From the zeros of the mathematician to the void of the philosophers, from Shakespeare tot he empty set, from the ether to the quantum vacuum, from being & nothingness to creatio ex nihilo, there is much ado about nothing at the heart of things. Recent exciting discoveries in astronomy are shown to shed new light on the nature of the vacuum & its dramatic effect upon the explanation of the Universe. This remarkable book ranges over every nook & cranny of nothingness to reveal how the human mind has had to make something of nothing in every field of human enquiry. ...

This little book collects together Mother Teresa's words of wisdom. Through simple prayers, meditations & insights, it offers us all a guide on the path to peace, whatever our faith, & speaks of the simple truths that transcend all boundaries. Warm, profound & yet very practical, The Book of Peace will provide a tremendous source of inspiration for you or someone you love. It is brimming with timeless messages for us all. ...

This little book collects together Mother Teresa's words of wisdom. Through simple prayers, meditations & insights, it offers us all a guide on the path to peace, whatever our faith, & speaks of the simple truths that transcend all boundaries. Warm, profound & yet very practical, The Book of Peace will provide a tremendous source of inspiration for you or someone you love. It is brimming with timeless messages for us all. ...

Poo, poo, glorious poo!

Everyone knows at least one person who takes an unhealthy interest in their own bowel movements.

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Indigo, bookseller & CP-loving submissive, is obsessed with an antiquarian work of sadomasochism which eluded her father all his life. Caned, roped & shamed through the fleshpots of Europe, she will suffer any indignity to prevent Dervil Badon & his transsexual slave Natasha from getting their hands on her prize. But Dervil has no intention of allowing a mere submissive to own the legendary Book of Punishment. ...

Pegged as the loser in a small-town family that doesn't have much going for it in the first place, Ruth grows up (unlovely & unloved) in the shadow of her mean & brilliant brother, Matt, trying to hold her own in a world of poverty & hard edges. The little happiness she finds is in reading the books on tape for old, blind Miss Finch & in the letters she receives from her adored Aunt Sid. Matt's genius for mathematics is his escape from Honey Creek, but Ruth, with no ticket out, cleaves instead to her tough & bitter mother, May, who continues to trickle out the last of her love to Matt even as he leaves them without a backward glance. Eventually Ruth meets & falls for Ruby, the sweet but slightly deranged man she marries & supports. Ruth spots stains at Trim 'N Tidy Dry Cleaners, bowls at the Town Lanes, & tries in vain to keep the peace between May, whose lashing criticisms blow through the cramped house with gale force, & Ruby, who spends his days getting stoned & watching reruns of Bewitched on TV. The arrival of Justy, Ruth & Ruby's newborn son, temporarily suspends everyone in mutual joy, but soon the baby becomes the object of their most heated contention. When the precarious household erupts in violence, Ruth is the only one who can piece their story together
- & she gets at the truth in a manner at once ferocious, hilarious, & heartbreaking.

In this powerful, incandescent novel, Jane Hamilton has worked a small miracle: She has given voice to a young woman you have passed on the street a thousand times. Perhaps you have never noticed her, but the next time you see her, you will know who she is. Passionate in her commitment to life, Ruth is a stunning testament to the human capacity for mercy, compassion & love. The Book of Ruth is Hamilton's magnificent début.


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In a compelling novel that takes the reader on a strange journey from Indochina to Paris, the Vietnamese cook for Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas reveals his own fascinating story-Paris, 1934. Binh has accompanied his employers to the station for their departure to America. His own destination is unclear: will he go with his ' Mesdames', stay in France, or return to his native Vietnam? Binh fled his homeland in disgrace, leaving behind his malevolent charlatan of a father & his self-sacrificing mother. For five years, he has been the personal cook at the famous apartment on the rue de Fleurs. Binh is a lost soul, an exile & an alien, a man of musings, memories & possibly lies- Tastes, oceans, sweat, tears
- The Book of Salt is a an inspired novel about food & exile, love & betrayal.
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In a snowbound village in the German mountains, a young woman discovers an extraordinary secret. Before she can reveal it, she disappears. All that survives is a picture of a mysterious medieval playing card that has perplexed scholars for centuries.

Nick Ash does research for the FBI in New York. Six months ago his girlfriend Gillian walked out & broke his heart. Now he

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In a snowbound village in the German mountains, a young woman discovers an extraordinary secret. Before she can reveal it, she disappears. All that survives is a picture of a mysterious medieval playing card that has perplexed scholars for centuries.

Nick Ash does research for the FBI in New York. Six months ago his girlfriend Gillian walked out & broke his heart. Now he

...

Crafted with all the skills that have made his previous books bestsellers, The Book of Secrets will be essential reading ...