' However you attempt to justify it with thoughtful questions about history & provenance, writing a book about cake is an idea born of pure gluttony. I just like to think it was gluttony with an enquiring mind.' If there's one thing we Brits never say no to, it's stopping at four o'clock for a cup of tea & a slice of something tasty. After all, we invented afternoon tea. Ours is a land rich in moist, mouth watering flavours, of sponges & scones, fruitcakes & fancies. So what better way to capture a slice of Britain than to devour its many tea-time treats, slice by sumptuous slice? That's what Caroline Taggart set out to do one day
- nothing more energetic than taking a table by the window, & investigating one mouthful at a time what (other than geography) separates a Coventry God Cake from an Eccles Cake, or Grantham Gingerbread from Whitby Gingerbread. In her encounters with those people making traditional cakes, she unravels the stories behind why they originated, where & when they did, & meditates on their resurgence today, as we look to revive & celebrate local produce.
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It`s OK to slow down. Take a pause & focus on your breath. Let the other animals run around, you do you. Follow a serene & smiley sloth through a series of light meditations & daily reflections with this unexpected & snuggable guide. From simple breathing exercises & guided visualizations to the benefits of chewing your leaves slowly & staying present while hanging from a tree, this little illustrated book of mindfulness will help readers discover the path to a peaceful, philoslothical life. With playful advice & delightfully charming illustrations, this no-sweat approach to enlightenment is a sweet reminder to take it slow & smile. ...

Is modern living stressing you out & getting on top of you? Try slowing things down a little by being more sloth. Living in the 21st century is exciting, but with everything moving so quickly it can feel a touch overwhelming. It`s time that everybody relaxed & took a moment to enjoy the simple pleasures, but we also appreciate it`s easier said than done. That`s why we`ve enlisted the help of an expert to guide you along the path to peace. Meet your mentor: Brian the sloth. Brian`s hilarious advice is presented in this brilliant gift book that taps into 2018`s cutest animal trend: sloths. ...

Hans Fallada's raw, darkly humorous account of a town rife with corruption, greed & brutality, first published in 1931, was written as Weimar Germany collapsed around him. It is an extraordinary novel about the failure of governments & the failings of people. It is summer, 1929, & in a small German town a storm is brewing. The shabby reporter Tredup leads a precarious existence working for the Pomeranian Chronicle
- until he takes some photographs that offer the chance to make a fortune. In Kr
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Hans Fallada`s raw, darkly humorous account of a town rife with corruption, greed & brutality, first published in 1931, was written as Weimar Germany collapsed around him. It is an extraordinary novel about the failure of governments & the failings of people. It is summer, 1929, & in a small German town a storm is brewing. The shabby reporter Tredup leads a precarious existence working for the Pomeranian Chronicle
- until he takes some photographs that offer the chance to make a fortune. In Krüger`s bar, the farmers are plotting their revenge on greedy officials. A mysterious travelling salesman from Berlin, Henning, is stirring up trouble
- but no one knows why. Meanwhile the Nazis grow stronger & the Communists fight them in the streets. & at the centre of it all, the Mayor, ` Fatty` Gareis, seeks the easy life even as events spiral beyond his control. As tensions erupt between workers & bosses, town & country, Left & Right, alliances are broken, bribes are taken & plots are hatched, until the tension spills over into violence. Michael Hofmann`s colloquial translation brings this work of intrigue & foreboding to English readers for the first time.

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This book is a lush & beautiful memoir of a very special house & a superb recreation of a bygone era. In 1967, veteran travel ...

West Germany, a simmering cauldron of radical protests, has produced a new danger to Britain: Karfeld, menacing leader of the opposition. At the same time Leo Harting, a Second Secretary in the British Embassy, has gone missing
- along with more than forty Confidential embassy files. Alan Turner of the Foreign Office must travel to Bonn to recover them, facing riots, Nazi secrets & the delicate machinations of an unstable Europe in the throes of the Cold War. As Turner gets closer to the truth of Harting`s disappearance, he will discover that the face of International relations
- & the attentions of the British Ministry itself
- is uglier that he could possibly have imagined.


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The Smart Guide to Utopia is a collection of 111 projects & initiatives to improve the cities we live in. The guide was born from the collaboration between smart, the carmaker & promoter of clever ideas, & Le Cool, the publishing company with the homonymous free weekly magazine featuring cultural, leisure & unusual events. 30 renowned writers, bloggers, designers, architects & other creative minds selected the projects they thought that make our cities more fun, clean, friendly, green & restore a sense of community. ...

If the mere mention of Shakespeare fills you with dread, evoking memories of arduous afternoons spent in stuffy classrooms with eccentric English teachers, it is time to reconsider that far from being three-hour marathons of unintelligible boring rubbish, Shakespeare`s plays are in fact exciting, tragic, funny & often downright rude
- full of memorable plots, great insults, filthy jokes & eccentric characters. A Smidgen of Shakespeare lets you know the essentials, as well as providing you with a wealth of facts & trivia to amuse, impress & entertain (at school, in a seminar or down the pub). Succinct, pithy entries cover everything from Shakespeare`s greatest villains to his most cutting insult (hint: it involves your mum). As a playwright, he is truly a global figure
- his work has been translated into more than 70 of the world`s languages, including Latin, ancient Greek & even Klingon. Did you know, however, that Shakespeare`s influence even extends into the outer reaches of our solar system? 24 of Uranus`s 27 moons are named after Shakespeare characters. The hundreds of entries range from the truly enlightening to the utterly obscure in this comprehensive guide that will re-introduce you to the fascinating world of Shakespeare`s work.

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The School Term has ended. It is almost Christmas but Binny, out last-minute shopping couldn`t feel less like wishing glad tidings to all men. Ducking out of the rain she finds herself in the sort of shop she would never normally visit. The Marriage Manual: Christmas Eve. Two parents endeavour to construct their son`s Christmas present from a DIY kit & in the process find themselves deconstructing their marriage. Christmas at the Airport: A glitch in the system, travellers stranded & all sorts of lives colliding in the face of a sudden birth. The Boxing Day Ball: Maureen has never been out with the local girls before. Who knew that a disco in the Village Hall could be life-changing? A Snow Garden: Two little boys, dumped with their divorced father for his share of the Christmas holidays & none of them with a clue how to enjoy it. I`ll Be Home for Christmas The most famous boy in the world comes home hoping to escape the madness with a normal family Christmas. Trees: As if Christmas wasn`t wearing enough, now his elderly parent is asking for a hole in the ground. Father & son break old habits & plant a tree to mark the start of the new year. ...