Unique, transgressive & as funny as its subject, A Life Discarded has all the suspense of a murder mystery. Written with his characteristic warmth, respect & humour, Masters asks you to join him in celebrating an unknown & important life left on the scrap heap. A Life Discarded is a biographical detective story. In 2001, 148 tattered & mould-covered notebooks were discovered lying among broken bricks in a skip on a building site in Cambridge. Tens of thousands of pages were filled to the edges with urgent handwriting. They were a small part of an intimate, anonymous diary, starting in 1952 & ending half a century later, a few weeks before the books were thrown out. Over five years, the award-winning biographer Alexander Masters uncovers the identity & real history of their author, with an astounding final revelation. A Life Discarded is a true, shocking, poignant, often hilarious story of an ordinary life. The author of the diaries, known only as `I`, is the tragicomic patron saint of everyone who feels their life should have been more successful. Part thrilling detective story, part love story, part social history, A Life Discarded is also an account of two writers` obsessions: of `I`s need to record every second of life & of Masters` pursuit of this mysterious yet universal diarist. ...

” In the not-so-small world of surfing, Phil Jarratt has seen it all. Luckily for us, he`s a fearless, funny storyteller, with a reporter`s unsentimental eye & an endearing modesty. But his memoir is, above all, a haunting self-portrait: the boy practising drop-knee cutbacks in his mother`s full-length mirror in mid-century Wollongong becomes a man.” William Finnegan, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Barbarian Days Life of Brine is the memoir of Phil Jarratt, one of the world`s best-known chroniclers of surfing culture whose lifelong pursuit of the perfect wave has placed him in the midst of some of the most exciting moments in surfing`s modern history. Jarratt, who has courted controversy in his long career as a journalist, editor & documentarian, pulls no punches as he rides an exhilarating wave of nostalgia from the sixties up until now, through the heady days of drugs, alcohol & excess in Bali & Biarritz & other exotic locations in between. Filled with debauchery, reflection & insight, this is a book that will be devoured by surfers young & old. ...

“A Life in Full – The Caine Prize for African Writing” is a collection that contains the five 2010 shortlisted stories, along with stories written at the Caine Prize Writers” Workshop, which took place in Spring 2010. The Caine Prize for African Writing is Africa”s leading literary prize, & is awarded to a short story by an African writer published in English, whether in Africa or elsewhere; the 2010 winner was Olufemi Terry for his work, “ Stickfighting Days”.* The 2010 shortlist comprised of:*- Ken Barris (S Africa) “ The Life of Worm” from “ New Writing from Africa 2009”, published by Johnson & King James Books, Cape Town
- Lily Mabura (Kenya) “ How Shall We Kill the Bishop?” from “ Wasafiri” No 53, Spring 2008
- Namwali Serpell (Zambia) “ Muzungu” from “ The Best American Short Stories 2009”, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston MA
- Alex Smith (S Africa) “ Soulmates” from “ New Writing from Africa 2009”
- Olufemi Terry (Sierra Leone) “ Stickfighting Days” from “ Chimurenga” vol 12/13, Cape Town 2008



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In these long-awaited memoirs, Jeremy Paxman spills the beans behind four decades in front of the camera. He offers reflections & stories from a career that has taken him as a reporter to many of the world`s war zones & trouble spots. Candid, uncompromising, compassionate, reflective & astute, he writes of the principles that have governed his professional life, the inner workings of the BBC, the role of journalists in political debate, the scandals & rows he`s been part of, the books he has written & the series he has made. ...

News, views & hilarious stories from the legend of Newsnight & long-standing quiz master of University Challenge. ` Bursting with good things` Daily Telegraph Jeremy Paxman is Britain`s bravest, most incisive political interviewer. The no-nonsense star of BBC Newsnight, Paxman is a supreme inquisitor, a master at skewering mammoth egos with his relentless grilling. Few figures in public life have escaped. From John Major to Theresa May, from Tony Blair to Ed Milib&, Paxman had them quaking in their boots. His working life has been defined by questions. ` Why is this lying bastard lying to me?` was at the front of his mind as he conducted every interview. But it wasn`t just politicians. Paxman`s interviews with Dizzee Rascal, David Bowie, Russell Br&, Vivienne Westwood are legendary. He discussed belief with religious leaders & philosophers, economics with CEOs & bankers, books with writers & art & theatre with artists. After 22 years on University Challenge, Paxman is also the longest-serving active quizmaster on British television. Now, in these long-awaited memoirs, he spills the beans behind four decades in front of the camera. He offers reflections & stories from a career that has taken him as a reporter to many of the world`s war zones & trouble spots
- Central America, Beirut, Belfast, to the studios of Tonight, Panorama, Breakfast Time, the Six O`clock News. Filled with candid stories about the great, the good & the rotters that have crossed his path, his memoirs are as magnetic to read as Paxman is to watch. Candid, uncompromising, compassionate, reflective & astute, he writes of the principles that have governed his professional life, the inner workings of the BBC, the role of journalists in political debate, the scandals & rows he`s been part of, the books he has written & the series he has made. In a book that tells some terrific stories & laughs at much of the silliness in the world, A Life in Questions charts the life of the greatest political interviewer of our time.
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Katharine Stewart, who died in 2013, was one of Scotland`s best-loved writers on rural life in the Highlands. A Croft in the Hills, her first book, tells the story of how a couple & their young daughter, fresh from city life, took over a remote hill croft near Loch Ness & made a livingfrom it. Full of warm personal insights, good humour & a love of living things, it has become a classic & has rarely been out of print since itwas first published in 1960. This omnibus gathers A Croft in the Hills together with some of Katharine`s later books: A Garden in the Hills, describing a year in the life ofher Highland garden; A School in the Hills, a vivid history of the school at Abriachan which eventually became the Stewarts` family home; and The Post in the Hills, which tells the dramatic story of the postal service in the Highlands, from the point of view of Katharine`s later role aspostmistress of the smallest post office in Scotl&, run from the porch of her Abriachan schoolhouse. Each of these books glows with what Neil Gunn described as `its unusual quality, its brightness & its wisdom`. The omnibus will bring the grace, charm & wisdom of Katharine Stewart`s writing to a new generation of readers. ...

