The struggle to perform well is universal but nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine. In his new book Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions & best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable. His vivid stories take us to battlefield surgical tents in Iraq to a polio outbreak in India & to malpractice courtrooms around the country. He discusses the ethical dilemmas of doctors' participation in lethal injections examines the influence of money on modern medicine & recounts the astoundingly contentious history of h&-washing. Finally he gives a brutally honest insight into life as a practising surgeon. Unflinching but compassionate Gawande's investigation into medical professionals & their progression from good to great provides a detailed blueprint for success that can be used by everyone. ...

This title is shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2012. This acclaimed book by Steven Pinker author of The Language Instinct" & " The Blank Slate" argues that contrary to popular belief humankind has become progressively less violent over millenia & decades. Can violence really have declined? The images of conflict we see daily on our screens from around the world suggest this is an almost obscene claim to be making. Extraordinarily however Steven Pinker shows violence within & between societies
- both murder & warfare
- really has declined from prehistory to today. We are much less likely to die at someone else's hands than ever before. Even the horrific carnage of the last century when compared to the dangers of pre-state societies is part of this trend. Debunking both the idea of the 'noble savage' & an over-simplistic Hobbesian notion of a 'nasty brutish & short' life Steven Pinker argues that modernity & its cultural institutions are actually making us better people. " One of the most important books I've read
- not just this year but ever... For me what's most important about " The Better Angels of Our Nature" are its insights into how to help achieve positive outcomes. How can we encourage a less violent more just society particularly for the poor? Steven Pinker shows us ways we can make those positive trajectories a little more likely. That's a contribution not just to historical scholarship but to the world". (Bill Gates). " Brilliant mind-altering... Everyone should read this astonishing book". (David Runciman " Guardian"). "A supremely important book. To have command of so much research spread across so many different fields is a masterly achievement. Pinker convincingly demonstrates that there has been a dramatic decline in violence & he is persuasive about the causes of that decline". (Peter Singer " New York Times"). "[A] sweeping new review of the history of human violence...[ Pinker has] the kind of academic superbrain that can translate otherwise impenetrable statistics into a meaningful narrative of human behaviour.. .impeccable scholarship". (Tony Allen-Mills " Sunday Times"). " Written in Pinker's distinctively entertaining & clear personal style...a marvellous synthesis of science history & storytelling". (Clive Cookson " Financial Times"). " Pinker's scholarhsip is astounding.. .flawless.. .masterful". (Joanna Bourke " The Times"). Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Until 2003 he taught in the Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences at MIT. He conducts research on language & cognition writes for publications such as " The New York Times" " Time" & " Slate" & is the author of six books including " The Language Instinct" " How the Mind Works" " The Blank Slate" & " The Stuff of Thought"."


...

When Bonnie runs away from home she leaves her mother Grace & sister Rita heartbroken. Each of their lives are in turmoil but their love for each other will see them through the most troubled of times. Worthing 1947 Widowed Grace Roberts comes home from her factory job one day to find that her eldest daughter Bonnie has run away to London. Utterly distraught she has no choice but to carry on with her life struggling to make ends meet for her & youngest daughter Rita. Her boss Norris Finley is a powerful & calculating man. He promises to assist Grace but his help will come at a hefty price... Pregnant Bonnie arrives in London eager to be reunited with George so they can begin their new life together. But while she waits anxiously on the platform at Victoria station he never turns up. Unable to return home as she can't bear the thought of bringing shame to her family she is left to fend for herself & her unborn baby. Disturbed by the apparent relationship between her mother & Norris Rita flees home & meets Emilio who she marries. Yet Emilio is guarding a deep secret & when Rita uncovers the truth she is left heartbroken. Caught in the very worst of times & separated from one another can the strong bond of family love eventually bring Grace Bonnie & Rita back together again? ...

Many dog owners in the UK don't understand the dynamics of human/dog relationships & consequently experience problems with their pets such as barking aggression chasing livestock chewing pulling & running away. Experienced dog trainer Debbie Connolly shows new & experienced dog owners alike how to deal with such behaviour problems so that the dog can become a safe & happy member of their family. Debbie recounts real-life anecdotes to get across the serious point that you are playing with your dog's life if you can't or won't learn to treat your dog appropriately. Some of the stories she tells are funny some are sad but all of them are easy for her readers to identify with & relate to. She explains how to get a dog from the right source & how to live with it afterwards. She gives practical advice on how to solve all the common problems dog owners face. & she isn't afraid to raise important issues that others avoid
- issues that dog owners actually face in the real world for example when you should give up & put your dog to sleep.
...

