Lisa Maxwell, an addition to the quick-witted Loose Women team, is a bundle of fun and laughter and a natural storyteller. Here, for the first time, she tells her astonishing story - a tale of remarkable spirit, incredible experiences and family secrets. A much-loved presenter and respected actress, Lisa got her first onscreen role at the age of just 11. In the eighties she became a TV presenter on series like Splash and No Limits, interviewing the icons of the time and partying with the likes of George Michael, Robert Downey Junior and Michael Hutchence, before moving more firmly into comedy, appearing on sketch shows like, The Les Dennis Laughter Show, The Russ Abbott Show and her very own, self-titled, The Lisa Maxwell Show. She narrowly missed out on the part of Daphne in a little show called Frasier. And then for seven years played the part of The Bill's DI Sam Nixon, before joining Loose Women in 2009, where she quickly became an audience favourite. But behind the fun, glamour and onscreen success, is a south London girl, hiding the secret she's been taught never to talk about. An illegitimate child, brought up in Elephant and Castle, Lisa's life very nearly took a different path. Lucky for her, her dear old Nan had a kind heart, and in a last minute change of plan she was brought home to her grandparent's flat on the Rockingham Estate. With warmth, honesty and humour, Lisa takes us to the heart of the Elephant, revealing a home filled with love, laughter and drama. From having the drawer of an old chest for her bed to hiding from the Tally Man, waiting for her Nan outside the betting shop to dabbling in petty crime, discovering her dad was still alive, and always looking for a way to be in the lime light, Lisa has written a colourful memoir of life as a daughter, a granddaughter, a mother, and an actress.

Toast. You know when you're trying to make it and you just can't get it right? It's too light or too soft, then totally burnt. Are you the kind of person who tries to scrape off the black? Or do you smother it with jam to hide the taste? Do you throw it away, or do you just eat it? Up until now, I ate the burnt toast … then I hit forty. It took Teri Hatcher a divorce, the experience of single motherhood, a parade of bad dates, a stalled career and a memorable fortieth birthday to realize that she didn't want to spend another decade preparing herself for the next disaster. Burnt Toast is the heartfelt, funny, poignant and inspiring account of Teri's jagged route to happiness. Teri reveals her life in unexpected ways, in the hopes of keeping other women from eating the burnt toast, and explains why you'll never get a second chance if you don't open yourself up to the possibility.

he 40-year-old Scot has been Britain's most successful Grand Prix racer since the legendary Barry Sheene. At his final race in Knockhill in August 2001, more than 20,000 fans turned up to watch Mackenzie and to bid farewell to their local hero. Niall has come a long way from Denny where he would regularly get into trouble for racing round the streets, as well as in and out of the local chip shops, to impress the girls. As an amateur it was recognized he had an abundance of talent, especially after winning his first race at Knockhill, but he also had a wild side and looks back on a time when chasing girls and getting drunk were as important as winning races. After moving up through the amateur ranks and securing his first factory 500cc rides on a Suzuki, Niall notched up a host of 500cc GP podium finishes before moving to Superbikes. He proved unbeatable between 1996 and 1998 when he claimed a hat-trick of British Superbike titles. On each occasion he beat big-name team-mates such as Jamie Whitham, Chris Walker and Steve Hislop. This fascinating look into the British GP and Superbike scene through the eyes of one of its legends, has now been fully updated with Mackenzie’s latest adventures in his career off the track in 2003.

The complete memoirs of a man of many talents and faces – the late, great Spike Milligan – affectionately recounted by his close friend and agent for 35 years, Norma Farnes. "'What's he really like?' Wherever I went and was introduced as Spike Milligan's manager I waited for the inevitable question. In not far short of 60 years it never altered. It wasn't one that could be answered in a few words so I generally made do with 'Interesting' or 'don't ask'…" After chancing on an advert for a secretarial position, Norma Farnes found herself initiated into the world of No.9 Orme Court – a hub of writing and creativity for many post-war entertainment names. Soon promoted to be his agent, Norma was working for a man with a celebrated reputation for brilliance and difficulty in equal measure. Much loved for many decades, Milligan was often heralded as creative and 'zany' but the truth went much deeper. He could be endearing, despicable, loyal, traitorous, challenging, inspirational, frenetic…sometimes all of these things in a single day, but never boring. In these affectionate and truthful memoirs of 35 years as agent, close friend and sometime-foe, Norma Farnes portrays Spike Milligan in all his guises. Uncovering a great many personal anecdote, Spike reveals his extraordinary sense of humour, his ongoing battle with a restless mind, his remarkable, life-long friendships with Peter Sellers and Erik Sykes, his relationship his family and the industry, and his heartening struggles with society at large. In Spike, Norma Farnes has captured a comprehensive and moving portrait of this truly extraordinary man of many talents and faces, and of her greatest friend.

