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You Look Like That Girl: A Child Actor Stops Pretending and Finally Grows Up
At the age of twenty-two, Lisa Jakub had what she was supposed to want: she was a working actor in Los Angeles. She had more than forty movies and TV shows to her name, she had been in blockbusters like Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day , she walked the red carpet and lived in the house she bought when she was fifteen. But something was missing. Passion. Purpose. Happiness. Lisa had been working since the age of four, after a man approached her parents at a farmer’s market and asked her to audition for a commercial. That chance encounter dictated the next eighteen years of her unusual and frequently awkwardlife. She met Princess Diana… and almost fell on her while attempting to curtsy. She filmed in exciting locations… and her high school asked her not to come back. She went to fancy parties… and got kind of kidnapped that one time. Success was complicated. Making movies, traveling the world, and meeting intriguing people was fun for a while, but Lisa eventually realized she was living a life based on momentum and definitions of success that were not her own. She battled severe anxiety and panic attacks while feeling like she was living someone else’s dream. Not wanting to become a child actor stereotype, Lisa retired from acting and left L.A. in search of a path that felt more authentic to her. In this funny and insightful book, Lisa chronicles the adventures of growing up in the film industry and her difficult decision to leave behind the only life she had ever known, to examine her priorities, and write the script for her own life. She explores the universal question we all ask ourselves: what do I want to be when I grow up?Read more
£17.60£21.80 -
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: ‘Funny, fascinating and compelling’ The Times
‘There’s never been a more honest or raw memoir … and it may just save lives’ Daily Mail
‘Funny, fascinating, compelling … also a wonderful read for fans of Friends’ The Times
The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence.
Here is the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, who takes us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.
In an extraordinary story that only he could tell – and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it – Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humour, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening – as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.
‘An unflinching and often harrowing must-read for 90s pop culture fans’ Guardian
‘Written with Chandler’s trademark sarcasm and self-deprecation’ Telegraph
‘A hopeful read … I started to think of [it] not as a celebrity memoir about addiction, but as an addiction memoir written by a man who understands his own history through the prism of showbiz’ Independent
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£11.80 -
Saint And Sinner: The Autobiography of a Rugby League Legend
Nobody has ever been able to ignore Alex Murphy. In a glittering rugby league career stretching over forty years – from schoolboy days playing with St Helens, to international success for Great Britain, and years of glory as player, coach and manager of a host of high-profile clubs including Wigan and Warrington – fame and controversy have always been present: Murphy’s row with Wigan chairman and one-time friend Maurice Lindsay, when he was accused of trying to strangle him with his own telephone cord; the time Syd Hines head-butted him at Wembley, believing Murphy had taken a dive to get him sent off; his two tours, including the 1958 ‘Battle of Brisbane’, and how he ‘spat the dummy’, costing himself a third tour. . . All this, and a further fund of tales from the tough world of rugby league, is given Murphy’s unique treatment in this uncompromising autobiography. SAINT AND SINNER is the tale of how a liittle man reached the summit of his sport, and helped other little men along the way. The cocky kid – youngest ever to tour with Great Britain, who could have chosen professional football as a career ‘if it hadn’t been too soft’ – is known to millions today as Murph the Mouth: after-dinner speaker, TV commentator, outspoken newspaper columnist and now holder of the OBE, whose love for rugby league has never dwindled.Read more
£12.30 -
Saka (Ultimate Football Heroes – The No.1 football series): Collect them all!
The No.1 football series – over 1 million copies sold!Bukayo Saka has the world at his feet. Since breaking through the ranks at Arsenal, the young forward has gone from strength to strength, helping his team lift the FA cup for a record 14th time. His versatile style of play means he can help his team all over the pitch. Discover how the boy born in Ealing, went on to represent England at Wembley in the Euro 2020 final, achieved his dream of representing his country at such a young age and overcame adversity to become the ultimate football hero.
Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to superstar professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.
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£5.70£6.60 -
Iconic Women in Sport: A Celebration of 38 Inspirational Sporting Icons
An illustrated compendium of kickass women in sport, from around the world and throughout history, including legends like Billie Jean King and modern-day superstars like Simone Biles and Dina Asher-Smith. The perfect book to inspire any sports fan.
