When Sam Bailey tells people that she used to take her clothes off for money three questions usually follow. The first is Why? The simple answer is that she enjoyed it. She liked showing off being desired & earning a lot of money. The second is How did you get started? Sam was 17 had a poorly paid job that she hated & couldnt bear to think that was all there was for her in life. The third question is: So Sam what was it like? In Stripped" Sam Bailey reveals all about her experiences taking us behind the scenes & introducing us to the other strippers & the punters aged 18 to 80. She recounts a series of episodes that shine a light on the simultaneously sexy & seedy glamorous & gritty world of lap-dancing clubs. " Stripped" takes you down the steps & through the double doors to reveal some of the nights darkest secrets & expose the reality of life in the strip-club underworld." ...

Is lap dancing harmless fun providing entertainment for men & well-paid self-empowering work for women? The lap dancing industry has long argued that it offers an everyday service within free market guidelines but in 2010 the UK government legislated that lap dancing venues in the UK should be classed as 'sex establishments'. So are lap dancers sex workers rather than exotic dancers? What attracts so many women to work within the industry? Are women being sexually exploited & their bodies used as objects for male gratification? Media depictions of lap dancers often fall prey to caricatured & stereotypical images. Having worked as a lap dancer herself Jennifer Hayashi Danns knows about the industry from direct experience. In Stripped" she tells her story & gives a voice to many others who have either worked in the clubs or been directly affected by what goes on in them. In sometimes raw direct language the various contributors express their knowledge of the lap dancing industry & the impact it has had on their lives. These compelling narratives give dramatic perspectives into a secretive & largely undisclosed world peeling away some of the gloss on the surface & revealing the often seedy & desperate reality of the lap dancing industry. The second part of the book offers insightful commentary analysis & solutions." ...

This profoundly influential book re-examines events leading up to the Reformation in England & illuminates our understanding of the period. A prize-winning account it recreates lay peoples experience of the religion of the pre-Reformation church showing that late-medieval Catholicism was neither decadent nor decayed but was a strong & vigorous tradition & that the Reformation represented a violent rupture from a popular & theologically respectable religious system. For this edition Duffy has written a substantial new introduction including a discussion of the Lollards & reflecting on recent developments in Reformation studies. A mighty & momentous book.. .which reorders ones thinking about much of Englands religious past. Jack Scarisbrick The Tablet Duffy wants to show the vitality & appeal of late medieval Catholicism & to prove that it exerted a diverse & vigorous hold over the imagination & loyalty of the people up to the very moment of the Reformation. He succeeds triumphantly. Susan Bridgen London Review of Books A magnificent scholarly achievement a compelling read & not a page too long. Patricia Morrison Financial Times A landmark book in the history of the Reformation. Ann Eljenholm Nichols Sixteenth Century Journal This book will afford enjoyment & enlightenment to layman & specialist alike. Duffy sweeps the reader along.. .by his lively & absorbing detail his piercing insights patient analysis & his vigour in debates. Peter Heath Times Literary Supplement Sensitively written & beautifully produced this book represents a major contribution to the Reformation debate. Norman Tanner The Times Deeply imaginative movingly written & splendidly illustrated. Maurice Keen The New York Review of Books ...

Meet Tilly Redbrow who doesnt just love horses
- she lives breathes & dreams them too! When Tilly wins a horse safari trip to Africa
...

I am Meredith Gentry PI & Princess Merry heir to the throne of Fairie. I have departed the safe haven of Los Angeles to face the peril & deception of my first home the Unseelie court. There my enemies are many & my guards may not be able to protect me from the treachery of the unseen foes that will stop at nothing to keep me from the throne. As for my quest to produce an heir & thereby save myself & all that is faerie from utter destruction
- well I am still trying. As pregnancy becomes ever more urgent I must leave the protected beds of the Queens Ravens & lie with other men men whose designs & allegiances remain in question. & a night of delirious passion will transport me & my new lovers to another place the mysterious dead gardens
- an event that portends great unrest in the forces of magic. In order to save myself & those I love I must walk into the very mouth of danger & visit the Goblins in their lair
- as well as the cunning King Taranis himself who has an astonishing proposal for me. For I alone hold the power to rescue the universe even if it requires aligning with my greatest & most dangerous of adversaries. But Im running out of time...


...

In this moving & authoritative work which combines dedicated research & interviews with victims of childhood abuse & neglect psychotherapist Linda Sanford passionately refutes the received wisdom that such people are trapped in a vicious circle of abuse & will probably become perpetrators of violence themselves. In more than seventeen years of working with victims & survivors she discovered that this simplistic formula is far from true. Most survivors in her experience break free from the patterns of victimization & abuse & go on to lead healthy & fulfilling lives. & the more than twenty interviewed in depth by Sanford provide vivid proof that full recovery is possible. As they discuss key issues such as self-image intimacy work & spirituality we come to see what enables them & countless others like them to triumph over trauma & become not only strong but often strongest where they've been most injured- strong at the broken places. ...

This book contains dozens of recipes packed with ingredients that boost bone health from breakfasts to main meals as well as a specially devised home exercise regime that helps prevent or reverse the effects of bone loss. Readers can assess their current level of fitness & follow a full programme of weight-bearing & resistance exercises along with warm-up & cool down routines whether they are super fit or have weak knees. A comprehensive range of exercises to build & maintain bones * Information on adjusting the exercises to suit personal fitness strength & flexibility levels * Over 100 easy-to-prepare recipes * A full explanation of bone structure & the various conditions that affect bone health * Coverage of the medical treatments & medications currently prescribed for bone loss ...

As China emerges as an international economic & military power the world waits to see how the nation will assert itself globally. Yet as M. Taylor Fravel shows in Strong Borders Secure Nation" concerns that China might be prone to violent conflict over territory are overstated. The first comprehensive study of Chinas territorial disputes " Strong Borders Secure Nation" contends that China over the past sixty years has been more likely to compromise in these conflicts with its Asian neighbors & less likely to use force than many scholars or analysts might expect. By developing theories of cooperation & escalation in territorial disputes Fravel explains Chinas willingness to either compromise or use force. When faced with internal threats to regime security especially ethnic rebellion China has been willing to offer concessions in exchange for assistance that strengthens the states control over its territory & people. By contrast China has used force to halt or reverse decline in its bargaining power in disputes with its militarily most powerful neighbors or in disputes where it has controlled none of the land being contested. Drawing on a rich array of previously unexamined Chinese language sources " Strong Borders Secure Nation" offers a compelling account of Chinas foreign policy on one of the most volatile issues in international relations." ...

Blending history science & gripping storytelling Strong in the Rain" brings the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 & its immediate aftermath to life through the eyes of the men & women who experienced it. Following the narratives of six individuals the book traces the shape of a disaster & the heroics it prompted including that of David Chumreonlert a Texan with Thai roots trapped in his schools gymnasium with hundreds of students & teachers as it begins to flood & Taro Watanabe who thought nothing of returning to the Fukushima plant to fight the nuclear disaster despite the effects that he knew would stay with him for the rest of his life. This is a beautifully written & moving account of how the Japanese experienced one of the worst earthquakes in history & endured its horrific consequences." ...

Can Lord Peter Wimsey prove that Harriet Vane is not guilty of murder
- or find the real poisoner in time to save her from the
...