' Welcome readers of all sizes! I think you are opening this very special book with feeling of great excitement. It has everything you could want in a story: Suspense! Action! Huge Braveness! & very importantly a hero of great handsomeness!' When Aleksandr discovers that the stinky half metal, half mongoose scoundrel that is evil Doctor Robogoose has captured his beloved Princess Maiya, he has to don his Turbo-Charged Flying Cape & swoop to the rescue. Will he be successful? Will he save the girl & see the wind make patterns in her soft fur..? Also available: " Bogdan & the Big Race", Maiya in the Beautiful Ballet, Sergei's Space Adventure, Vassily the King of Rock, Yakov Saves Christmas. ...

Bradt's Alentejo is the first full guide to the raw, beguiling heartland of southern Portugal. Dividing the Alentejo into three distinct sections, with detailed maps & itineraries suitable for all seasons, this guide offers by far the fullest & most complete coverage of the Alentejo region available. Aimed primarily at independent travellers & holidaymakers of all ages & on all budgets, it caters for nature lovers & hikers, history & archaeology enthusiasts, & anyone interested in discovering one of the least explored regions of western Europe. Regional food & wine specialities are also covered, along with details of the Alentejo's extraordinary range of accommodation, which is intricately bound with the region's history, from historic castles, palaces & monasteries converted into hotels & pousadas, to farm stays on cork-growing estates & budget pensoes & albergarias (inns). ...

Alentejo Blue is the story of the Portuguese village of Mamarrosa told through the lives of those who live there & those who are passing through
- men & women, children & old people, locals, tourists & expatriates. For some, such as Teresa, a beautiful, dreamy village girl, it is a place from which to escape; for others
- the dysfunctional Potts family
- it is a way of running from trouble (but not eluding it). Vasco, a cafe owner who has never recovered from the death of his American wife, clings to a notion that his years in America make him superior to the other villagers. One English tourist makes Mamarrosa the subject of her fantasy of a new life, while for her compatriots, a young engaged couple, Mamarrosa is where their dreams finally fall apart. At the book's opening an old man reflects on his long & troubled life in this beautiful & seemingly tranquil setting, & anticipates the return of Marco Afonso Rodrigues, the prodigal son of the village & a symbol of this now fast-changing world. The homecoming is the subject of continuing speculation, & when Marco Afonso Rodrigues does finally appear, villagers, tourists & expatriates are brought together & jealousies, passions & disappointments must inevitably collide.


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The new novel by the author of The Alchemist. Aleph marks a return to Paulo Coelho's beginnings. In a frank & surprising personal story, one of the world's most beloved authors embarks on a remarkable & transformative journey of self-discovery. Facing a grave crisis of faith, & seeking a path of spiritual renewal & growth, Paulo decides to start over: to travel, to experiment, to reconnect with people & the world. On this journey through Europe, Africa, & Asia, he will again meet Hilal--the woman he loved 500 years before--an encounter that will initiate a mystical voyage through time & space, through past & present, in search of himself. Aleph is an encounter with our fears & our sins; a search for love & forgiveness, & the courage to confront the inevitable challenges of life. ...

' Every time gardens welcomed us, we said to them, Aleppo is our aim & you are merely the route.' Al-Mutanabbi Aleppo lies in ruins. Its streets are plunged in darkness, most of its population has fled. But this was once a vibrant world city, where Muslims, Christians & Jews lived & traded together in peace. Few places are as ancient & diverse as Aleppo
- one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the world
- successively ruled by the Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman & French empires. Under the Ottomans, it became the empire's third largest city, after Constantinople & Cairo. It owed its wealth to its position at the end of the Silk Road, at a crossroads of world trade, where merchants from Venice, Isfahan & Agra gathered in the largest suq in the Middle East. Throughout the region, it was famous for its food & its music. For 400 years British & French consuls & merchants lived in Aleppo; many of their accounts are used here for the first time. In the first history of Aleppo in English, Dr Philip Mansel vividly describes its decline from a pinnacle of cultural & economic power, a poignant testament to a city shattered by Syria's civil war.

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Every New Yorker's worst nightmare is about to become a reality. New York has seen more than its fair share of horrific attacks, but the city is about to be shaken in a way it never has before. After two devastating catastrophes in quick succession, everyone is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett is assigned to the case & given the near impossible task of hunting down the shadowy terror group responsible. With troubles at home to contend with, Bennett has never been more at risk, or more alone, fighting the chaos all around him. Then a shocking assassination makes it clear that these inexplicable events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Now Bennett is racing against the clock to save his beloved city
- before the most destructive force he has ever faced tears it apart.
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Alesha Dixon has one of the most incredible stories of any star, yet she remains an enigma. Behind the fabulous smile & signature laugh is a private woman whose childhood was blighted by domestic violence, poverty & a lack of confidence. As a beautiful young woman, she has struggled to overcome professional failure & the devastating effect of her husband's infidelity.

The UK's leading celebrity biographer Sean Smith has travelled to her home town to uncover the truth about her upbringing, her unconditional love for her mother, her loyalty to her extended family, her feud with her elder brother & her unsettled relationship with her Jamaican father, who left home for good when she was four.

