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The Secret Adversary (Tommy & Tuppence)
The Secret Adversary (Tommy & Tuppence)
Agatha Christie
¥11.77
Set in 1919, young couple Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley form a partnership, hiring themselves out as ”young adventurers”. Their first case, however, is more of an adventure than they expect – working to find documents that, if they were known to the general public, would fuel a communist revolution in Britain. The action and drama was kept high throughout the course of the plot, and the twist at the end was marvelously well-done. I didn’t expect it at all– in fact, I thought I had worked out the solution about halfway through, but I was completely wrong. I love it when mystery books do that; it makes reading them into a fun game.
While the Light Lasts
While the Light Lasts
Agatha Christie
¥58.47
Some of Agatha Christie’s earliest stories – including her very first – which show the Queen of Crime in the making… A macabre recurring dream … revenge against a blackmailer … jealousy, infidelity and a tortured conscience … a stolen gemstone … the haunting attraction of an ancient relic … a race against time … a tragic love triangle … a body in a box … an unexpected visitor from beyond the grave… Nine quintessential examples of Agatha Christie's brilliance are contained in this collection of early short stories - including the very first one she ever wrote - and provide a unique glimpse of the Queen of Crime in the making.
The Unexpected Guest
The Unexpected Guest
Agatha Christie,Charles Osborne
¥58.47
A young man, broken down in the fog, witnesses a murder he is asked to conceal… A full-length novel adapted by Charles Osborne from Agatha Christie’s acclaimed play. When a stranger runs his car into a ditch in dense fog in South Wales and makes his way to an isolated house, he discovers a woman standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, gun in her hand. She admits to murder, and the unexpected guest offers to help her concoct a cover story. But is it possible that Laura Warwick did not commit the murder after all? If so, who is she shielding? The victim’s young half-brother or his dying matriarchal mother? Laura’s lover? Perhaps the father of the little boy killed in an accident for which Warwick was responsible? The house seems full of possible suspects… THE UNEXPECTED GUEST is considered to be one of the finest of Christie’s plays. Hailed as ‘another Mousetrap’ when it opened on 12 August 1958 in the West End, it ran for 604 performances over the succeeding 18 months and has been staged many times around the world over the last 40 years.
Black Coffee (Poirot)
Black Coffee (Poirot)
Agatha Christie,Charles Osborne
¥56.02
A full-length Hercule Poirot novel, adapted from Agatha Christie’s stage play by Charles Osborne Sir Claud Amory’s revolutionary new formula for a powerful explosive is stolen. Locking his house-guests in the library, Sir Claud switches off the lights to allow the thief to replace the formula, no questions asked. When the lights come on, he is dead, and Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have to unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames and suspicious foreigners to find the killer and prevent a global catastrophe. BLACK COFFEE was Agatha Christie’s first play*, originally performed in 1930 and made into a now rarely-seen film the following year. Combining her typically beguiling plot and sparkling dialogue with his own faithful narrative, Charles Osborne’s novelisation is ‘A worthy addition to the Christie canon’ (The Spectator)
Faith
Faith
Jennifer Haigh
¥62.59
One woman's search for the truth after scandal rocks her family, and the explosive family secrets she uncovers, in this complex, moving fourth novel from bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Haigh. In THE LOST GOSPEL, Jennifer Haigh explores the repercussions of one family's history of silence, when a priest's sex scandal forces his family's untold past to surface. Art, Sheila, and Mike are siblings in a large extended Irish-American family from the Boston suburbs. Though their father is a non-believer, their mother is Lace Curtain Irish-Catholic, having raised her children to keep family secrets just that, secrets, in a home where most subjects are taboo. Sheila is concerned when Art, beloved priest leading a major Catholic parish outside Boston, seems to fall off the grid just days before Easter. Then the news breaks that he has been accused of sexual misconduct. The media coverage shatters the community and pits Art's family members against one another, leaving Sheila determined to uncover the truth and-she hopes-clear his name. Now that Sheila's in town and determined to help prove Art's innocence, she finds herself locking horns with her younger brother, Mike, who cannot shake the feeling that Art might be guilty. By turns disturbed by what Art might have done and furious at the seemingly unfair accusations, the truth remains elusive for readers in this artfully-crafted family drama.
