On the eve of her ninth birthday Rose Edelstein bites into her mother's homemade lemon-chocolate cake & discovers she has a magical gift: she can taste her mother's emotions in the slice. All at once her cheerful can-do mother tastes of despair & desperation. Suddenly & for the rest of her life food becomes perilous. Anything can be revealed at any meal. Rose's gift forces her to confront the truth behind her family's emotions
- her mother's sadness her father's detachment & her brother's clash with the world. But as Rose grows up she learns that there are some secrets even her taste buds cannot discern. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" is about the pain of loving those whom you know too much about & the secrets that exist within every family. At once profound funny wise & sad this is a novel to savour."
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Up till 2006 a British Ambassador leaving his post was encouraged to write what was known as a valedictory despatch to be circulated to a small number of influential people in government. This was the parting shot an opportunity to offer a personal & frank view of the host country the manners & morals of its people their institutions the state of their cooking & their drains. But it was also a chance to let rip at the Foreign Office itself & to look back on a career spent in the service of a sometimes ungrateful nation. Combining gems from the archives with more recent despatches obtained through the Freedom of Information Act Parting Shots" is a treasure trove of wit venom & serious analysis. Astute & often gloriously non-politically they shed light on Britains place in the world & reveal the curious cocktail of privilege & privation which make up the life of an ambassador." ...

They found him in a small town in Brazil near the border with Paraguay. He had a new name Danilo Silva & his appearance had been changed by plastic surgery. The search had taken four years. They'd chased him around the world always just missing him. It had cost their clients $3.5 million. But so far none of them had complained. The man they were about to kidnap had not always been called Danilo Silva. Before he had had another life a life which ended in a car crash in February 1992. His gravestone lay in a cemetry in Biloxi Mississippi. His name before his death was Patrick S. Lanigan. He had been a partner at an up-&-coming law firm. He had a pretty wife a young daughter & a bright future. Six weeks after his death $90 million disappeared from the law firm. It was then that his partners knew he was still alive & the long pursuit had begun... ...

Agatha Christie's complete Tommy & Tuppence short story collection reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans & book lovers. Tommy & Tuppence Beresford were restless for adventure so when they were asked to take over Blunt's International Detective Agency they leapt at the chance. After their triumphant recovery of a pink pearl intriguing cases kept on coming their way: a stabbing on Sunningdale golf course; cryptic messages in the personal columns of newspapers; & even a box of poisoned chocolates. ...

Brand new edition of a top selling thriller by Nigel Hinton. Toddie Marco & Perry have been mates since childhood. Theyve grown up from being mates at school to managing a drugs gang together. But one day Perry meets Nadia & this sets off a series of events which can only end in tragedy. Revenge thriller from a award-winning writer. Particularly suitable for reluctant struggling & dyslexic teens. ...

Globally there are at least 45 species of game bird that have the word partridge in their name but in this book G. R. Potts devotes himself to the Grey Red-legged & Chukar Partridges with particular emphasis on the Grey Partridge due to its well-known decline in Britain. In this groundbreaking addition to the New Naturalist series Potts explores how mankind & partridges have evolved together both ultimately dependent on grasslands rather than forests. For thousands of years both ate grass seeds & this continued until cereals largely replaced them. Hundreds of species of plant & insect that partridges & other birds eat thrived on farms for thousands of years until the dawn of the pesticides era. Since then the long decline in partridge abundance has been a barometer for biodiversity over vast swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. Highlighting the positive example of the Norfolk Estate in the Sussex Study area Potts investigates how both Grey & Red-legged Partridge numbers have been increased flourishing in a highly productive & profitable system of farming & an oasis in what has often looked & sounded like a desert. In a small corner of England farmland wildlife is able to thrive much as it did before pesticides were introduced. This is a complex & fascinating story with a heady mix of hunting farming predation parasites disease & climate change. The way these factors have interacted tells us a lot about how lesser known species have fared & how they can be conserved for the future. Potts stresses the importance of these conservation efforts as farmers respond to the needs of an extra three billion people worldwide not just for food but for bio-fuels. in addition the pressures on farmland wildlife will further intensify in the coming years. ...

Globally there are at least 45 species of game bird that have the word partridge in their name but in this book G. R. Potts devotes himself to the Grey Red-legged & Chukar Partridges with particular emphasis on the Grey Partridge due to its well-known decline in Britain. In this groundbreaking addition to the New Naturalist series Potts explores how mankind & partridges have evolved together both ultimately dependent on grasslands rather than forests. For thousands of years both ate grass seeds & this continued until cereals largely replaced them. Hundreds of species of plant & insect that partridges & other birds eat thrived on farms for thousands of years until the dawn of the pesticides era. Since then the long decline in partridge abundance has been a barometer for biodiversity over vast swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. Highlighting the positive example of the Norfolk Estate in the Sussex Study area Potts investigates how both Grey & Red-legged Partridge numbers have been increased flourishing in a highly productive & profitable system of farming & an oasis in what has often looked & sounded like a desert. In a small corner of England farmland wildlife is able to thrive much as it did before pesticides were introduced. This is a complex & fascinating story with a heady mix of hunting farming predation parasites disease & climate change. The way these factors have interacted tells us a lot about how lesser known species have fared & how they can be conserved for the future. Potts stresses the importance of these conservation efforts as farmers respond to the needs of an extra three billion people worldwide not just for food but for bio-fuels. in addition the pressures on farmland wildlife will further intensify in the coming years. ...

Peek inside the 3D windows. Follow Fairy Breeze as she pushes open the palace doors & peeks through the windows & discover with her why everyone is special in this truly magical tale. Pop-up layered pages allow the reader to explore the charming illustrations. Sparkly glitter on the cover & the conclusion of the story enhances childrens excitement & enjoyment. It is ideal for 6- to 11-year-olds (with or without wings). One morning little Fairy Breeze the messenger wakes up with a tingly feeling in her toes. Today is a very special day in the fairy kingdom. This afternoon the Fairy Princess will marry her prince & everyone who is anyone has been invited to the wedding party at the Fairy Palace. Fairy Breeze doesnt believe she is anyone but she is glad that her job delivering messages will take her to the palace today. She flies through the palace garden admiring the pretty flags & decorations on the tents & pavilions then peers into the kitchen where dozens of busy fairies are mixing rolling stirring & tasting food for the forthcoming feast. As she flutters into the ballroom & finally the dressing room little does Fairy Breeze realize the surprise that is waiting for her... Young readers will love this heart-warming story & the beautiful pop-up 3D illustrations will take them right into the midst of the party. ...

Bark for joy at the arrival of this grrreat magical new series! This title is a sequel to the bestselling sensation Magic Kitten". Storm is the only young wolf left from his family in the magic Moon-claw pack after the evil wolf Shadow wounds his mother & destroys everyone else. With the rest of the pack now scattered Storm's mother is too weak to protect Storm so she sends him to our world as a magic puppy where his magical powers can grow. But Storm must find a friend here to help him hide from the evil Shadow. Will Storm be able to hide long enough to eventually return & save his mother & the magical Moon-claw pack? This is the fifth title in this brilliant new series that will leave you howling for more!" ...

Whether it's a rainy day a party day or you are on the move this imaginative & engaging series will have games to suit every need. Start playing! This title presents: step-by-step instructions; ways to play alone or together; & graded games with challenges to make them trickier. ...