Focusing on characters both young and old, gay and straight, single and married, he discovers the dramas that are obscured by life's daily struggles. These beautifully crafted stories depict the surface of the world we all know, but go on to reveal the mysteries lurking beneath life's deceptively placid surface - the half we don't know.

    "Her Majesty most graciously consented to supply notes on her childhood and youth, and at the same time to correct matters of fact, especially in reference to the period before her accession to the throne, and, more generally, throughout the volume.I am, therefore, enabled to present, for the first time, an accurate account of the childhood and youth of Queen Victoria."Richard Rivington Holmes

    Ferguson did to him when he was a boy. The pain, the blood and the snip-snip of those glinting scissors will live in his nightmares for the rest of his life. But now Dr. Ferguson is back and not just in Stuart's dreams. He's very real. He's determined to perform that same horrible procedure on Stuart's young son. And his scissors are nice and sharp.

    Courageous and life-affirming, this is a mother's final gift to her son. My beautiful son, I so wish that I didn't have to leave you now. But believe me, I tried EVERYTHING I could to stay around for you, and for every moment I could eke out of this life. From the start, it was not a fair fight. My cancer was too big, and too aggressive, and we didn't start on a level playing field. You were fourteen months old and at the beginning I was so full of fierce intention that we could get past this. I would lay you in your cot each night and silently intone from my mind to yours, 'I will do this Freddie, I will gladly take whatever they throw at me if it means we can stay together'. In 2016, beloved broadcaster and journalist Rachael Bland was diagnosed with cancer. Shortly afterwards she made the brave decision to share her story, and she spoke with beautiful poignancy through her blog and podcast, You Me & the Big C. Having been told that she only had a matter of months left to live and writing this in what was sadly her final days, Rachael brings her warmth, courage and humour to the page in this heart-warming and heart-breaking story. Part memoir, part advice, For Freddie beautifully encapsulates the grace and fearlessness in which Rachael lived her life. This is her legacy and an incredible final gift to her son.

    She is always the first on the dancefloor and the very last to stop boogying. She has never tried to dress like a Parisian, never followed advice on what not to wear, and certainly has never tried to tone down her natural pinkness; she knows he is perfect just the way she is. And even when life throws Flamingo a curveball, she is always ready to embrace the unknown and jump straight in.A gorgeous little gift book of motivational sayings and hilarious axioms, Be a Flamingo is a perfect pink pick-me-up gift for a friend who needs a confidence boost, or great as an impulse self-purchase when you feel you need to start tooting your own horn a little louder. Because we could all do worse than taking a leaf out of Flamingo's book.

    He has sold out to the devil, in all of its forms. In return, he is promised that all his wishes will be granted, all his desires fulfilled. One of them, young Carmen Wedmore, is proving to be quite a challenge.

    This book lets you hop aboard a little sailboat and join the author on a three-year-long voyage across French Polynesia, where you will discover some of the most interesting places, people and wildlife of the South Pacific. From the world-famous island of Bora Bora to the remotest atolls of the Tuamotus, experience the challenges and rewards of the seafaring life as you dive with dolphins and sharks, sail under the stars, drink from fresh coconuts in the company of heavily-tattooed men, brave heavy storms and violent currents, play with stingrays, drift down coral rivers and meet fellow sailors from across the world. Beautifully illustrated with dozens of stunning photos, this book is the perfect companion for anyone curious about a different kind of life. Readers have said: Reading the book, I was surrounded by unfamiliar colours and overwhelmed by the scent of flowers I had never touched. I could feel the soft sand beneath my feet and slipped beneath the water to swim in the deep silence of the ocean. Returning to the surface, I encountered the smiles of people who were content in the here and now, embodying the freedom and softness of their lives, their lively hips moving in its rhythm. We should all go there once to bathe in the endless sunshine, the grace of carelessness and faith in life, even if only by reading this book… Translated from Slovene by Kaja Šeruga Edited by Mitja Tretjak Design by Ivica Jandrijevic

    In Dublin, her best friend, Eileen, is getting over a break-up, and slips back into flirting with Simon, a man she has known since childhood.Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are still young—but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart. They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?

    Ashbery fans will welcome this collection of one hundred and twelve poems where the signature qualities of Ashbery's greatest work are on every page with a new intensity and power.

    It follows Eddy Nugent, a bored fifteen-year-old, living in Manchester, as he travels through the drinking, swearing and sex-obsessed world of our nation's finest.

    

    He needs to sort himself out fast, but how? Biscuit and Coffin Head hustle on the front line for Nunchaks. He wants to give it up but he also needs to support his family – his mother, his sister Denise and his brother, Royston. He knows he should be looking for a job, Carlo tells him that every time they meet. Perhaps he should listen to Jah Nelson, who tells him that education is the key. But Biscuit has chosen a bad time to sort himself out: Brixton is angry – temperatures are high and ready to burst and, worst of all, Denise has caught the eye of Nunchaks. As the riots begin, Biscuit has to make a choice, whatever the consequences, that will change his life forever.Set in 1981, the year of the Brixton riots, this thriller is set in a society on the edge of explosion. Biscuit lives with his mother, brother and sister. As the patience of the community breaks and the riots begin to erupt, Biscuit has to make a choice that could change his life forever.

    Every one of George Eliot's classic novels is now available in one edition! Each with a fully functioning table of contents, this collection includes:Adam Bede, 1859The Mill on the Floss, 1860Silas Marner, 1861Romola, 1863Felix Holt, the Radical, 1866Middlemarch, 1871-72Daniel Deronda, 1876

    Perfect for fans of A Streetcat Named Bob and Alfie the Doorstep Cat.But what could I do? I was just a little cat and nobody ever listened to me. I made a promise to myself that I’d do everything I possibly could to save her, whatever the danger to me, and no matter how many lives I lost in the process...Charlie the kitten would do anything for his human. Having just recovered from a debilitating illness, eleven-year-old Caroline isn’t feeling her best, and the arrival of a new baby only makes her feel even more left out.So when Caroline decides to run away, Charlie follows, vowing to protect her at all costs. But for such a little kitten, it’s a big and scary world outside the comfort of the cottage – how far will he go to save his greatest friend?

    And Avril Hayden, Carla's flamboyant and sensual friend, finds herself increasingly intrigued by this mysterious connection - a connection that won't go away.But as hidden truths are finally revealed, intrigue turns to fear, and risk to terrible danger...From a village in Somerset, to the grandeur of London's Belgravia and the exotic island of Zanzibar, Strange Allure is a story of love's passions gone utterly wild.