Meet your new superheroes
Discover the fascinating stories behind 38 iconic and internationally renowned women in sport, all of them record-breakers, trailblazers and game-changers. Whether from the world of soccer, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, boxing or skiing, every one of these women has been a ground-breaker in her field. It’s time these individuals took centre stage and had their achievements celebrated the world over.
Be empowered and inspired by their extraordinary stories, their awesome achievements and their wonder-words of wisdom with this pocketbook of remarkable women from across the globe and throughout history. Among others, you will learn about the incredible lives and achievements of:
– Simone Biles
– Serena Williams
– Dina Asher-Smith
– Rachael Heyhoe Flint
– Jessica Ennis-Hill
– Nicola Adams
– Danica Patrick
– Paula Radcliffe
– Michelle Kwan
– Megan Rapinoe
– Ellen MacArthur
– Ibtihaj Muhammad
– Ronda RouseyEach inspiring profile also features a bespoke illustration.
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£6.20£6.60 -
Winston Churchill & The Queen: An Unlikely Friendship
A light-hearted look at royal life during the beginning of Queen Elizabeth the Second’s reign and the final days of Churchill’s prime ministership. How did two people from two different generations come to be such good friends?This readable and relatable Churchill-Queen Elizabeth II book talks to the reader instead of lecturing them. The moment you become immersed in the first pages, you are transported back to what it must have felt like for a young queen to suddenly lose her father and have the elderly Churchill step in to guide, assist, and comfort her, and also tell a great many jokes along the way!
There is a reason why Sir Winston Churchill consistently tops the lists of greatest human beings of all time, and every time it happens it must warm Queen Elizabeth’s heart. Despite the 52 year age gap, the monarch and possibly the best Prime Minister Britain will ever have, cemented a friendship of a lifetime as they continued to bring the United Kingdom out of its post-war slump.
This book is not for history buffs, although it is historically accurate; it’s a book about friendship and how these two famous people found so much about which to talk and laugh about (with the occasional disagreement thrown in for good measure).
The more you read about Churchill and the Queen’s many interactions through the years, the more it is easy to see why theirs was not an unlikely friendship at all.
With dozens of interesting facts and never-before-noticed details and observations, not only is this book hard to put down and easy to read, but it also offers the reader a tiny glimpse into royal and parliamentary life in a post-world war Britain.
Finally, a history book about two fascinating people for fans of friendship everywhere!
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£5.70 -
Politics On the Edge: The instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller from the host of hit podcast The Rest Is Politics
A searing insider’s account of ten extraordinary years in Parliament from Rory Stewart, former Cabinet minister and co-presenter of breakout hit podcast The Rest Is Politics
‘The most exceptional political memoir I’ve ever read’ ALAN JOHNSON
‘An instant classic’ MARINA HYDE
‘At last a politician who can write’ SEBASTIAN FAULKSThe Times pick for *The Biggest Books of the Autumn*
Over the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister – before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise.
Tackling ministerial briefs on flood response and prison violence, engaging with conflict and poverty abroad as a foreign minister, and Brexit as a Cabinet minister, Stewart learned first-hand how profoundly hollow our democracy and government had become.
Cronyism, ignorance and sheer incompetence ran rampant. Around him, individual politicians laid the foundations for the political and economic chaos of today. Stewart emerged battered but with a profound affection for his constituency of Penrith and the Border, and a deep direct insight into the era of populism and global conflict.
Uncompromising, candid and darkly humorous, Politics On the Edge is his story of the challenges, absurdities and realities of political life and a remarkable portrait of our age.
**A FINANCIAL TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, CHURCH TIMES AND SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023**
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£9.60£10.40 -
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: ‘Funny, fascinating and compelling’ The Times
‘There’s never been a more honest or raw memoir … and it may just save lives’ Daily Mail
‘Funny, fascinating, compelling … also a wonderful read for fans of Friends’ The Times
The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence.
This is the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, who takes us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.
In an extraordinary story that only he could tell – and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it – Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humour, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening – as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.
