Rising From The Mist in the sun-blushed hills of Tuscany is Il Piccolo Rustico, a 300-year-old stone farmhouse that Nancy Doran dreams of lovingly restoring into an idlyllic home. All her husband Phil can see is a crumbling money pit that, as far as dreams go, is more of a nightmare. Reluctantly leaving behind high -octane, air-conditioned Los Angeles where he lives & works as a writer-producer, Phil is uprooted to a strange country intoxicated by O sole mio, virgin olive oil & oak-aged Chianti. The local village reveals itself to be a hive of seething passions, secrets & age-old blood feuds, & the newcomers find that life is not all strolls around town during the passagiato & relaxing under the awnings of picturesque cafes. Beset by a rift of exasperating challenges
- from the cunning tricks of the Pinatore family to an infuriating Byzantine Italian bureaucracy
- it is only with an inspired touch of the ` Inner Italian` that Phil & Nancy finally manage to soften the hearts of their neighbours & are embraced by the community.

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This title is winner of the Booker Prize. In the summer of 1956, Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the countryside & into his past. A contemporary classic, ”he Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro`s beautiful & haunting evocation of life between the wars in a Great English House, of lost causes & lost love. ...

The Remains of the Day won the 1989 Booker Prize & cemented Kazuo Ishiguro`s place as one of the world`s greatest writers. David Lodge, chairman of the judges in 1989, said, it`s ”a cunningly structured & beautifully paced performance”. This is a haunting evocation of lost causes & lost love, & an elegy for England at a time of acute change. Ishiguro`s work has been translated into more than forty languages & has sold millions of copies worldwide. Stevens, the long-serving butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the countryside, but also into his own past. Reflecting on his years of service, he must re-examine his life in the face of changing Britain, & question whether his dignity & properness have come at a greater cost to himself. ...

More than ever before, the Renaissance stands as one of the defining moments in world history. Between 1400 & 1600, European perceptions of society, culture, politics & even humanity itself emerged in ways that continue to affect not only Europe but the entire world. This wide-ranging exploration of the Renaissance sees the period as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement & cultural experimentation & interaction on a global scale, alongside a darker side of religion, intolerance, slavery, & massive inequality of wealth & status. It guides the reader through the key issues that defined the period, from its art, architecture, & literature, to advancements in the fields of science, trade, & travel. In its incisive account of the complexities of the political & religious upheavals of the period, the book argues that Europe`s reciprocal relationship with its eastern neighbours offers us a timely perspective on the Renaissance that still has much to teach us today. ...

A set of five handy maps, each covering Approx. a 30-km section of the route. The maps use the German topographic survey as a base, with an overprint highlighting the route & the adjoining local footpaths, as well as various types of accommodation & recreational facilities. On the reverse, there is a profile of each stage & brief descriptions. Map legend & all the text are in German only. The maps show no geographical coordinates. ...

It is an early spring evening in 1943 when the air-raid sirens wail out over the East End of London. From every corner of Bethnal Green, people emerge from pubs, cinemas & houses & set off for the shelter of the tube station. But at the entrance steps, something goes badly wrong, the crowd panics, & 173 people are crushed to death. When an enquiry is called for, it falls to the local magistrate, Laurence Dunne, to find out what happened during those few, fatally confused minutes. But as Dunne gathers testimony from the guilt-stricken warden of the shelter, the priest struggling to bring comfort to his congregation, & the grieving mother who has lost her youngest daughter, the picture grows ever murkier. The more questions Dunne asks, the more difficult it becomes to disentangle truth from rumour
- & to decide just how much truth the damaged community can actually bear. It is only decades later, when the case is reopened by one of the children who survived, that the facts can finally be brought to light.. .
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There is nothing to be found in the pages of these books but misery & despair. You still have time to choose something else to read. But if you must know what unpleasantries befall the charming & clever Baudelaire children read on... The siblings endure a car accident, a terrible smell, a deadly serpent, a long knife, a brass reading lamp, & the re-appearance of a person they hoped to never see again. Then again, why trouble yourself with the unfortunate resolutions? Avoid these books in Lemony Snicket`s international bestselling series & you`ll never have to know what happens! ...

This is a gripping narrative of the most critical years in modern Ireland`s history
- from Charles Townshend, author of Easter
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Midwinter in the early years of this century. A teenage girl on holiday has gone missing in the hills at the heart of Engl&. The villagers are called up to join the search, fanning out across the moors as the police set up roadblocks & a crowd of news reporters descends on their usually quiet home. But the aftershocks of Becky Shaw’s disappearance have origins long before then, & those in the village have losses, & secrets, & stories of their own…A woman remembers a son’s inexperience – & a father’s rage; a young wife pushes against the boundaries of her marriage, whilst an older one finds ways to ensure the survival of hers. A hunt for a birthday present takes an alarming turn, & a teenage game grows serious. Fresh hurts open old wounds, salvation comes from unexpected quarters & chance encounters release long-buried memories. First broadcast as a series of specially-commissioned stories on BBC Radio 4, The Reservoir Tapes returns to the territory of the Booker-longlisted Reservoir 13, revealing the web of connections that bind us, & the many layers on which we all build our truths. ...

America`s first families are among the most private public figures on earth. From the mystique of the glamorous Kennedys to the tumult that surrounded Bill & Hillary Clinton during the president`s impeachment to the historic yet polarizing residency of Barack & Michelle Obama, each new administration brings a unique set of personalities to the White House--and a new set of challenges to the fiercely loyal & hardworking people who serve them: the White House residence staff. No one understands the president of the United States, & his family, like the men & women who make the White House run every day. Now, for the first time, their stories of fifty years, ten administrations, & countless crises, large & small, are told in The Residence. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with butlers, maids, chefs, florists, doormen, & other staffers--as well as former first ladies & first family members--Kate Andersen Brower, who covered President Obama`s first term, offers a group portrait of the dedicated professionals who orchestrate lavish state dinners; stand ready during meetings with foreign dignitaries; care for the president & first lady`s young children; & cater to every need the first couple may have, however sublime or, on occasion, ridiculous. In the voices of the residence workers themselves--sometimes wry, often affectionate, always gracious & proud--here are stories of The Kennedys--from intimate glimpses of their marriage to the chaotic days after JFK`s assassination The Johnsons--featuring the bizarre saga of LBJ`s obsession with the White House plumbing The Nixons--including Richard Nixon`s unexpected appearance in the White House kitchen the morning he resigned The Reagans--from a fire that endangered Ronald Reagan late in his second term to Nancy`s control of details large & small The Clintons--whose private battles, marked by shouting matches & flying objects, unsettled residence workers The Obamas--who danced to Mary J. Blige on their first night in the White House And just as compelling are the stories of the workers themselves, including Storeroom Manager Bill Hamilton, who served eleven presidents over fifty-five years; Executive Housekeeper Christine Limerick, who married a fellow residence worker; Chief Usher Stephen Rochon, who became the first African American to hold the post; Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, who feuded fiercely with Executive Chef Walter Scheib; & Butler James Ramsey, who made friends with presidents Bill Clinton & George W. Bush, & whose spirit animated the White House through six administrations before his death in 2014. Working tirelessly to provide impeccable service & earning the trust & undying admiration of each new first family, these extraordinary White House workers served every day in the midst of history--and lived to tell the tales. ...