS, I Love You From the author of tear-jerker PS, I Love You comes another unputdownable read. Lying on Lucy Silchester’s carpet one day when she returns from work is a gold envelope. Inside is an invitation – to a meeting with Life. Her life. It turns out she's been ignoring it and it needs to meet with her face to face. It sounds peculiar, but Lucy’s read about this in a magazine. Anyway, she can’t make the date: she’s much too busy dodging her job, skipping out on her friends and avoiding her family. But Lucy’s life isn’t what it seems. Some of the choices she’s made – and stories she’s told – aren’t what they seem either. From the moment she meets the man who introduces himself as her life, her stubborn half-truths are going to be revealed in all their glory – unless Lucy learns to tell the truth about what really matters to her. Lucy Silchester has an appointment with her life – and she’s going to have to keep it. Touching, warm, funny and poignant, Cecelia Ahern's new novel explores what happens when you stop paying attention to your life.

The master of historical fiction presents the iconic story of King Alfred and the making of a nation. As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more. For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices. King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north. Uhtred‘s loyalty – and his vows – were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king’s warrior, is that he knows that he will either be the means of making Alfred’s dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion. This novel is a dramatic story of the power of tribal commitment and the terrible difficulties of divided loyalties. This is the making of England magnificently brought to life by the master of historical fiction.

Fantasy as it ought to be written' George R.R. Martin The second book in Robin Hobb’s thrilling fantasy series returns readers to the Six Duchies and the magical world of the Fitz and the Fool. Fitz has been persuaded back to court, posing as a servant to the decadent Lord Golden (who is the Fool in disguise). In secret, he will train Prince Dutiful in the magic known as the Skill. The peace remains fragile, so the diplomatic wedding between Dutiful and the Outislander princess is a crucial alliance. But when Elliania arrives she challenges the prince to undertake an impossible quest before she will accept him. He must kill Icefyre, one of the last true dragons. And Fitz and the Fool must go with him…

Another stunning novel by the author of The Alchemist. Aleph marks a return to Paulo Coelho’s beginnings. In a frank and surprising personal story, one of the world’s most beloved authors embarks on a remarkable and transformative journey of self-discovery. Facing a grave crisis of faith, and seeking a path of spiritual renewal and growth, Paulo decides to start over: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people and the world. On this journey through Europe, Africa, and Asia, he will again meet Hilal―the woman he loved 500 years before―an encounter that will initiate a mystical voyage through time and space, through past and present, in search of himself. Aleph is an encounter with our fears and our sins; a search for love and forgiveness, and the courage to confront the inevitable challenges of life.

From the award-winning co-author of ‘I Am Malala’, this book asks just how the might of NATO, with 48 countries and 140,000 troops on the ground, failed to defeat a group of religious students and farmers? How did it go so wrong? Twenty-seven years ago, Christina Lamb left Britain to become a journalist in Pakistan. She crossed the Hindu Kush into Afghanistan with mujaheddin fighting the Russians and fell unequivocally in love with this fierce country of pomegranates and war, a relationship which has dominated her adult life. Since 2001, Lamb has watched with incredulity as the West fought a war with its hands tied, committed too little too late, failed to understand local dynamics and turned a blind eye as their Taliban enemy was helped by their ally Pakistan. Farewell Kabul tells how success was turned into defeat in the longest war fought by the United States in its history and by Britain since the Hundred Years War. It has been a fiasco which has left Afghanistan still one of the poorest nations on earth, the Taliban undefeated, and nuclear armed Pakistan perhaps the most dangerous place on earth. With unparalleled access to all key decision-makers in Afghanistan, Pakistan, London and Washington, from heads of state and generals as well as soldiers on the ground, Farewell Kabul tells how this happened. In Afghanistan, Lamb has travelled far beyond Helmand – from the caves of Tora Bora in the south to the mountainous bad lands of Kunar in the east; from Herat, city of poets and minarets in the west, to the very poorest province of Samangan in the north. She went to Guantánamo, met Taliban in Quetta, visited jihadi camps in Pakistan and saw bin Laden’s house just after he was killed. Saddest of all, she met women who had been made role models by the West and had then been shot, raped or forced to flee the country. This deeply personal book not only shows the human cost of political failure but explains how short-sighted encouragement of jihadis to fight the Russians, followed by prosecution of ill-thoughtout wars, has resulted in the spread of terrorism throughout the Islamic world

“My name is Harriet Manners, and I have always been a geek.” The fourth book in the award-winning GEEK GIRL series.