‘An unflinching and often harrowing must-read for 90s pop culture fans’ Guardian
‘Written with Chandler’s trademark sarcasm and self-deprecation’ Telegraph
‘A hopeful read … I started to think of [it] not as a celebrity memoir about addiction, but as an addiction memoir written by a man who understands his own history through the prism of showbiz’ Independent
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£9.50£10.40 -
A Teenager’s War: The true story of an 18 year old lad from Huddersfield fighting during WW2 in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany with the 5th … the Liberation of Europe…
This book is a tribute to my Uncle Jim, Private James Watson 14428202 5th Black Watch, 51st Highland Division. All the stories are true as they are based on War Records, Soldiers Diaries, conversations with Veterans of 51st Highland Division and family and friends. You can learn more about the Black Watch at www.theblackwatch.co.uk. The Black Watch Museum is housed in the dramatic and historic Balhousie Castle. The Castle is set in its own beautiful gardens and grounds. A visit to this ancestral home of The Black Watch brings this glorious Regiment’s past vibrantly to life.Read more
£9.50 -
Boom: The Life of Viscount Trenchard, Father of the Royal Air Force
Hugh ‘Boom’ Trenchard was embarrassed by being described as ‘The Father of the Royal Air Force’ – he thought others were more deserving. But the reality was that no man did more to establish the world’s first independent air force and ensure its survival in the teeth of fierce opposition from both the Admiralty and the War Office.
Born in Taunton in 1873, Trenchard struggled at school, not helped by the shame of his solicitor father’s bankruptcy when he was sixteen. He failed entrance examinations to both the Royal Navy and the Army several times, eventually obtaining a commission through the ‘back door’ of the militia. After service in India, South Africa – where he was seriously wounded – and Nigeria, he found his destiny when he joined the fledgling Royal Flying Corps in 1912, where he was soon known as ‘Boom’ thanks to his stentorian voice.
Quick to recognise the huge potential aircraft offered in future conflicts, he rose rapidly to command the RFC in France during the First World War despite handicaps that would have blighted conventional military careers: he was obstinate, tactless, inarticulate and chronically unable to remember names – yet he was able to inspire unflagging loyalty among all ranks.
Despite his conspicuous distrust of politicians, he served as a successful Chief of the Air Staff for a decade after the war and then, at the personal request of the King, took over as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, which he reorganised and reformed. He never wavered in his belief that mastery of the air could only be achieved by relentless offensive action, or in his determined advocacy of strategic bombing. His most enduring legacy was the creation of the finest air force in the world, engendered with the spirit that won the Battle of Britain.
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£10.70£23.80 -
Queen Elizabeth II The Life and Reign of Her Majesty – souvenir special issue, touching tribute, Commemorating her life and reign 1926 – 2022
In 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning queen regnant and British head of state, just surpassing Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years and seven months. Elizabeth II retained an extraordinary degree of public affection through good and bad times, through war and national celebration as princess and queen. This book brings to life many aspects of her personal story and accomplishments in a touching tribute to her life and reign as we say goodbye to a monarch who has ruled over generations of Britons.Read more
£6.70£8.50 -
The Forgotten Tudor Royal: Margaret Douglas, Grandmother to King James VI & I
As the daughter and cousin of queens and the granddaughter and niece of kings, Lady Margaret Douglas was an integral part of the Tudor royal dynasty. A favourite of her uncle King Henry VIII and a close friend of Queen Mary I she courted scandal which saw her imprisoned in the Tower of London on more than one occasion. Against the orders of Queen Elizabeth I she plotted the marriage of her eldest son Lord Darnley to Mary, Queen of Scots with disastrous consequences. She came as close to the executioners block as she did to the throne of England, with some believing she had a right to be queen. A devout Catholic all her life, she lived at a time when religious division split the country in half yet she remained steadfast in her beliefs. A respected and revered lady on both sides of the border, Lady Margaret Douglas, later Countess of Lennox through her marriage, suffered much heartbreak and loss. Her husband and son were both murdered at the hands of the Scots and she outlived all her children. Despite these tragedies she never gave up on her dream of uniting the thrones of England and Scotland which was realised through her grandson King James VI/I. The story of her life is a remarkable tale of intrigue and survival and deserves to be more widely told.Read more
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Rough Seas: The Life Of A Deep-Sea Trawlerman
