In 1995, before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire to move back to the States for a few years with his family, Bill Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green & kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation`s public face & private parts (as it were), & to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite; a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy; place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey & Shellow Bowells; people who said ` Mustn`t grumble`, & ` Ooh lovely` at the sight of a cup of tea & a plate of biscuits; & Gardeners` Question Time. Notes from a Small Island was a huge number-one bestseller when it was first published, & has become the nation`s most loved book about Britain, going on to sell over two million copies. ...

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the States for a while but before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain. His aim was to take stock of the nation`s public face & private parts (as it were), & to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite, a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy, place names like Farleigh Wallop & Shellow Bowells, people who said ` Mustn`t grumble`, & Gardeners` Question Time. ...

Swedish cuisine is delicious, varied & often unexpected, & in this delightful book Margareta Schildt Landgren shares wonderful stories from her own Swedish kitchen along with over 100 fabulous recipes. Here Margareta

Includes:: both traditional & modern recipes, from Gravalax with Herbs & Swedish Meatballs to St Lucia Buns & Elderflower Cordial. The mouth-watering recipes are interspersed with captivating narrative on Sweden's food traditions, the development of regional cuisine, the importance of seasonal eating & celebration foods. Margareta's text is illustrated beautifully with stunning recipe & location photography from Tine Guth Linse, as well as photographs from her own archive. This is essential reading for anyone with a passion for food or a love of Swedish culture.

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Renowned Canadian artist Rachel Kelly
- now of Penzance
- has buried her past & married a gentle & loving Cornish man. Her life

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Colonel Wyvern, stationed with the army in Madras during the height of British imperial rule, opened a cookery school upon his return to England & was a passionate enthusiast for both European & Indian cuisine. In these vivid, common-sense & entertaining writings, he gives advice on re-creating French classics in the steaming heat; describes tiffin parties & cooking while at camp; & laments the declining popularity of curry in the Raj, providing foolproof recipes for curry powder, tamarind chutney, korma & `mulligatunny` soup. With devotees including Elizabeth David, Wyvern`s unique brand of anglo-Indian cookery is still reflected in the way we eat today. ...

Notes from the Jam Cupboard by Mary Tregellas is a delicious collection of over 90 easy-to-follow recipes for sweet & savoury preserves, sauces, liqueurs & breads including a few recipes for dishes that use them. After an introduction on useful equipment, key ingredients & general preserving tips the book is structured in chapters & according to fruits & vegetables. These, Luscious berries, Wholesome vegetables, Aromatic herbs & spices, Intoxicating alcoholic drinks & Breads, to name just a few, will show you how to make a wide range of products. Thus, in the Luscious berries section you will find Fruits of the forest jam, Strawberry & Redcurrant Cordial as well as Summer Fruit Trifle recipe & including a brief of its history for the curious minded. Accompanying the instructions are tantalising pictures & anecdotes that make this book more than just recipe collection, Notes from the Jam Cupboard is a friend in the kitchen you will relish. ...

An introduction to what was France`s last undiscovered Mediterranean secret
- the Languedoc. This is a guide to the Languedoc composed
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For the last six years of his life, Roger Deakin kept notebooks in which he wrote his daily thoughts, impressions, feelings & observations. Discursive, personal & often impassioned, they reveal the way he saw the world, whether it be observing the teeming ecosystem that was Walnut Tree Farm, thinking about the wider environment, walking in his fields, on Mellis Common or on his travels at home, or contemplating his past & his present life. Notes from Walnut Tree Farm collects the very best of these writings, capturing Roger’s extraordinary, restless curiosity about the natural & human worlds, his love of literature & music, his knack for making unusual & apposite connections, & of course his distinct & subversive charm & humour. Together they cohere to present a passionate, engaged &
- in spite of the worst pressures of contemporary life
- optimistic view of our changing world.

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The world is messing with our minds. Rates of stress & anxiety are rising. A fast, nervous planet is creating fast & nervous lives. We are more connected, yet feel more alone. & we are encouraged to worry about everything from world politics to our body mass index.- How can we stay sane on a planet that makes us mad?
- How do we stay human in a technological world?- How do we feel happy when we are encouraged to be anxious? After experiencing years of anxiety & panic attacks, these questions became urgent matters of life & death for Matt Haig. & he began to look for the link between what he felt & the world around him. Notes on a Nervous Planet is a personal & vital look at how to feel happy, human & whole in the twenty-first century.
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Shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize, Zoe Heller`s Notes on a Scandal is a darkly compelling novel that explores the taboo subject of pupil/teacher relationships, obsession & betrayal. From the first day that the beguiling Sheba Hart joins the staff of St George`s history teacher Barbara Covett is convinced she has found a kindred spirit. Barbara`s loyalty to her new friend is passionate & unstinting & when Sheba is discovered having an illicit affair with one of her pupils, Barbara quickly elects herself as Sheba`s chief defender. But all is not as it first seems in this dark story &, as Sheba will soon discover, a friend can be just as treacherous as any lover.` Brilliant, nasty, gripping` Zadie Smith` Compelling, dark, sexy` Observer` Superbly gripping. One of the most compelling books I`ve read in ages` Daily Telegraph` Deliciously sinister` Daily Mail Zoe Heller is the author of three novels, Everything You Know, Notes on a Scandal, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003 & The Believers. The 2006 film adaptation of Notes on a Scandal, starring Cate Blanchett & Judi Dench, received four Oscar nominations. She lives in New York. ...