THAT NEAR DEATH THING is a life-affirming journey to the heart of the world's most dangerous race. The Isle of Man TT is a throwback to a maverick era that existed before PR platitudes & PC attitudes. WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR-shortlisted author Rick Broadbent gets inside the helmets of four leading motorcycle racers as they battle fear fire & family tragedy for a gritty sort of glory. Guy Martin is a tea-drinking truck mechanic & TV eccentric who 'sucks the rabbits out of hedges' but must now deal with the flipside of fame; Conor Cummins is the local hero facing a race against time as he battles depression & a broken body after falling down the mountain; John Mc Guinness is the living legend fending off the ravages of middle-age for one last hurrah; Michael Dunlop is the wild child living with one of the most remarkable legacies in sport. They tell their astonishing stories in a book that provides the most rounded intimate behind-the-scences account yet of the last great race. Rick Broadbent has delivered the final word on the Isle of Man TT one that really gets to grips with an event that continually pulls unsung riders & fans back year after year to witness That Near Death Thing. ...

A brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Annie Proulx author of ' The Shipping News' & ' Brokeback Mountain'. ' That Old Ace in the Hole' is a richly textured story of one man's struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle told with razor-sharp wit & a masterly sense of place. Some folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar the newly hired hog site scout for Global Pork Rind intends to do his job. Bob must contend with tough men & women like ancient Freda Beautyrooms who controls a ranch he covets & Ace Crouch the windmiller who defies the hog farms. As Bob settles in at La Von Fronk's bunkhouse & lends a hand at Cy Frease's Old Dog Cafe he is forced to question everything. ...

Winner of the 2006 Nestle Gold Award chosen for the Richard & Judy Christmas book party a Bookaboo Book Club book as seen on CITV & read by Amanda Holden. When the Queen steals Emily Browns favourite toy & erstwhile companion a toy rabbit called Stanley Emily sets out to get him back & teach that naughty queen a valuable lesson. This first time pairing of two highly acclaimed talents has created a brilliant visual feast
- a bestseller in the making.. .
...

For fifteen-year-old Haven this is the summer where everything changes. Dad is remarrying. Her sister Ashley is planning a wedding of her own. Theyre both moving on but Haven is lost in memories of a time when life was happy & her family was whole. & then Ashleys ex the charming & funny Sumner Lee arrives in town. He reminds Haven of carefree days gone by & she cant help but wonder
- has fate brought this person from her past back to change her future?
...

When schoolgirl Jodie Foot goes missing from a sleepy Dorset village the shockwaves that reverberate through her community are as far-reaching as they are devastating. When Rachel Turner finds out her husband has lied about his whereabouts that evening she is shattered. All she's ever wanted is a secure family life & now it's about to be torn apart. Henry Streeter Rachel's neighbour is overwhelmed by old feelings of misery & loneliness as he struggles to stifle painful memories of his own childhood. & Juliet Fairweather arriving in the village on the evening of the disappearance is involved in an unexpected personal drama while her mother Bobbie so often a bystander is drawn inexorably into other people's lives. For everyone involved one ordinary summer's day will bring extraordinary consequences & the need to examine their own sense of loss & longing. ...

That They May Face the Rising Sun" was the last novel from John Mc Gahern one of Ireland's greatest novelists. Joe & Kate Ruttledge have come to Ireland from London in search of a different life. In passages of beauty & truth the drama of a year in their lives & those of the memorable characters that move about them unfolds through the action the rituals of work religious observances & play. We are introduced with deceptive simplicity to a complete representation of existence
- an enclosed world has been transformed into an Everywhere."
...

When Meredith Mitchells old friend Toby Smythe turns up on leave she is delighted to see him. But Toby has a problem
- or rather
...

One of Britains most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified woman of the last century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography of Wallis Simpson Duchess of Windsor by a woman which attempts to understand this fascinating & enigmatic American divorcee who nearly became Queen of Engl&. That woman as she was referred to by the Queen Mother became a hate figure for allegedly ensnaring a British king. Born in 1896 in Baltimore Bessiewallis Warfield endured an impoverished & comparatively obscure childhood which inflamed a burning desire to rise above her circumstances. Neither beautiful nor brilliant & no longer young she nevertheless became one of the most talked about women of her generation & inspired such deep love & adoration in Edward VIII that even giving up a throne & an empire for her was not enough to prove his total devotion. Wallis lived by her wit & her wits while both her apparent & alleged moral transgressions added to her aura & dazzle. Accused of Fascist sympathies having Nazi lovers & learning bizarre sexual techniques in China she was the subject of widespread gossip & fascination that has only increased with the years. In death the Duchess became a symbol of empowerment & a style icon a woman whose unequivocal aim was to win in the game of life. Based on new archives & material recently made available this scrupulously researched biography re evaluates the role of politicians in the 1930s sheds new light on the character & motivations of this powerful charismatic & complex woman & questions was this really the romantic love story of the century? ...

One of Britain's most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified women of the twentieth century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography by a woman of Wallis Simpson Duchess of Windsor. ' That woman' as she was referred to by the Queen Mother became a hate figure for ensnaring a British king & destabilising the monarchy. Neither beautiful nor brilliant she nevertheless became one of the most talked-about women of her generation & she inspired such deep love & adoration in Edward VIII that he gave up a throne & an empire for her. Wallis lived by her wit & her wits while both her apparent & alleged moral transgressions added to her aura & dazzle. Based on new archives & material only recently made available this scrupulously researched biography sheds new light on the character & motivations of a powerful charismatic & complex woman. ...

Julie Walters has been described as the nations most popular actress & comedienne. She has been delighting us on screen & on stage for over 25 years & we have taken her to our hearts. Now she tells us her own story in her own words. Born in fifties Birmingham daughter of an Irish Catholic mother Julie was sent to a convent school. She always wanted to be an actress but first went into nursing to appease her mother before leaving to join the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. West End success followed & she quickly replicated her success on film earning an Academy Award nomination for her role in Educating Rita. Julies collaborations with Victoria Wood have given us the unforgettable Mrs Overall in ACORN ANTIQUES & Petula in DINNERLADIES & shes found a new generation of fans playing Mrs Weasley in the Harry Potter films & starring in the record-break hit film MAMMA MIA!. The winner of countless awards Julie has continued to be in some of Britains best TV drama & has been awarded the OBE & CBE. ...