A trawlerman’s life was hard, often up against bad weather, rough seas and black frosts, although on calm days it was a pleasure to be at sea. In this eventful memoir, deep-sea trawlerman James Greene relates his life at sea, from his childhood when his father would take him out in some of the worst gales and hurricanes imaginable (and he loved every minute of it!), to his early careers as a deckhand learner, obtaining his skipper’s ticket, and the many experiences – both disastrous and otherwise – to occur throughout his time at sea. During his career he was involved in ship collisions and fires, arrested for poaching, fired upon by Icelandic gunboats, in countless storms and even swept overboard in icy conditions off the Russian coast. The British trawling industry is now a by-gone age and people are beginning to forget the adventures and hardships that characterised this profession. This book seeks to keep the memories of a once great industry alive.Read more
£11.70£14.20Rough Seas: The Life Of A Deep-Sea Trawlerman
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Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life
‘Oh Miriam! risks the curse of the sequel, and pulls it off . . . A force of nature, a tour de farce. Bold, brave and bright, but also revealing, shocking and touching. Miriam is an icon, a cocksucker – and the star of her show’ ROBERT McCRUM, Independent
‘Our naughtiest national treasure . . . famously filthy, funny and phlegmatic . . . Oh Miriam! is Margolyes’s manifesto for a fulfilled life . . . She loves to tell it straight. And the older she gets, the straighter she tells it’ SIMON HATTENSTONE, Guardian
‘Irrepressible . . . A life-enhancing rollercoaster of a ride . . . this book is like Margolyes herself – outspoken, ebullient and unexpectedly wise’ EMMA LEE-POTTER, Daily Express
‘Snortingly funny . . . deliciously unbridled . . . There is something heroic in her unruliness. Let Miriam take the lead and enjoy the show’ RHIK SAMADDER, Observer
‘Insanely interesting, full of profanity and profundity, Oh Miriam!’s title comes from all the people who have ever exclaimed her name in every tone from horror to hilarity; and her unfiltered personality leaps off the page – honesty, kindness, generosity, sanity, erudition, outspokenness’ SUZANNE HARRINGTON, Irish Examiner
‘Endearingly eccentric’ WOMEN’S WEEKLY
From declaring my love to Vanessa Redgrave to being fed cockroaches by Steve Buscemi, from turnip-based comedy with Blackadder to being farted on by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Graham Norton’s sofa to Alan Cumming’s camper van, my life has been (and continues to be) an uproarious adventure.
Oh Miriam! has been such a constant refrain in my life, said in all kinds of tones – laughs, surprised gasps and orgasmic sighs (I’m hoping for all of those from you as you read on!) – that it had to be the title of this book. And with a cast list that stretches from Churchill to DiCaprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, I’ve so much more to tell you and so much more to say.
My chapters range from ‘How to Stay Married’ to ‘Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down’. Discover how to break the thickest conversational ice; why swearing is actually good for you (though not on the Today programme); the unexpected things I learned at school and what my Spice Girl name would be. Not to mention my Tale of the Unexpected and my very own Vagina Monologue.
Buckle up and join me on another unforgettable adventure, but this time through my heart and head . . .
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£11.90£23.80Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life
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Rambling Man: My Life on the Road
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING HILARIOUS NEW BOOK FROM THE NATION’S FAVOURITE COMEDIAN, BILLY CONNOLLY
Being a Rambling Man was what I always wanted to be, to live the way I damn well pleased. I’ve met the weirdest and most wonderful people who walk the Earth, seen the most bizarre and the most fantastic sights – and I’ve rarely come across something I couldn’t get a laugh at. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad trip. Well, apart from in the 1970s, but that’s a whole other story . . .
When Billy set out from Glasgow as a young man he never looked back. He played his banjo on boats and trains, under trees, and on top of famous monuments. He danced naked in snow, wind and fire. He slept in bus stations, under bridges and on strangers’ floors. He travelled by foot, bike, ship, plane, sleigh – even piggy-backed – to get to his next destination.
Billy has wandered to every corner of the earth and believes that being a Rambling Man is about more than just travelling – it’s a state of mind. Rambling Men and Women are free spirits who live on their wits, are interested in people and endlessly curious about the world. They love to play music, make art or tell stories along the way but, above all, they have a longing in their heart for the open road.
In his joyful new book, Billy explores this philosophy and how it has shaped him, and he shares hilarious new stories from his lifetime on the road. From riding his trike down America’s famous Route 66, building an igloo on an iceberg in the Arctic, playing elephant polo (badly) in Nepal and crashing his motorbike (more than once), to eating witchetty grubs in Australia, being serenaded by a penguin in New Zealand, and swapping secrets in a traditional Sweat Lodge ritual in Canada, Rambling Man is a truly global adventure with the greatest possible travel companion.
