|
|
|
HarperCollins Publishers
|
From the fall of the Berlin Wall to the advert of the Web, everywhere you turn you are told that we live in age of unparalleled freedom. This is dangerously naive. From the revolution in Iran that wasn't to the imposition of super-injunctions from the filthy rich, we still live in a world where you can write a book and end up dead. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of Communism, and the advent of the Web which allowed for even the smallest voice to be heard, everywhere you turned you were told that we were living in an age of unparalleled freedom. You Can't Read This Book argues that this view is dangerously naive. From the revolution in Iran that wasn't, to the Great Firewall of China and the imposition of super-injunctions from the filthy rich protecting their privacy, the traditional opponents of freedom of speech — religious fanaticism, plutocratic power and dictatorial states — are thriving, and in many respects finding the world a more comfortable place in the early 21st century than they did in the late 20th. This is not an account of interesting but trivial disputes about freedom of speech: the rights and wrongs of shouting 'fire' in a crowded theatre, of playing heavy metal at 3 am in a built-up area or articulating extremist ideas in a school or university. Rather, this is a story that starts with the cataclysmic reaction of the Left and Right to the publication and denunciation of the Satanic Verses in 1988 that saw them jump into bed with radical extremists. It ends at the juncture where even in the transgressive, liberated West, where so much blood had been spilt for Freedom, where rebellion is the conformist style and playing the dissenter the smart career move in the arts and media, you can write a book and end up destroyed or dead. |
|
A summer bestseller from the immensely popular Lindsey Kelk Tess Brookes was the girl with a plan. Now she's the girl with a choice. Should she stay in London and start her own advertising agency with her best friend and potential boyfriend Charlie? Or should she head to exciting Milan to pursue both a new career as a photographer and a new man, the enigmatic and elusive (and highly irritating) Nick? For the first time, Tess has to choose between the life she always dreamed of and a future she never imagined possible. With her heart and her head pulling her in different directions, Tess has to make a life-changing decision about What a Girl Wants. |
|
A classic coming-of-age tale set in a vivid and richly imagined world from Sunday Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie. 'Joe Abercrombie is probably the brightest star among the new generation of British fantasy writers' The Times 'Joe Abercrombie is doing some terrific work' George R.R. Martin HALF A KING — the first of three standalone but interconnected novels aimed at younger readers — will be published in summer 2014. A classic coming-of-age tale, set in a brilliantly imagined alternative historical world reminiscent of the Dark Ages with Viking overtones, the book tells the story of Yarvi, youngest son of a warlike king. Born with a crippled hand, he can never live up to his father's expectations of what a real man should be and his destiny is not the throne but the Ministry, not the sword and shield but the book and the soft word spoken. But when his father and brother are killed, Yarvi is propelled to kingship and must sit in the Black Chair, between gods and men, and half a man must find a way to rule as half a king. Thus begins a gripping switchback ride of a tale that will carry Yarvi far beyond his kingdom, from the heights of royalty to the depths of slavery, during the course of which he must find better ways to fight than with a sword, and learn the lessons that will make him a man. |
|
Scott Pilgrim's life is totally sweet. He's 23 years old, he's in a rock band, he's between jobs, and he's dating a cute high school girl. Nothing could possibly go wrong, unless a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. Will Scott's awesome life get turned upside-down? Will he have to face Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in battle? The short answer is yes. The long answer is Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life. |
|
The LAST volume in the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels! It's finally here! Six years and almost 1000 pages have all led to this epic finale! With six of Ramona's seven evil exes dispatched, it should be time for Scott Pilgrim to face Gideon Graves, the biggest and baddest of her former beaus. But didn't Ramona take off at the end of Book 5? Shouldn't that let Scott off the hook? Maybe it should, maybe it shouldn't, but one thing is for certain: all of this has been building to Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour! |
|
