Why are geese in a gaggle? Are crows really murderous? & what makes lions so proud? Collective nouns are one of the most charming oddities of the English language, often with seemingly bizarre connections to the groups they identify. But have you ever stopped to wonder where these peculiar terms actually came from? Most of those found in this book have their origins in the Medieval Books of Courtesy, among the earliest works to be published in this country. Despite originating as a form of social etiquette reserved for the gentry, many of these collective nouns have survived to become a curious feature of today`s everyday language. This absorbing book tells the stories of these evocative phrases, many of which have stood the test of time & are still in use today. Entertaining, informative & fascinating, An Unkindness of Ravens is perfect for any history or language buff. ...

Aaliya Saleh lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, childless, & divorced, Aaliya is her family`s `unnecessary appendage`. Every year, she translates a new favourite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The thirty-seven books that Aaliya has translated over her lifetime have never been read
- by anyone. This breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman follows Aaliya`s digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past & present Beirut. Colourful musings on literature, philosophy, & art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War & Aaliya`s own volatile past. As she tries to overcome her ageing body & spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left. A love letter to literature & its power to define who we are, the prodigiously gifted Rabih Alameddine has given us a magnificent rendering of one woman`s life in the Middle East.
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AN UNRELIABLE GUIDE TO LONDON brings together twenty-six stories about the lesser known parts of a world renowned city. Stories that stretch the reader`s definition of the truth. Stories that have you questioning whether reality, & fiction simultaneously. Stories that will tell you there are wind nymphs in North Clapham tube station, a horse sized swan at Brentford Ait, Sleeping Clinics in NW3 & celebrations for St Margaret`s Day of the Dead. Taking its cue from travel guides, London histories & books like Tired of London, Tired of Life, AN UNRELIABLE GUIDE TO LONDON will shake up the canon of London writing with a tongue firmly routed in its cheek.UNRELIABLE GUIDE TO LONDON is the perfect summer read for city dwellers up & down the country. With a list of contributors reflecting the multilayered, complex social structures of the city, it is the perfect guide to London showing you everything that you never knew existed. Features stories from M John Harrison, Yvvette Edwards, Chloe Aridjis, Nikesh Shukla, Courttia Newl&, Juliet Jaques Will Wiles, Irenosen Okojie, Paul Ewen, Noo Saro Wiwa, Salena Godden & many more ...

` Captivating.. . There`s a breadth of humanity in An Unsafe Haven which is very moving. I loved the sense of Lebanon & of what is unique & precious about the Arab world` Helen Dunmore Set in contemporary Beirut, a rich, illuminating & deeply moving novel about a group of friends whose lives are shaped & affected daily by the war in Syria. Imagine trying to live a normal life in a world which changes daily & where nothing is certain.. . Hannah has deep roots in Beirut, the city of her birth & of her family. Her American husb&, Peter, has certainty only in her. They thought that they were used to the upheavals in Lebanon, but as the war in neighbouring Syria enters its fifth year, the region`s increasingly fragile state begins to impact on their lives in wholly different ways. An incident in a busy street brings them into direct contact with a Syrian refugee & her son. As they work to reunite Fatima with her family, her story forces Hannah to face the crisis of the expanding refugee camps, & to question the very future of her homel&. And when their close friend Anas, an artist, arrives to open his exhibition, shocking news from his home in Damascus raises uncomfortable questions about his loyalty to his family & his country. Heartrending & beautifully written, An Unsafe Haven is a universal story of people whose lives are tested & transformed, as they wrestle with the anguish of war, displacement & loss, but also with the vital need for hope. ...

` Captivating.. . There`s a breadth of humanity in An Unsafe Haven which is very moving. I loved the sense of Lebanon & of what is unique & precious about the Arab world` Helen Dunmore Nada Awar Jarrar paints an intimate portrait of modern-day Beirut where everyone has a story to tell... Journalist Hannah is deeply rooted in the city of her birth, reporting first-hand on growing unrest in the region. Her American husband Peter is uncertain about their future in Lebanon & increasingly worried for his friend Anas, a Syrian artist estranged from his wife & children. Maysoun, an immigrant from Iraq, works with refugees, secretly dreaming of a more tranquil life in the West.A chance encounter in a busy street with a young refugee & his mother draws the four characters into a startling chain of events that will both test & alter each of them irrevocably. An Unsafe Haven is a vital & beautiful novel about facing up to the future in a world where conflict & loss have become the fabric of everyday life. ...

