Sex, Lies, & Rocky Roads... Life is simple for Champa. He has a good job as a chauffeur in his hometown of Lhasa, & if his Chinese boss Plum is a little domineering, well, he can understand that
- she`s a serious art-collector after all. & he does get to drive her huge Toyota. When he starts to sleep with his boss as well as drive her around, life becomes a whole lot more complicated. But not in a bad way. Suddenly Champa`s sex life is beyond his wildest dreams. But then Plum brings home a Tara statue
- a statue that shines with exquisite feminine beauty
- & suddenly life is not simple at all, as Champa finds himself on the long road to Beijing in search of its inspiration... The Unbearable Dreamworld of Champa The Driver is a rollicking road novel brim-ful of sensuality & danger. Underlying the optimism & humour of its hero is a darker picture of racism & rough justice in modern Beijing.


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To the casual observer, the great enlightened city of Edinburgh, home of no-nonsense philosophers & cream teas, might appear immune to the rollercoaster of strong emotions. But at 44 Scotland Street, as Matthew & Elspeth embark on the risky enterprise of married love, the raffish portrait painter Angus Lordie has a premonition of disaster. & soon enough Irene Pollock is shocked to learn that her small son Bertie harbours a highly unsuitable ambition; the gloriously vain Bruce discovers a wrinkle & confronts rejection; & Angus finds himself facing the grave consequences of unbridled bliss, not to mention a large Glaswegian gangster bearing gifts.. . ...

We love Pig (we can`t help it), but Pig loves Farmer, & he can`t help it either. After all, Farmer gives Pig yummy slops & special back scratches, & calls him Sausage & seems to love him more, the fatter he gets. Just as well Pig doesn`t speak any Farmer. But Duck does (Duck`s clever like that), & he`s determined his best friend should know the truth. This is tough for Pig. But Pig won`t just sit there & weep (though we may do, on his behalf), because there`s help from an unexpected quarter: the Evil Chickens have a plan... ...

` Oh Norman, ` said the Queen, `the prime minister doesn`t seem to have read any Hardy. Perhaps you could find him one of our old paperbacks on his way out.` Had the dogs not taken exception to the strange van parked in the royal grounds, the Queen might never have learnt of the Westminster travelling library`s weekly visits to the palace. But finding herself at its steps, she goes up to apologise for all the yapping & ends up taking out a novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett, last borrowed in 1989. Duff read though it proves to be, upbringing demands she finish it &, so as not to appear rude, she withdraws another. This second, more fortunate choice of book awakens in Her Majesty a passion for reading so great that her public duties begin to suffer. & so, as she devours work by everyone from Hardy to Brookner to Proust to Samuel Beckett, her equerries conspire to bring the Queen`s literary odyssey to a close. Subversive & highly enjoyable, The Uncommon Reader offers the perfect argument for reading, written by one of its great champions, Alan Bennett. ...

When Ivy Sparrow`s grandmother Sylvie is rushed to hospital, Ivy & her annoying big brother Seb cannot imagine what lies in store for them. Returning to Sylvie`s house, they find it has been ransacked by unknown intruders
- then a mysterious feather scratches an ominous message onto the kitchen wall, & a very strange policeman is determined to apprehend them...with a toilet brush. Ivy & Seb make their escape
- only to find themselves in a completely uncommon world. The forces of evil are closing in fast, & if Ivy & Seb are ever to see their parents again, they must get to the bottom of a family secret as shameful as it is incredible...before it`s too late.

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Who makes most money from the demand for cappuccinos early in the morning at Waterloo Station? Why is it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder? How does the Mafia make money from laundries when street gangs pushing drugs don`t? Who really benefits from immigration? How can China, in just fifty years, go from the world`s worst famine to one of the greatest economic revolutions of all time, lifting a million people out of poverty a month? Looking at familiar situations in unfamiliar ways, THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST is a fresh explanation of the fundamental principles of the modern economy, illuminated by examples from the streets of London to the booming skyscrapers of Shanghai to the sleepy canals of Bruges. Leaving behind textbook jargon & equations, Tim Harford will reveal the games of signals & negotiations, contests of strength & battles of wit that drive not only the economy at large but the everyday choices we make. ...

A million readers bought The Undercover Economist to get the lowdown on how economics works on a small scale, in our everyday lives. Since then, economics has become big news. Crises, austerity, riots, bonuses
- all are in the headlines all the time. But how does this large-scale economic world really work? What would happen if we cancelled everyone`s debt? How do you create a job? Will the BRIC countries take over the world? Asking
- among many other things -- what the future holds for the Euro, why the banks are still paying record bonuses & where government borrowing will take us, in The Undercover Economist Strikes Back, Tim Harford returns with his trademark clarity & wit to explain what`s really going on
- & what it means for us all.


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What would happen if the London Underground ceased to exist? When Alex Day visited Wales to find the oldest passenger train in existence, he discovered it wasn`t there. Faced with the idea that this could happen to the tube, he set off to visit every station
- all 270 of them
- to see what stories they had to share & preserve them forever. Funny, fascinating & touching, this is a tale of one man`s obsession, adventure & the human stories that are only a train ride away.

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From the bestselling author of STARTER FOR TEN, ONE DAY & US, THE UNDERSTUDY is a scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy & love. For Josh Harper, being in show-business means everything he ever wanted
- money, fame, a beautiful wife, & a lead role on the London stage. For Stephen C. Mc Queen, it means a disastrous career playing passers-by & dead people. Stephen is stuck with an unfortunate name, a hopeless agent, a daughter he barely knows, & a job as understudy to Josh Harper, the 12th Sexiest Man in the World. & when Stephen falls in love with Josh`s clever, funny wife Nora, things get even more difficult. But might there yet be a way for Stephen to get his Big Break?THE UNDERSTUDY is a scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy & love.
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