An awe-inspiring journey through the eons of time & across the globe in search of visible traces of evolution in living creatures which have survived from earliest times & whose stories speak to us of seminal events in the history of life. Reading Richard Fortey is always pure pleasure BILL BRYSON The history of life on Earth is far older -- & far odder -- than many of us realise. In this book acclaimed author Richard Fortey traces this history not through fossil records but in the living stories of organisms that have survived nearly unchanged for hundreds of millions of years & whose existence today affords us tantalising glimpses of landscapes long vanished. For evolution has not obliterated its tracks. Scattered across the globe strange & marvellous plants & animals have survived virtually unchanged since life first began. They range from humble algal mats dating back almost two billion years to hardy musk oxen which linger as the last vestiges of Ice Age fauna. Following in Forteys questing footsteps Survivors takes us on fascinating journey to these ancient worlds. On a moonlit beach in Delaware where the horseshoe crab shuffles its way through a violent romance we catch a glimpse of life 450 million years ago shortly after it diversified on the ocean floor. Along a stretch of Australian coastline we bear witness to the sights & sounds that would have greeted a Precambrian dawn. Finally in the dense rainforests of New Zealand where the secretive velvet worm burrows into the rotting timber of the jungle floor we marvel at a living fossil which has survived unchanged since before the dissolution of the Gondwana supercontinent. Written with Forteys customary sparkle & gusto this wonderfully engrossing exploration of the worlds oldest flora & fauna brilliantly combines the best science writing about the origins of life with an explorers sense of adventure & a poets wonder at the natural world. Utterly compelling eye-opening & awe-inspiring this is a book for anyone with an interest in evolution in nature in the remarkable scope of geological time & our own modest interaction with it -- in short in life itself. ...

Four sisters four very different characters. But they have always been there for each other through the hard times as well as the good. Now they describe growing up performing from as young as two what it was like when fame suddenly hit & how it caused rifts in their close-knit family. Linda opens up about her devastation when her beloved husband died just as she was coping with breast cancer. Bernie tells how she suffered through the hearbreak of losing her unborn child & recently faced her own cancer battle Coleen talks about her marriages & reveals new secrets & Maureen describes her sadness at the devastating family feud that saw her much loved older sisters fall out with her Linda Bernie & Coleen. & they share the joy of getting back on stage for their thirtieth anniversary tour
- four survivors who found that age doesn't matter when it comes to having a great time.
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An awe-inspiring journey through the eons & across the globe in search of visible traces of evolution in the living creatures that have survived from earlier times. In this groundbreaking book prize-winning science writer Richard Fortey chronicles lifes history not through the fossil record but through the stories of organisms that have survived almost unchanged through geological time. Fortey takes us on a journey to ancient worlds: on a moonlit beach in Delaware where the horseshoe crab shuffles its way through a violent romance we catch a glimpse of life 450 million years ago. Along a stretch of Australian coastline we bear witness to the sights & sounds that would have greeted a Precambrian dawn. & in the dense rainforests of New Zealand where the secretive velvet worm burrows into the rotting timber of the jungle floor we marvel at a living fossil which has survived unchanged since before the break-up of Gondwana the ancient supercontinent over 150 million years ago. Written with Forteys customary sparkle & gusto this wonderfully engrossing exploration of the worlds oldest flora & fauna brilliantly combines the best science writing about the origins of life with an explorers sense of adventure & a poets wonder at the natural world. ...

The brilliant standalone thriller from The Sunday Times & New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner. REVENGE IS SWEET... Jillian Hayes Carol Rosen & Meg Pesaturo's lives changed forever in an instant when Eddie Como
- the College Hill Rapist
- came into their lives. But they refused to be victims; instead they chose to be survivors. Helping to put him away was one form of justice but they couldn't deny that secretly they wanted his life destroyed as he destroyed theirs. So when Eddie is shot down outside the courtroom on the eve of the trial they are both relieved & revenged. But now they're also prime suspects & surviving is about to get tougher still. Detective Roan Griffin thinks this was a professional hit & all that remains is to work out who ordered it. He knows that the women are key but when another woman is savagely attacked the situation gets a lot more complicated. For Griffin the hunt is on to find the person responsible before membership of the exclusive club grows...BUT IS IT WORTH THE PRICE YOU PAY?

