In Soviet Russia the desire for freedom is also a desire for the freedom to love. Lovers live as outlaws traitors to the collective spirit & love is more intense when it feels like an act of resistance. Now entering middle age an orphan recalls the fleeting moments that have never left him
- a scorching day in a blossoming orchard with a woman who loves another; a furtive desperate affair in a Black Sea resort; the bunch of snowdrops a crippled childhood friend gave him to give to his lover. As the dreary Brezhnev era gives way to Perestroika & the fall of Communism the orphan uncovers the truth behind the life of Dmitri Ress whose tragic fate embodies the unbreakable bond between love & freedom.
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Stephen Hawkings worldwide bestseller A Brief History of Time has been a landmark volume in scientific writing. Its authors engaging voice is one reason & the compelling subjects he addresses is another: the nature of space & time the role of God in creation the history & future of the universe. But it is also true that in the years since its publication readers have repeatedly told Professor Hawking of their great difficulty in understanding some of the books most important concepts. This is the origin of & the reason for A Briefer History of Time: its authors wish to make its content accessible to readers -- as well as to bring it up-to-date with the latest scientific observations & findings. Although this book is literally somewhat briefer it actually expands on the great subjects of the original. Purely technical concepts such as the mathematics of chaotic boundary conditions are gone. Conversely subjects of wide interest that were difficult to follow because they were interspersed throughout the book have now been given entire chapters of their own including relativity curved space & quantum theory. This reorganization has allowed the authors to expand areas of special interest & recent progress from the latest developments in string theory to exciting developments in the search for a complete unified theory of all the forces of physics. Like prior editions of the book--but even more so -- A Briefer History of Time will guide nonscientists everywhere in the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time & space. Thirty-eight full-colour illustrations enhance the text & make A Briefer History of Time an exhilarating addition in its own right to the literature of science. ...

Whoever said the afterlife would be easy... Noel Coward is the toast of twenties society...a brilliant playwright composer & entertainer whose witty songs & pithy lines dont quite tell the full story. Goldenhurst his house in Kent provides a place where he can be himself. & more importantly where he can be with his lover Jack without fear of arrest or judgement... But their romantic idyll is ruined first by the arrival of Noels demanding relatives & then by a mysterious death... Many years later film star & Coward fan Richard Stent buys the house from its current owner. But Richard has problems of his own. Goldenhurst is supposed to be a respite from all his worries but this is a house with a very rich & not always pleasant history. & more than one thing is about to go bump in the night... This is a haunting tale of love obsession & a house full of spirits not all of them blithe... ...

In their second look at the history & development of Brierley Hill Ned Williams & the Mount Pleasant Local History Group turn their attention to the areas of Round Oak Harts Hill Level Street Merry Hill Quarry Bank Mill Street The Delph Silver End & Hawbush. The needs of industry formed these settlements but once established they became home to a vast number of schools churches & chapels shops & centres of entertainment
- as well as a huge number of pubs. The collapse of the metal-based industries & the spread of housing has changed the landscape but identifying these communities & recognising what went on there in the past helps us understand the development of Brierley Hill.
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Brierley Hill was one of those Black Country towns which was identified by the work that went on within its boundaries. Everyone knows that Brierley Hill made steel & sausages & fine pieces of glassware. These activities are now in the past but the memory of such work lingers on while the town wrestles with the problems of regeneration. This book pays plenty of attention to steel pork products & glass but also provides a glimpse of the many other aspects of work that have made Brierley Hill such a busy place. People worked in local government & in public sector work which maintained the life of the town while others worked in retailing & in the provision of transport. While looking at the world of work in Brierley Hill we have taken account of the many types of employment that were to be found in its satellites: the hollow-ware industry of Quarry Bank the brick-making that went on in The Delph Silver End & Pensnett the iron trades in Brockmoor & Harts Hill & the work on the infrastructure that served all these places. The arrival of the Merry Hill Shopping Centre on Brierley Hills doorstep has given retailing a new dominance in terms of providing local employment but the picture of work in the twenty-first century is still emerging. Who knows what will bring Brierley Hill fame & fortune in the future? ...

The Forth Bridge has long been recognised as one of the finest examples of Victorian engineering on the planet & has achieved an iconic status as one of the great feats of western civilisation since its official opening in 1890. Lavishly illustrated throughout with stunning archive images Elspeth Wills uncovers the human story behind 'the engineering marvel': the story of the Briggers. It is a story that has never been told before
- of ordinary men working on an extraordinary structure in an often hostile & dangerous environment. Recognised throughout the world as an enduring icon of Scotland the Forth Bridge is more than just a testament to the genius of Victorian engineering it is a monument to all those who worked to realise its vision & to the scores of lives that were lost in the process. In this groundbreaking new work Elspeth Wills gives a voice to the forgotten heroes who helped to make the ambition of the Bridge a reality.
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From the bestselling author of the House of Night" series comes the award-winning world of " Partholon" rich in goddesses intrigue & magic. When she leaves her ultra-strict family Brighid also strays from her pre-ordained life. Born to be the Chief Shaman & ruler of a herd of centaurs would be tough for any girl
- & Brighid wants out. Joining Clan Mac Callan as a Huntress & helping broken-hearted Cuchulainn on his mission seems much simpler
- if befriending bat-winged creatures & helping them gain acceptance in society can ever be described as simple. As Brighid uncovers more about her heritage (and her true feelings for a certain someone) she realises her powers cannot lie dormant forever. & that she can not escape her destiny."

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Gwynna had fallen from grace once bearing a stillborn child out of wedlock. Determined to have a respectable future she finds a position for herself as a nursemaid at Hungerton House. But just as she begins to find her feet the secrets of her past are revealed. She is swiftly dismissed but not before she becomes the target of a lascivious groom. & even afterwards she is pursued by Hungerton an evil old man who wishes to send her back to the gutters. She returns home to Hedderby only to find the small Lancashire town reeling after the arson attack on the local pub & music hall The Pride. Her only ally is a talented carpenter also once employed by Hungerton. His former employer will stop at nothing however to bring him back to the estate. Will money buy revenge & destroy two lives or will the young lovers find a way to achieve their dreams? ...

Join Bonnie & Harry for their sixth Racing Reads adventure. Lets start a school dance club! said Zena. Everybodyll be up for it. If there are two things Harry hates its dancing with girls & watching his mum giggle with her new boyfriend. As his birthday party looms Harry starts to wonder if his new extended family will ever get on. But Bright Dog Bonnie has a plan to bring everyone back together
- & she might just have a surprise for all of us! This is the final book in the Bonnie" series
- with a surprise ending for Bonnie fans."

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You are at a nightclub talking to a girl with a shaved head. The club is either Heartbreak or the Lizard Lounge. All might become clear if you could just slip into the bathroom & do a little more Bolivian Marching Powder. Then again it might not. So begins our nameless heros trawl through the brightly lit streets of Manhattan sampling all this wonderland has to offer yet suspecting that tomorrows hangover may be caused by more than simple excess. Bright Lights Big City" is an acclaimed classic which marked Jay Mc Inerney as one of the major writers of our time." ...