Arrested for snorting cocaine off a car bonnet, award-winning author & quintessential dilettante Frederic Beigbeder reflects on his troubled childhood, while spending a night in police custody. Confined to a cell, Frederic Beigbeder`s seeks escape in his childhood memories, only to discover he can recall just one. From this, he reconstructs both his past & that of his family; the glamour of Sixties Paris & his father`s playboy life in New York, so distinct from the experiences of his soldier grandfather, whose lifespan Frederic has now exceeded. His arrest all over the tabloids, Frederic wonders if the time has come to grow up. `A French Novel` is a belated coming-of-age tale, profoundly tender & charmingly ironic. ...

Squirrel & Bird are very different. One animal likes nuts & the other likes worms! But both of them are happy to try something new. & together they make the very best of friends. A beautiful tale of unlikely friendship brought to life with stunning illustrations from Sean Julian (Bear Can`t Sleep, My Dad!). A Friend Like You is the perfect storybook for encouraging children to enjoy making friends & being brave enough to try new experiences. ...

This is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Des Sleightholme's bestseller A Funny Old Life, which instantly established itself as a must-read for Des's multitude of admirers. Former editor of Yachting Monthly for many years, Des is well known for his irreverent outlook on the Establishment & for his unfailing eye for the funny side of things; here he returns with further yarns about the hilarious happenings throughout his life. ...

From small steps to giant leaps, A Galaxy of Her Own tells fifty stories of inspirational women who have been fundamental to the story of humans in space, from scientists to astronauts to some surprising roles in between. From Ada Lovelace in the nineteenth century, to the women behind the Apollo missions, from the astronauts breaking records on the International Space Station to those blazing the way in the race to get to Mars, A Galaxy of Her Own reveals extraordinary stories, champions unsung heroes & celebrates remarkable achievements from around the world. Written by Libby Jackson, a leading UK expert in human space flight, & illustrated with bold & beautiful artwork from the students of London College of Communication, this is a book to delight & inspire trailblazers of all ages. Packed full of both amazing female role models & mind-blowing secrets of space travel, A Galaxy of Her Own is guaranteed to make any reader reach for the stars. ...

During a seven-year journey around India, Emma Levine heard about the wonderful game of buzkashi, a kind of anarchic rugby on horseback where teams of men wrestle & race to grab a headless goat & propel it towards goal. This sparked a desire to explore Asia`s unique traditional sports. ”A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat” is Emma Levine`s absorbing account of her epic adventure, which took her from camel wrestling in Turkey through bull racing in India & traditional gymnastics in Iran. Illustrated with stunning photography, this book evocatively portrays sporting ways of life rarely seen in the western world, revealing what it is about sport that makes it so universally inspiring. ...

With America quietly gearing up for war in the Middle East, twenty-year-old Tassie Keltjin, a `half-Jewish` farmer`s daughter from the plains of the Midwest, has come to university
- escaping her provincial home to encounter the complex world of culture & politics. When she takes a job as a part-time nanny to a couple who seem at once mysterious & glamorous, Tassie is drawn into the life of their newly-adopted child & increasingly complicated household. As her past becomes increasingly alien to her
- her parents seem older when she visits; her disillusioned brother ever more fixed on joining the military
- Tassie finds herself becoming a stranger to herself. As the year unfolds, love leads her to new & formative experiences
- but it is then that the past & the future burst forth in dramatic & shocking ways. Refracted through the eyes of this memorable narrator, A Gate at the Stairs is a lyrical, beguiling & wise novel of our times.



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A poem does not have to be famous to be cherished. The best-known poems of Robert Burns have been loved by countless people over the years, but there are other poems that may be largely unknown that will mean a great deal to the few who are familiar with them. This anthology is a personal curation & not just a simple collection of poems. Each poem, handpicked by Alexander Mc Call Smith, leads the reader from one poem to the another. Intimate in tone, the editor shares the pleasure he finds in these poems through short epigraphs written for each piece. Grouped together in themes, from: Islands, Friendship, Love & Marriage, through to War & Conflict, Secrets, & Joy, this book would make the prefect gift for any occasion. It is a book for readers with a deep love of poetry, as well as those who are looking for the key that will open up the world of poetry. ...

This is the story of a contemporary Japanese teenager who, in a search for an identity, became fascinated with the world of geisha, & discovered in herself the will & the commitment to embark on the many years of apprenticeship necessary to become one. It is also the story of a young Japanese photographer who grew up overseas, & who also was captivated by the traditional lives of these women who choose to dedicate themselves to their art. He began following & documenting the life of teenager Komomo as she studied & grew into her role. Naoyuki Oginos photographs follow Komomos entire journey, from her first tentative visits after finding the geisha house on the internet through her commitment to the hard schedule of an apprentice, learning arts that go back centuries, all the way to the ceremony where she officially became a geiko, as Kyotos geisha are known & beyond. From the cobbled streets where she walks in her elaborate dress to the inner sanctums of her dressing room, these pages offer a rare look at a unique, living art. The photographs are accompanied by autobiographical text & captions by Komomo, as she shares her thoughts & emotions, & describes the day-to-day existence of a Kyoto apprentice. It is an illuminating view of seven years in the life of a very special young woman. ...

On the eve of Angolan independence, Ludo bricks herself into her apartment, where she will remain for the next thirty years. She lives off vegetables & pigeons, burns her furniture & books to stay alive & keeps herself busy by writing her story on the walls of her home. The outside world slowly seeps into Ludo`s life through snippets on the radio, voices from next door, glimpses of a man fleeing his pursuers & a note attached to a bird`s foot. Until one day she meets Sabalu, a young boy from the street who climbs up to her terrace. ...

An atmospheric mystery set in St Petersburg in the winter of 1867 sees detective Porfiry Petrovich taking his first murder case since Dostoevsky`s Crime & Punishment. When two frozen bodies are found in a park, he begins to suspect that the truth may be more complex than others wish him to believe, as his investigations lead him to a shocking discovery which reveals the city`s darkest secrets. ”A Gentle Axe” is utterly absorbing & tense from its dramatic opening through to its shocking climax. ...