Now more than ever, we live in a society where we covet new & shiny things. Not only has consumption risen dramatically over the last 60 years, but we are damaging the environment at the same time. That is why buying quality & why Tara Button`s Buy Me Once brand has such popular appeal. Tara Button has become a champion of a lifestyle called `mindful curation`
- a way of living in which we carefully choose each object in our lives, making sure we have the best, most classic, most pleasing & longest lasting
- kettles, desks, pots & pans, scissors, coats & dresses, instead of surrounding ourselves with throwaway stuff & appliances with built-in obsolescence. Tara advocates a life that celebrates what lasts, what is classic & what really suits a person. There are 10 steps to master mindful curation & each is explained in this book, from understanding & using techniques to freeing yourself from external manipulations. Finding your purpose & priorities & identifying your core tastes & style. Learning how to let go of the superfluous & how to make wise choices going forwards. Mindful curation is a lifestyle choice that will make you happier, healthier & more fulfilled spiritual as well as helping save the planet.

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In these elegant, unsparing & intimate stories, the Folio Prize-winning author, Akhil Sharma, exposes the paradoxes, ironies & harmonies that characterise modern life. Marrying the minimalism of Chekhov & Carver with a flair for dark comedy, A Life of Adventure & Delight is a collection full of wisdom, wonder & reflection. ...

During much of his early career, from 1944 through to the early 1960s, Richard Hardy took hundreds of pictures of life on the railways & the men he knew & worked with on a daily basis, using his trusty Brownie 620 box camera. These unique behind the scenes images form a fascinating & hugely evocative portrayal of Britain at the height of the era of steam, during the time of the ` Big Four`, & after 1947 when the sprawling nationalised network known as British Railways came of age. The second edition contains many new unseen photos which capture the railways in wartime, providing a valuable social record of the nation at war. In addition there is a sequence of rare photographs of French engines, railways & railwaymen, offering a superb contrast to the British rail network (it quickly becomes evident that the British rail system ran on tea, whereas the French system ran on wine). Great characters are the unifying theme of the pictures, & they include famous figures associated with the railways, such as the poet John Betjeman. This wonderfully illustrated book sets Richard`s personal photographs & text alongside a carefully collated selection of ephemera, artworks & photographs drawn from the National Railway Museum in York. Collectively these images & artefacts tell the stories of the great brotherhood of railwaymen, brilliantly evoking the speed, heat & dust of the footplate. ...

Chrissie Wellington is the world`s No 1 female Ironman triathlete, a four times World Champion, having recently won her fourth title in October 2011 & the World Record holder. In 2009 she was voted ” Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year” & in 2010 was awarded the MBE. She is the undefeated champion of Triathlon, having won thirteen Ironman titles from thirteen races. She set a new World Record of 8 hours 19:13 at Quelle Roth Germany in 2010, which slashed over 14 minutes from the previous record & where she was only beaten by six men. She went on to improve this time by another minute in the 2011 race. She also set a new world record for the fastest ever Ironman sanctioned event at Ironman South Africa in April 2011. Chrissie has displayed unprecedented levels of stamina, strength & competitiveness in becoming Ironman World Champion in only her second event at Ironman level. Her victory in Kona, Hawaii in 2007 finishing five minutes ahead of her nearest rival was described as the `biggest upset in Ironman history` & `a remarkable feat, deemed to be near impossible task for any athlete racing as a rookie at their first Ironman World Championships`. She defended her World title in Hawaii in 2008 & again in 2009. However a bout of severe sickness on the eve of the 2010 event meant she was unable to make the start line to defend her title. She bounced back in 2011 to retain her title in her most fiercely competitive race to date, which adds another fantastic chapter to her extraordinary sporting career. This is the remarkable story of how a Norfolk girl
- a `sporty kid, swimming, playing hockey, running, but never excelling & always more interested in the social side of the sports scene`
- became a world champion.

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