J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy story about the adventures of a bewitched toy dog, written before The Hobbit. While on holiday in 1925, four-year-old Michael Tolkien lost his beloved toy dog on the beach at Filey in Yorkshire. To console him, his father, J.R.R.Tolkien, improvised a story about Rover, a real dog who is magically transformed into a toy and is forced to seek out the wizard who wronged him in order to be returned to normal. This charming tale, peopled by a sand-sorcerer and a terrible dragon, by the king of the sea and the Man-in-the-Moon, was Tolkien's first full-length children's book, written before The Hobbit. Now, nearly 90 years later, the adventures of Rover — or, for reasons that become clear in the story, 'Roverandom' — are published in this delightful pocket hardback edition. Rich in wit and wordplay, Roverandom is edited and introduced by Tolkien experts Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, and includes Tolkien's own delightful illustrations. |
|
Robert Plant is one of the few genuine living rock legends. Frontman of Led Zeppelin, musical innovator and seller of millions of records, Plant has had a profound influence on music for over four decades. But the full account of his life has barely been told... until now. Robert Plant: A Life is the first complete and comprehensive telling of Plant's story. From his earliest performances in folk clubs in the early 1960s, to the world's biggest stages as Led Zeppelin's self-styled 'Golden God', and on to his emergence as an emboldened solo star. The sheer scale of Zeppelin's success is extraordinary: in the US alone they sold 70 million records, a figure surpassed only by the Beatles. But their success was marred by tragedy. These pages contain first-hand accounts of Plant's greatest highs and deepest lows: the tragic deaths of his son Karac and his friend, Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Told in vivid detail, this is the definitive story of a man of great talent, remarkable fortitude and extraordinary conviction. |
|
What if — whoosh, right now, with no explanation — a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down? That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened — not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children. Kevin Garvey, Mapleton's new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin's own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: his wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin's teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she's definitely not the sweet A student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he's distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start. With heart, intelligence and a rare ability to illuminate the struggles inherent in ordinary lives, Tom Perrotta has written a startling, thought-provoking novel about love, connection and loss. |
|
HOUSE OF SECRETS follows three siblings and their family as they are forced to move to a mysterious new house in San Francisco and end up embarking on a journey to retrieve a dark book of untold power. The first story in an epic fantasy adventure trilogy! When Brendan, Cordelia and Nell move to Kristoff House they have no idea that they are about to unleash the dark magic locked within. For the house once belonged to a crazed writer, whose stories have come to life. Literally. Now the Walker kids must battle against deadly pirates, bloodthirsty warriors and a bone-crunching giant. If they fail they will never see their parents again and a power-mad Witch will take over the world. No pressure then... House of Secrets is the first book in a major new series. It's going to be epic. |
|
When young model and mother Jo met rock star Ronnie Wood, she had no idea what her brief flirtation with this brilliant, charismatic musician would become. This is a moving and candid memoir from the woman who married the most controversial member of the Rolling Stones, and had the strength and courage to bounce back from heartbreak. A raw and rollicking narrative from the eye of the storm, Jo's extraordinary story of life as a Rolling Stone girlfriend, then wife, mother and more, is a never-before-heard account of the heady hedonistic Ronnie Wood years — the drugs, the roadies, the tours, and the booze — and a celebration of her new-found happiness as an entrepreneur, fashion icon and beauty expert. Following the public breakdown of her marriage, Jo moved on with a dignity and lack of bitterness that won her fans across the country. Now a successful businesswoman, a passionate campaigner of pure, organic living, and a thriving name in fashion, Jo has learnt to embrace her new found vitality, and in doing so has become the heroine of everyone from 20-something fashionistas to Strictly Come Dancing devotees. This is Jo's journey, from the breathtaking highs of her and Ronnie's shared infatuation and love, to the devastating lows of his sudden disappearances, drug-induced mania and seizures, and how she learned to walk away without regret or bitterness, and forgive. Published in hardback as 'Hey Jo'. |
|
