With some of the most picturesque countryside in Engl&, yet only a short hop from London, the Chiltern Hills are just waiting to be explored. The glorious views from high ridges, ancient woodlands brimming with wildlife & downs alive with wild flowers & butterflies make the Chilterns & the communities within them English to the core. The vast network of well-established paths provides a wonderful walking country with history & nature keeping you company at every step. If you are planning to get away from it all in the Chilterns, this collection of 40 moderate walks is your perfect guide. ...

Here is a collection of 20 tried & tested circular routes chosen for walkers with dogs. They include crucial dog factors such as livestock, stiles & roads, with warnings in advance when a lead is necessary & when it`s safe to run free. There are also contact details for the nearest vets & recommended dog friendly pubs & cafes. Clear numbered route directions & a corresponding map for each route keep walkers on the right track & there are plenty of opportunities for dogs to roam safely off lead. The routes vary in length from 21/2 to 51/2 miles & provide a great introduction for dogs & their owners to the stunning Chilterns countryside. There are walks through beech woods, including at Great & Little Missenden; waterside walks by reservoirs near Tring, chalk streams, & the Wendover Arm; & bracing routes along the tops of hills at Ivinghoe, Dunstable Downs & West Wycombe. Many of the routes explore National Trust beauty spots; through ancient woodland & downland in the Ashridge Estate; in the rolling parkland of Hughenden; & high up on chalk & grassland at Whipsnade & Totternhoe. ...

A Bookseller Best Debut of 2015 One to Watch 2015 Huffington Post An Amazon Rising Star ` The Chimes is a remarkable debut. It`s inventive, beautifully written, & completely absorbing. I highly recommend it.` Kevin Powers, author of The Yellow Birds A mind-expanding literary debut composed of memory, music & imagination. A boy stands on the roadside on his way to London, alone in the rain. No memories, beyond what he can hold in his hands at any given moment. No directions, as written words have long since been forbidden. No parents
- just a melody that tugs at him, a thread to follow. A song that says if he can just get to the capital, he may find some answers about what happened to them. The world around Simon sings, each movement a pulse of rhythm, each object weaving its own melody, music ringing in every drop of air. Welcome to the world of The Chimes. Here, life is orchestrated by a vast musical instrument that renders people unable to form new memories. The past is a mystery, each new day feels the same as the last, & before is blasphony. But slowly, inexplicably, Simon is beginning to remember. He emerges from sleep each morning with a pricking feeling, & sense there is something he urgently has to do. In the city Simon meets Lucien, who has a gift for hearing, some secrets of his own, & a theory about the danger lurking in Simon`s past. A stunning debut composed of memory, music, love & freedom, The Chimes pulls you into a world that will captivate, enthral & inspire.
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A fantastic bumper volume containing 100 classic stories from the world`s best-loved children`s author, Enid Blyton. Curl up round the fire, hang your stocking on the mantlepiece, & plunge into Enid Blyton`s magical world of toys that come alive, animals that talk & magical folk who get into all sorts of scrapes. Enid Blyton is arguably the most famous children`s author of all time, thanks to series such as The Wishing-Chair, The Faraway Tree-, The Mysteries, The Famous Five & The Secret Seven. She was also considered the queen of short, quirky stories full of imaginative adventures & unusual characters
- & many of these are contained here, in the pages of The Chimney Corner Collection.
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Many see China`s rise as a threat to U.S. leadership in Asia & beyond. Thomas J. Christensen argues instead that the real challenge lies in dissuading China from regional aggression while eliciting its global cooperation. Drawing on decades of scholarship & experience as a senior diplomat, Christensen offers a deep perspective on China`s military & economic capacity. Assessing China`s political outlook & strategic goals, Christensen shows how nationalism & the threat of domestic instability influence the party`s decisions about regional & global affairs. If China obstructs international efforts to confront nuclear proliferation, civil conflicts, financial instability, & climate change, those efforts will likely fail; but if China merely declines to support such efforts, the problems will grow vastly more complicated. Articulating a balanced strategic approach along with perceptive historical analysis, Christensen describes how we might shape China`s choices in the coming decades so that it contributes more to the international system from which it benefits so much. ...

Ian Buruma`s epic novel is the richly imagined story of one woman`s struggle to survive in the face of war & occupation in the Far East during the Second World War. It should appeal to anyone who loved Memoirs of a Geisha. When Sidney Vanoven is sent to occupied Japan, in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, it is his dream posting. By day, he works in the censor`s office watching Japanese films; at night he immerses himself in the sensual pleasures of Tokyo. His job leads him into the circle of the beautiful film star Shirley Yamaguchi, a passionate & indomitable woman, whose wartime secrets hint at deception & betrayal. As he becomes increasingly aware of her story, it seems to point at the dark heart of Japan itself. In The China Lover, Ian Buruma has created a saga of modern Japan that is epic in scale, richly imagined & vividly populated. It is quite simply unforgettable. ...

The Chinese, in the Xenophobe guide series; consisting of a range of pocket-sized guides which take a humorous & irreverent approach to a wide range of world cultures. Each guide explores the characteristics of a country’s people in a series of dedicated sections, encompassing nationalism & identity, behaviour, manners, character, obsessions, beliefs & values, leisure & pleasure, culture, custom & tradition, business, systems, health & hygiene, crime & punishment, government & bureaucracy, conversation & gestures & language. Written in a wholly irreverent style, Xenophobes guides attempt to forewarn readers of the main stereotypes & foibles that are associated with individual nationalities. ...

This A-Z softback book explores the area with the aid of many illustrations. Chiswick is known for its charming riverside, waterside pubs & its many restaurants along Chiswick High Road. From Roman times, Chiswick was on the main road to the west of Engl&. Developing as four separate villages, it was a popular place to live from the 16th century. Many early houses, notably Chiswick House, survive. During the 19th century it was also home to many industries
- brewing, wallpaper manufacturing, printing & even shipbuilding.
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BREAKING NEWS: a chocolate monster is on the loose! Keep watch, & close all cupboard doors. No chocolate bar`s secure. If left at large, The Chunk will turn up at YOUR house, for sure. & worse still this fiend will make sure you take the blame! Keep your eyes peeled & join in the hunt for The Chunk in this brilliant new picture book charmingly illustrated by rising star Laura Hughes. ...

THE AWARDWINNING INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLEREven in hell, hope can flower` Eger`s remarkable spirit shines through in every word` Stylist In 1944, sixteen-year-old Edith Eger was sent to Auschwitz. There she endured unimaginable experiences, including being made to dance for the infamous Josef Mengele. Over the coming months, her bravery helped her sister to survive & led to her bunkmates rescuing her during a death march. When their camp was finally liberated, Edith was pulled from a pile of bodies, barely alive. In The Choice, Edith Eger shares her life, remarkable because her years in the concentration camp encouraged her to find a hope & resilience that most of us would never think was possible. It wasn`t easy but, as she tried to find a future for herself after the Second World War, partly by helping many others through their own versions of trauma, she discovered an honesty, strength & empowerment within herself that makes for a memorable & inspiring read. Compelling, truly remarkable, & ultimately triumphant, The Choice is the unforgettable memoir of a woman who has seen the worst & lived the best. ...