' Terrific page-turning slyly funny' India Knight' As satisfying a novel as I have read in years' Sarah Perry' Absolutely magnificent' Marian Keyes Quentin & Lottie Bredin like many modern couples can't afford to divorce Having lost their jobs in the recession they can't afford to go on living in London; instead they must downsize & move their three children to a house in a remote part of Devon Arrogant & adulterous Quentin can't understand why Lottie is so angry; devastated & humiliated Lottie feels herself to have been intolerably wounded Mud mice & quarrels are one thing
- but why is their rent so low? What is the mystery surrounding their unappealing new home? The beauty of the landscape is ravishing yet it conceals a dark side involving poverty revenge abuse & violence which will rise up to threaten them Sally Verity happily married but unhappily childless knows a different side to country life as both a Health Visitor & a sheep farmer's wife; & when Lottie's innocent teenage son Xan gets a zero-hours contract at a local pie factory he sees yet another At the end of their year the lives of all will be changed for ever A suspenseful black comedy this is a rich compassionate & enthralling novel in its depiction of the English countryside & the potentially lethal interplay between money & marriage
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Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015 The Lie Tree is a wonderfully evocative & atmospheric novel by Frances Hardinge award-winning author of Cuckoo Song & Fly By Night Faith's father has been found dead under mysterious circumstances & as she is searching through his belongings for clues she discovers a strange tree The tree only grows healthy & bears fruit if you whisper a lie to it The fruit of the tree when eaten will deliver a hidden truth to the person who consumes it The bigger the lie the more people who believe it the bigger the truth that is uncovered The girl realizes that she is good at lying & that the tree might hold the key to her father's murder so she begins to spread untruths far & wide across her small island community But as her tales spiral out of control she discovers that where lies seduce truths shatter ...

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015 The Lie Tree is a dark & powerful novel from universally acclaimed author Frances Hardinge It was not enough All knowledge- any knowledge
- called to Faith & there was a delicious poisonous pleasure in stealing it unseen Faith has a thirst for science & secrets that the rigid confines of her class cannot supress & so it is that she discovers her disgraced father's journals filled with the scribbled notes & theories of a man driven close to madness Tales of a strange tree which when told a lie will uncover a truth the greater the lie the greater the truth revealed to the liar Faith's search for the tree leads her into great danger
- for where lies seduce truths shatter ' Brilliant dark thrilling utterly original' Patrick Ness' The Lie Tree is a wonder I can't think of anyone who would not love this story' Matt Haig'I loved this book so much' Lucy Mangan' Complex & intelligent a lustrous delicious romp' Philip Womack The Telegraph

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Winner of the Costa Book of the Year 2015 The Lie Tree is a dark & powerful novel from universally acclaimed author Frances Hardinge & illustrated by Children's Laureate Chris Riddell It was not enough All knowledge- any knowledge
- called to Faith & there was a delicious poisonous pleasure in stealing it unseen Faith has a thirst for science & secrets that the rigid confines of her class cannot supress & so it is that she discovers her disgraced father's journals filled with the scribbled notes & theories of a man driven close to madness Tales of a strange tree which when told a lie will uncover a truth the greater the lie the greater the truth revealed to the liar Faith's search for the tree leads her into great danger
- for where lies seduce truths shatter The Lie Tree Illustrated Edition is packed full of gorgeous black & white illustrations by triple Kate Greenaway Medal winning-illustrator Chris Riddell author of the Goth Girl & Ottoline series' Brilliant dark thrilling utterly original' Patrick Ness' The Lie Tree is a wonder I can't think of anyone who would not love this story' Matt Haig'I loved this book so much' Lucy Mangan' Complex & intelligent a lustrous delicious romp' Philip Womack The Telegraph