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From that moment when Susan Boyle burst onto our screens on Britains Got Talent" she has became an unexpected phenomenon & has gone on to become the creator of the fastest selling female debut album of all time
- in the UK & worldwide
- hitting the number one spot in the US UK Australia New Zealand Canada & Irel&. Susans own personal dream has finally come true but the phenomenal success story doesnt end here
- Susan has arrived & shes here to stay. This book will be the first to tell the full story of Susans incredible journey from rags to riches from West Lothian to Times Square. Ever since her mesmerising historic performance on " Britains Got Talent" Susan has captured the heart of millions. Hers is a very modern fairytale that is at once uplifting & compelling. Bestselling biographer Alice Montgomery charts her meteoric rise from humble beginnings to global superstardom exploring the relationships events & people that have played a role in her astonishing story
- a 21st century fairytale that became reality."



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Japan is the pre-eminent food nation on earth. The creativity of the Japanese their dedication & ingenuity not to mention courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm & octopus ice cream is only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi-saturated West as are the remarkable health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet. Food & travel writer Michael Booth sets of to take the culinary pulse of contemporary Japan & he & his young family travel the length of the country
- from bear-infested beer-loving Hokkaido to snake-infested seaweed-loving Okinawa. What do the Japanese know about food? Perhaps more than anyone else on earth judging by this fascinating & funny journey through an extraordinary food-obsessed country. Winner of the Guild of Food Writers Kate Whiteman Award for the best book on food & travel.
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' Dammit' she realized. 'I think I'm having a nervous breakdown'. Hot-shot magazine editor Lisa Edwards' career is destined for high-rise New York when suddenly she's diverted to low-rise Dublin. But what can she do about it? Ashling Kennedy Lisa's super-organized assistant worries about everything from her lack of waist to the lack of men in her life. She's even anxious about of a little bit of raw fish.. . Clodagh Kelly is Ashling's best friend & has her prince her beautiful kids & a lovely house
- everything in fact that Ashling ever wanted. She should be
- yet she's not
- happy.


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Have you ever wondered why Japanese women stay so slim? Research shows that the Japanese diet is one of the healthiest in the world: balanced slimming & packed with superfoods. Japanese girls learn about food from their mothers: what to eat to make your hair shine your skin glow to get rid of wrinkles to make your nails strong & healthy. But above all how to stay slim.. . Japanese women practise virtuous indulgence: they dont deny themselves foods that they love but they only eat them in very small quantities
- lots of little plates rather than one big one
- & only healthy snacks in between. They count calories obsessively & know which dishes will provide all their nutritional
- & beauty
- needs with the minimum of fuss. Now you too can benefit from their wisdom. In Sushi Slim using the latest scientific research Makiko shows how eating Japanese food can help you get slim & stay slim. Once you begin to eat this way youll feel the kilos drop away plus all the recipes are calorie counted to help you maintain your perfect weight. Sushi is light fun supremely tasty & extraordinarily healthy & with Makikos foolproof directions youll have no trouble putting together the pretty delicious dishes. Also included are soups & refreshing salads. Eat California Rolls for the hair-glossing benefits of black sesame or try the fabulously covetable Collagen Soup for a lunchhour facelift. & you dont have to give up your diet at work. Makikos tips will have you packing a bento box of healthy delights straight from your freezer which will be perfectly ready in time for lunch.



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During her sixty-five-year career Susie Cooper introduced more than 4 500 ceramic patterns & shapes making her one of the most prolific versatile & influential designers the industry has ever seen. Between the 1920s & 1980s she moved from the bold h&-painting of the ' Jazz Age' through delicate wash banding & aerograph techniques to sophisticated lithographic transfer printing on both earthenware & bone china. Cooper not only led the charge of gifted female designers in the male-dominated Potteries but also pioneered the role of women in factory management. Alan Marshall here charts her progress from the creation of patterns for Gray's Pottery in the 1920s to running her own Susie Cooper Productions from the 1930s to the 1950s & designing for Wedgwood from the 1960s to the 1980s. ...

Joseph OLoughlin appears to have the perfect life
- a beautiful wife a loving daughter & a successful career as a clinical psychologist.
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