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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Hunter Davies` childhood lived amongst the post-war dirt & grime of Carlisle was immediately hailed as a classic memoir from one of Britain`s foremost columnists of the past half century. The Co-op`s Got Bananas! left our protagonist at the cusp of working for one of the world`s greatest newspapers
- The Sunday Times. In this much-anticipated sequel, Hunter now looks back across five decades of successful writing to reflect on his colourful memories of the living in London during the height of the Swinging Sixties, becoming editor of Britain`s first colour weekend supplement The Sunday Times magazine; befriending the Beatles; & interviewing (and partying with) the biggest names in television, film & theatre of the day. Hunter brings the story full circle to reflect on his years spent with the love of his life
- the bestselling writer Margaret Forster, who sadly passed away in February 2016. This will not only be a colourful & enjoyable memoir of what it was like to be at the epicentre of Britain`s artistic heart, but also an emotional, heart-felt tribute to family, friends & colleagues. For those captivated by The Co-op`s Got Bananas!, this sequel is a must read.

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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. ...

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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In this fabulous new book, Lorraine Pascale, Britain`s beloved chef & tv personality, brings together the two hottest trends in cookery right now: baking & eating lighter, healthier meals! Lorraine`s dreamt up 100 delicious, easy recipes, all fully illustrated, ranging from savoury scones & coconut & lime loaf to apricot & ginger chiffon cake, sesame pretzel buns & cauliflower gratin bakes. Lorraine reinvents traditional favourites (her amazing brownies) but shows us neat shortcuts to cut the fat or the sugar-without losing any of the flavour. They are goodies with goodness. Each recipe has a comparison with a standard version so you can see just how much better for you Lorraine`s way is. A perfect Christmas gift for every baker in your life
- or buy it for yourself to have an indulgent but healthy Christmas.
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Artist Simon Harmer creates delightful & distinctive line drawings of our famous landmarks & landscape. In `A Line Around England` he travels from Hadrian`s Wall to Cornwall`s coast & his illustrations capture everything from Stonehenge to Blackpool Tower. Each drawing is accompanied by a short text illuminating some quirky & interesting facts about the site. ...

`A travelogue & memoir to rank alongside anything by Chatwin or Thubron` Jim Crace`A most absorbing & rewarding book` Michael Palin A moving portrait, part history, part memoir, of Sudan
- once the largest, most diverse country in Africa
- & its self-destruction. In 1956, Sudan gained Independence from Britain. On the brink of a promising future, it instead descended into civil war & conflict, including the crisis in Darfur that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives & driven many more from their homes. When the 1989 coup brought a hard-line Islamist regime to power, Jamal Mahjoub`s family were among those who fled. Almost twenty years later, he returned to a country on the brink of rupture. Rediscovering the city in which his formative years were spent, Mahjoub encounters people & places he left behind. The capital contains the key to understanding Sudan`s divided, contradictory nature & while exploring Khartoum`s present
- its changing identity & shifting moods, its wealthy elite & neglected poor
- Mahjoub also delves into the country`s troubled history, one turbulent with the rivalry between Christians & Muslims. His search for answers evolves into a thoughtful meditation on the meaning of identity, both personal & national.A Line in the River combines lyrical & evocative memoir with a nuanced exploration of a country`s complex history, politics & religion. The result is both captivating & revelatory.



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In 1916, in the middle of the First World War, two men secretly agreed to divide the Middle East between them. Sir Mark Sykes was a visionary politician; Francois Georges-Picot a diplomat with a grudge. The deal they struck, which was designed to relieve tensions that threatened to engulf the Entente Cordiale, drew a line in the sand from the Mediterranean to the Persian frontier. Territory north of that stark line would go to France; land south of it, to Britain. Against the odds their pact survived the war to form the basis for the post-war division of the region into five new countries Britain & France would rule. The creation of Britain`s `mandates` of Palestine, Transjordan & Iraq, & France`s in Lebanon & Syria, made the two powers uneasy neighbours for the following thirty years. Through a stellar cast of politicians, diplomats, spies & soldiers, including T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill & Charles de Gaulle, A Line in the Sand vividly tells the story of the short but crucial era when Britain & France ruled the Middle East. It explains exactly how the old antagonism between these two powers inflamed the more familiar modern rivalry between the Arabs & the Jews, & ultimately led to war between the British & the French in 1941 & between the Arabs & the Jews in 1948. In 1946, after many years of intrigue & espionage, Britain finally succeeded in ousting France from Lebanon & Syria, & hoped that, having done so, it would be able to cling on to Palestine. Using newly declassified papers from the British & French archives, James Barr brings this overlooked clandestine struggle back to life, & reveals, for the first time, the stunning way in which the French finally got their revenge. ...