Here are animated crows a criminal monkey an ice man as well as the dreams that shape us & the things we might wish for. Whether in a chance reunion in Italy a romantic exile in Greece a holiday in Hawaii or in the grip of everyday life Murakami's characters confront loss or sexuality or the glow of a firefly or the impossible distance between those who ought to be closest of all. Following the success of Kafka on the Shore comes a collection that gives full rein to Murakami's inventive mastery. From the surreal to the mundane these stories exhibit his ability to transform the full range of the human experience in ways that are instructive surprising & relentlessly entertaining. ...

THE FIRST INTERCRIME THRILLER TO BE BROADCAST ON BBC FOUR SPRING 2013. Sweden's elite are under attack. Two rich & powerful men have been murdered & in the face of mounting panic
- & media hysteria
- a task force has been created to catch the killer. To his surprise Detective Paul Hjelm currently under investigation for misconduct after shooting a man who took the staff of an immigration office hostage is summoned to join the new team. But the killer has left no clues even removing the bullets from the crime scenes & Hjelm & his new teammates face a daunting challenge if they are to uncover the connection between the victims & catch the murderer before he kills again.

...

Gavin Guile is dying. Hed thought he had five years left
- now hes got less than one. With fifty thousand refugees a bastard son
...

A driver waiting at the traffic lights goes blind. An opthamologist tries to diagnose his distinctive white blindness but is affected before he can read the textbooks. It becomes a contagion spreading throughout the city. Trying to stem the epidemic the authorities herd the afflicted into a mental asylum where the wards are terrorised by blind thugs. & when fire destroys the asylum the inmates burst forth & the last links with a supposedly civilised society are snapped. No food no water no government no obligation no order. This is not anarchy this is blindness. ...

Whether readers want to subtly enhance their rooms with cushions make a big statement with curtains or go for a contemporary clean look with blinds this informative book is for them. The blinds section clearly explains the differences between the wide ranges of blinds available on the market today. It also provides clear diagrams & detailed instructions for making roller roll-up & Roman blinds. Drawing on their years of experience Catherine Merrick & Rebecca Day have for the first time explained the many different Roman blind make-up techniques. They guide the reader through the stages of each make-up method & the choice of fittings available. The curtains & cushions sections combine clear detailed instructions on a full range of techniques to guide the reader through the make-up process & ensure a professional finish every time. The book is also full of workroom hints & tips from the soft furnishing experts. Blinds Curtains & Cushions" will appeal to readers looking for design inspiration & concise easy-to-follow instructions. Absorbing & motivating readers will find themselves returning to " Blinds Curtains & Cushions" again & again." ...

Published alongside the 2013 film The Bling Ring directed by Sofia Coppola & starring Emma Watson this is the explosive true story of the seven celebrity-obsessed teens who became the most audacious burglary gang in Hollywood history. It's 19 September 2010 & 21-year-old Rachel Lee has emerged from Los Angeles Superior Court having just been sentenced to four years behind bars. A few months earlier she had been running the Bling Ring: a gang of rich beautiful wild-living Valley teens who idolised celebrity designer labels & luxury brands. Who in 2009 became the most audacious thieves in recent Hollywood history. In a case that has shocked the nation the seven schoolfriends stole millions of dollars' worth of clothing jewellery & possessions from the sprawling mansions of Paris Hilton Lindsay Lohan & Orlando Bloom among others
- using gossip websites Google Earth & Twitter to aid their crimes. But what made these kids
- all of whom already enjoyed designer clothes money cars & social status
- gamble with their lives at such high stakes? Journalist Nancy Jo Sales the author of Vanity Fair's acclaimed expose of the Bling Ring gained unprecedented access to the group to answer that question. In the process she uncovered a world of teenage greed obsession arrogance & delusion that surpassed her wildest expectations. Now for the first time Sales tells their story in full. Publishing to tie into Sofia Coppola's film of the same name this is a fascinating look at the dark & seedy world of the real young Hollywood.