An Angel Walked Beside Me: Amazing stories of children who touch the other side
An Angel Walked Beside Me: Amazing stories of children who touch the other side
Joan Charles
¥54.25
Renowned psychic Joan Charles reveals stories from her twenty-five years as a spiritual communicator. Looking in detail at the amazing psychic abilities of children, both passed and on this plane, Joan shares tales of love and loss, and secrets and lies, which go far beyond our Earthly experience. Joan had her first experience of the spiritual world at the age of four. One night, struggling to sleep, she lay in bed with a feeling of dread knotting her stomach and playing on her mind. As she lay there she saw a dark figure float past the open curtains. And immediately, in her mind, although only four years old, she knew she had just seen the Angel of Death. The next morning she kept quiet, and didn't say anything to anyone, keeping her experience to herself, even as she heard her dad say that her Uncle John had died suddenly in the night. This was Joan’s first, and very personal, experience of the extraordinary abilities a child can have. What follows are a collection of the other remarkable experiences Joan has had as she has come to terms with her talents and discovered those of many other, amazing, psychic children. At a time when so many of us are searching for meaning, Joan encourages us to look at the natural and loving messages that surround us; messages that can add a richness to our daily lives and relationships, giving us guidance and hope. Packed with incredible anecdotes and heart-warming stories, this book will amaze and move you in equal measures.
Newton’s Fire
Newton’s Fire
Will Adams
¥45.62
A breathtaking thriller which weaves history and religion with action, adventure and apocalypse… Luke Hayward is adrift. Blacklisted out of academia, he is in no position to refuse when a client asks for his expert help in recovering some lost Isaac Newton papers. But a chance discovery in a dusty attic plunges Luke into a race to uncover the truth behind some seemingly random scribblings - a race which pits Luke against a fundamentalist madman with dangerously powerful friends. Luke discovers connections between Oxford, London and the Old City of Jerusalem in a breathless chase to uncover a secret hidden in the eccentric ramblings of a mathematical genius; a secret that, in the wrong hands, could be used to spark the holy war to end all holy wars…
On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside
On Nature: Unexpected Ramblings on the British Countryside
Caught by the River
¥154.12
A diverse and entertaining collection of writing examining and celebrating the British Countryside, from falconry to foraging and from the musings of a nighttime angler to tips for seasonal drinking. LAND Stuart Maconie (Radio 2) on hill walking / Wainwright walks Nick Small (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) how to get nature into your garden, no matter how urban it is Richard King (Loops magazine editor) on the Winter Solstice and on the Summer Solstice John Wright (www.wild-food.net/ on the basics of getting started in foraging Bill Drummond (Damsons in Distress) Dan Kieran (Crap Towns/I Fought The Law) on falconry RIVER / INLAND WATERS John Andrews (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) on winter pike fishing Jon Berry (CAUGHT BY THE RIVER regular) writing about the night from a fishermen's perspective, the sounds, shadows, the hallucinatory effects of sleep deprivation when the sun rises COASTLINE Ian Vince (The Lie of the Land) on the Jurassic coast and fossils Martin Noble (British Sea Power) the Exmoor to Dartmoor coastal walk Nick Hand (http://www.slowcoast.co.uk/) on what you see when cycling the entire coastline of the UK Michael Smith (BBC4 Drivetime) on the coastline in the north of England ISLAND LIFE Sarah Boden (The Observer) on fleeing London to move and become a sheep farmer on Eigg
Prince of Hazel and Oak (Shadowmagic, Book 2)
Prince of Hazel and Oak (Shadowmagic, Book 2)
John Lenahan
¥56.11
The eagerly-awaited sequel to Shadowmagic. Having returned to the real world from Tir Na Nog at the end of the last book, our hero Conor finds himself arrested for the murder of his father. When he explains to the cops that his dad is safe and well and enjoying life as king of a land of elves, imps and banshees they understandably think he is a nutcase. That is until he is rescued by Celtic warriors on horseback and taken back to Tir Na Nog, accidentally bringing a policeman with him. Once safely back in The Land, Conor finds that all is not well. His father is dying, the girl he loves is betrothed to another and a rather confused American cop is wandering around causing havoc. It falls to our young hero, and his band of friends, to find a cure for the king. On their epic journey they encounter one of the most mystical and dangerous races in The Land, the shapeshifting Pooka, and find their fates linked in ways they could never have imagined. The Prince of Hazel and Oak is a stunning fantasy adventure that takes fans of Shadowmagic further in to the land and brings back many of the favourite characters from the first book.