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They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight They say he steals from the rich & gives to the poor They say he's part man part myth & mostly street-corner rumor & they are wrong on every count Only averagely tall slender & god-awful with a sword Locke Lamora is the fabled Thorn & the greatest weapons at his disposal are his wit & cunning He steals from the rich
- they're the only ones worth stealing from
- but the poor can go steal for themselves What Locke cons wheedles & tricks into his possession is strictly for him & his band of fellow con-artists & thieves the Gentleman Bastards Together their domain is the city of Camorr Built of Elderglass by a race no-one remembers it's a city of shifting revels filthy canals baroque palaces & crowded cemeteries Home to Dons merchants soldiers beggars cripples & feral children & to Capa Barsavi the criminal mastermind who runs the city But there are whispers of a challenge to the Capa's power A challenge from a man no one has ever seen a man no blade can touch The Grey King is coming A man would be well advised not to be caught between Capa Barsavi & The Grey King Even such a master of the sword as the Thorn of Camorr As for Locke Lamora

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Trust in our politicians is at an all-time low We're in a "post-truth" era where feelings trump facts & where brazen rhetoric beats honesty But do politicians lie more than they used to? & do we even want them to tell the truth? In a history full of wit & political acumen Private Eye journalist Adam Macqueen dissects the gripping stories of the biggest political lies of the last half century from the Profumo affair to Blair's WMDs to Boris Johnson's GBP350 million for the NHS Covering lesser known whoppers infamous lies from foreign shores ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman") & some of the resolute untruths from Donald Trump's explosive presidential campaign this is the quintessential guide to dishonesty from our leaders
- & the often pernicious relationship between parliament & the media But this book is also so much more It explains how in the space of a lifetime we have gone from the implicit assumption that our rulers have our best interests at heart to assuming the worst even when
- in the majority of cases
- politicians are actually doing their best


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What happens when you&re rejected from the afterlife? Jude is the son of God cast out from the heavens & forced to make a life on earth Cursed with the knowledge of the afterlife but unable to reach it Jude focuses his power on convincing people to disavow their belief in a higher power On the other side of the fight is Essie the child who was never born who recruits believers to her side When the fight between faith & disbelief is fought on the mortal coil the fallout is catastrophic This volume collects the final five issues of Exodus The Life After the fourth volume of The Life After saga a strange & insightful journey that goes far beyond the veil About the Author What happens when you&re rejected from the afterlife? Jude is the son of God cast out from the heavens & forced to make a life on earth Cursed with the knowledge of the afterlife but unable to reach it Jude focuses his power on convincing people to disavow their belief in a higher power On the other side of the fight is Essie the child who was never born who recruits believers to her side When the fight between faith & disbelief is fought on the mortal coil the fallout is catastrophic This volume collects the final five issues of Exodus The Life After the fourth volume of The Life After saga a strange & insightful journey that goes far beyond the veil ...

A baby is found by wood nymphs in the forest of Burzee They raise him as their own & give him the name Neclaus When he grows up Neclaus has to leave the forest so he makes a home for himself in the laughing valley of Hohaha where he lives amongst humans for the first time He discovers there that many children are very poor & neglected so to cheer them up he whittles wooden toys as gifts Eventually he makes presents for all the children & so the story of Santa Claus is born Fashioned as a whimsical fairy tale The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus was published in 1902 just two years after L Frank Baum's masterpiece of the imagination The Wonderful Wizard of Oz This festive Macmillan Collector's Library edition of The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus features charming original illustrations by Mary Cowles Clark & an afterword by writer & journalist Ned Halley Designed to appeal to the booklover the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful special gift editions of much loved classic titles Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love & treasure ...

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 or region free DVD player in order to play A human baby is found & raised in the magical forest of Burzee The only human to ever be allowed into the forest young Nicholas soon seeks adventures that change the lives of children forever! This magical tale lets you in on all the secrets behind Christmas Why do reindeer pull the sleigh? How does Santa make all the Christmas toys in time? From the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comes the story behind everyone's favourite holiday time! Actors Hal Holbrook Robby Benson Dixie Carter Directors Glen Hill Format Animated Dolby PALLanguage English Region Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe Read more about DVD formats) Number of discs 1 ...

Everybody knows about Sherlock Holmes the unique literary character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who has remained popular over the decades & is more appreciated than ever today But what made this fictional character dreamed up by a small-town English doctor back in the 1880s into such a great success? This is the fascinating & exciting tale of the man & people who created the Holmes legend The book was winner of the Best Non-fiction Award by The Swedish Crime Writers' Academy 2013 & shortlisted for The Great Non-Fiction Book Prize (Sweden's biggest non-fiction award) in Sweden 2013 ...