How far would you go to escape the real world? The underground man had always felt like an outsider. He doesnt want to be like other people working in the ant-hill of society. So he decides to withdraw from the world scrawling a series of darkly sarcastic notes about the torment he is suffering. Angry & alienated his only comfort is the humiliation of others. Is he going mad? Or is it the world around him thats insane? ...

When Roger Deakin died in August 2006 his death was considered by many to be a great loss to literature. Notes From Walnut Tree Farm" collects together the jottings musings & observations with which he filled a series of notebooks for the last six years of his life. In this beautiful illustrated collection descriptions of walks on Mellis Common & thoughts on the importance of nature sit side by side with memories of the past & musings about literature while perfectly rendered observations of the tiny missable visual details of everyday life are skilfully woven with a gentle wise philosophy. Organized into twelve months of impressions the notes reveal a passionate but gentle character & his extraordinary restless curiosity. Capturing Deakins unique turn of phrase & inspired use of language & infused throughout with the magically meditative tranquility of Walnut Tree Farm this is a charming introduction to one of the most important of modern nature writers or the perfect follow-up to " Wildwood" & " Waterlog"." ...

Beginning in 1967 Bukowski wrote the column Notes of A Dirty Old Man" for the underground newspaper " Open City". Perennially drunk broke & in search of a woman Bukowski takes on the guise of a wise fool as he ventures through Americas seedy lowlife. Peopled by Kerouac Burroughs & other much less salubrious characters his exploits provoke humour & despair whilst highlighting the inherent beauty & futility of life." ...

' As a sniper I've killed more than a few Nazis. I have a passion for observing enemy behaviour. You watch a Nazi officer come out of a bunker acting all high & mighty ordering his soldiers every which way & putting on an air of authority. The officer hasn't got the slightest idea that he only has seconds to live.' Vassili Zaitsev's account of the hell that was Stalingrad is moving & harrowing. This was a battle to the death
- fighting street by street brick by brick living like rats in a desperate struggle to survive. Here the rules of war were discarded & a psychological war was being waged. In this environment the sniper was king
- an unseen enemy who frayed the nerves of brutalised soldiers. Zaitsev volunteered to fight at Stalingrad in 1942. His superiors recognized quickly his talent & made him a sniper. He adapted his hunting skills to the ruins of the city watching his prey with nerves of steel. In his first 10 days Zaitsev killed 40 Germans. He achieved at least 225 kills & the tactics he developed are still being studied. Zaitsev was used a symbol of Russian resistance against the Nazis. His exploits including a famous 'duel' with a Nazi sniper remain the stuff of legend. His account is absorbing to anyone interested in World War II & seeing how one person could survive in the most extreme of conditions. Vassili Zaitsev was born in 1915 & spent his early life as a hunter in the Urals. He joined the Russian navy in 1937 & volunteered for Stalingrad after hearing about the appalling losses. Zaitsev's mastery as a sniper became legendary & he was awarded several times for his skill including the coveted gold star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He died in 1991.

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We dont have secrets Sheba & I. From the first day that the beguiling Sheba Hart joins the staff of St Georges history teacher Barbara Covett is convinced that she has found a kindred spirit. Barbaras loyalty to her new friend is passionate & unstinting & when Sheba is discovered having an illicit affair with one of her young pupils Barbara quickly elects herself as Shebas chief defender. But all is not as at first it seems in this dark story & as Sheba will soon discover a friend can be just as treacherous as any lover. ...

Britain & America have a new word to describe their relationship: essential has now been replaced by special. Justin Webb would prefer all adjectives to be abandoned in an effort to tell the real story. Notes on Them & Us is a wry account of the transatlantic friendship as it actually exists today
- how Americans see us how we Brits see them
- & Webb presenter on Radio 4s Today programme & formerly the BBCs North American editor for eight years is perfectly placed to comment. An amusing myth-breaking unflinchingly honest read this is not an attack on either the English or the Americans. Webb concludes that there is a fault line in the long-standing marriage between these two great nations a cultural divide that separates us. & he argues that recognising this divide even celebrating it is the key to a rich future collaboration.

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' My mother-in-law Annie lived with us for 17 years & was picture-book perfect.' It took a while before the family realised that Annie was increasingly (as she would put it) ' Mutt & Jeff'. So Phyllida began to write out the day's gossip at the kitchen table putting her notes by Annie's bed before going to hers. One night as her husband wandered off to bed he muttered darkly that she spent so much time each evening writing to Annie she could have written a book. ' And illustrated it!' Here it is. It is a book full of the delights of a warm & loving household. Of Boot the Cat being sick after over-indulging in spiders; the hunt for cleaning products from the dawn of time; persistently & mysteriously malfunctioning hearing aids; an unusual & potentially hilarious use for a clove of garlic; & the sad disappearance of coconut logs from the local sweetshop. It's about the special place at the heart of a home held by a woman born in another age. Who polished the brass when it was 'looking red at her'. Who still bore a scar from being hit by her employer when as a young woman she was in service. Who could turn the heel of a sock & the collar of a shirt & make rock-cakes bread pudding & breast of lamb with barley. ...

I have nothing to declare Wilde once told an American customs official except my genius. A socialite a wit a man who flaunted convention & was unafraid to shock Oscar Wilde was a great writer & a great man. This new collection of wit & wisdom demonstrates the brilliance of his vision the audacity of his style. Such is the scope of the material it brings to life the Wilde of great feeling as well as the Wilde of great art. ...

On the surface there was nothing different about that dull August day in 1998 & yet it was to change all our lives for ever. A wild gang of girls live for terrorising their estate in Londons East End. When they bully the weakest of their group into breaking in to a house they expect her to nick some cash not disappear completely. Two days later her broken body is found under a bed in one of the rooms & the loner who lives there is charged with murder. Its an open & shut case. Isnt it? Nearly fifteen years later journalist Jess Vaughan senses something doesnt add up about what really happened that afternoon. Roping in detective Harry Lind Jess starts stirring up all kinds of trouble asking questions that someone will kill to leave unanswered. ...

Ruth has looked after her brothers for ten years since the death of their parents & believes that her role as head of the family will continue for the rest of her life. With two of her brothers already married & living away she has only her youngest brothers to care for. The arrival of a new very determined sister-in-law makes change inevitable & Ruth struggles to maintain her superior role. Troubled by problems in her own relationship with the ever-patient Henry she must recognize her priorities in time to salvage her own chance of love & happiness. Nothing is Forever is a finely drawn portrait of the joys & challenges of close-knit family life from the much-loved writer of Gull Island & Facing the World. ...