In those weeks following the audition I'd started to think that maybe I could do well in the competition, and even to see beyond bootcamp and what doing well could mean. I knew I never wanted to go back to painting, whatever happened.' Matt's dream has come true, and this is his story. Painter-decorator, bricklayer, milkman, even Santa, Matt's always been in bands, always putting off starting a career because he knew that what he really wanted to do was sing. Charismatic but down to earth, loved by the judges, the other contestants and, of course, the public for his cheeky smile and warm heart, Matt is a true star in the making. Packed full of unseen photographs shot especially for the book, backstage footage, behind-the-scenes gossip and the full and remarkable story of the winner from X Factor hopeful to popstar sensation, this book is a must-have for all X Factor fans.

A story of survival, transformation and love. In a beautiful and powerful memoir which mixes honest, personal revelation with literature, history, and inspirational self-help, Bel Mooney tells the story of her rescue dog, Bonnie, who in turn rescued Bel when her world fell apart with the all-too public break-up of her 35-year marriage. SMALL DOGS CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE really is a story of survival, and also one of love. This is an account of six years in Bel's life, from when she first acquired Bonnie from a rescue home, through Bel’s years of personal heartbreak and disappointment, and on to the happiness which she has now found in a new marriage and a new life, with the Maltese at her side all the way. This is a book about transformation and change, about picking yourself up and attacking life in the way that a small dog will go for the postman's trousers - and about celebrating life, much as your canine companion will always celebrate your return, even from the shortest trip. Beautifully engaging, entertaining, full of personal anecdotes and deeply moving, SMALL DOGS CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE will take the reader on an inspirational walk with one very small but very remarkable dog - a dog who became a symbol for all that is best about dogs, and about we humans too. Bel Mooney is a journalist with almost forty years' experience. Well-loved by millions for her advice columns, first for the Times and now in the Daily Mail, as well as countless programmes for radio and television, Bel takes the reader on a journey of discovery, in which she finds herself transformed into a dog-lover by one small and lively bundle of white fur, as well as telling her own gripping story.

Accounts of personal contacts with well-known authors. Chapters include: Thackeray, Hawthorne, Dickens, Wordsworth, and Miss Mitford. According to Wikipedia: "James Thomas Fields (December 31, 1817 – April 24, 1881) was an American publisher and author." Husband of author Annie Fields.

From the Preface: "Plutarch, who was born at Chaeronea in Boeotia, probably about A.D. 50, and was a contemporary of Tacitus and Pliny, has written two works still extant, the well-known _Lives_, and the less-known _Moralia_. The _Lives_ have often been translated, and have always been a popular work. Great indeed was their power at the period of the French Revolution. The _Moralia_, on the other hand, consisting of various Essays on various subjects (only twenty-six of which are directly ethical, though they have given their name to the _Moralia_), are declared by Mr. Paley "to be practically almost unknown to most persons in Britain, even to those who call themselves scholars." According to Wikipedia: "Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (c. AD 46 - 120 — commonly known in English as Plutarch — was a Roman historian (of Greek ethnicity), biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist. Plutarch was born to a prominent family in Chaeronea, Boeotia, a town about twenty miles east of Delphi. His known works consist of the Parallel Lives and the Moralia."

According to Wikipedia: "Washington is seen as a symbol of the United States and republicanism in practice. His devotion to civic virtue made him an exemplary figure among early American politicians. Washington died in 1799, and in his funeral oration, Henry Lee said that of all Americans, he was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Washington has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. Presidents."

Large book-length collection of According to Wikipedia: "Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (1854 - 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and author of short stories. Known for his barbed wit, he was one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. As the result of a famous trial, he suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years of hard labour after being convicted of the offence of 'gross indecency.'"