...

From the author of The Tipping Point" Malcolm Gladwells international bestseller " Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" is a revolution in the understanding of the mind. An art expert sees a ten-million-dollar sculpture & instantly spots its a fake. A marriage analyst knows within minutes whether a couple will stay together. A fire-fighter suddenly senses he has to get out of a blazing building. A speed dater clicks with the right person... This book is all about those moments when we know something without knowing why. Here Malcolm Gladwell explores the phenomenon of blink showing how a snap judgement can be far more effective than a cautious decision. By trusting your instincts he reveals youll never think about thinking in the same way again. " Trust my snap judgement buy this book: youll be delighted". (" The New York Times"). " Compelling fiendishly clever". (" Evening Standard"). " Brilliant.. .the implications for business let alone love are vast". (" Observer"). " Superb.. .this wonderful book should be compulsory reading". (" New Statesman"). "" Blink" might just change your life". (" Esquire"). " Should you buy this book? You already know the answer to that". (" Independent on Sunday"). Author journalist cultural commentator & intellectual adventurer Malcolm Gladwell is a staff writer for the " New Yorker" magazine. His first book " The Tipping Point" captured the worlds attention with its theory that a curiously small change can have unforeseen effects. His other international bestselling books are " Outliers" which looks at the stories of exceptional individuals & reveals the secrets of their success " Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" & " What The Dog Saw" a collection of his most provocative & entertaining " New Yorker" pieces." ...

As a young man in Glasgow's underworld Ian ' Blink' Mac Donald fought robbed & slashed his way to the top developing a taste for the high life along the way. His notoriety earned him an offer of work from Scotland's most feared gangster Arthur Thompson but Mac Donald had other plans: to finance a new life in Spain with the multimillion-pound proceeds of a high-risk armed bank robbery. But the job went badly wrong & Mac Donald was jailed for 16 years. In prison he met scores of high-profile inmates including torture-gang boss Eddie Richardson high-society serial killer Archie Hall notorious lifer Charles Bronson & Ronnie O' Sullivan senior father of the snooker star. On his release Mac Donald became a magnet for trouble enjoying a hedonistic drug-fuelled lifestyle & finding himself drawn into conflict with police gangsters & businessmen. Rearrested several times he was the target of more than one terrifying murder attempt. In Blink Mac Donald provides an eye-opening account of his highly eventful journey through life in Glasgow's brutal gangl&. ...

In the four decades since his first book appeared in print Terry Pratchett has become one of the worlds best-selling & best-loved authors. Here for the first time are his short stories & other short form fiction collected into one volume. A Blink of the Screen" charts the course of Pratchetts long writing career: from his school days through to his first writing job on the Bucks Free Press & the origins of his debut novel " The Carpet People"; & on again to the dizzy mastery of the phenomenally successful Discworld series. Here are characters both familiar & yet to be discovered; abandoned worlds & others still expanding; adventure chickens death disco & actually some quite disturbing ideas about Christmas all of it shot through with his inimitable brand of humour. With an introduction by Booker Prize-winning author A.S. Byatt illustrations by the late Josh Kirby & drawings by the author himself this is a book to treasure." ...

In the four decades since his first book appeared in print Terry Pratchett has become one of the worlds best-selling & best-loved authors. Here for the first time are his short stories & other short form fiction collected into one volume. A Blink of the Screen" charts the course of Pratchetts long writing career: from his schooldays through to his first writing job on the Bucks Free Press ; to the origins of his debut novel " The Carpet People"; & on again to the dizzy mastery of the phenomenally successful " Discworld" series. Here are characters both familiar & yet to be discovered; abandoned worlds & others still expanding; adventure chickens death disco & actually some quite disturbing ideas about Christmas all of it shot through with his inimitable brand of humour. With an introduction by Booker Prize-winning author A.S. Byatt illustrations by the late Josh Kirby & drawings by the author himself this is a book to treasure." ...