Diarising his ramble in the form of a 'journey journal', Alan details the people and places he encounters, ruminates on matters large and small and, on a final leg fraught with danger, becomes - not a man (because he was one to start off with) - but a better, more inspiring example of a man. This deeply personal book is divided into chapters and has a colour photograph on the front cover. It is deeply personal. Through witty vignettes, heavy essays and nod-inducing pieces of wisdom, Alan shines a light on the nooks of the nation and the crannies of himself, making this a biography that biographs the biographer while also biographing bits of Britain.

    Introducing two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship.Meet Mavis and Dot - two colourful, retired ladies who live in Worthington-on-Sea, where there are charity shops galore. Apart from bargain hunting, they manage to tangle themselves in escapades involving illegal immigrants, night clubs, nude modelling, errant toupees and more. And then there’s Mal, the lovable dog who nobody else wants. A gently humorous, often side-splitting, heart-warming snapshot of two memorable characters with past secrets and passions. Escape for a couple of hours into this snapshot of a faded, British seaside town. You'll laugh and cry but probably laugh more."This book is quirky and individual, and has great pathos...[it] will resonate with a lot of readers." Gill Kaye - Editor of Ingenu(e). Written with a light touch in memory of a dear friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, Angela Petch’s seaside tale is a departure from her successful Tuscan novels. All profits from the sale of the books will go towards research into the cure for cancer.

    Springtime is about renewal, second chances and getting a new lease on life - which is what these stories are all about! Be swept away by love! Falling for the Earl - by Arietta Richmond. A grieving Earl with a lost heir, a lonely woman, unsure of her place in life, an accidental meeting amongst the spring flowers, a secret in the woods, a love that transforms everything. Shopping for a Gentleman - by Isabella Thorne. An accidental meeting while shopping brings widow, Mrs Mildred Stelter and Mr Leighton together. They discover that they have very different views on life. Can disagreement lead to love, and a new view of the world? A Duke for the Dowager - by Catherine Windsor. Widow Lady Elizabeth has finished mourning. Still young, she hopes to love again. Her friend’s suggestion seems good until she sees the obnoxious Duke mentioned. Can she find another love? And what of the handsome Earl she met on the road? The New Governess of Chiswick - By Grace Austen. Letitia takes a role as a governess, when her family is impoverished. The Earl is cold at first, but Letitia comes to love his daughter, and him. Dark secrets from the past threaten them. Can love win out? The Earl’s True Love - by Katherine Keats. Lord Worthington faces the scandal of divorce, blames himself, remembers the girl he once loved. Joanna, a village girl is scorned as a spinster, because only one man ever held her heart, and he left. Can they find love? The Unforgettable Duchess by Charlotte Darcy. Lady Daphne Kenswick gave her heart to Lord Stephen Graves but they are torn apart by an obsessed Duke, a manipulative family, and duty to country. Will fate give them a second chance to find true love? The Earl’s Healing Heart – by Eleanor St Clair. Sarah Lyons is a widow. Many men only want her for her money. But Lord Davenport seems different. Can she bring herself to love again, or will her suspicious mind ruin any chance of finding a lasting love? The Duke’s Obsession - by Regina Darcy. Lady Desdemona’s husband died leaving her penniless. She flees to her brother-in-law, the Duke of Danberry who once courted her and still cares for her. When a debt goes unpaid the Marquis de Chambray threatens her son - can the Duke prevent the disaster? And what of love? The Reclusive Duke’s Second Chance - by Lydia Pembroke. A Duke deeply hurt in the past, and suspicious of all women, a woman who needs to marry money, to save her family, a house party, a spiteful meddler. Is love possible, or will they be forced apart? A Daughter for the Duke - by Kelly Anne Bruce. Widow Hannah Winters has only her daughter, Miriam. Things improve when they meet Lord Dearly but he has a title and nothing else to offer them. When duty takes him away, their friendship seems over. Will the unexpected allow love to flourish? Claiming the Duke’s Heart - by Sophia Wilson. A bereaved Duke, a motherless baby, a grieving young woman. A position caring for the child exposes Emily to the Duke, and attraction stirs – but will the secrets of the past force them apart? Or can love win? The Earl’s Treachery - by Sophia Ansley. A charming Lord, a merchant’s daughter who struggles to be ladylike, an unpleasant Earl, a conspiracy to defraud.

    He lives instead in the Midlands village in which he was born. His grown-up daughter visits every day, bringing soup. He does not want soup. He frequents his second-favourite pub, where he can get half a shandy, a speciality sausage, and a bit of company. When a childhood friend appears on the scene, Lewis finds his life and comfortable routine shaken up.In Moore’s inimitable, haunting style, this seemingly simple but in fact multi-layered narrative unfolds with compelling assurance. Moving between memories of childhood and Lewis's current life of cosy habit, plot twists thicken and weave with stealthily increasing tension. Always unexpected, sparely written and beautifully crafted, He Wants deftly dissects the themes of loneliness, anxiety, the weight of recollection and the complex nature of friendship and family ties. A surprising, lingering and intensely moving tale from one of our most exciting novelists.

    Britain is filled with historic houses, castles and palaces. Join us as we take you to dozens of the grandest, most romantic, quirkiest great houses in England and Wales.Beyond Downton Abbey is filled with fascinating tidbits from the history of the houses and the families that lived and worked in them.Full color, with beautiful photographs, this is a guidebook for serious travelers and armchair tourists alike.

