The perfect guide to speaking real Japanese Beyond Polite Japanese offers more than 500 words & phrases for those who want to take a step beyond Japanese textbooks & speak like a native without spending decades in the country. Many of the entries cover traditional slang while other entries take up more contemporary usage. Slang-forming prefixes & suffixes are also presented as well as phrases that are commonly slurred proving elusive to the foreign ear. Literal meanings notes on usage & etymology are included for greater understanding. Outgrowing polite Japanese is not easy but with the help of Beyond Polite Japanese it can be attained. The helpful guide is also a welcome break from the standard fare found in Japanese textbooks. ...

Past midnight a horribly mutilated body is discovered on a road in Portsmouth evidently killed in a hit & run. There are no witnesses
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Estranged from his family for most of his adult life Chris Napier is persuaded to return home for his nieces wedding. At the reception he is shocked to recognise a dishevelled intruder as his childhood friend Nicky Lanyon whose presence is a chilling reminder of a murder & subsequent trial that Chris has tried hard to forget. When Nicky hangs himself Chris is compelled to revisit the tragic events of 34 years ago & the apparent justice that was served. But as present day mysteries begin to shadow his footsteps into the past his search for the truth soon becomes a desperate struggle for his own survival. ...

Heinrich Harrer traveller explorer & mountaineer led one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century. He famously spent Seven Years in Tibet (made into the film starring Brad Pitt) & was tutor mentor & a lifelong friend of the Dalai Lama. He made the first ascent of the notorious North Face of the Eiger (told in his book The White Spider") & summited unclimbed peaks in Alaska the Himalaya & South America. In this dramatic autobiography he brings to life all of his adventures from the early days of climbing in the Alps through his time in Tibet to his later expeditions including exploring the Congo with the King of Belgium & travels to remote parts of Asia South America & Africa." ...

From Connie Bennett author of Sugar Shock!"
- the book that Mehmet Oz said spills the beans on the shocking impact of sugar
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Laura Collins a widow is struggling to make a good life for her daughters Tess & Tina. They are living with Lauras sister Millie & her seven children so when Laura is offered a good job with accommodation she is delighted. Life is very different for the Brewsters living on Manor Farm in Herefordshire. Danny & his girlfriend Sophie intend to marry one day so that they can run Manor Farm together but his cousin & best friend Phil Ryland feels differently. He longs to get away from farming & intends to escape as soon as he can. Then war comes & changes everything. Tina is evacuated & Tess joins the Land Army. She means to be true to her boyfriend Mike but he is far away. Danny & Phil join the RAF Danny to pilot bombers & Phil as navigator. They end up on the same airfield & fall in love with the same girl... But Phil has a secret which could end his chance of happiness & Danny is the only person who knows what that secret is... ...

A second collection of incredible & heart-warming canine stories from around the world from the bestselling author of The Dog That Saved My Life. Animals have accompanied man into battle since war first waged. Since those times many stories have been told of the bears camels cats dolphins monkeys mules rats & other creatures that have served with the Armed Forces during both world wars & beyond. The four stories in this book represent the devotion & unquestioning loyalty of the canine companion in the darkest days of war. From the stub-tailed Bull Terrier that became a hero of the First World War & the most decorated dog in history after his bravery in the trenches of Flanders to the remarkable loyalty of an Iraqi stray dog who attached himself to British troops in North Port & then patrolled their camp every night protecting them from being attacked by the vicious packs of dogs living in the desert each is an incredible tale of wartime bravery as well as an example of inspiring commitment & courage. ...

The Second War is over & Alliance forces have won. They have destroyed the mystic gate that linked Azeroth to the orcs homeworld of Draenor. Many of the orcs trapped on Azeroth have been rounded up & placed in internment camps. But Small bands of orcs are spotted in the Eastern Kingdoms intent on claiming certain artefacts for some unknown purpose. Worse some of the orcs belong to clans never before seen on Azeroth. Somehow the Horde has managed to re-establish the Dark Portal on Azeroth. King Terenas orders the Alliance general Turalyon & the archmage Khadgar to end the orcish threat once & for all. Yet in order to do so the pair must lead an expedition to Draenor itself. They & their allies must go beyond the Dark Portal before all of Azeroth falls beneath a new & more powerful Horde. ...

Winner of the 2012 British Sports Book Awards: Horse Racing Book of the Year. Ed Whitaker the award-winning racing & sports photographer has no equal when it comes to capturing the magic & essence of horse racing. Beyond The Frame is his second collection of images &

Includes:: the portfolio which won him Sports Photographer of the Year 2011. Beautifully produced & printed as a landscape full-colour sumptuous book it will appeal to anyone who follows & appreciates the passionate world of horseracing.

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The Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC is one of the most famous battles in history. The heroism of the 300 Spartans who opted to remain behind to face the full might of the Persian host while their Greek allies made good their escape has become the stuff of legend. The story still inspires novelists & film-makers today (Frank Millers fanciful 300 was a huge hit in 2007 & the film rights to Steven Pressfields more historical novel Gates of Fire were bought by George Clooney the film expected to finally surface in 2011 or 2012). But what is the truth behind the legends & why was this bloody defeat immediately accorded a halo of glory that has endured for nearly two-&-a-half millenia? Beyond the Gates of Fire brings together experts on the classical period from Australia New Zealand & the United States to take a fresh look at various aspects of the battle. A substantial introductory section by the editors outlines the background to the conflict as well as the arms armour & fighting styles of the opposing sides. The following chapters (9 of them) then discuss such questions as whether the defence of the pass really was a suicide mission; the exact topography of the battlefield itself in 480 BC using the latest geological research & core samples; the impact of the battle on the Greek psyche; commemoration of the war dead; the impact of the original battle on the conduct of later battles in the pass right up to the German invasion of 1941. For the classical scholar or the general reader whose interest has been piqued by the popular books & films this book is sure to shed refreshing new light on the most famous last stand in history. ...