How It All Began" is the wonderful new novel from Booker Prize winner Penelope Lively. When... Charlotte is mugged & breaks her hip her daughter Rose cannot accompany her employer Lord Peters to Manchester which means his niece Marion has to go instead which means she sends a text to her lover which is intercepted by his wife which is.. .just the beginning in the ensuing chain of life-altering events. In this engaging utterly absorbing & brilliantly told novel Penelope Lively shows us how one random event can cause marriages to fracture & heal themselves opportunities to appear & disappear lovers who might never have met to find each other & entire lives to become irrevocably changed. Funny humane touching sly & sympathetic " How It All Began" is a brilliant sleight of hand from an author at the top of her game. " Contains some of Livelys funniest & most enjoyable character studies.. .she remains a sublime storyteller". (" Guardian"). " Deeply comical essentially kind-hearted wonderfully written & seasoned with a rare wisdom". (" Literary Review"). " More stylish than many writers half her age... Lively knows a thing or two about storytelling.. .her candour is refreshing & reminds us that you dont have to lie to yourself to live life finely until the very end". (" The Times"). Penelope Lively is the author of many prize-winning novels & short-story collections for both adults & children. She has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: once in 1977 for her first novel " The Road to Lichfield" & again in 1984 for " According to Mark". She later won the 1987 Booker Prize for her highly acclaimed novel " Moon Tiger". Her other books include " Going Back"; " Judgement Day"; " Next to Nature Art"; " Perfect Happiness"; " Passing On"; " City of the Mind"; " Cleopatras Sister"; " Heat Wave"; " Beyond the Blue Mountains" a collection of short stories; " Oleander Jacaranda" a memoir of her childhood days in Egypt; " Spiderweb"; her autobiographical work "A House Unlocked"; " The Photograph"; " Making It Up"; " Consequences"; " Family Album" which was shortlisted for the 2009 Costa Novel Award & " How It All Began". She is a popular writer for children & has won both the Carnegie Medal & the Whitbread Award. She was appointed CBE in the 2001 New Years Honours List & DBE in 2012. Penelope Lively lives in London." ...

Kirsty Jenkins adores the allotment her grandfather lovingly tends & just before he dies he asks Kirsty to look after it for him. But when horrible Mr Thomas from the council insists it must go to the next person on the waiting list Kirsty is determined to find a way to keep her promise. After pleading with Mr Thomas & demonstrating at the council offices Kirsty & her half-siblings undertake their most daring plan of all: to 'borrow' the stuffed elephant from the museum that Mr Thomas loves so much in a last-ditch attempt to gain his attention & understanding. Perhaps this risky ruse might also shake Kirsty's dad from the quiet sadness he has fallen into ever since her grandfather died. A warm funny & moving novel about family relationships dealing with bereavement green beans & marrows. ...

In this fascinating survey of everything from how sounds become speech to how names work David Crystal answers every question you might ever have had about the nuts & bolts of language in his usual highly illuminating way. Along the way we find out about eyebrow flashes whistling languages how parents teach their children to speak how politeness travels across languages & how the way we talk show not just how old we are but where were from & even who we want to be. ...

A thoroughly updated edition of this prize-winning readable introduction to the main theories of first & second language acquisition. This book introduces you to some of the language acquisition research that will help you not just to evaluate existing materials but also to adapt & use them in a way that fits what we currently understand about how languages are learned. -Content including new research & new areas in pedagogy to provide an up-to-date & comprehensive overview of research in the field.-Chapter Preview s & Summaries with round-up questions.-Companion website with vodcasts content updates & shared user content.-Also available as an e-book. ...

Sammys had a bad week
- his wallets gone along with his new shoes hes been arrested then beaten up by the police & thrown out on
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A unique interactive guide to understanding simple machines & mechanisms. Each spread introduces you to a key mechanical principle for example levers gears & pulleys. You then put these into practice by building working models using the perforated workshop board & colour-coded machine parts. A timeline on every spread explores how each machine has been used throughout history. With a hands-on approach that brings theories to life this is a must for budding engineers. ...

The charming funny successor to the hugely popular ' Notes to my Mother-in-Law' from the inimitable Phyllida Law. When her Uncle Arthur dies actress Phyllida Law returns to the tiny Scottish village of Ardentinny to look after her ma Mego. Mego's always been deliciously dotty. She once put a new packet of tights in the fridge (and the bacon in her sock drawer). But Mego's older now & becoming ever more muddled. So Phyllida devotes herself to looking after Mego but not without the help of friends local villagers & her two daughters actresses Emma & Sophie Thompson: pulling together they maintain order in the cottage find Delia on the telly & keep Mego's spirits up-with a G&T if all else fails. Somehow Phyllida even manages to slip away on acting jaunts in Glasgow & Italy. Running through Phyllida's account of Mego's final months are the anecdotes memories & legends that form the fabric of every family. Phyllida's account captures the warmth & tenderness of two generations of daughters brought together to care for their much-loved mother & grandmother. ...

Here is a fresh approach to early number concepts. This fun activity book is a perfect way to help children understand quantities rather than just reciting them in order. It helps with the recognition of numerals & words & what they stand for. An activity book to be shared by adults & children which can also be enjoyed by early readers. ...

In recent years economic growth has been regarded as a self-evident good with political debate focussed on the best means to achieve it. But there are now signs that this shared assumption is weakening. Anger at 'greedy' bankers & their 'obscene' bonuses has given way to a deeper dissatisfaction with an economic system geared overwhelmingly to the accumulation of wealth. Huge income disparities & an ever-growing gap between the richest & the rest has brought us to one of those rare moments when the underlying assumptions of society are changing. In How Much is Enough?" Robert & Edward Skidelsky argue that wealth is not an end in itself but a means to the achievement & maintenance of a 'good life' & that our economy should be organised to reflect this fact. The book

Includes:: a definition of the 'good life' discusses the relevance of ' Happiness Studies' & the environmental impact of our ever-growing need to consume. In doing so it offers an escape from the trap of excessive specialization & a way to reinvigorate the idea of economics as a 'moral science'. It concludes by offering a radical new model for income redistribution
- & a consideration of what human beings might really want from their lives."


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Did you know that squirrels cant see the colour red? That Walt Disney the creator of Mickey Mouse was afraid of mice? That only 30 per cent of humans can flare their nostrils? Or that every year the average person eats 438 bugs by mistake? Let Mitchell Symons be your guide into the weird & wonderful world of totally useless trivia! ...