Are you learning or improving your English? Then this third edition is for you. Do you need to improve your communication skills? This highly practical book starts with the premise that the only way to improve effective spoken English is to start practising it in real-life situations. The Better English technique means that right from the start students are able to put their knowledge to use. Topics include: everyday phrases how to ask for help & information how to book holidays & use public transport visiting the doctor and/or hospital how to deal with the bank coping with the telephone & how to ask for help in emergencies. Key skills students will find it the ideal companion to work through the speaking & listening component of their course. This book explains: how to speak about yourself; social English; getting about & shopping; doctors & schools; getting a job; telephones & emergencies ...

Many people learn French for years at school only to reach a plateau beyond which they never emerge. This is an effective short-cut to fluency. Better French" helps the reader by showing them the right way to use problem words. It addresses the subtleties of the language. Are donc & alors interchangeable? What about grand or gros? When do you use cest or il est? When do you pronounce the final s in plus? Learning the answers to these & a host of other questions can steer you to success." ...

Youll never run out of healthy nutritious family meals with this extensive collection of low-calorie recipes New in the Ultimate series The Ultimate Low-Calorie Meals Book offers hundreds of recipes & ideas that make eating healthy & watching your weight easy & delicious. These recipes are ideal for light & nutritious everyday meals that form the basis of a healthy lifestyle. Filled with dishes the entire family will love recipes are clearly marked with icons that let you quickly identify recipes that are ready in 30 minutes or less high in fiber & low in sodium. Packed with more than 400 delicious & nutritious low-calorie meals & hundreds of beautiful photos The Ultimate Low-Calorie Meals Book is a great resource at a great price. Features more than 400 flavorful calorie- & fat-conscious recipes including main dishes snacks sandwiches pizza desserts restaurant favorites & make-ahead meals

Includes:: more than 300 gorgeous full-color photographs that make every page inspiring & easy to follow Special Healthy Eating Basics chapter Special features include substitution charts that help make every meal more calorie-conscious up-to-date diet & nutrition advice & much more Whether youre trying to adopt new low-calorie eating habits or looking for new recipes to help you maintain your already-healthy lifestyle this is the ultimate guide to tasty healthy eating.

...

Better Late Than Never is the extraordinary true story of how a man born into poverty in London's East End went on to find stardom late in life when he was chosen to be head judge on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing. Len Goodman tells all about his new-found fame his experiences on Strictly Come Dancing & also on the no.1 US show Dancing with the Stars & his encounters with the likes of Heather Mills-Mc Cartney & John Sergeant. But the real story is in his East End roots. & Len's early life couldn't be more East End. The son of a Bethnal Green costermonger he spent his formative years running the fruit & veg barrow & being bathed at night in the same water Nan used to cook the beetroot. There are echoes of Billy Elliot too. Though Len was a welder in the London Docks he dreamt of being a professional footballer & came close to making the grade had he not broken his foot on Hackney Marshes. The doctor recommended ballroom dancing as a light aid to his recovery. & Len it turned out was a natural. At first his family & work mates mocked but soon he had made the final of a national competition & the welders descended en masse to the Albert Hall to cheer him on. With his dance partner & then wife Cheryl Len won the British Championships in his late twenties & ballroom dancing became his life. Funny & heart-warming Len Goodman's autobiography has all the honest East End charm of Tommy Steele Mike Read or Roberta Taylor. ...

It touches all our lives; our triumphs & tragedies our proudest achievements our most traumatic disasters. Alloyed of love & fear death & fire & the inscrutable acts of the gods insurance is indeed the force that binds the universe together. Hardly surprising therefore that Frank Carpenter one of the foremost magical practitioners of our age felt himself irresistibly drawn to it. Until that is he met Jane a high-flying corporate heroine with an annoying habit of falling out of trees & getting killed. Repeatedly. Its not long before Frank & Jane find themselves face to face with the greatest enigma of our times: When is a door not a door? When its a mousetrap. ...

Evil lurks on the streets of Victorian London in this gripping crime novel. As Inspector Ben Ross of Scotland Yard walks homeward one Saturday night in late October 1867 the fog that swirls around him is like a living beast. By the time it has lifted next morning a woman lies murdered in Green Park. Allegra Benedict was the beautiful Italian wife of an art dealer in Piccadilly. But what had she been doing in London that afternoon & why had she been selling her brooch in the Burlington Arcade just hours before her death? As Ben begins his investigation his wife Lizzie
- with the help of their maid Bessie
- looks into Allegra's private life & uncovers more than one reason why someone might want her dead...

...