He discovers a sensitive & secretive woman, who managed to keep her long-term relationship with a member of one of the country's best-known boy bands hidden from public scrutiny. For the first time that love affair can now be revealed. He examines the circumstances that led to the break-up of her marriage to rapper MC Harvey & the effect that unhappy time has had on her life.

Alesha describes a roller-coaster career that began when she was 'discovered' at a dance class in Central London. She achieved huge early success with Mis-Teeq, who had seven consecutive top ten hits before their record label went bust. Her subsequent solo career stalled when she was dropped by Polydor before her debut album was even released, but she turned things around with a spectacular victory on Strictly Come Dancing. Sean Smith lays bare her subsequent TV career, including the row over her appointment as a judge on the programme, as well as her triumphant switch to Britain's Got Talent in 2012.

Alesha is the dramatic & uplifting account of her journey from a humble start in life & how she overcame all obstacles in her way to become an inspiration to women everywhere.







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Alesha Dixon has one of the most incredible stories of any star, yet she remains an enigma. Behind the fabulous smile & signature laugh is a private woman whose childhood was blighted by domestic violence, poverty & a lack of confidence. As a beautiful young woman, she has struggled to overcome professional failure & the devastating effect of her husband's infidelity. The UK's leading celebrity biographer Sean Smith has travelled to her home town to uncover the truth about her upbringing, her unconditional love for her mother, her loyalty to her extended family, her feud with her elder brother & her unsettled relationship with her Jamaican father, who left home for good when she was four. He discovers a sensitive & secretive woman, who managed to keep her long-term relationship with a member of one of the country's best-known boy bands hidden from public scrutiny. For the first time that love affair can now be revealed. He examines the circumstances that led to the break-up of her marriage to rapper MC Harvey & the effect that unhappy time has had on her life. Alesha describes a roller-coaster career that began when she was 'discovered' at a dance class in Central London. She achieved huge early success with Mis-Teeq, who had seven consecutive top ten hits before their record label went bust. Her subsequent solo career stalled when she was dropped by Polydor before her debut album was even released, but she turned things around with a spectacular victory on Strictly Come Dancing. Sean Smith lays bare her subsequent TV career, including the row over her appointment as a judge on the programme, as well as her triumphant switch to Britain's Got Talent in 2012. Alesha is the dramatic & uplifting account of her journey from a humble start in life & how she overcame all obstacles in her way to become an inspiration to women everywhere. ...

Alesha Dixon has one of the most incredible stories of any star, yet she remains an enigma. Behind the fabulous smile & signature laugh is a private woman whose childhood was blighted by domestic violence, poverty & a lack of confidence. As a beautiful young woman, she has struggled to overcome professional failure & the devastating effect of her husband's infidelity. The UK's leading celebrity biographer Sean Smith has travelled to her home town to uncover the truth about her upbringing, her unconditional love for her mother, her loyalty to her extended family, her feud with her elder brother & her unsettled relationship with her Jamaican father, who left home for good when she was four. He discovers a sensitive & secretive woman, who managed to keep her long-term relationship with a member of one of the country's best-known boy bands hidden from public scrutiny. For the first time that love affair can now be revealed. He examines the circumstances that led to the break-up of her marriage to rapper MC Harvey & the effect that unhappy time has had on her life. Alesha describes a roller-coaster career that began when she was 'discovered' at a dance class in Central London. She achieved huge early success with Mis-Teeq, who had seven consecutive top ten hits before their record label went bust. Her subsequent solo career stalled when she was dropped by Polydor before her debut album was even released, but she turned things around with a spectacular victory on Strictly Come Dancing. Sean Smith lays bare her subsequent TV career, including the row over her appointment as a judge on the programme, as well as her triumphant switch to Britain's Got Talent in 2012. Alesha is the dramatic & uplifting account of her journey from a humble start in life & how she overcame all obstacles in her way to become an inspiration to women everywhere. ...

In 52 BC Caesar's continued strategy of annihilation had engendered a spirit of desperation, which detonated into a revolt of Gallic tribes under the leadership of the charismatic young Arvernian noble Vercingetorix. Major engagements were fought at Noviodunum, Avaricum, & Gergovia, with the last action being the most serious reverse that Caesar faced in the whole of the Gallic War. However, Vercingetorix soon realized that he was unable to match the Romans in pitched battle. Taking advantage of the tribesmen's superior knowledge of their home territory, Vercingetorix began a canny policy of small war & defensive manoeuvres, which gravely hampered Caesar's movements by cutting off his supplies. For Caesar it was to be a grim summertime
- his whole Gallic enterprise faced disaster. In the event, by brilliant leadership, force of arms, & occasionally sheer luck, Caesar succeeded in stamping out the revolt in a long & brutal action culminating in the siege of Alesia. Vercingetorix finally surrendered & Alesia was to be the last significant resistance to the Roman will. Never again would a Gallic warlord independent of Rome hold sway over the Celts of Gaul.
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