According to Wikipedia: "Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American educator, orator, author and leader of the African-American community. He was freed from slavery as a child, and after working at several menial jobs in West Virginia, earned his way through an education at Hampton Institute and Wayland Seminary. Upon recommendation of Hampton founder Sam Armstrong, as a young man, he was appointed as the first leader of the new Tuskegee Institute, then a teachers' college for blacks."

Classic collection of essays, including: THE SUFFRAGIST, THE POET AND THE CHEESE, THE THING, THE MAN WHO THINKS BACKWARDS, THE NAMELESS MAN, THE GARDENER AND THE GUINEA, THE VOTER AND THE TWO VOICES, THE MAD OFFICIAL, THE ENCHANTED MAN, THE SUN WORSHIPPER, THE WRONG INCENDIARY, THE FREE MAN, THE HYPOTHETICAL HOUSEHOLDER, THE PRIEST OF SPRING, THE REAL JOURNALIST, THE SENTIMENTAL SCOT, THE SECTARIAN OF SOCIETY, THE FOOL, THE CONSCRIPT AND THE CRISIS, THE MISER AND HIS FRIENDS, THE MYSTAGOGUE, THE RED REACTIONARY, THE SEPARATIST AND SACRED THINGS, THE MUMMER, THE ARISTOCRATIC 'ARRY, THE NEW THEOLOGIAN, THE ROMANTIC IN THE RAIN, THE FALSE PHOTOGRAPHER, THE SULTAN, THE ARCHITECT OF SPEARS, THE MAN ON TOP, THE OTHER KIND OF MAN, THE MEDIAEVAL VILLAIN, THE DIVINE DETECTIVE, THE ELF OF JAPAN, THE CHARTERED LIBERTINE, THE CONTENTED MAN, and THE ANGRY AUTHOR: HIS FAREWELL . According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox." Time magazine, in a review of a biography of Chesterton, observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out."

Classic collection of essays. The Preface begins: " This book is meant to be a companion to "Heretics," and to put the positive side in addition to the negative. Many critics complained of the book called "Heretics" because it merely criticised current philosophies without offering any alternative philosophy. This book is an attempt to answer the challenge. It is unavoidably affirmative and therefore unavoidably autobiographical. The writer has been driven back upon somewhat the same difficulty as that which beset Newman in writing his Apologia; he has been forced to be egotistical only in order to be sincere. While everything else may be different the motive in both cases is the same. It is the purpose of the writer to attempt an explanation, not of whether the Christian Faith can be believed, but of how he personally has come to believe it. The book is therefore arranged upon the positive principle of a riddle and its answer." According to Wikipedia: "Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an influential English writer of the early 20th century. His prolific and diverse output included journalism, philosophy, poetry, biography, Christian apologetics, fantasy and detective fiction. Chesterton has been called the "prince of paradox." Time magazine, in a review of a biography of Chesterton, observed of his writing style: "Whenever possible Chesterton made his points with popular sayings, proverbs, allegories—first carefully turning them inside out."

Classic travelogue/memoir. According to Wikipedia: "Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson ( 1850 - 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. He was the man who "seemed to pick the right word up on the point of his pen, like a man playing spillikins", as G. K. Chesterton put it. He was also greatly admired by many authors, including Jorge Luis Borges, Ernest Hemingway, Rudyard Kipling, Vladimir Nabokov, and J. M. Barrie. Most modernist writers dismissed him, however, because he was popular and did not write within their definition of modernism. It is only recently that critics have begun to look beyond Stevenson's popularity and allow him a place in the canon."