John Jacobs is one of golf's all-time great teachers, a true legend of the game who has passed on his words of wisdom to thousands of amateurs as well as to some of the world's greatest players over the last 50 years. Now, for the first time ever, the pick of his collective wisdom has been brought together in one seminal volume. When the likes of Butch Harmon and David Leadbetter heap praise on your methods and credit you with having helped shape the way they learnt their craft and how they applied those teachings, you know that you must be one of the most important and influential figures in the world of golf. Not only a great teacher, John Jacobs was also good enough to play in the Ryder Cup and beat the best in the game. Those who witnessed his memorable victory over Grand Slam winner Gary Player in the final of the South African Matchplay Championship knew they were in the presence of someone special – a talent that was able to use all his experience as a top-level player and move seamlessly into the world of golf teaching. 50 Years of Golfing Wisdom features all the lessons and advice that made Jacobs the original, and many say still the ultimate, golfing guru. Every department of the game receives the Jacobs treatment – from the fundamentals of grip and swing, to problem solving and curing your bad shots, to instruction on hitting every shot from the longest drive to the shortest putt, including everything in between. Simple, easy to understand, effective advice on how to maximize your potential and play your best golf – this may just be the only golf instruction book you'll ever need.

‘Grabbed me and refused to let go’ George R.R. Martin SOMETIMES A GIRL IS TOUCHED BY MOTHER WAR Thorn lives to fight. But she has been named murderer by the very man who trained her to kill. SOMETIMES A GIRL BECOMES A WARRIOR Fate traps her in the schemes of Father Yarvi, sending her across half the world to seek allies against the ruthless High King. SOMETIMES A WARRIOR BECOMES A WEAPON Beside her is Brand, a young warrior who hates to kill. A failure in his eyes and hers, he has one chance at redemption. AND WEAPONS ARE MADE FOR ONE PURPOSE Must Thorn be a tool in other hands or can she carve her own path? Is there a place beyond legend for a woman with a blade?

Ruby Redfort: Undercover agent, code-cracker and thirteen-year-old genius.

The eighth novel in Bernard Cornwell’s number one bestselling series on the making of England and the fate of his great hero, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. In the battle for power, there can be only one ruler. England is fractured, torn apart more by internal fighting than the threat of Viking invasion. The ruler of Mercia is dying, leaving no legitimate heir. His wife is a formidable fighter and great leader, but no woman has ever ruled over an English kingdom. And she is without her strongest warrior and champion, Uhtred of Bebbanburg. So the scene is set for an explosive battle between elders and warriors for an empty throne. The vacant throne leaves a dangerous opportunity for the rival West Saxons to seize Mercia. But Edward of Wessex is distracted by the succession of his own throne, with two heirs claiming the right to be West Saxon king. And while the kingdoms are in disarray, the Vikings, this time coming from the west, will go on the rampage once more. The very future of England hangs in the balance. A hero is needed, a hero who can destroy the threat to Mercia, a hero who will ultimately decide the fate of a nation…

Learn how to apply functional F# design patterns to a huge range of programming challenges, and discover a smart route to building better applications About This Book This book provides a path if you are coming from imperative and object-oriented paradigms It will take you to an intermediate level of functional programming in very practical manner to write enterprise-quality idiomatic F# code Tackle complex computing problems with simple code by fully embracing the functional-first F# paradigm Packed full of practical coding examples to help you master F# programming and author optimal code Who This Book Is For This book is for .NET developers, web programmers, C# developers, and F# developers. So, if you have basic experience in F# programming and developing performance-critical applications, then this book is for you. What You Will Learn Acquire the practical knowledge to use the main functional design patterns Realign some imperative and object-oriented principles under the functional approach Develop your confidence in building and combining first-order and higher-order functions Learn to use core language pattern matching effectively Make use of native F# algebraic data types in place of custom-built classes Recognize and measure the difference in resource consumption between sequences and materialized data collections Navigate and use F# Core libraries with ease by seeing patterns behind specific library functions Master writing generic polymorphic code In Detail Following design patterns is a well-known approach to writing better programs that captures and reuses high-level abstractions that are common in many applications. This book will encourage you to develop an idiomatic F# coding skillset by fully embracing the functional-first F# paradigm. It will also help you harness this powerful instrument to write succinct, bug-free, and cross-platform code. F# 4.0 Design Patterns will start off by helping you develop a functional way of thinking. We will show you how beneficial the functional-first paradigm is and how to use it to get the optimum results. The book will help you acquire the practical knowledge of the main functional design patterns, the relationship of which with the traditional Gang of Four set is not straightforward. We will take you through pattern matching, immutable data types, and sequences in F#. We will also uncover advanced functional patterns, look at polymorphic functions, typical data crunching techniques, adjusting code through augmentation, and generalization. Lastly, we will take a look at the advanced techniques to equip you with everything you need to write flawless code. Style and approach This book will teach you how to write F# code in an idiomatic functional-first manner, thereby improving the productivity of F# programmers. This book is ideal for an F# programmer who wants using F# in functional-first way.

