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. ...

On 21 June 1922 Count Alexander Rostov – recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt – is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square & through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. But instead of being taken to his usual suite, he is led to an attic room with a window the size of a chessboard. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. While Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval, the Count, stripped of the trappings that defined his life, is forced to question what makes us who we are. & with the assistance of a glamorous actress, a cantankerous chef & a very serious child, Rostov unexpectedly discovers a new understanding of both pleasure & purpose. ...

From the day James rescued a street cat abandoned in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, they began a friendship which has transformed both their lives &, through the bestselling books A STREET CAT NAMED BOB & THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BOB, touched millions around the world. In this new story from their journey together, James looks back at the last Christmas they spent scraping a living on the streets & how Bob helped him through one of his toughest times
- providing strength, friendship & inspiration but also teaching him important lessons about the true meaning of Christmas along the way.
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Street Cat Bob & James, stars of bestselling A Street Cat Named Bob & The World According to Bob that touched millions around the world, spend a cold & challenging December on the streets together in a new adventure. From the day James rescued a street cat abandoned in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, they began a friendship which has transformed both their lives &, through the bestselling books A STREET CAT NAMED BOB & THE WORLD ACCORDING TO BOB, touched millions around the world. In this new story of their journey together, James looks back at the last Christmas they spent scraping a living on the streets & how Bob helped him through one of his toughest times
- providing strength, friendship & inspiration but also teaching him important lessons about the true meaning of Christmas along the way.
...

When Patience Ibrahim`s husband died, she feared that her life was over. She had prayed every night for a baby to complete her family, & suddenly she found herself a nineteen-year-old widow, alone in the world. But when she fell in love again, a happy future seemed possible. Patience married once more, & was overjoyed to discover that she was pregnant.A few days later, everything fell apart. Men from Boko Haram arrived at her door, killing Patience`s new husband & kidnapping her. This is the incredible true story of her & her baby daughter`s survival, against all the odds. ...

” There are chefs whose restaurants I rush to, chefs I have been honoured to cook with, chefs whose recipes I want to use over & over again. April is all of these to me. Read this book, & you will understand why.” (Ruth Rogers). ” Her lovely new book finds her revelling in veg, & all its gloriously colourful, mouth-watering, tummy-filling potential. I defy any curious cook to flick through these delicious pages & not want to get busy immediately.” (Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall). April Bloomfield
- co-owner of the lauded Spotted Pig restaurant in New York
- is a chef renowned for her nose-to-tail ethos. But her reverence for sweet peas & bright bunches of radishes matches her passion for the perfect cut of meat. In A Girl & Her Greens, April proves that vegetables can be as juicy, inviting & indulgent as the most succulent steak. From Swiss Chard Cannelloni to Roasted Onions with Sage Pesto, from Kale Polenta to Fennel Salad with Blood Orange, from Braised Peas & Little Gem Lettuce to Roasted Leeks with Walnut Breadcrumbs A Girl & Her Greens is packed with tantalising & flavoursome recipes for hearty food where vegetables truly take centre stage.

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Dog wasn`t really a dog, she was a human girl. But she was called Dog because that is what Uncle had always called her. Dog has never been outside of nasty Uncle`s pet shop. She sleeps in a box on a floor & has no idea what the world outside looks like. Then in a flurry of colour & feathers, Carlos the parrot arrives in the shop & her world as she knows it changes for ever. Managing to escape, Dog, Carlos & her best friend Esme the coati set out, in search of the same thing, somewhere they belong, somewhere they can call home. But the world is a huge, dangerous place, & they face danger & adventure at every turn... This is a spirit-soaring tale of adventure, friendship & belonging that will appeal to all lovers of Michael Morpurgo & Roald Dahl. ...