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
...

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.

...

This stunning, atmospheric thriller set in war-torn Europe won the CWA Gold Dagger & has now been reissued with the Javier ...

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

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.

...

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. ...

Sammy is a football crazy rescue puppy. Mouser is a fearless grey tabby. Together they make an unlikely pair that won`t be parted, not even by the First World War. As the war rages in Europe, Londoners are sending brave animals to help the soldiers
- & Mouser & Sammy are soon on their way to the trenches. Boldly criss-crossing no-man`s land they make new friends of every nationality
- & reunite with old ones. But on the muddy front line, under fire & constantly in danger, will their friendship be enough to save them so they can return home together? ” If you love Michael Morpurgo, you will enjoy this”. (Express). ”A moving tale told with warmth, kindliness & lashings of good sense that lovers of Dick King-Smith will especially appreciate”. (The Times). ” Every now & then a writer comes along with a unique way of storytelling... Meet Megan Rix.. .her novels are deeply moving & will strike a chord with animal lovers.” (Love Reading). About the author: Megan Rix lives in England with her husb&, & their adorable dogs, Traffy & Bella. Also available by Megan Rix: The Great Escape, The Victory Dogs & The Bomber Dog.

...

”I cannot remember when a novel has seduced me so completely...it feels as if a trusted old friend is telling you the story, that the characters are people you know”. (The Times). ”A terrific book.. .I loved A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEY. It`s wry, smart, human, & rather miraculously, avoids mawkishness. &, ultimately, it`s moving & comforting in a way that makes sense even to the agnostic”. (Nick Hornby, The Believer). This is the story of what happens when Issy Bradley dies. It is the story of Ian
- husb&, father, maths teacher & Mormon bishop
- & his unshakeable belief that everything will turn out all right if he can only endure to the end, like the pioneers did. It is the story of his wife Claire`s lonely wait for a sign from God & her desperate need for life to pause while she comes to terms with what`s happened. It is the story of the agony & hope of Zippy Bradley`s first love. This is the story of Alma Bradley`s cynicism & reluctant bravery. & it is the story of seven-year-old Jacob. His faith is bigger than a mustard seed, probably bigger than a toffee bonbon & he`s planning to use it to mend his broken family with a miracle. Incredibly moving, unexpectedly funny & so sharply observed it will make you feel as if you could pick the woodchip off the bedroom wall, A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEY explores the outer reaches of doubt & faith. But mostly it`s a story about a family trying to work out how to carry on when their world has fallen apart.

...