Jasmine is thrilled when she gets to catsit for her neighbours while theyre away on holiday for Christmas. She adores looking after the beautiful Star & only wishes she could keep her forever! Star loves playing with Jasmine & soon the pair are inseparable. But what Jasmine doesnt know is that Star has a secret. Although it is cold & dark outside the time has come for Star to leave Jasmine & her warm safe home & find a place to hide. ...

How far would you go to find yourself? The lyrical life-affirming new novel from the bestselling author of Private Peaceful There were dozens of us on the ship all up on deck for the leaving of Liverpool gulls wheeling & crying over our heads calling good-bye... That is all I remember of Engl&. When six-year-old orphan Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII he loses his sister his country & everything he knows. Overcoming enormous hardships with fellow orphan Marty Arthur is finally saved by the extraordinary people he meets & by his talent for boat-design & sailing. Now he has built a special boat for his daughter Allie
- a solo yacht designed to carry her to England in search of his long-lost sister. Will the threads of Arthur's life finally come together? I was there on the quayside to see Allie take her out for the first time saw her dancing through the waves & I knew I'd never built a finer boat.
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On 17 January 1913 alone & near starvation Douglas Mawson leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Then Mawson plunged through a snow bridge dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface. Mawson was sometimes reduced to crawling & one night he discovered that the soles of his feet had detached from the flesh beneath. On 8 February he staggered back to base his features unrecognisably skeletal. Illustrated by a trove of Frank Hurley's Antarctic photographs this thrilling almost unbelievable account establishes Mawson in his rightful place as one of the greatest polar explorers & expedition leaders. ...

Technology has become the architect of our intimacies. Online we fall prey to the illusion of companionship gathering thousands of Twitter & Facebook friends & confusing tweets & wall posts with authentic communication. But this relentless connection leads to a new solitude. We turn to new technology to fill the void but as MIT technology & society specialist Sherry Turkle argues as technology ramps up our emotional lives ramp down. Alone Together is the result of Turkle's nearly fifteen-year exploration of our lives on the digital terrain. Based on interviews with hundreds of children & adults it describes new unsettling relationships between friends lovers parents & children & new instabilities in how we understand privacy & community intimacy & solitude. ...

The spectacular international bestseller that introduced Washington-based homicide detective Alex Cross & launched James Patterson's career as one of the fastest-selling thriller writers in the world -- now reissued in striking new cover style. He had always wanted to be famous. When he kidnapped two well-known rich kids it was headline news. Then one of them was found -- dead -- & the whole nation was in uproar. For such a high-profile case they needed the top people -- Alex Cross a black detective with a Ph D in psychology & Jezzie Flanagan an ambitious young Secret Service agent -- yet even they were no match for the killer. He had the unnerving ability to switch from blood-crazed madness to clear-eyed sanity in an instant. But was he the helpless victim of a multiple-personality disorder -- or a brilliant cold-blooded manipulator? ...

Along Came Twins... Kellie Petralia soon to be exwife of Greek billionaire Leandros is miraculously pregnant with twins! As Kellie surprises Leandros with the news theyre just days away from divorce but Leandros has other ideas... Hes determined to do whatever it takes to repair their marriage. But can he convince Kellie that miracles can happen twice in one family? An Accidental Family Firefighter Ben Lawless is tormented by memories of the friend he couldnt save & a pretty pregnant woman living on his land is an unwelcome distraction. Still as Lainey Keelers determination & spirit tempt him out of the darkness he wonders whether he could have the family hed convinced himself he didnt deserve... ...

Along for the Ride" is a captivating young adult novel from " New York Times" Number One bestseller Sarah Dessen about learning to let go & enjoy life. Auden has always felt like the odd one out. Since her parents' divorce she's shied away studying lots & staying out of the party scene. But now Auden's realized there must be something more & just like that she changes everything. Moving to her dad's house opens up a whole new whole of beach parties food fights
- & simply having fun. As she gets to know herself
- & a secretive boy with dark brooding eyes
- can Auden begin to let go & finally feel like she truly belongs? Acclaim for Sarah Dessen: " Unputdownable". ("MIZZ"). "A poignant coming-of-age story". (" Big Issue"). "A compelling story & beautifully written". (" Time Out"). Sarah Dessen is the author of six stunning teen novels: " Just Listen" " The Truth about Forever" " Lock & Key" " That Summer" & " What Happened to Goodbye". She lives in the countryside in North Carolina with her daughter husband some lizards & two very spoilt dogs
- read her once & fall in love."



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Rich in romance & nostalgia this fascinating book documents all the lost & forgotten aspects of British railways including timetables stations tunnels staff & trains. It focuses on the 10 000 miles of lines closed in Britain since the 1950s bringing to life the glorious story of train travel as it used to be. Images of the railways active past & pieces of ephemera capture British rural lines. Like previous books in the series Along Lost Lines" takes a very visual approach to the subject matter by highlighting the places & features that best tell the story through stunning images & fascinating visual detail." ...

The successful running of Britains mainline railways was a great achievement for those operating them & a great thrill for those travelling on them. Over the years railway photographers have recorded the glamour & excitement of our glorious railway story. Along Main Lines celebrates the most dramatic & best-remembered aspects of Britains rail heritage focusing on the famous main line routes big city stations record-breaking locomotives & the renowned express trains. Packed with archive photographs old postcards badges & other railwayana this book is crammed with fascinating material that Atterbury has himself collected from tireless searching at postcard & antique fares & auction sites. Therefore many of the illustrations are original & previously unpublished. Paul Atterbury offers a rare insight into the main line story all over Britain. Organised regionally the book

Includes:: major routes classic trains important stations in London & elsewhere railway sheds & works along with features that highlight forgotten corners of railway history.

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When William Blacker first crossed the snow-bound passes of northern Romania he stumbled upon an almost medieval world. There for many years he lived side by side with the country people a life ruled by the slow cycle of the seasons far away from the frantic rush of the modern world. In spring as the pear trees blossomed he ploughed with horses in summer he scythed the hay meadows & in the freezing winters gathered wood by sleigh from the forest. From sheepfolds harried by wolves to courting expeditions in the snow he experienced the traditional way of life to the full & became accepted into a community who treated him as one of their own. But Blacker was also intrigued by the Gypsies those dark foot-loose strangers of spell-binding allure who he saw passing through the village. Locals warned him to stay clear but he fell in love & there followed a bitter struggle. Change is now coming to rural Romania & William Blacker's adventures will soon be part of its history. From his early carefree days tramping the hills of Transylvania to the book's poignant ending Along the Enchanted Way transports us back to a magical country world most of us thought had vanished long ago. ...