Here’s a tasty treat for food lovers; a year’s worth of delicious restaurant discounts with annual membership of the Gourmet Society. As a Gourmet Society member you & your guests can enjoy 2 for 1 meals or 25% off the total bill at more than 5 500 restaurants throughout the UK & Irel&. There’s a huge range of restaurants to discover from award-winning independents to national chains. Treat a loved one to indulgent Michelin-starred cuisine visit a charming country gastro-pub spoil the kids at a family friendly venue or get together with friends at your favourite local eatery. Whatever the occasion you can dine out more & spend less with a Gourmet Society membership. ...

HER DESTINY MUST BE FULFILLED.. . Branwen refuses to take orders from anyone
- even the Shining Ones the ancient gods whose power
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Lavish spectacles such as the Beijing Olympics & Expo 2010 have raised Chinas global profile & echoed predictions of a rise to the position of a major world actor. Yet moves towards a market-based economy together with the global recession have exacerbated a number of political & social challenges for the Chinese government. The tensions between communist & capitalist identities continue to divide society. The Peoples Republic is now over sixty years old -- an appropriate juncture at which to reassess the state of contemporary Chinese politics. In this substantially revised third edition Saich delivers a thorough introduction to all aspects of politics & governance in post-Mao China taking full account of the changes of the Seventeenth Party Congress & Eleventh National Peoples Congress. Recent political economic & social developments are also examined. ...

These four stories illustrate the wide range of Zweigs subject matter dating from quite early in his career as a writer of fiction (The Governess" rooted in a world of strict Edwardian morality) to late (" Did He Do It?" almost an English detective story set near Bath where Zweig lived in exile). In addition " The Miracles of Life" set in 16th-century Antwerp during the time of Protestant iconoclasm & " Downfall of a Heart" both address the theme of anti-Semitism." ...

From the acclaimed award-winning author of Dark Continent" & " Hitlers Empire" comes a visionary far-reaching history of two centuries of international government that also goes to the heart of current world crises. In 1815 the shocked & exhausted victors of the decades of fighting that had engulfed Europe for a generation agreed to a new system for keeping the peace. Instead of independent states changing sides doing deals & betraying one another a new collegial Concert of Europe would ensure that the brutal chaos of the Napoleonic Wars never happened again. Mark Mazowers remarkable new book recreates two centuries of international government
- the struggle to spread values & build institutions to bring order to an anarchic & dangerous state system. It shows how what started as a European story became the framework for todays world as free traders communists & nationalists all put forward their own radical visions of international harmony. Reviews: "A significant contribution to historical scholarship... Simply for giving us this lucid account Mazower deserves our gratitude. But Governing the World is also an intriguing read because of the strong argument he places within it... This new work certainly gave this reviewer an awful lot to think about
- to an author there may be no greater praise than that". (Paul Kennedy " Financial Times"). " This is a book that needed to be written...[ Governing the World] is truly illuminating... The story is a fascinating one & Mazower tells it with authority & verve". (Adam Zamoyski " Literary Review"). " Mazower has strengthened his claim to be the preeminent historian of a generation. Combining breathtaking originality with meticulous & gloriously eclectic research he offers the most convincing explanation yet articulated... On rare occasions a work of history emerges that not only fundamentally refashions our understanding of the past it enables us to reassess the present & with luck influence our future. I advise everyone who is concerned about our precarious situation to learn from & absorb Mazowers remarkable achievement". (Misha Glenny). " Bursting with ideas about present & future as well as past". (Stephen Howe " Independent" Books Of The Year). "A prodigious work: a master historians reconstruction of how individuals & nations since 1815 have sought to promote national interests in ever more complicated international settings. A dramatic novel account of ideas & institutions in collision with hard realities. Indispensable also for its full & subtle account of American policies since 1917 always with a fine touch for the hitherto neglected person or little noticed moment that illuminates historic processes. Profound relevant & morally instructive
- & a pleasure to read". (Fritz Stern). About the author: Mark Mazower is Ira D. Wallach Professor of World Order Studies & Professor of History Professor of History at Columbia University. He is the author of " Hitlers Greece: The Experience of Occupation 1941-44" " Dark Continent: Europes Twentieth Century" " The Balkans: A Short History" (which won the Wolfson Prize for History) " Salonica: City of Ghosts" (which won both the Duff Cooper Prize & the Runciman Award) & " Hitlers Empire: Nazi Rule in Occupied Europe". He has also taught at Birkbeck College University of London Sussex University & Princeton. He lives in New York."


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This book provides an engaging account of the development of democracy in Britain from the unreformed political system around 1815 to the parliamentary Reform Acts passed between 1832 & 1918. The author examines the impact that this period of constitutional change had upon the political life of the country including the extension of the franchise the limiting of the power of the House of Lords the introduction of the secret ballot & the elimination of corrupt practices. ...

Bumbling & inefficient town officials are thrown into a panic when they learn that a Government Inspector is coming perhaps incognito. When a well-dressed rogue arrives he realizes he is presumed to be the Inspector & takes advantage of the officials dinners bribes etc. When the officials realize their mistake -- just after the rogue leaves -- the real Inspector arrives. ...

Bode Bonner is the Republican governor of Texas. He has everything he ever wanted: money power influence. But something isnt right in his life
- everything feels too settled & easy. He longs for one more moment of excitement one more challenge. Lindsay Bonner is Bodes wife & shes bored too. Bored of Bodes womanising bored of the endless cocktail parties & receptions. She is desperate to break free of her bland wealthy Texan lifestyle. & that moment comes when she saves a poor Hispanic boys life. From that moment on nothing will be the same for Bode & Lindsay Bonner. Their lives are about to change in ways they could never have predicted... Filled with dramatic & ingenious twists & turns this is an addictively readable novel that delves deep into the dark heart of Texas.
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Have you ever wondered how one split-second decision could change your life for ever? The Bonners are the most powerful couple in Texas. Bode Bonner is the Republican Governor & his wife Lindsay is always by his side. From the outside everything looks rosy. But the Bonners are not happy. Bode is bored
- he longs for more excitement in his life. Lindsay is at the end of her tether. She's had enough of Bode's womanising & of playing the dutiful wife. She is desperate to break free of her bland wealthy lifestyle. Then Lindsay makes an impulsive decision that helps save the life of a poor Hispanic boy. From that moment on nothing will be the same for the Bonners. Everything is about to change... From the author of the international bestsellers The Colour of Law & Accused this is an addictively readable novel filled with dramatic & ingenious twists & turns that delves deep into the dark heart of Texas.
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Named as Britains first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty over 50 years ago the Gower Peninsula has long held a special place in the hearts of many. Gower" is a sumptuous celebration of this iconic stretch of coastline. Nigel Jenkins explores the deep history of his native area through a series of short essays combining humorous pieces with literary jewels that bring about an engaging personal & accessible volume. Filled with breathtaking images that catch Gower from unexpected angles David Pearls pictures are filled with texture depth & the intelligence of the photographers eye. Like Nigel Jenkins prose they speak to the reader familiarly & intimately evoking the true nature of Gower in all its glory." ...