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£11.40£23.80Rambling Man: My Life on the Road
£11.40£23.80 -
Eden’s Story (Thrown Away Children)
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERAshley is a young single mum raising her daughter, Eden, and working hard to do the very best job she can – until one night she can’t find a babysitter and makes the decision to leave Eden home alone for a couple of hours, asleep inside a wardrobe. It is an action that begins a terrible downward spiral for both of them.
When Eden arrives at experienced foster carer Louise Allen’s home, she has entered the care system because her mother is in prison. Eden is five years old and will not speak to any human. She begins exhibiting some other disturbing behaviours alongside the mutism, too, including torturing the family pets she loves. This eventually leads Louise to discover the pain and tragic reality behind Eden’s Story.
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£6.20 -
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World; Teen Edition Retold by Malala for her Own Generation
‘Malala is an inspiration to girls and women all over the world.’ – J.K. Rowling
I Am Malala tells the remarkable true story of a girl who knew she wanted to change the world – and did.
Raised in the Swat Valley in Pakistan, Malala was taught to stand up for her beliefs. When terrorists took control of her region and declared girls were forbidden from going to school, Malala fought for her right to an education. And, on 9 October 2012, she nearly paid the ultimate price for her courage when she was shot on her way home from school.
No one expected her to survive.
Now, she is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
A must-read for anyone who believes in the power of change.
* This teen edition is a first-hand account told in Malala’s own words for her generation. The paperback includes extra material, a Q&A and updated discussion notes. *
This book inspired the film HE NAMED ME MALALA, the winner of the BAFTA for Best Documentary.
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£7.70£8.50 -
In Your Defence: True Stories of Life and Law
‘As thrilling as a detective novel.’ The Times
‘Powerful, moving and often captivating.’ Financial Times
‘A compelling read for anyone who cares about fairness, justice and humanity.’ ObserverThe Sunday Times bestseller
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Sarah Langford is a barrister. Her job is to stand in court representing the mad and the bad, the vulnerable, the heartbroken and the hopeful. She must become their voice. Sarah weaves their story around the black and white of the law and tell it to the courtroom. These stories may not make headlines but they will change the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary ways. They are stories which, but for a twist of luck, might have been yours.
With remarkable candour, Sarah describes eleven cases which reveal what goes on in our criminal and family courts: these are tales of domestic fall out, everyday burglary, sexual indiscretion, and children caught up in the law. They are sometimes shocking and they are often heart-stopping. She examines how she feels as she defends the person standing in the dock. She also shows us how our attitudes and actions can shape not only the outcome of a case, but the legal system itself.
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What readers are saying:
***** ‘Absolutely fascinating . . . thought provoking, powerful and a compelling read.’
***** ‘This book broke my heart at times but also contained humour and such poignant insights into the criminal justice system.’
***** ‘Sarah writes incredibly well – she’s informative while maintaining suspense and tension, and conveys so much emotion in her writingRead more
£9.40£10.40In Your Defence: True Stories of Life and Law
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Watching the Tree: A Chinese Daughter Reflects on Happiness, Spiritual Beliefs and Universal Wisdom
Author of bestselling ‘Falling Leaves’ weaves together for the same audience her own personal experiences with the best of Chinese philosophy.
Adeline Yen Mah, whose autobiography ‘Falling Leaves’ is an international bestseller, here interweaves her own experiences with her views on Chinese thought and wisdom to create an illuminating and highly personal guide for Western readers.
Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, and through the conversations and wisdom of her grandfather and aunt learnt a great deal of traditional Chinese thought, history and religion. Through her father’s second marriage to a Eurasian woman, and their subsequent move to Hong Kong, she learnt more about the Chinese attitudes to business and to family, and the strength of the Chinese in exile.
Since living in London and California, Adeline Yen Mah has studied Chinese thought, looking at both the strengths and weaknesses which it gives those who follow it and now, in ‘Watching the Tree’, she takes us on a journey through the Chinese language, religions and history, using both Chinese proverbs and her own experiences, to bring to us an understanding of the richness of China and the ways that we can take and use some of the wisdom for ourselves in the West.
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£9.50 -
My Name’5 DODDIE: The Autobiography
The extraordinary, life-affirming autobiography of DODDIE WEIR OBERugby legend and MND campaigner Doddie Weir has always lived life to the full. On the pitch, Doddie’s irresistible talent took him to the heart of every team he graced, and brought him 61 caps for his national side. He won fans all over the world with his sportsmanship, humour and boundless energy – especially when on the charge ‘like a mad giraffe’.