The sparkling new novel from the bestselling author of ‘A Question of Love.’ It’s never easy putting down new roots… After the sudden death of her mother, Anna Temple realises she needs to live for the moment and pursue her dream of becoming a garden designer. Swapping hedge funds for herbaceous borders, and shares for scented stocks, she says goodbye to City life for a fresh start in the country. But on the eve of her sparkling new future she meets the gorgeous Xan and their chance encounter changes her world in more ways than she could ever imagined – enter baby Milly. Juggling her new business with the joys and fears of motherhood is a struggle, especially alone and when Anna unearths a long-buried family secret, skeletons tumble from the closet. Suddenly nothing is as it seems, past or present…

Following the hugely popular ‘An Angel Saved My Life’, comes another collection of powerful true stories of communication with those in the Afterlife. Includes real-life amazing rescues, mysterious dream visitations, near death experiences and miraculous recoveries. In the follow up to her first collection of stories entitled ‘An Angel Saved My Life’, Jacky Newcomb is back with more incredible, inspiring true life dramas and what happens when those from the afterlife intervene in our darkest hour of need. The book includes: ? Miraculous survival stories which defy explanation. ? Amazing rescues – mysterious strangers who proved to be angels in disguise. ? People who came back from the brink of death – what is it really like to die? ? Remarkable medical recoveries – spirit intervention to set the clock back on a person's 'time to go'. ? Dream visitations by spirits – angels and spirit friends entering or creating dreams to give important messages. ? The psychic power of children and their interaction with angels. ? Incredible psychic animals – pets who came back from the dead to protect their owners.

The UK's number one TV psychic is back as you've never seen him before. Derek shares stories of his scariest, most bloodcurdling encounters with the other side. From possession by demons, violent spirits that have thrown him bodily across the room and encounters with dead serial killers, to ghosts that have made him fear for his very life, here is a collection of shocking experiences that have made Derek stare into the darkest places of the spirit world. Warning: this is not for the faint-hearted. Read it, if you dare.

Everyone thinks they know the real Gordon Ramsay: rude, loud, pathologically driven, stubborn as hell. But this is his bestselling real story… Humble Pie tells the full story of how he became the world’s most famous and infamous chef: his difficult childhood, his brother’s heroin addiction and his failed first career as a footballer: all of these things have made him the celebrated culinary talent and media powerhouse that he is today. Gordon talks frankly about: ? his tough childhood: his father’s alcoholism and violence and the effects on his relationships with his mother and siblings, ? his first career as a footballer: how the whole family moved to Scotland when he was signed by Glasgow Rangers at the age of fifteen, and how he coped when his career was over due to injury just three years later, ? his brother’s heroin addiction. ? Gordon’s early career: learning his trade in Paris and London; how his career developed from there: his time in Paris under Albert Roux and his seven Michelin-starred restaurants. ? Kitchen life: Gordon spills the beans about life behind the kitchen door, and how a restaurant kitchen is run in Anthony Bourdain-style. ? How he copes with the impact of fame on himself and his family: his television career, the rapacious tabloids, and his own drive for success.

A daughter accused of murder. And unable to defend herself… A dark, gritty thriller, perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers and Jessie Keane. When a prostitute is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate, the finger is immediately pointed. The prime suspect? Her 14-year-old daughter, Kelsey. But Kelsey is unable to defend herself. After an attempt to take her own life, Kelsey has been left horrifically scarred and mute – unable to even utter the words ‘not guilty’. It’s down to Lilly Valentine – a tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer – to prove Kelsey’s innocence. Prostitution, paedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lily must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer…

‘What we like most is to produce foods ourselves from start to finish – from farm to table, the Riverford way. Food should tell a story and, because we know what it is, we can tell you.’ Guy Watson’s ethos is simple: he wants to put fresh, flavoursome, seasonal food back onto people’s plates. In 1985, armed with a wheelbarrow and a borrowed tractor, he established his first Riverford farm in South Devon. Since then, and largely thanks to a groundbreaking home-delivery vegetable box scheme, a small network of Riverford farms has sprung up across Britain. Packed with tips on growing your own organic vegetables and brimming with hearty recipes from Riverford’s celebrated Field Kitchen, the ‘Riverford Farm Cook Book’ gives an organic farmer’s unique insight into great-tasting food grown with care and cooked with passion.