Category Archives: Travel Guides
Snow Bear
In the icy-cold heart of winter, a little snow bear wanders through the snow. As the wind whips past him, ruffling his fur, he searches for a home. But where can he go? Each warm place has been claimed, and there is no room for a bear, no matter how little. Suddenly he sees a
Coventry: Thursday, 14 November 1940
At a few minutes past seven on the evening of Thursday, November 14 1940, the historic industrial city of Coventry was subjected to the longest, most devastating air raid England had yet experienced. Only after eleven hours of continual bombardment by the German Luftwaffe could its people emerge from their half-sunk Anderson shelters and their
Travels with a Mexican Circus
Katie Hickman went to Mexico looking for magic. She found it in the circus – Big Top, clowns, elephants and all – where cheap, torn materials and tarnished sequins are transformed into nights of glittering illusion. Gradually adjusting to the harsh ways of the circus`s nomadic lifestyle, she soon became absorbed into this hypnotic new
Stanley the Amazing Knitting Cat
Stanley LOVES to knit. He knocks up pom-poms at breakfast time, whips up bobble hats at bath time. He even knits in his sleep! And what does Stanley do with his wonderful woollies? He gives them to his friends of course – balaclavas for bunnies, neckwarmers for giraffes and much more besides. But when Stanley
Isabella of Castile: Europe`s First Great Queen
`Packed with vivid character sketches and lyrical description, Tremlett has told a gripping story, full of beauty and darkness` The TimesIn 1474, a twenty-three year old woman ascended the throne of Castile, the largest and strongest kingdom in Spain. Ahead of her lay the considerable challenge not only of being a young, female ruler in
Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies
Claude Monet`s water lily paintings are among the most iconic and beloved works of art of the past century. Yet these entrancing images were created at a time of terrible private turmoil and sadness for the artist. The dramatic history behind these paintings is little known; Ross King`s `Mad Enchantment` tells the full story for
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS` CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE 2016 FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016 An International Bestseller – A Guardian Summer Read – An Amazon Best Book of the Month – A Goodreads Best Book of the Month – A Buzzfeed Summer Read –
The Lost Language of Cranes
Owen and Rose are facing serious challenges to their married life of routine and monotony as New York City grows and changes around them. They spend most Sundays apart; while Rose buries herself in crosswords and newspapers, Owen visits gay porn theaters. But when they discover they may lose their apartment and their son, prompted
White Beech: The Rainforest Years
For years I had wandered Australia with an aching heart. Everywhere I had ever travelled across the vast expanse of the fabulous country where I was born I had seen devastation, denuded hills, eroded slopes, weeds from all over the world, feral animals, open-cut mines as big as cities, salt rivers, salt earth, abandoned townships,
Summertime
After one year of being `buffered from single-motherhood` by her boyfriend, David, Venetia Summers suddenly finds her life unravelling as he is sent to the Brazilian jungle and she is left alone in Norfolk. As chaos reigns in her home and her three children run wilder than ever she finds her life further complicated by
Packing Up: Further Adventures of a Trailing Spouse
Brigid Keenan was a successful young London fashion journalist when she fell in love with a diplomat and left behind the gilt chairs of the Paris salons for a large chicken shed in Nepal. Her bestselling account of life as a `trailing spouse`, Diplomatic Baggage, won the hearts of thousands in countries all over the
Spuntino: Comfort Food (New York Style)
Hidden behind rust-coloured frontage in the bustling heart of London`s Soho, Spuntino is the epitome of New York`s vibrant restaurant scene. After bringing the bacari of Venice to the backstreets of the British capital at his critically acclaimed restaurant POLPO, Russell Norman scoured the scruffiest and quirkiest boroughs of the Big Apple to find authentic
Vanessa and Her Sister
`Prepare to be dazzled` Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife `One of the essential reads of the year` The Times London, 1905. The city is alight with change and the Stephen siblings are at the forefront. Vanessa, Virginia, Thoby and Adrian are leaving behind their childhood home and taking a house in the leafy
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
The gripping, fascinating account of a shocking murder case that sent late Victorian Britain into a frenzy, by the number one bestselling, multi-award-winning author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher `Her research is needle-sharp and her period detail richly atmospheric, but what is most heartening about this truly remarkable book is the story of real-life
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
Over the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth. Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reporting, the history of ideas and the
Draw it! London
Add boats to the map of the Thames, put fish in the pelican`s mouth, draw the Jurassic fossils you spot in Green Park underground station and much more! Experience weird and wonderful London with this amazing doodle book, bursting with strange facts, fun things to colour in, maps, and plenty of space to draw! The
Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I
January, 1649. After seven years of fighting in the bloodiest war in Britain`s history, Parliament had overpowered King Charles I and now faced a problem: what to do with a defeated king, a king who refused to surrender? Parliamentarians resolved to do the unthinkable, to disregard the Divine Right of Kings and hold Charles I
Kidnap in Crete: The True Story of the Abduction of a Nazi General
This is the story of how a small SOE unit led by Patrick Leigh Fermor kidnapped a German general on the Nazi-occupied island of Crete in 1944. For thirty-two days, they were chased across the mountains as they headed for the coast and a rendezvous with a Royal Navy launch waiting to spirit the general
Full Marks for Trying: An Unlikely Journey from the Raj to the Rag Trade
Brigid Keenan was never destined to lead a normal life. From her early beginnings – a colourful childhood in India brought to an abrupt end by independence and partition, then a return to dreary post-war England and on to a finishing school in Paris with daughters of presidents and princes – ordinary didn`t seem to
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Illustrated Edition
An extraordinary creative achievement by two extraordinary talents, Jim Kay`s inspired reimagining of J.K. Rowling`s classic series has captured a devoted following worldwide. This stunning new fully illustrated edition of `Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire` brings more breathtaking scenes and unforgettable characters to life – including Cedric Diggory, Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum.