A Midsummer Tights Dream (The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, Book 2)
A Midsummer Tights Dream (The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey, Book 2)
Louise Rennison
¥51.50
It’s the hotly anticipated sequel to the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, WITHERING TIGHTS – laugh your tights off as Tallulah Casey and her bonkers mates return for a new term at Dother Hall performing arts college. Boys, snogging and bad acting guaranteed! Yaroooo! Tallulah’s triumphant Heathcliff in ‘Wuthering Heights’ the comedy musical was enough to secure her place at Dother Hall performing arts college for another term. She can’t wait to see her pals again, Charlie and the boys from Woolfe Academy and maybe even bad boy Cain… Could the bright lights of Broadway be calling? And for who? Find out in the next Misadventures of Tallulah Casey. Praise for WITHERING TIGHTS: "I don't know how, but Louise Rennison has done it again. Tallulah is even funnier, warmer, and sweeter than her cousin Georgia Nicolson. I fell in love with Withering Tights, and you will too!" – Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries and Abandon series
The Clumsies make a Mess of the Big Show (The Clumsies, Book 3)
The Clumsies make a Mess of the Big Show (The Clumsies, Book 3)
Sorrel Anderson
¥22.46
Shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny prize 2010 – The Clumsies are back in their third and most hilarious book yet! Full of the surreal invention and sparkling wit we’ve come to expect, this latest instalment will have everyone checking under their desks for talking mice… Howard's evil boss Mr Bullerton has decided to put on a Big Show at work – and he wants Howard to sing! Trouble is, Howard's singing is worse than awful… and Mr Bullerton knows it. Now Howard faces an epic humiliation. Can the Clumsies help by turning Mr Bullerton's concert into total chaos? Silly question.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi
Angus Clark
¥18.74
A practical approach to the ancient Chinese movement for health and well-being. Tai Chi is a movement practice firmly rooted in Chinese culture and philosophy. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Tai Chi is a beautifully photographed, informative and practical guide to the life-enhancing practice of the short form of Tai Chi. Extensively researched and clearly explained this comprehensive guide includes: History, origins and philosophy of Tai Chi Basic principles – movement and the body Life energies – meridians and the 7 major chakras Mind, movement and focus A step-by-step guide to the complete movement sequence Other important aspects of the art of Tai Chi Tai Chi for life, health and leisure Angus Clark offers a fully comprehensive interpretation of the short form of Tai Chi, presented in a style that is easy to follow and relevant to contemporary life.
The Devil and Miss Prym
The Devil and Miss Prym
Paulo Coelho
¥66.22
A novel from Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist. A stranger arrives in the small mountain village. He carries with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. Burying these in the vicinity, the stranger strikes up a curious friendship with a young woman from the village – Miss Prym. His mission is to discover whether human beings are essentially good or evil. In this stunning novel, Paulo Coelho’s unusual protagonist sets the town a moral challenge from which they may never recover. A fascinating meditation on the human soul, The Devil and Miss Prym illuminates the reality of good and evil within us all, and our uniquely human capacity to choose between them.