Then, in June 2017, Doddie made the announcement that he had been diagnosed with MND. With no cure and almost no treatment of any sort available, Doddie set out to do what he could to change that, tackling the issue head on with his trademark positivity and good humour. Since then, his MY NAME’5 DODDIE Foundation has raised and pledged millions towards research into this dreadful condition and his tireless campaigning has transcended the world of sport.
MY NAME’5 DODDIE is a humbling, courageous and very funny celebration of a remarkable man. And with a brand new update, this is an absolute must-read – rugby fan or not.
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£6.60£9.50My Name’5 DODDIE: The Autobiography
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The Jersey: The All Blacks: The Secrets Behind the World’s Most Successful Team
The phenomenal international number one bestseller with exclusive interviews with Richie McCaw, Steve Hansen, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, The Jersey is the definitive story behind the greatest sports team on the planet.
‘Extremely well written. Compelling, accurate, insightful and brilliant in the way it captures the New Zealand way’ – John Hart, former All Blacks coach.
With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conquer the world?
Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than forty years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. Peter talked at length with ninety people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.
The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked.
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£11.40£12.30 -
Neymar (Ultimate Football Heroes – the No. 1 football series): Collect Them All!
The No.1 football series – over 1 million copies sold!‘As Neymar Jr made the long walk to the penalty spot, he knew this was his chance, the one that he had dreamed of since the age of three. If he scored, Brazil would be Olympic Champions for the first time ever.’
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior is the boy who carries the hopes of Brazil on his shoulders. Although he now faces a new challenge at Paris Saint-Germain, it was his years playing for Barcelona, in a fearsome attacking trident alongside Messi and Suarez, that made him a legend across the world. This is the heart-warming true story of Neymar’s road to glory.
Ultimate Football Heroes is a series of biographies telling the life-stories of the biggest and best footballers in the world and their incredible journeys from childhood fan to super-star professional player. Written in fast-paced, action-packed style these books are perfect for all the family to collect and share.Read more
£6.00£6.60 -
How Not to be a Cricketer
‘Brilliant’ Paul Newman, Daily Mail
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BEST SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEARIn How Not to be a Cricketer, former England international and TV personality Phil Tufnell highlights the many potential pitfalls of a professional cricket career, and provides a hilarious insight into how to avoid them and what happens when, like him, you don’t.
I was the model cricketer – if anyone wanted to know how not to be one. My career included more ups and downs than the big dipper at Margate and more bumps than the dodgems next door. And yet somehow I climbed off the ride unblemished. I survived to walk away on my own terms. For someone who never quite fitted the mould, I was actually pretty good at not being a cricketer.
In his superb new book, Phil Tufnell looks back over his life and career to provide brilliant advice and insights, often learned the hard way, from his own experiences as a cricketer. If you want to learn how to make a good first impression, maybe don’t have your hair cut in a Mohican. And when, after a drunken night on an England Under-19 tour to Barbados, the players were told ‘You cannot be caught coming in at a ridiculous hour and still be drunk in the morning’ most took his wise words on board; Tuffers vowed not to get caught.
Packed with brilliant stories and revealing anecdotes about some of the great players of his time, such as Mike Atherton, Mike Gatting, Graham Gooch and Nasser Hussain, How Not to be a Cricketer is the perfect read for anyone who wants to know more about the potential pitfalls of the game, and how to avoid them.
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£6.60£9.50How Not to be a Cricketer
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Running with the Firm: My Double Life as an Undercover Hooligan
‘Of course I’m a f**king hooligan, you pr**k. I am a hooligan…there I’ve said it…I’m a hooligan. And, do you know why? Because that’s my f**king job.’
In 1995, a film called I.D., about an ambitious young copper who was sent undercover to track down the ‘generals’ of a football hooligan gang, achieved cult status for its sheer brutality and unsettling insight into the dark and often bloody side of the so-called beautiful game.
The film was so shocking it was hard to believe the mindless events that took place could ever happen in the real world. Well, believe it now…
Almost twenty years on, the man behind the film has explosively revealed that the script was largely a true story. That man, James Bannon, was the ambitious undercover cop. The football club was Millwall F.C. and the gang that he infiltrated was The Bushwackers, among the most brutal and fearless in English football.
