In 1992, Lucy Rees's journey on horseback across Arizona became a quest for spiritual enlightenment. A carving of a Cretan maze near Tintagel in Cornwall had always fascinated Lucy's companion Rick. In Arizona they were surprised to find from an illustration in a book, that this same carving could be found on a rock on one of three barren mesas in north-east Arizona where the last remaining Hopi native Americans had built their villages. The search for the maze announced itself as the purpose of their journey. But beyond their shared love of wild places, & this finishing point, they had a third, less clear purpose, an agenda only gradually revealed to them as events unfolded. They entered upon this journey in a spirit of exploration knowing that somewhere there was a centre, but uncertain as to what it was or what mysteries it might uncover. ...

1944. Sent to Spain to arrest a rogue spy, British agent Peter Cotton expects an easy first assignment. But he arrives to find his quarry dead & all of Cadiz awaiting his arrival. In a hotbed of scandal & murder, Cotton must navigate through a labyrinth of international conspiracies, shifting political allegiances & a mysterious local expatriate community to discover the truth. What he unearths could just tilt the emerging balance of post-war power & the course of history for ever. ...

When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he`s not alone. He`s surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade
- a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre & terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don`t know why or how they came to be there
- or what`s happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything
- even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try & find out.


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When the doors of the lift crank open, the only thing Thomas remembers is his first name. But he`s not alone. He`s surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade
- a walled encampment at the centre of a bizarre & terrible stone maze. Like Thomas, the Gladers don`t know why or how they came to be there
- or what`s happened to the world outside. All they know is that every morning when the walls slide back, they will risk everything
- even the Grievers, half-machine, half-animal horror that patrol its corridors, to try & find out.


...

The Kashmir Kidnapping that changed the face of modern terrorism. In July 1995, ten Western backpackers take a trip of a lifetime. hey have come in search of many things
- nirvana, exhilaration, a sense of self. But over the course of the next week, their holidays take a terrifying turn when they become entangled in a nail-biting hostage drama that will suck them into an alien world of jihad & Islamic fundamentalism. In the months that follow, their fates will become caught-up in a bloody struggle between India & Pakistan, fought out in the airless heights of Kashmir. With the world looking on, four of the captured travellers will vanish off the face of the earth, never to be seen again, creating one of the region`s great mysteries. Written with access to diaries, letters, unprocessed film & personal recollections from those enmeshed in the drama, drawing on classified police reports & secret tape recordings of Indian government negotiations, as well as interviews with the jihadis themselves & excerpts from their journals, Adrian Levy & Cathy Scott-Clark`s book is a real-life thriller, a startling but compelling story told from the perspective of all involved. The Meadow charts how the fates of two groups of young men from different hemispheres became inextricably entwined on the mountain trails they followed. It tells of the terrifying escape of one hostage, the heart-rending secret letters another wrote on birch bark & hid in his clothing as he contemplated his situation, & how, with a brutal beheading, the kidnappers took an irreversible step into the abyss. Packed with explosive revelations, The Meadow provides the first definitive answers as to what happened to the missing backpackers, revealing how the kidnapping of July 1995 changed the face of modern jihad, its architects going on to sow the seeds of a cold-hearted war against the West.
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Just five miles west of New York City, the Meadowlands is an untamed, vilified, half-developed & smelly tract of swampl&. It is home to rare birds & missing bodies, tranquil marshes & a major sports arena, burning garbage dumps & corporate headquarters, the remains of the original Penn Station & possibly those of more than one mafioso. Acclaimed writer Robert Sullivan proves himself to be the perfect explorer, historian & archaeologist for this fragile yet amazingly resilient region. He tramps through the muck on foot & navigates the polluted rivers in a canoe, all the while describing the industrial detritus with as much zeal as he observes the surprisingly rich diversity of wildlife. ” The Meadowlands” is an ode to an overlooked American borderl&, a delightfully incongruous battleground marking the ongoing struggle between the forces of progress & nature. ...

One of our most eloquent nature writers offers a passionate & informative celebration of birds & their ability to help us understand the world we live in. As well as exploring how birds achieve the miracle of flight; why birds sing; what they tell us about the seasons of the year & what their presence tells us about the places they inhabit, The Wisdom of Birds muses on the uses of feathers, the drama of raptors, the slaughter of pheasants, the infidelities of geese, & the strangeness of feeling sentimental about blue tits while enjoying a chicken sandwich. From the mocking-birds of the Galapagos who guided Charles Darwin toward his evolutionary theory, to the changing patterns of migration that alert us to the reality of contemporary climate change, Simon Barnes explores both the intrinsic wonder of what it is to be a bird
- & the myriad ways in which birds can help us understand the meaning of life.
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One of our most eloquent nature writers offers a passionate & informative celebration of birds & their ability to help us understand the world we live in. As well as exploring how birds achieve the miracle of flight; why birds sing; what they tell us about the seasons of the year & what their presence tells us about the places they inhabit, The Meaning of Birds muses on the uses of feathers, the drama of raptors, the slaughter of pheasants, the infidelities of geese, & the strangeness of feeling sentimental about blue tits while enjoying a chicken sandwich. From the mocking-birds of the Galapagos who guided Charles Darwin toward his evolutionary theory, to the changing patterns of migration that alert us to the reality of contemporary climate change, Simon Barnes explores both the intrinsic wonder of what it is to be a bird – & the myriad ways in which birds can help us understand the meaning of life. ...

The Meaning of Coffee is for those who love the magical powers of coffee & the immense human spirit it engenders. The humorous"es & many valuable life lessons contained within have been inspired by coffee, coffee places & so many wonderful `coffee` people, from both today & times gone by.£1 from the sale of each book will be donated directly to Project Waterfall to provide clean water for women, children & families in coffee growing countries around the world. ...

` The next Bill Bryson.` New York Times In this often hilarious yet deeply researched book, food & travel writer Michael Booth & his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture. They find a country much altered since their previous visit ten years earlier (which resulted in the award-winning international bestseller Sushi & Beyond). Over the last decade the country`s restaurants have won a record number of Michelin stars & its cuisine was awarded United Nations heritage status. The world`s top chefs now flock to learn more about the extraordinary dedication of Japan`s food artisans, while the country`s fast foods
- ramen, sushi & yakitori
- have conquered the world. As well as the plaudits, Japan is also facing enormous challenges. Ironically, as Booth discovers, the future of Japan`s culinary heritage is under threat. Often venturing far off the beaten track, the author & his family discover intriguing future food trends & meet a fascinating cast of food heroes, from a couple lavishing love on rotten fish, to a chef who literally sacrificed a limb in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen, & a farmer who has dedicated his life to growing the finest rice in the world... in the shadow of Fukushima. They dine in the greatest restaurant in the world, meet the world champion of cakes, & encounter wild bears. Booth is invited to judge the world sushi championship, `enjoys` the most popular Japanese dish you have never heard of aboard a naval destroyer, & unearths the unlikely story of the Englishwoman who helped save the seaweed industry. Sushi & Beyond was also a bestseller in Japanese where its success has had improbable consequences for Booth & his family. They now star in their own popular cartoon series produced by national broadcaster NHK.

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