Mireille Duval Jameson is living a fairy tale. The strong-willed youngest daughter of one of Haiti`s richest sons, she has an adoring husb&, a precocious infant son, by all appearances a perfect life. The fairy tale ends one day when Mireille is kidnapped in broad daylight by a gang of heavily armed men, in front of her father`s Port au Prince estate. Held captive by a man who calls himself The Commander, Mireille waits for her father to pay her ransom. As it becomes clear her father intends to resist the kidnappers, Mireille must endure the torments of a man who resents everything she represents. An Untamed State is a novel of privilege in the face of crushing poverty, & of the lawless anger that corrupt governments produce. It is the story of a wilful woman attempting to find her way back to the person she once was, & of how redemption is found in the most unexpected of places. An Untamed State establishes Roxane Gay as a writer of prodigious, arresting talent. ...

A partisan fighting with the Red Army in Germany comes across a gr&, abandoned house, seemingly untouched by the devastation sweeping the country. Exhausted, he falls asleep in the living room, but wakes to find a German patrol marching up the garden path. His only hope is to pose as the house`s owner, but how will he keep up the pretence when the real owner returns? Dazzling, dark & scorchingly violent, with the breakneck pace of a thriller, this timeless classic is a vivid depiction of what happens when the mask of decency is cast aside in the savagery of war. ...

Following his hugely popular account of the previous 2000 years, John O` Farrell now comes bang up to date with a hilarious modern history asking ` How the hell did we end up here?`. ” An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain” informs, elucidates & laughs at all the bizarre events, ridiculous characters & stupid decisions that have shaped Britain`s story since 1945; leaving the Twenty-First Century reader feeling fantastically smug for having the benefit of hindsight. ...

Many of us were put off history by the dry & dreary way it was taught at school. Back then ` The Origins of the Industrial Revolution` somehow seemed less compelling than the chance to test the bold claim on Timothy Johnson`s ` Shatterproof` ruler. But here at last is a chance to have a good laugh & learn all that stuff you feel you really ought to know by now... In this ” Horrible History for Grown Ups” you can read how Anglo-Saxon liberals struggled to be positive about immigration; ` Look I think we have to try & respect the religious customs of our new Viking friends
- oi, he`s nicked my bloody ox!` Discover how England`s peculiar class system was established by some snobby French nobles whose posh descendents still have wine cellars & second homes in the Dordogne today. And explore the complex socio-economic reasons why Britain`s kings were the first in Europe to be brought to heel; (because the Stuarts were such a useless bunch of untalented, incompetent, arrogant, upper-class thickoes that Parliament didn`t have much choice.)A book about then that is also incisive & illuminating about now, ”2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge”, is a hilarious, informative & cantankerous journey through Britain` fascinating & bizarre history. As entertaining as a witch burning, & a lot more laughs.
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This fully illustrated history is divided geographically according to the sequence of succeeding Thai kingdoms. Each section follows a historical chronology, covering accounts of major events during each reign, with an assessment of the character of individual kings & their particular achievements, together with those of other major players. This record of events is blended with descriptive passages about monuments surviving today that are relevant to & help illuminate the history. Political development is thus paralleled by Thailand`s cultural development, especially in relation to the religious & royal architecture. Thailand`s historical progression has been complex, & although the foundations of national identity
- religion & monarchy in particular
- were established in the earliest days of statehood dating back to the 13th century, it is only in comparatively recent times that all elements
- social, political, cultural & linguistic
- have cohered into what is recognizable today as Thai & Thail&. By linking the text to existing landmarks the history provides both an enjoyable read in its own right & a fascinating guide to the monuments & buildings that visitors can see on their travels around the country.



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