In Running with the Firm, Bannon shares his intense and dangerous journey into the underworld of football hooliganism where sickening levels of violence prevail over anything else. He introduces you to the hardest thugs from football’s most notorious gangs, tells all about the secret and almost comical police operations that were meant to bring them down, and, how once you’re on the inside, getting out from the mob proves to be the biggest mission of all.
A disturbing but compelling read, this is the book that proves fact really is stranger than fiction.
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The Bottom Corner: Hope, Glory and Non-League Football
In these days of oligarch owners, superstar managers and players on sky-high wages, the tide is turning towards the lower reaches of the pyramid as fans search for football with a soul.
Plucky underdogs or perennial underachievers, your local non-league team offers hope, drama or at least a Saturday afternoon ritual that’s been going for decades. Nige Tassell spends a season in the non-league world. He meets the raffle-ticket seller who wants her ashes scattered in the centre-circle. The envelope salesman who discovered a future England international. The ex-pros still playing with undiluted passion on Sunday mornings. He spends time at clubs looking for promotion to the Football League, clubs just aiming to get eleven players on a pitch every week, and everything in between.
One thing unites them: they all inhabit the heartland of the beautiful game.
‘The Bottom Corner is a wonderful journey through life in the lower reaches of the football pyramid. A fascinating tale of a very different world of football from that of the overpaid stars of the television age’ Barry Davies
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Women in Sport: Fifty Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win
Women in Sport celebrates the success of the tough, bold and fearless women who paved the way for today’s athletes. The sportswomen featured include well-known figures like tennis player Serena Williams and broadcaster Clare Balding, as well as lesser-known pioneers like Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, and Keiko Fukuda, the highest-ranked female judoka in history.
From the creator of the bestselling Women in Science, this richly illustrated book highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable sportswomen from the 1800s to today, including trailblazers, Olympians and record-breakers in more than forty sports. It also contains infographics on topics such as muscle anatomy, pay and media statistics for female athletes, and influential women’s teams.
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The Boys of Winter: England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup Win, As Told By The Team for the 20th Anniversary 2023
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER and must-read book for the Rugby World Cup 2023.England have been in four Rugby World Cup finals and only won one of them. In 2003, this team was the one that did it. And this is their story in their words.
The image of Jonny Wilkinson’s last-minute winning drop goal is etched deep into the nation’s consciousness – everyone knows where they were during that iconic moment on the 22nd November 2003. Twenty years on, with their achievement still unmatched, the affection and respect this band of brothers command is as great as ever. There is still no modern player as beloved as Jonny Wilkinson, no captain as celebrated and respected as Martin Johnson, and no coach as revered as Sir Clive Woodward. And there is no one with the aura and drive of Lawrence Dallaglio.
In The Boys of Winter, Dallaglio and writer Owen Slot tell the inside story of England’s triumphant 2003 Rugby World Cup through interviews with those involved, revealing how the team planned it and executed it; the iconic memories as well as the unseen moments.
But what has become of those heroes of our youth? This book also tells the story of how the tournament has shaped the lives of those involved, for better or worse. For many it was the pinnacle, for some a missed opportunity and for others a curse from which they never recovered.
– Includes never-before-seen interviews with the squad and coaching staff
– Reveals how the team planned and executed the 2003 Rugby World Cup win
– Uncovers for the first time the impact of the achievement on the players
– Explores why this success has never been repeated
This is the definitive account of a legendary sporting moment and an examination of the costs of our dreams.
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Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World
In 1999 His Holiness The Dalai Lama published the bestselling Ancient Wisdom: Modern World, which addressed the question of ethics for the new millennium. A decade later, His Holiness enters the contemporary debate about religion vs atheism, and returns to the theme of ethics with a major new work: Beyond Religion: ethics for a whole world.
In this thought-provoking new book he argues that religion is not a necessity for pursuing a spiritual life. Rather, focusing on tolerance and understanding between religions, as well as tolerance and understanding between believers (of any faith) and non-believers is the way forward. The way to achieve such an approach, he proposes, is through a system of secular ethics grounded in a deep appreciation of our common humanity. Aimed particularly at the general reader, Beyond Religion: ethics for a whole world is a modern-day polemic which outlines those ethics he believes should be central to our lives.
