The Uncommon Reader" is none other than HM the Queen who drifts accidentally into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She reads widely (JR Ackerley Jean Genet Ivy Compton Burnett & the classics) & intelligently. Her reading naturally changes her world view & her relationship with people like the oleaginous prime minister & his repellent advisers. She comes to question the prescribed order of the world & loses patience with much that she has to do. In short her reading is subversive. The consequence is of course surprising mildly shocking & very funny." ...

What would happen if the Queen became a reader of taste & discernment rather than of Dick Francis? The answer is a perfect story. The Uncommon Reader is none other than HM the Queen who drifts accidentally into reading when her corgis stray into a mobile library parked at Buckingham Palace. She reads widely (JR Ackerley Jean Genet Ivy Compton Burnett & the classics) & intelligently. Her reading naturally changes her world view & her relationship with people like the oleaginous prime minister & his repellent advisers. She comes to question the prescribed order of the world & loses patience with much that she has to do. In short her reading is subversive. The consequence is of course surprising mildly shocking & very funny. ...

In this new book from Australia's foremost investigative journalist Chris Masters turns his attention to the modern Australian soldier. Moving away from the ongoing fascination with the Anzac story he looks at the rich & illuminating present to write a character study of the modern Australian soldier
- war fighter peacekeeper street-level diplomat & aid worker. Having been taken into their ranks in a way rarely before afforded an outsider Masters gives heart & shape to the contemporary digger: how they are selected how they are led & how they are transformed from civilians to disciplined professional soldiers. & in asking if they are unique he examines what it is that allows these young Australians to lend moral authority to communities teetering on the precipice of violence in places such as Iraq & Afghanistan. By sharing the experiences of the young men & women who make up the Australian army Masters puts under severe challenge the notion that soldiering is the province of dumb grunts. In doing so he argues that the best measure of Australia's military legend is found in the present. Uncommon Soldier is a rare & powerful work.
...

This book presents a provocative challenge to the conventional wisdom of raising children. Author of nine books including the controversial Punished by Rewards" Kohn expands upon the theme of whats wrong with our societys emphasis on punishments & rewards with regards raising children. Kohn the father of young children himself sprinkles his text with anecdotes that shore up his well-researched hypothesis that children do best with unconditional love respect & the opportunity to make their own choices. Kohn questions why parents & parenting literature focus on compliance & quick fixes & points out that docility & short-term obedience are not what most parents desire of their children in the long run. He insists that "controlling parents" are actually conveying to their kids that they love them conditionally
- that is only when they achieve or behave. Tactics like time-out brides & threats Kohn claims just worsen matters. Caustic witty & thought-provoking Kohns arguments challenge much of todays parenting wisdom yet his assertion that "the way kids learn to make good decisions is by making decisions not by following directions" rings true. Kohn suggests parents help kids solve problems; provide them with choices; & use reason humour & as a last resort a restorative time away (not a punitive time-out)."
...

This is the first English-language translation of a crucial memoir of the dying days of Hitlers Third Reich. Walter Ludde-Neurath was an accomplished officer who served with a variety of torpedo boats & destroyers slowly rising through the ranks. In September 1944 he was selected to be the new adjutant to Grand Admiral Donitz. He enjoyed a close relationship with Donitz over what proved to be a crucial period: the formation & dissolution of the Flensburg Government (named after the headquarters Donitz was using at the time of the appointment). The memoir details the discussions within the new cabinet which was created after Hitlers suicide & records how Donitz believed he would rule a new Germany & reach an accommodation with the Allies. Ludde-Neurath details the fighting amongst the candidates
- in particular the confrontation of Donitz with Himmler (for which Donitz kept a revolver within his reach). Ludde-Neurath was present when the British Royal Hussars carried out Operation Blackout surrounding & arresting the fledgling government & records how Donitz was asked if he had any comment. Donitz responded: Any words would be superfluous & was taken into custody.
...

Working in the human services has always been stressful & the current massive changes in the organization of these services together with dwindling resources & ever greater demands for cost effectiveness add to the stresses inherent in the work. Even in the best run & best resourced organizations there are pockets of irrationality where unconscious institutional processes undermine both effectiveness & morale. The contributors to this book use ideas drawn from psychoanalysis open systems theory Bions work with groups & group relations training to explore the difficulties experienced by managers & staff in a wide range of care settings. Each concept is illustrated with examples from practice to make it recognizable & useful to the reader. Each chapter develops a theme relating to work with a particular client group or setting (including hospitals schools day centres residential units community services & many others) or explores aspects of work organization (for example the supervisory relationship facing cuts & closure or intergroup collaboration). By describing both the difficulties & their own feelings & thoughts while consulting to these institutions the authors offer the reader new ways of looking at their own experiences at work which will be both enlightening & helpful. ...

We are getting early reports of a train crash on the Brighton to London line... Emergency Services are on their way to the scene. Holly knew that by staying with her he was putting himself at risk. But as he held her in the darkness she didnt want to let him go. Hollys a mother with children a husband she loves & a time-consuming job up in London. She copes & life is good. So when she is in a train accident on the London to Brighton line Holly knows that its just a small chapter in her life & nothing has changed. But Holly cant forget the younger man who comforted her in the chaos of the crash & when she seems him again on her daily commute up to town theres a flash of recognition between them. Is it embarrassment? Curiosity? Or is there something more? & what of Anne-Marie another passenger who has survived. Just what is her story? ...

Im uncovered...I try to hide my nakedness with my h&. But it doesnt work. Everyone can see. Also on show... Bad rabbit habits. Rapt
-
...

Out of sight out of their minds: Its a school-trip splatter fest & completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby. The day of the ski trip when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant everyone gets off & heads in for lunch. Everyone that is except Bobby the new girl who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty. Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby & Smitty start to flirt. Start to stress. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back. But theyve changed. & not in a good way. Straight up theyre zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round & round freakin fast because thats the only thing keeping Bobby & Smitty from becoming their classmates next meal. Its kill or be killed in these hunger games heads are gonna roll & homework is most definitely gonna be late. Combining the chill of THE SHINING the thrill ride of SPEED the humor of SHAUN OF THE DEAD & the angst of THE BREAKFAST CLUB Kirsty Mc Kays UNDEAD is a bloody mad mash-up a school-trip splatter-fest a funny gory frighteningly good debut! ...

Undead shopaholic Betsy Taylor has found that being vampire queen has more problems than perks. It may be easy to find blood in the dark of night but try finding a strawberry smoothie. & employees at her nightclub Scratch have been giving her nothing but grief since she killed their former boss. Some people... But Betsys life" takes an interesting turn at a baby shower for her wicked stepmother who lets it slip that Betsy has a long-lost half sister. Now twenty years old this girl just so happens to be the devils daughter & destined to rule the world." ...