The new novel from the bestselling author of You Had Me At Hello. What if the last person you wanted to see was the person you needed? After the runaway success of You Had Me At Hello, Mhairi McFarlane is back with a new cast of characters in her second book, Here's Looking At You. In essence it's an ugly duckling tale. Our heroine Aureliana returns to school after fifteen years for a reunion. School doesn't hold happy memories for her, as being a roly poly Italian (known as the Italian Galleon), and always armed with a Tupperware full of pungent Mediterranean food, she was bullied incessantly throughout her years there. Now in her 30s, Aureliana wants to put the past behind her once and for all and face up to the bullies who made her life hell. But she is much-changed from the girl she once was — all curves and because I'm worth it hair — and no one recognises her when she arrives. Losing her bottle, she backs out on her plan for revenge and slinks off, hoping never to be reminded of her years at school again. But fate gets in the way, and after the reunion her path keeps crossing with James — major hunk and Aureliana's major crush back at school. But alas, as a cronie to the bullies, Aureliana to this day believes that his beautiful exterior hides an ugly interior. As they continue to cross paths a love/hate relationship ensues until eventually something shifts, and they both start to discover what the person underneath is really like... Full of Mhairi's trademark laugh out loud humour, Here's Looking At You is a novel about facing your demons and being happy with who you really are. |
|
The UK's most influential food and drink journalist shoots a few sacred cows of food culture. The doctrine of local food is dead. Farmers' markets are merely a lifestyle choice for the affluent middle classes. And 'organic' has become little more than a marketing label that is way past its sell by date. That may be a little hard to swallow for the ethically-aware food shopper but it doesn't make it any less true. And now the UK's most outspoken and entertaining food writer is ready to explain why. This engaging, witty and honest narrative is driven by the appetite of one large man: Jay Rayner — someone who lives to eat, but also understands that there is a world beyond the high-end obsessions of the farmers' market. Combining sharply-observed memoir — growing up with the UK's most famous agony aunt who also happened to be a bloody good TV chef; witnessing the arrival of McDonald's and Dayville's ice cream in Seventies London; working as a butcher's boy — with hard-nosed reportage, Jay Rayner will blow conventional foodie wisdom apart. For here is the reality: within a few decades we will have nine billion mouths to feed, and we won't be doing that by flogging free-range eggs from a stall in Borough market. Jay explains why the doctrine of organic has been eclipsed by the need for sustainable intensification; and why the future lies in large-scale food production rather than the cottage industries that foodies often cheer for. From the the cornfields of Illinois to the killing lines of Yorkshire abattoirs, Rayner takes us on a journey that will change the way we shop, cook and eat forever. And give us a few belly laughs along the way. |
|
In a perfect world, Jonas begins to see the flaws... THE GIVER is the classic award-winning novel that inspired the dystopian genre and a major motion picture adaptation for 2014 starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift. It is the future. There is no war, no hunger, no pain. No one in the community wants for anything. Everything needed is provided. And at twelve years old, each member of the community has their profession carefully chosen for them by the Committee of Elders. Twelve-year old Jonas has never thought there was anything wrong with his world. But from the moment he is selected as the Receiver of Memory, Jonas discovers that their community is not as perfect as it seems. It is only with the help of the Giver, that Jonas can find what has been lost. And it is only through his personal courage that Jonas finds the strength to do what is right... The Giver is the award-winning classic of bravery and adventure that has inspired countless dystopian writers as the forerunner of this genre. |
|
Another warm, wise and witty offering from Sunday Times bestseller Trisha Ashley. James is everything Tish has ever wanted in a husband — she's married a man who even her mother approves of. He's handsome, dependable, and will make an excellent father — unlike Tish's first love, the disreputable Fergal. Her teenage sweetheart abandoned her for a music career and now lives a typical celebrity lifestyle. Fergal broke her heart — James helped mend it. Now, they've bought a cottage in the country. The next step — kids and a lifetime of domestic bliss. Well, that's the plan. And even if James has a slight tendency to view the village pub as a second home, their relationship is still in pretty good shape after seven years of marriage. So why is marriage to Mr Right making her long for Mr Wrong? |
|
