' My mother-in-law Annie lived with us for 17 years & was picture-book perfect.' It took a while before the family realised that Annie was increasingly (as she would put it) ' Mutt & Jeff'. So Phyllida began to write out the day's gossip at the kitchen table putting her notes by Annie's bed before going to hers. One night as her husband wandered off to bed he muttered darkly that she spent so much time each evening writing to Annie she could have written a book. ' And illustrated it!' Here it is. It is a book full of the delights of a warm & loving household. Of Boot the Cat being sick after over-indulging in spiders; the hunt for cleaning products from the dawn of time; persistently & mysteriously malfunctioning hearing aids; an unusual & potentially hilarious use for a clove of garlic; & the sad disappearance of coconut logs from the local sweetshop. It's about the special place at the heart of a home held by a woman born in another age. Who polished the brass when it was 'looking red at her'. Who still bore a scar from being hit by her employer when as a young woman she was in service. Who could turn the heel of a sock & the collar of a shirt & make rock-cakes bread pudding & breast of lamb with barley. ...

I have nothing to declare Wilde once told an American customs official except my genius. A socialite a wit a man who flaunted convention & was unafraid to shock Oscar Wilde was a great writer & a great man. This new collection of wit & wisdom demonstrates the brilliance of his vision the audacity of his style. Such is the scope of the material it brings to life the Wilde of great feeling as well as the Wilde of great art. ...

On the surface there was nothing different about that dull August day in 1998 & yet it was to change all our lives for ever. A wild gang of girls live for terrorising their estate in Londons East End. When they bully the weakest of their group into breaking in to a house they expect her to nick some cash not disappear completely. Two days later her broken body is found under a bed in one of the rooms & the loner who lives there is charged with murder. Its an open & shut case. Isnt it? Nearly fifteen years later journalist Jess Vaughan senses something doesnt add up about what really happened that afternoon. Roping in detective Harry Lind Jess starts stirring up all kinds of trouble asking questions that someone will kill to leave unanswered. ...

Ruth has looked after her brothers for ten years since the death of their parents & believes that her role as head of the family will continue for the rest of her life. With two of her brothers already married & living away she has only her youngest brothers to care for. The arrival of a new very determined sister-in-law makes change inevitable & Ruth struggles to maintain her superior role. Troubled by problems in her own relationship with the ever-patient Henry she must recognize her priorities in time to salvage her own chance of love & happiness. Nothing is Forever is a finely drawn portrait of the joys & challenges of close-knit family life from the much-loved writer of Gull Island & Facing the World. ...

I immersed myself in magic. I read every book I could get my hands on & practised & practised day after day & night after night. Magic became my world...some might say an obsession." When youre a kid life can seem tough; tougher for some than others. But the darkest of times can also be the most enlightening. When his late granddad showed him magic for the first time Steven Frayne knew there was more to life than hiding from bullies. He had a destiny. A calling. In that moment Dynamo was born: the most exciting magician of the 21st century. Since then Dynamo has shocked thrilled & amazed men women & children from all walks of life all over the world. With his mind-blowing illusions he has catalysed a whole new era of magic. Now in his very first book Dynamo invites you to join him on a breathtaking journey across the globe. Be prepared to levitate Lindsay Lohan in Singapore transform snow into diamonds in the Austrian mountains & walk on water across the River Thames. Along the way he reveals how to make the impossible possible what it takes to pull off the greatest stunts man has seen & why everyone needs magic in their lives. This is no illusion. This is the real story of the awe-inspiring Dynamo." ...

This book contains further stories of members of the Drones Club & several adventures related by the Oldest Member of the golf club. Many old friends reappear
- Bingo Little & Mrs Bingo Freddie Widgeon Ambrose Gussett Agnes Flack Horace Bewstridge & many more. It
Includes:: The Shadow Passes" " Bramley is so Bracing" " Up From the Depths" " Feet of Clay" " Excelsior" " Rodney Has a Relapse" " Tangled Hearts" " Birth of a Salesman" " How's That Umpire?" & " Success Story"."

...

North Korea is Orwell's 1984 made reality: it is the only country in the world not connected to the internet; Gone with the Wind is a dangerous banned book; during political rallies spies study your expression to check your sincerity. After the death of the country's great leader Kim Il Sung in 1994 famine descended: people stumbled over dead bodies in the street & ate tree bark to survive. Nothing to Envy weaves together the stories of adversity & resilience of six residents of Chongin North Korea's third largest city. From extensive interviews & with tenacious investigative work Barbara Demick has recreated the concerns culture & lifestyles of North Korean citizens in a gripping narrative & vividly reconstructed the inner workings of this extraordinary & secretive country. ...

Featuring Jack Reacher hero of the new blockbuster movie starring Tom Cruise. From Hope to Despair. Between two small towns in Colorado nothing but twelve miles of empty road. All Jack Reacher wants is a cup of coffee. What he gets are four redneck deputies a vagrancy charge & a trip back to the line. But Reacher is a big man & he's in shape. No job no address no baggage. Nothing except bloody-minded curiosity. What are the secrets the locals seem so determined to hide? ...

Two small towns in Colorado: Hope & Despair. Between them nothing but twelve miles of empty road. Jack Reacher cant find a ride so he walks. All he wants is a cup of coffee. What he gets are four redneck deputies who want to run him out of town. But theyre picking on the wrong guy. Jack Reacher is a big man & hes in shape. He has no job no address no baggage nothing except a bloody-minded curiosity. What is the secret the locals seem so keen to hide? A hard man is good to find. Ex-military cop Reacher is todays most addictive hero. Now he pulls on a tiny loose thread to unravel conspiracies that expose the most shocking truths. Because after all Jack Reacher has nothing to lose. ...

A spiky feisty hilarious collection of stories that expose womens clumsy often doomed attempts to negotiate a smooth path through life. Abandoned wives remain as lingering presences in the homes of their ex-husbands new girlfriends; beautiful young models find their misdemeanours exposed for all the world to see in the tabloids; middle-aged women get swept off their feet & into the criminal underworld by charismatic con-men; young trophy wives get thrown in jail after over-exuberant cavorting on their private yachts; mothers beg their thirty something career-minded daughters to freeze their eggs in the hope that they may one day bear their grandchildren. Bold glamorous sexy unrepentant Fay Weldons heroines offer a quite unique view of the world as they face their trials without fear or trepidation. Both her legions of existing fans & new readers will be enthralled. ...