The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession
The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession
Paulo Coelho
¥45.62
‘The Zahir’, Paulo Coelho's new novel available in paperback for the first time, incorporates exclusive new content including an extra section containing interviews with Paulo and plenty of information for those for whom the book just wasn't enough. It begins with a glimpse or a passing thought. It ends in obsession. One day a renowned author discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified – and increasingly fascinated – by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed, or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts. His search for her – and for the truth of his own life – takes him from France to Spain, Croatia and, eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it takes him from the safety of his world to a totally unknown path, searching for a new understanding of the nature of love and the power of destiny. With ‘The Zahir’, Paulo Coelho demonstrates his powerful and captivating storytelling.
Grouse (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 107)
Grouse (Collins New Naturalist Library, Book 107)
Adam Watson,Robert Moss
¥231.22
With less than twenty species worldwide and only four British and Irish species, the grouse is surprisingly well-known. Its habitats are diverse and relatively remote – ranging from deep forests, through open moorland, to Scotland’s highest peaks. ‘Grouse: The Natural History of British and Irish Species’ covers four of the most emblematic species of our upland regions. Collectively they have the most fascinating life histories of any bird group, individually they have their own stories to tell: the ptarmigan is a resident of our highest mountain areas, the black grouse is famous for its extraordinary mating displays, the capercaillie is one of our largest birds and the red grouse, whilst no-longer one of the few British endemics, is one of the most heavily researched species. All four face similar problems, including habitat loss, predators, pests, disease and food shortage. This is compounded by issues of managed animal populations and controversy surrounding the commercial worth of grouse. This volume in the New Naturalist series, written by two of the world's leading grouse specialists, offers a fascinating insight into the natural history and biology of these birds, including aspects of their behaviour, the historical relevance of their names, the reasons behind population fluctuations and international conservation efforts.
Kandahar Cockney: A Tale of Two Worlds
Kandahar Cockney: A Tale of Two Worlds
James Fergusson
¥72.99
The remarkable and touching story of a singular friendship between the author (an affluent Western correspondent) and his Pashtun interpreter who meet in an Afghan war-zone and resume their friendship when Mir becomes an asylum seeker in London’s East End. In the spring of 1997, James Fergusson, a young freelance British correspondent, encounters a local Pashtun interpreter named Mir in rebel-controlled Afghanistan. They soon become firm friends, with Mir an invaluable guide not only to the battle zone, but to the country's complex politics, culture and traditions. Not long after James’s return home, Mir and his family are forced to flee Afghanistan, fearing for their lives. When Mir arrives in London seeking asylum, it is to James that he turns for help. Now their roles reverse: the guided becomes the guide as James introduces Mir to the bewildering customs of the infidel West. Yet in many ways it is Mir who remains the guide – this time to a side of his own homeland that James had never noticed or engaged with before. He discovers whole communities of Afghans scattered throughout London, and the shadow economy in which asylum seekers are forced to work. He accompanies Mir through the labyrinthine asylum system, with its endless round of tribunals, appeals, delays and disappointments; and introduces him to the important things in life like Tesco’s, bank holiday weekends and the seaside. James Fergusson’s moving and remarkable portrait of a singular friendship gives a human face to one of the most tangled and emotive issues of our time. Powerfully evoking the no-man's land between the Third and the First Worlds, between Islam and the West, ‘Kandahar Cockney’ also places a very contemporary story in a greater historical context, showing how surprisingly enduring the legacy of Britain’s colonial era really is.
