When Jeanne-Antoinette was nine, she was told by a fortune teller that she would one day become the mistress of the handsome young Louix XV
- from that day she was groomed to become `a morsel fit for a King`. Nancy Mitford lovingly tells the story of how the little girl rose, against a backdrop of savage social-climbing, intrigue, excess & high drama, to become the most powerful women of the eighteenth century French court, Le Pompadour.
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What would you talk about if you were stuck in a room with a drug dealer for five days? Magda, a Polish immigrant, grows cannabis in underground containers in eastern Poland & ships it to the UK. But her plans change when she has to attend a funeral of a family member & she only has five days to convince her mysterious listener to help her expand her empire. Magda begins to tell the unexpected story of her life
- the cover jobs in London, the strained relationship with her family who know nothing about who Magda really is, & her development as a cannabis dealer. Can you trust somebody who is two people, & how do you know when to believe a professional liar?.. . Menacing, fast-paced, with a unique & intense voice, A.M. Bakalar`s first novel reveals unexpected truths about the lies we tell & the people we are.
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This important new series rediscovers the original heroes of cookery. Reissuing texts that for decades have been available only to collectors of old books, each title has been redesigned giving the original text an updated yet timeless look for today's reader. These classic voices convey the flavour of their times & yet are astonishingly relevant to the modern reader. With two more titles to follow in September, this series will establish itself as an exciting new source of reference & inspiration for all food lovers. First published in 1938, the original editor of Madame Prunier's Fish Cookery Book, Ambrose Heath, described it as 'a really thrilling book...that should take its place among the classics of the kitchen'. This is certainly as true today as when Madame Prunier first wrote her Advice on Buying fish & Elementary Rules for Cooking Fish. Simple but wonderful recipes for Savoury Butters & Sauces, Soups, Fresh-Water fish, Salt-Water Fish & Shellfish include such delights as Crayfish Barquettes, Clam Risotto, Devilled Herrings & Sole Souffle, fulfilling the original ambition of the book to 'keep all the cooks in Britain busy for some time'. ...

Years ago, Madame Verona & her husband built a home for themselves on a hill in a forest above a small village. There they lived in isolation, practising their music, & chopping wood to see them through the cold winters. When Mr Verona died, the locals might have expected that the legendary beauty would return to the village, but Madame Verona had enough wood to keep her warm during the years it would take to make a cello
- the instrument her husband loved
- & in the meantime she had her dogs for company. & then one cold February morning, when the last log has burned, Madame Verona sets off down the village path, with her cello & her memories, knowing that she will have no strength to climb the hill again. Poignant, precise & perfectly structured, this is a story of one woman`s tender & enduring love
- as a wife, & as a widow.


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SHORTLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL SHORT STORY PRIZE 2018LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2018WINNER OF THE EAST ANGLIAN BOOK AWARD FOR FICTIONMadame Zero is a remarkable collection of dark, sensuous stories set in sometimes conflicting landscapes
- rural, industrial, psychological
- all of which are hauntingly resonant with dread. Whether set in an apocalyptic storm, a local swimming pool, or a surgical theatre, Hall`s stories inhabit a hinterland between the natural & urban, the mundane & surreal, human & animal.

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The story of the Trikkala is a strange one. Reported sunk in 1945, she sails into port one year later, barely afloat, her crew & valuable cargo missing. What happened during that year at sea? What secrets of betrayal & murderous greed were played out on the desolate islet of Maddon`s Rock? ...

With the rest of the Blue Door Theatre Company in London training to be actors, poor Maddy has been left all alone in the little town of Fenchester. She longs to follow the others to the big city, but she is 12 years old, & she has maths homework to do. However, Maddy has never let a bit of schoolwork come between her & her dreams. When she finds that a famous Dutch film director is in town, she leaps at the opportunity: she will be a film star. But stardom isn`t an easy life (in spite of the personal dressing room & the lovely costumes) & there are setbacks & difficulties along the way. But with such a stubborn & talented leading lady as Maddy, surely even Mrs Potter-Smith & the headmistress can`t stop the show from going on? Maddy Alone is the second book in the Blue Door series, following on from the classic of children`s literature The Swish of the Curtain. ...

From Tuscan tomato & bread soup to monkfish stew, simple spaghettis or lemon & pistachio polenta cake, Made at Home is a colourful collection of the food that Giorgio Locatelli loves to prepare for family & friends. Over 150 simple family recipes from the bestselling chef With recipes that reflect the places he calls home, from Northern Italy to North London or the holiday house he & his wife Plaxy have found in Puglia, Made at Home is a celebration of favourite vegetables combined in vibrant salads or fresh seasonal stews, along with generous fish & meat dishes & cakes to share. Early every evening, Giorgio`s `other family`, the chefs & front of house staff at his restaurant, Locanda Locatelli, sit down together to eat, & Giorgio reveals the recipes for their best-loved meals, the Tuesday Pizza & the Saturday ` Italian` Burger. In a series of features he also takes favourite ingredients or themes & develops them in four different ways, amid ideas for wholesome snacks, from mozzarella & ham calzoncini (pasties) to ricotta & swiss chard erbazzone (a traditional pie), crostini to put out with drinks, & fresh fruit ice creams & sorbets to round off a meal in true Italian style. ...

” Made by Dad” is chock full of 67 extraordinary, custom-designed how-to projects for DIY parents everywhere. The projects range from full-length, artfully illustrated creations to smaller, Mac Gyver-like challenges that can be whipped out at the coffee shop, plus ”DIY Dad” tips sprinkled throughout & illustration templates to boost your project`s artistic appeal. All chapters, categorized by theme
- Dangerous Decor, Gross Gadgets, Covert Creations, Crafty Disasters, Home Hacks, & more
- include step-by-step project illustrations, complete with visual ”status checks” (to help you keep up), & clever, playful games to incorporate the finished project. Dads will love to create stealthy contraptions like the Bunk Bed Communicator, & the whole family will be impressed with the endless entertainment that can be gleaned from the ” Steampunk”-Inspired Balancing Robot. While the projects have a decidedly made-scientist-in-his-laboratory feel, the book`s charm & richness of material will appeal to mummies, too-especially when she flips to the whole chapter of projects dedicated to showing Mum-appreciation
- like the I Love You THIS MUCH Pop-up Card (with Go-Go-Gadget-style arms that extend to give Mum a virtual hug!).


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” Funny, wise, learned & compulsive.” (GQ). Bill Bryson turns away from travelling the highways & byways of middle America, so hilariously depicted in his bestselling The Lost Continent, The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid & Notes from a Big Country, for a fast, exhilarating ride along the Route 66 of American language & popular culture. In Made in America, Bryson tells the story of how American arose out of the English language, & along the way, de-mythologizes his native land
- explaining how a dusty desert hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn`t won, why Americans say `lootenant` & ` Toosday`, how they were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up
- as well as exposing the true origins of the words G-string, blockbuster, poker & snafu. ”A tremendously sassy work, full of zip, pizzazz & all those other great American qualities.” (Will Self, Independent on Sunday).

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