„Bagdad, capitala devastat? a Irakului. ?i «Bagdad» – capitala unei combustii ontologice care pare a urm?ri, prin arheologia poeziei, ipostazierea întro stare de maxim? vulnerabilitate, splendoare ?i vinov??ie a acelor lucruri care sunt la limita vizibilit??ii, amalgamând realit??ile (sociale, istorice, existen?iale, memoriale etc.) întrun nod al autodemol?rilor ?i al infrarealit??ilor beligerante. Index de ecouri instinctive: tropismele lui Nathalie Sarraute ?i antiescapismul via Aktionsgruppe Banat. Iulia Modiga debuteaz? puternic ?i tran?ant, cu transfigur?ri germanice pe linie experimental?, cu rigoare lingvistic? ?i cu o atitudine imagistic? cu totul extrateritorial? în contextul actualelor poetici române?ti.“ (Liviu G. Stan) „Miar fi greu s? detectez motivele care au conduso pe Iulia Modiga spre poezie. Datele ei oficiale – doctorand? în sociologie, ma?tera unui site unionist ?i mama unui b?iat crescut frumos – nu l?sau loc b?nuielii c? Iulia ar avea ?i preocup?ri lirice. Uite îns? c? un sâmbure, ascuns bine pân? acum, a irumpt întrun volum de poezie care, sunt convins, va stârni interesul criticilor literari, pe care, îns?, îi desfid de pe acum dac? vor accesa tagul «poezie feminin?» ?i nu vor recunoa?te c? în «Bagdad» e poezie pur? ?i simpl?, scris? nu din ambi?ia de a încropi vreun manifest sau de a promova, în subsidiar, cine mai ?tie ce idei, ci din pl?cerea de a imagina ?i a formula tot cei trece prin minte Iuliei. Au f?cut vreodat? poe?ii altceva?“ (Dumitru B?di?a) „Poezia Iuliei Modiga din acest volum se na?te din nota?ii frânte ?i rapide, din înregistr?ri neutre ale unor st?ri acute de disperare ?i revolt?, din jocuri lingvistice, din ambiguit??i c?utate, din ciocnirea unei sensibilit??i exacerbate cu un cotidian agresiv, dintro luciditate sentimental? ie?it? din comun, din mici ilumin?ri personale, dar ?i din fel de fel de expresii scânteietoare memorabile, precum «u?ile se deschid în exterior»; «oameni în c?ma?? alb? de z?pad?»; «respir?m ca sub ap?»; «din cre?tet în t?lpi sârm? ghimpat?»; «deatunci ritmul cardiac î?i strânge genunchii la piept în slow motion/ precum troleele care trec pe bd. ?tefan cel Mare când efectueaz? o vizit? Merkel sau Biden»; «m? a?ez în praf întro prelungire de mesteac?n/ alt?dat? ai fi suflat ?i ar fi disp?rut tot». Dac? ar fi s?i caut un nume acestei poezii r?scolitoare, ia? spune c? e o poezie a a?tept?rii dup? ce nu mai ai niciun fel de a?tept?ri.“ (Dumitru Crudu) „Iulia Modiga scrie o poezie în care detaliile cotidiene primesc profiluri ferme, fundamentale, privind mereu spre un cel?lalt absent. Dar acest cel?lalt din volumul «Bagdad» este pentru poem o ocazie de a contura deopotriv? st?ri politice ?i personale. Uneori cel?lalt este poezia («copiii etnobotanici ?i masca?ii o conduc pe ultimul drum»), alteori cel?lalt este partenerul unei plastice discu?ii despre putere ?i istorie (unde «pe?ti?orii înoat? cu ciocane s? sparg?», iar «Bruce Lee plânge pentru c? ?i regii plâng câteodat?»). Versurile Iuliei nu cunosc ambiguitatea: «m?car am crescut un câine/ care nu te cunoa?te/ care tear sfâ?ia/ la o simpl? comand?». Reu?ita cea mai de seam? în «Bagdad» ?ine de claritatea cu care este decupat un spa?iu personal între atâtea detalii care au preten?ia c? sunt mai importante decât noi. ?i, de acolo, poezia Iuliei Modiga organizeaz? ap?rarea f?r? s? cedeze.“ (R?zvan ?upa)

12 interviuri cu Ioan Es. Pop. Via?a ?i opera unuia dintre cei mai importan?i poe?i rom?ni ?n interviuri

Aceast? carte de interviuri, pe care le-am realizat ?n timp, reprezint?, pentru mine, portrete scrise ?i vorbite ale unor scriitori de valoare cu care am avut ?ansa s? m? ?nt?lnesc. Dar ele nu au numai o valoare literar?, ci ?i una afectiv?.

Nora Iuga mi-a spus c? scriu despre ce nu se vede. Mi-a pl?cut foarte mult formularea. De?i vorbim despre un paradox, av?nd ?n vedere c? orice carte, mai ales una de poezie, este o form? de exhibi?ionism. Cartea aceasta este a?adar despre ceea ce percepem c? exist? ?n jurul nostru. Despre o lume pe care ne-o cl?dim singuri ?i ?n care s?ntem unicii locuitori. Locul ?n care ajungem de fiecare dat? c?nd vrem s? fim doar cu noi ?n?ine. Mi-ar face mare pl?cere ca mul?i dintre cei care o vor citi s? simt? la fel.