Witnessing Waterloo: 24 Hours, 48 Lives, A World Forever Changed
Witnessing Waterloo: 24 Hours, 48 Lives, A World Forever Changed
David Crane
¥73.58
‘Of all the books marking the bicentenary Waterloo, this has to be the best’ Spectator ‘A book to die for’ Evening Standard From Samuel Johnson Prize shortlisted author David Crane, this is a breathtaking portrait of the Britain that fought the battle of Waterloo. As Wellington’s rain-sodden army retreated towards an obscure valley called Waterloo, the men and women of Britain were still going to the theatre and science lectures, working in the fields and the factories, reading and writing books and sermons, painting their pictures and sitting in front of Lord Elgin’s marbles. David Crane’s stunning freeze-frame of Britain on this day of momentous change shifts hour by hour between Britain and Belgium. The Britain that fought Waterloo – its radicals and patriots, artisans and aristocrats, prisoners and poets – appears through the smoke of battle and the mythology of Waterloo in this magnificent and original tracing of the endless, overlapping connections between people’s lives.
The Lesson of the Master
The Lesson of the Master
Norman Thomas di Giovanni
¥34.14
A collection of essays on Jorge Luis Borges by his long-time friend and collaborator. Jorge Luis Borges - Argentine poet, essayist, and short-story writer - is widely considered one of the giants of 20th-century world literature. Norman Thomas di Giovanni worked alongside Borges for a number of years creating English translations of his work, the only translations personally overseen by Borges himself. In The Lesson of the Master, a memoir and essays, he writes about his time with Borges but also offers us a unique insight on the man and his work. It is an indispensable volume for Borges readers and his growing legion of students and scholars.
Corrag
Corrag
Susan Fletcher
¥73.58
A novel from Susan Fletcher, author of the bestselling Eve Green and Oystercatchers. The Massacre of Glencoe happened at 5am on 13th February 1692 when thirty-eight members of the Macdonald clan were killed by soldiers who had enjoyed the clan's hospitality for the previous ten days. Many more died from exposure in the mountains. Fifty miles to the south Corrag is condemned for her involvement in the Massacre. She is imprisoned, accused of witchcraft and murder, and awaits her death. The era of witch-hunts is coming to an end - but Charles Leslie, an Irish propagandist and Jacobite, hears of the Massacre and, keen to publicise it, comes to the tollbooth to question her on the events of that night, and the weeks preceding it. Leslie seeks any information that will condemn the Protestant King William, rumoured to be involved in the massacre, and reinstate the Catholic James. Corrag agrees to talk to him so that the truth may be known about her involvement, and so that she may be less alone, in her final days. As she tells her story, Leslie questions his own beliefs and purpose - and a friendship develops between them that alters both their lives. In Corrag, Susan Fletcher tells us the story of an epic historic event, of the difference a single heart can make - and how deep and lasting relationships that can come from the most unlikely places.
The Family
The Family
Kay Brellend
¥34.14
The follow-up novel to the hugely successful debut THE STREET In this dank corner of town, you have to keep your friends close and your enemies closer – even if those enemies are your family. Jimmy Wild saunters around the streets of Campbell Road, and among the people he used to terrorise. Even though the years have passed, he’s still a tyrant. The sight of his lanky frame is enough to terrify the inhabitants of this close-knit community, who reside in this villainous corner of London. Jimmy’s beautiful step-daughter Faye and his downtrodden wife Edie eek out a meagre existence for their family, having left behind their lives in Kent. What devastating act was so bad that it drove them away from the place they called home to this hovel of a house in Campbell Road? Robert and Steven Wild thought they’d moved on. It was hard enough coming to terms with the death of their mother – and now their abusive father, presumed dead, has returned. One thing you can bet on, Jimmy Wild’s not returned to start playing happy families… How can young Faye make a life for herself and carve a future for young siblings? Who is this aged woman that Jimmy Wild has come back to see? And can a romance between Faye and Rob blossom amidst a family at War?
Time Management (Collins Business Secrets)
Time Management (Collins Business Secrets)
Martin Manser
¥18.74
The time management secrets that experts and top professionals use. Get results fast with this quick, easy guide to the fundamentals of Time Management. Includes how to: ? Identify your biggest priorities and find time to achieve them ? Deal with the biggest hidden time-wasters ? Communicate effectively with colleagues and clients ? Cope with information overload ? Take control of your inbox and voicemail