A moving, inter-war family saga ” The German Boy” from Patricia Wastvedt, the Orange Prize Longlisted author of ” The River”. In 1947, Elisabeth Mander`s German nephew comes to stay: Stefan Landau, her dead sister`s teenage son, whom she hates & loves before she`s even set eyes on him. Orphaned by the war & traumatised by the last, vicious battles of the Hitler Youth, Stefan brings with him to England only a few meagre possessions. Among them a portrait of a girl with long copper hair by a young painter called Michael Ross
- & with it the memory, both painful & precious, of her life & that time between the wars. Spanning decades & generations, ” The German Boy” tells the moving story of two families entangled by love & friendship, divided by prejudice & war, & of a brief encounter between a woman & a man that touched each of their lives forever. ” An absorbing literary saga.. .a sophisticated & subtly woven story”. (” Daily Mail”). ” Hypnotic, atmospheric & exquisitely written. A novel I won`t forget”. (Lucinda Riley, author of ” Hothouse Flower”). ”A love story at its centre which will make your heart ache”. (Julia Green, author of ” Blue Moon”).”A heart-rending story of epic proportions, thrilling & utterly captivating. I am haunted by it still”). (Suzannah Dunn, author of ” The Confession of Katherine”). Howard Born in 1954, Patricia Wastvedt grew up in Blackheath, south London, & spent her summers in Kent. She has a degree in Creative Arts & an MA in Creative Writing, & her first novel, ” The River”, written in her late forties, was long-listed for the Orange Prize. She teaches at Bath Spa University, & is also a manuscript editor. She lives & writes in a cottage in Somerset.
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The only comprehensive collection of German recipes
- from authentic traditional dishes to contemporary cuisine Germany
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The Germans, 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. ...

Based on a lifetime living in & reporting on Germany & Central Europe, award-winning journalist & author Peter Millar tackles the fascinating & complex story of the people at the heart of our continent. Focussing on nine cities (only six of which are in the Germany of today) he takes us on a zigzag ride back through time via the fall of the Berlin Wall through the horrors of two world wars, the patchwork states of the Middle Ages, to the splendour of Charlemagne & the fall of Rome, with side swipes at everything on the way, from Henry VIII to the Spanish Empire. Included are mini portraits of aspects of German culture from sex & money to food & drink. Not just a book about Germany but about Europe as a whole & how we got where we are today, & where we might be tomorrow. ...

There are a multitude of ` London Calling` cards in the collection at Rocket 68. This lively illustrated range of London themed prints & cards aims to portray the vibrancy & beauty of London`s architecture, areas, life & communities. Each card is supplied with quality Gunpowder grey envelope in a cellophane wrapper. These cards are all illustrated by Jill White & printed in the UK on a lovely soft Calisto FSC accredited board. ...

` Deliciously creepy` Herald. A hair-raising fictionalized account of the Borley Rectory haunting, based on contemporary first-hand testimonies. Welcome to Borley Rectory, the most haunted house in Engl&. The year is 1926 & Sarah Grey has landed herself an unlikely new job
- personal assistant to Harry Price, London`s most infamous ghost hunter. Equal parts brilliant & charming, neurotic & manipulative, Harry has devoted his life to exposing the truth behind England`s many `false hauntings`, & never has he left a case unsolved, nor a fraud unexposed. So when Harry & Sarah are invited to Borley Rectory
- a house so haunted that objects frequently fly through the air unbidden, & locals avoid the grounds for fear of facing the spectral nun that walks there
- they`re sure that this case will be just like any other. But when night falls & still no artifice can be found, the ghost hunters are forced to confront an uncomfortable possibility: the ghost of Borley Rectory may be real. &, if so, they`re about to make its most intimate acquaintance.


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In “ Ghost Map”, Steven Johnson tells the story of the terrifying cholera epidemic that engulfed London in 1854, & the two unlikely heroes
- anaesthetist Doctor John Snow & affable clergyman Reverend Henry Whitehead
- who defeated the disease through a combination of local knowledge, scientific research & map-making. In telling their extraordinary story, Johnson also explores a whole world of ideas & connections, from urban terror to microbes, ecosystems to the Great Stink, cultural phenomena to street life. Re-creating a London full of dirt, dust heaps, slaughterhouses & scavengers, “ Ghost Map” is about how huge populations live together, how cities can kill
- & how they can save us.


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Named by Moscow Times ”the History Book of the Year, ” The Ghost of Freedom combines riveting storytelling with insightful analysis, in the first general history of the modern Caucasus, stretching from the beginning of Russian imperial expansion up to the rise of new countries after the Soviet Union`s collapse. In evocative & accessible prose, Charles King reveals how tsars, highlanders, revolutionaries, & adventurers have contributed to the fascinating history of this borderl&, providing an indispensable guide to the complicated histories, politics, & cultures of this intriguing frontier. Based on new research in multiple languages, the book shows how the struggle for freedom in the Caucasus has been a perennial theme over the last two hundred years, shining valuable light on the origins of modern disputes, including the ongoing war in Chechnya, conflicts in Georgia & Azerbaijan, & debates over oil from the Caspian Sea & its impact on world markets. The paperback edition features new material, including an Afterword on the Russian-Georgian war of 2008. ...

A gripping ghost story from former Children`s Laureate & author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo. Everyone knows the Big Hill is full of gold, & now the islanders are intent on cutting the top off it & making themselves rich. Jessie & Jake are determined to save the Big Hill but what can they do? A plan is needed, & fast. Could the ghost of Grania O` Malley, the pirate queen, be the answer? A mysterious tale of magic, ghosts & pirates, from a master storyteller. ...

The first time Annie Sweet sees 43 Stanley Road, the house is so perfect she almost feels as though it has chosen her. She longs to move in, but with her husband seeming more distant, & her daughter wrapped up in her friends & new school, Annie is left alone to mull over the past. Soon she becomes consumed by the house & everyone who has lived there before her, especially a young chorus girl called Lily Painter, a rising star of the music hall whose sparkling performances were the talk of the town. As Annie delves further into Lily`s past she begins to unravel a dark episode from Edwardian London, that of two notorious baby farmers, who lured young unmarried mothers with the promise of a better life for their babies. Until Annie solves the mystery at the heart of the scandal, the ghost of Lily Painter will never be able to rest. Based on a real period from London`s rich history, Caitlin Davies skilfully blends fact & fiction to bring to life part of our sinister past. Spanning an entire century, from the journals of an Edwardian police inspector to a doomed wartime love affair, The Ghost of Lily Painter is an engrossing & poignant novel from a hugely talented writer. ...