BORNAI TIBOR ?S BORNAI TIBOR? Talán csak nem ?nmagával fog társalogni a szerz?? Nos, ezúttal másról van szó. A k?nyvet, amit most a kezében tart az olvasó, ketten írták: Bornai Tibor, az édesapa, aki hatvanéves korában, negyven évvel ezel?tt hunyt el, és fia, Bornai Tibor, aki akkor még csak tizenhét éves volt. Az apa 1912-ben született, és 1972-ben halt meg. Fia 1955-ben látta meg a napvilágot, a másik dátum még titok. Kettejük t?rténeteib?l rajzolódik ki ez a nehéz, csodákkal és tragédiákkal telezsúfolt id?szak, amelynek kezdete éppen most, a k?nyv megjelenésekor ér százéves évfordulójához. Err?l a száz évr?l mesélnek ?k ketten: a kályha mellett ülve téli estéken, a Balaton partján heverészve, egy május elsejei felvonuláson, egy Párizs felé robogó kisbuszon, a Népliget mutatványosbódéi el?tti padon vagy egy ?ll?i úti bérház konyhájában. Sírós-nevet?s k?nyv ez, dokumentumregény, minden benne szerepl? tény és adat valóságos. Apa és fia jegyzetfüzetében lapozgathatunk csodálkozva, hogy mennyire rímel egymásra ez a két sors. ?s talán sokan lesznek majd, akik a maguk életében is megtalálják az ugyanilyen rímképlet? verssorokat. ?Oroszlán az Ecseri úton? Hogy kerül egy oroszlán az Ecseri útra, ahol a használt gyerekkocsitól a hibás rádióig, a szakadozott k?nyvekt?l a molyos rókaboáig ócska tárgyakat adnak-vesznek az emberek?” Kiderül majd, ahogy az olvasók az igazi, nagy kérdésekre is választ találnak ebben az emberséggel és humorral átsz?tt k?nyvben.

Meg lehet-e gyógyulni egy súlyos betegségb?l, amelynek már a puszta neve is sokakat rettegéssel t?lt el? Péceli Rita válasza: igen! S hogy mi kell hozzá? Elszántság, bátorság, bizalom és szeretet. Odafigyelés ?nmagunkra, remek orvosok, barátaink támogatása és nem utolsósorban egy h?séges társ, aki jóban-rosszban kitart mellettünk. Mert a gyógyulás lehetséges, még akkor is, ha a bajban éppen azoktól nem kapunk segítséget, akikre a leginkább számítunk. A t?rténet bizonyítja: a legnehezebb helyzetb?l is megtalálhatjuk a kiutat. Mert a szeretet és a segítség er?t ad. Ennek k?sz?nhet?en Rita felveszi a keszty?t, és a hosszú, gy?trelmes küzdelem végén megtalálja a gyógyulást, a boldogságot és igazi hivatását is. Visszakapja egészségét, normális életét, s?t a szenvedés árán egy sokkal gazdagabb, igazabb életet nyer a régi helyett. ?Hamarosan hozzám is odaj?ttek. – Ni, csak, a vicces kedv? h?lgy. – Engem is átraktak a kórtermi ágyamba. Megint elveszítettem az ?ntudatomat. Amikor végleg felébredtem, úgy éreztem, majd kicsattanok. Az ablaküvegen átfúródó napsugarak táncot jártak a szobában, minden sarokba jutott bel?lük. Az ágynem?k a korábbinál is fehérebben vakítottak. Egy darabka mennyország dicsfénnyel és felh?kkel. Valóságos eufória lett úrrá rajtam. – ?lek, élek, élek! – kiáltottam. – Micsoda boldogság!” A visszakapott élet Rados Virág második regénye, a nagy siker? Bipoláris folytatása, amely szintén igaz t?rténet alapján íródott.

Paul Arva schi?eaz? fr?nturi dintr-un prezent-trecut ale c?rui grani?e imaginare se ?ntrep?trund cu cele ale realului. Amintirile ies la lumin? dintr-un subteran ad?nc (o ?min?“) sub forma unor poeme ?n proz? scrise cu sinceritate ?i sensibilitate.