The gripping and largely untold story of the role of the intelligence services in Britain's retreat from empire. Against the background of the Cold War, and the looming spectre of Soviet-sponsored subversion in Britain's dwindling colonial possessions, the imperial intelligence service MI5 played a crucial but top secret role in passing power to newly independent national states across the globe. Mining recently declassified intelligence records, Calder Walton reveals this 'missing link' in Britain's post-war history. He sheds new light on everything from violent counter-insurgencies fought by British forces in the jungles of Malaya and Kenya, to urban warfare campaigns conducted in Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula. Drawing on a wealth of previously classified documents, as well as hitherto overlooked personal papers, this is also the first book to draw on records from the Foreign Office's secret archive at Hanslope Park, which contains some of the darkest and most shameful secrets from the last days of Britain's empire. Packed with incidents straight out of a John le Carre novel, Empire of Secrets is an exhilarating read by an exciting new voice in intelligence history. |
|
Gabriel Allon, master art restorer and assassin, returns in a spellbinding new thriller from No.1 bestselling author Daniel Silva. For all fans of Robert Ludlum. When a beautiful young British woman vanishes on the island of Corsica, a prime minister's career is threatened with destruction. And Gabriel Allon, master art restorer, spy, and assassin, is thrust into a game of shadows where nothing is what it seems... and where the only thing more dangerous than his enemies might be the truth... |
|
Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Carole Matthews, Every Woman for Herself is a hilarious account of divorce and dating when you're the wrong side of 40. When Charlie's husband Matt tells her that she's failed as a wife and he wants a divorce she has to start from scratch. Suddenly single, broke and the wrong side of 40 she is forced to return to her childhood home in the Yorkshire moors. Living with her father and eccentric siblings could be considered a challenge but soon Charlie finds her new life somewhat refreshing. Now that she's single she's got no need to dye her roots or be the perfect wife and she can return to her first love — painting. But just as she begins to feel settled, handsome, bad-tempered actor Mace North moves in down the road and starts mixing things up for Charlie in more ways than one... |
|
Swedish crime sensation and No. 1 international bestseller, Camilla Lackberg's new psychological thriller — for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo Christian Thydell's dream has come true: his debut novel, The Mermaid, is published to rave reviews. So why is he as distant and unhappy as ever? When crime writer Erica Falck, who discovered Christian's talents, learns he has been receiving anonymous threats, she investigates not just the messages but also the author's mysterious past... Meanwhile, one of Christian's closest friends is missing. Erica's husband, Detective Patrik Hedstrom, has his worst suspicions confirmed as the mind-games aimed at Christian and those around him become a disturbing reality. But, with the victims themselves concealing evidence, the investigation is going nowhere. Is their silence driven by fear or guilt? And what is the secret they would rather die to protect than live to see revealed? International bestseller Camilla Lackberg delivers a chilling and suspenseful mystery that will grip the reader right until its staggering final twist... |
|
A deliciously indulgent read and the follow up to Cupcakes at Carrington's. Set in Carrington's Department Store this is perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan. Carrington's Department store is thrown into a spin when the staff learn that a hot new Reality TV show is to be filmed in-store, featuring the formidable retail guru, Kelly Portland. Georgie Hart, in charge of Luxury Handbags, is reluctant, but quickly realises that the show could give Carrington's a new lease of life. With Christmas around the corner, she's also hoping that the season will deliver her the perfect Christmas present, in the form of Tom, the store's dishy boss. When the film crew arrive, things start to go wrong. One of Tom's old flames, Zara, is working on the show and then, to top things off, Tom and Zara are sent off to Brazil for a spot of extra filming. When Georgie settles down in front of the box to watch the first show, worse it to come — Georgie is shown in a far from flattering light and she is horrified to learn what Tom has been up to in Brazil. Georgie fears this is turning out to be the worst Christmas ever, but Santa might have a got a little surprise in store for her stocking this year — but she'll just have to wait until Christmas to find out! |
|
A beautiful book of illustrated Bible stories, retold by the world's best-loved cleric. Nobel prizewinner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, re-tells over fifty of his favourite Bible stories for an audience of young readers. From classics such as the stories of Noah and the calming of the storm, to less-known stories such as Naboth's Vineyard or Ruth, the Archbishop makes these time-honoured stories come to life in his own inimitable voice. The book has a truly international flavour, with illustrators from around the world contributing their interpretations of the stories. The result is a glorious, and great value, package that will inspire a generation of children — and their carers. |
|
