In 1968 at the age of 22 Karl Marlantes abandoned his Oxford University scholarship to sign up for active service with the US Marine Corps in Vietnam. Pitched into a war that had no defined military objective other than kill ratios & body counts what he experienced over the next thirteen months in the jungles of South East Asia shook him to the core. But what happened when he came home covered with medals was almost worse. It took Karl four decades to come to terms with what had really happened during the course of which he painstakingly constructed a fictionalized version of his war MATTERHORN which has subsequently been hailed as the definitive Vietnam novel. WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO TO WAR takes us back to Vietnam but this time there is no fictional veil. Here are the hard-won truths that underpin MATTERHORN: the author's real-life experiences behind the book's indelible scenes. But it is much more than this. It is part exorcism of Karl's own experiences of combat part confession part philosophical primer for the young man about to enter combat. It It is also a devastatingly frank answer to the questions ' What is it like to be a soldier?' What is it like to face death?' & ' What is it like to kill someone?' ...

So you're a fairly decent chess player. You compete in tournaments you play on the Internet. But you would love to make that leap to become a chess master. What do you need to know how much do you have to practise & how much of the success of the masters is simply a matter of innate talent superior brainpower or just good luck? This useful book aimed at all chess players who aspire to become chess masters shows you what the masters know & you don't. Written by one of our biggest-selling & best-loved chess authors in his trademark chatty accessible but always informative style this book is filled with practical exercises & test games that will reveal the secrets of how to join chess's elite ranks. ...

Washington D.C. 1972. Derek Strange has left the police department & set up shop as a private investigator. His former partner Frank Hound Dog Vaughn is still on the force. When a young woman comes to Strange asking for his help recovering a cheap ring she claims has sentimental value the case leads him onto Vaughns turf where a local drug addicts been murdered shot point-blank in his apartment. Soon both men are on the trail of a ruthless killer: Red Fury so called for his looks & the car his girlfriend drives but a name that fits his personality all too well. Red Fury doesnt have a retirement plan as Vaughn points out
- he doesnt care who he has to cross or kill to get what he wants. As the violence escalates & the stakes get higher Strange & Vaughn know the only way to catch their man is to do it their own way. Rich with details of place & time
- the cars the music the clothes
- & fuelled by non-stop action this is Pelecanos writing in the hard-boiled noir style that won him his earliest fans & placed him firmly in the ranks of the top crime writers in America.


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Forget everything youve heard about Hollywood. What Just Happened: Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line is the real deal. In Art Linsons true & uproarious tale of what it is to make movies we get to explore at close range finicky directors clueless executives shameless marketers famous actors battered screenwriters & hapless producers crossing paths in such calamitous ways that its a miracle these films get made at all. Whether hes trying to persuade an executive that Gwyneth Paltrow has enough chin to carry the lead in a movie forcing an enraged Alec Baldwin to shave off his mountain-man beard discussing ankle hair loss with Dustin Hoffman or sitting through an excruciating reading of a David Mamet script as Robert De Niro toys with the notion of heading up the cast Linson gives us a brutally honest funny & comprehensive tour through the horrors of Hollywood from script to screen. If you love the movies or not you wont be able to resist the stories behind them. You also wont be able to resist Linson a born story-teller whose wicked sense of humor leaves nobody safe-not even himself. ...

A gorgeous & unique cookbook from the award-winning Katie Quinn Davies. What Katie Ate is a feast for your eyes as well as your table; a perfect gift for those who love Tessa Kiros' Apples for Jam or Falling Cloudberries fans of Nigel Slater Lorraine Pascale or Nigella or anyone who enjoys cookbooks & good food but wants something new. What Katie Ate started out as an award-winning food blog by renowned food photographer designer writer & cook Katie Quinn Davies. Dublin-born Katie's simple & delicious recipes complemented by her truly stunning photography brought hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe to Katie's table fans who continue to log on regularly to see what Katie will eat next & be inspired by her spellbinding approach to home cooking. This debut cookbook is full of honest doable recipes part inspired by Katie's love for throwing a good meal for friends & family & part inspired by the diversity of the good ingredients. A cookbook like no other What Katie Ate features over 100 simple elegant recipes you immediately want to cook plus ideas on how you can adapt them; stories from Katie's foodie travels & experiences; menu suggestions to tempt & inspire
- & all brought to life through her extraordinary images. Beautiful inspirational & thoroughly delightful What Katie Ate is a treasure to be given & enjoyed. Recipes Include: Sizzling Prawns Caramelised Onion & Goats Cheese Tartlets with Balsamic Syrup Creamy Macaroni Bake with Salami & Chilli Beef & Guinness Pie Katie's Fish Pie with Crunchy Bacon & Leek Topping Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Cider Slaw Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce & Roasted Pecans Mini Raspberry & Chocolate Meringue Kisses Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Salted Butterscotch Sauce & Honey Roasted Almond Brittle
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I mean to do something gr&. I dont know what yet; but when Im grown up I shall find out. Katy Carr is the longest girl that was ever seen. She is all legs & elbows & angles & joints. She tears her dress every day hates sewing & doesnt care a button about being called good. Her head is full of schemes & one day she plans to do something important. But a great deal is to happen to Katy before that time comes... ...

Katy Carr is untidy tall & gangling & lives with her brothers & sisters planning for the day when she will be beautiful & beloved & amiable as an angel". An accidental fall from a swing seems to threaten her hopes for the future but Katy struggles to overcome her difficulties with pluck vitality & good humour." ...

What Katy Did at School & What Katy Did Next continue the story of the high-spirited & rebellious American girl Katy Carr & her family who first appeared in What Katy Did. What Katy Did at School is a compelling tale of the intrigues of life at the New England girls boarding school which Katy attends. Her trials & adventures are all interwoven with a sense of fun & gently ironic good humour. What Katy Did Next describes a tour by Katy of Europe as she evolves from the child of earlier books into a spirited young woman & brings to a satisfying close this delightful trilogy. ...

Katy Carr can hardly believe it when she is invited to spend a whole year in Europe with Mrs Ashe & Amy. Although a year seems like a long time away from her beloved family living in the small American town of Burnet Katy embarks enthusiastically on her greatest adventure. This charming story first published in 1886 is the third of Susan Coolidges three hugely popular Katy books. ...

Harper Collins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved essential classics. Likened to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women What Katy Did Next is a timeless classic for both children & adults to enjoy. The story of Katy Carr the lanky good-hearted tomboy who learns to be gentle & patient is continued in this third instalment of Susan Coolidge's popular Katy series. When Mrs Ashe a widower discovers that her visiting nephew has scarlet fever she sends her only daughter Amy to stay with the Carr family. Amy finds a true friend in Katy Carr & Mrs Ashe invites Katy to join them on a trip to Europe. After some initial reluctance she agrees. We follow Katy as she is reunited with her old friends from Hillsover including the mischievous Rose Red Browne. Katy's journey takes her to rainy England where she finds out what constitutes a 'fine day' for the English & what a Dickens-commended muffin tastes like. The Carr family from her most popular Katy series was modelled on Coolidge's own family with the protagonist Katy modelled on Coolidge herself. ...