     1891. Spindrift House, Cornwall. Talented painter Edith Fairchild is poised to begin a life of newlywed bliss and artistic creation with her charming husband Benedict. He recently inherited Spindrift House near Port Isaac and Edith is inspired by the glorious Cornish light and the wonderful setting overlooking the sea. But then happiness turns to heartbreak. In great distress, Edith turns to an artist friend for comfort and after a bitterly-regretted moment of madness she finds herself pregnant with his child.Too ashamed to reveal her secret, Edith devotes herself to her art. Joined at Spindrift House by her friends - Clarissa, Dora and Pascal - together they turn the house into a budding artists' community. But despite their dreams of an idyllic way of life creating beauty by the sea, it becomes clear that all is not perfect within their tight-knit community, and that the weight of their secrets could threaten to tear apart their paradise forever . . . Praise for Charlotte Betts: 'Romantic, engaging and hugely satisfying' Katie Fford 'A highly-recommended novel of love, tragedy and the power of art' Daily Mail 'I was captivated by this moving, heart-warming and beautifully woven story - gripping, atmospheric, eloquently told and full of rich detail' Kate Furnivall

    

    The book is filled with essential information including each house's sigil, history, home, family tree, character profiles, and is fully illustrated with series photography throughout.

    The real-life scrapbook of the woman known as AbFab's Patsy Stone,this is an intimate memoir of one of Britain's undisputed national treasures. A former model and Bond girl, her distinctive voice has been supplied for animated characters, film narration, and AOL's "You've got mail" notification in the UK. She discusses speaking out as a human rights activist for Survival International and the recent Gurkha Justice Campaign for which she is now considered a "national treasure" of Nepal because of her support. She has won two BAFTA awards, but it is the sheer diversity of her life that makes her story so compelling;early years in Kashmir and Malaya, growing up in Kent, then a photographic model before becoming an actress, appearing in a huge range of roles.

    In 1996, Shirley retired from competitive dancing to become a highly-acclaimed coach and now holds the enviable position of Head Judge on BBC One's prime time show Strictly Come Dancing.In Behind the Sequins, she leads us through her dramatic and determined life, from growing up in a rough estate on the Wirral and leaving home at 14 years old, to conquering the high-octane world of ballroom and coping with betrayal, bullying, two broken marriages and a personal tragedy that left Shirley and her family devastated.Speaking from the heart, Shirley leaves her dancing shoes at the door to tell you the story of a fiery, strong-willed grafter who could make the brat pack blush.

    Robin Robertson has written a book of remarkable cohesion and range that calls on his knowledge of folklore and myth to fuse the old ways with the new. From raw, exposed poems about the end of childhood to erotically charged lyrics about the end of desire, from a brilliant retelling of the metamorphosis and death of Actaeon to the final freeing of the waters in "Holding Proteus," these are close examinations of nature--of the bright epiphanies of passion and loss.At times sombre, at times exultant, Robertson's poems are always firmly rooted in the world we see, the life we experience: original, precise, and startlingly clear.

    With his backing, Steve began touring the country in a clapped-out car as an amateur. Challenging established professionals and winning titles, supported by his loyal following the Romford Roar, it wasn’t long before he progressed to the world’s stage.By the eighties, Steve had helped transform a previously shady sport into a national obsession. He and a cast of legends such as Ray Reardon, Dennis Taylor and Alex Higgins, with other young guns like Jimmy White, were doing silent battle in front of huge audiences. Tens of millions of viewers would witness the nail-biting conclusions of his world championship finals; this was snooker’s golden era.The man behind the ‘boring’ tag has always been the sport’s smartest and sharpest man. With his cool, obsessive approach, Steve rewrote the rule book and became untouchably the best player in the world and the best paid sportsman in the country. Interesting lays it all bare: what it was like to win in those pressure-cooker situations; how to cope at the top, when everyone wants you to lose; and how you deal with the moment when a man comes along who is finally better than you. This is a memoir that closely evokes the smoke-filled atmosphere of those arenas, the intrigue behind the scenes and the personal psychology and sacrifice that is required to stay at the top of such an exacting sport.

    At the turn of the twentieth century he brought his own American dream to London’s Oxford Street where, in 1909, with a massive burst of publicity, Harry opened Selfridge’s, England’s first truly modern built-for-purpose department store. Designed to promote shopping as a sensual and pleasurable experience, six acres of floor space offered what he called “everything that enters into the affairs of daily life,” as well as thrilling new luxuries—from ice-cream soda to signature perfumes. This magical emporium also featured Otis elevators, a bank, a rooftop garden with an ice-skating rink, and a restaurant complete with orchestra—all catering to customers from Anna Pavlova to Noel Coward. The store was “a theatre, with the curtain going up at nine o’clock.” Yet the real drama happened off the shop floor, where Mr. Selfridge navigated an extravagant world of mistresses, opulent mansions, racehorses, and an insatiable addiction to gambling. While his gloriously  iconic store still stands, the man himself would ultimately come crashing down.The true story that inspired the Masterpiece series on PBS • Mr. Selfridge is a co-production of ITV Studios and Masterpiece“Enthralling . . . [an] energetic and wonderfully detailed biography.”—London Evening Standard   “Will change your view of shopping forever.”—Vogue (U.K.)

    Gritty and page-turning historical saga set in Northern England in the late 1800s, for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

    A baby boy, a few hours old, is left by his mother, wrapped in nothing but two sheets of newspaper and hidden amongst the undergrowth by a canal bank. An hour later, a late-shift postman is walking wearily home when he hears a faint cry. He finds the newspaper parcel and discovers the newborn, white-cold and whimpering, inside.After being rushed to hospital and against all odds, the baby survives. He’s baptised by the hospital chaplain as Richard.Everything feels as though it’s looking up; Richard is put into local authority care and regains his health. However, after nearly five blissful years in a rural care home filled with loving friends, it soon unfolds that his turbulent start in life is only the beginning…Based on a devastating true story, this inspirational memoir follows Richard’s traumatic birth, abusive childhood, and search for the truth.