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£10.20£12.30Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World
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Messi: The must-read biography of the World Cup champion, now fully updated (Guillem Balague’s Books)
‘I have seen the player who will inherit my place in Argentine football and his name is Messi’ Diego Maradona
FULLY UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE 2022 WORLD CUP TRIUMPH & MESSI’S TRANSFER TO INTER MIAMI
As Lionel Messi raised the World Cup triumphantly into the air, the world watched on in awe. Messi’s final peak conquered; his final dream achieved. It was the fairy tale ending to a glittering career. Yet despite delivering Argentina their third World Cup, Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain came to a dramatic conclusion, and Miami awaited the Argentinian legend.
Guillem Balagué has had unprecedented access to Messi’s inner circle including the player himself: his coaches, team-mates and family. From tracing the origins of Messi’s precocious talent in Rosario, Argentina, to chronicling his peerless seventeen-season career at Barcelona, and his tumultuous Parisian adventure, Guillem takes us behind-the-scenes of Messi’s World Cup triumph and his long-desired move to the MLS. This is an epic, authoritative and compelling account of an enigmatic footballing genius.
‘I can tell my grandkids one day that I coached Lionel Messi’ Pep Guardiola
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The ABC’s of LGBT+: (Gender Identity Book for Teens, Teen & Young Adult LGBT Issues)
About 3.5% of the 2015 U.S. population identifies as being part of the LGBT community. This is NOT a celebrity book, but no doubt the notoriety of Caitlyn Jenner has propelled the issue to the forefront of media. A book of great insightfulness and self-evaluation and direction on how to deal with the issues confronting those who want to embrace their true self without fear of alienation of friends and families or not sharing who they are for fear of reprisal. Ashley lived this, and came out stronger than she ever thought imaginable, so while it has elements of memoir, it is very much a self-help title.Read more
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Can You Make This Thing Go Faster? (The World According to Clarkson, 8)
The hilarious new collection of stories and observations from Jeremy Clarkson – setting our off-kilter world to rights with thigh-slapping wit once again.
Who is that tractor-driving Gentleman Farmer?
Has Jeremy turned into a horny-handed son of the soil?These and other perplexing questions may or may not be answered in the latest volume of Clarkson’s utterly unbiased musings on life, the universe and everything in between (except cars – this isn’t one of his four-wheel drive books).
Inside you’ll also discover why:
· Bathing in crude oil isn’t for everyone
· People who go fishing hate their kids
· Noise-cancelling headphones will never silence James May
· The rambler who stole his marrow is in for itFull of fact-checked opinions and ideas so good they’re no longer following the science but chasing it up a tree, Can You Make This Thing Go Faster? is one hundred per cent guaranteed Clarkson . . .
Praise for Clarkson:
‘Brilliant . . . laugh-out-loud’ Daily Telegraph
‘Outrageously funny . . . will have you in stitches’ Time Out
‘Very funny . . . I cracked up laughing on the tube’ Evening Standard
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BBC Sports Report: A Celebration of the World’s Longest-Running Sports Radio Programme: Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sports Book Awards 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK AWARDS 2023 – SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT BOOK OF THE YEAR
THE OFFICIAL DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF BBC SPORTS REPORT
‘Opens the doors to one of the great radio institutions.’ – Dan Walker
‘An absolute joy to read.’ – John Inverdale
‘That opening tune always quickens the pulse.’ – Henry Winter
Sports Report is as much a 75-year history of sport as a BBC radio institution and Pat Murphy pays handsome tribute to a programme that is still followed affectionately by millions.
For nearly 75 years, one BBC programme has been a constant factor in chronicling the way sport is covered, in all its many facets. It has been a window on the sporting world all over the globe – packed tightly into every Saturday evening for the bulk of the year.
First broadcast in 1948, Sports Report is the longest-running radio sporting programme in the world and one of the BBC’s hardy perennials. Pat Murphy has been a reporter on the programme since 1981 and here he sifts comprehensively through the experiences of his contemporaries and those who made their mark on Sports Report in earlier decades. He hears from commentators, reporters, producers, presenters and the production teams who regularly achieved the broadcasting miracle of getting a live programme on air, without a script, adapting as the hour of news, reaction and comment unfolded.
Drawing on unique access from the BBC Archives Unit, he highlights memorable moments from Sports Report, details the challenges faced in getting live interviews on air from draughty, noisy dressing-room areas and celebrates the feat of just a small production team in the studio who, somehow, get the show up and running every Saturday, with the clock ticking implacably on.
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Waterstones Best Books of 2022 – Sport
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Antiques Roadshow: 40 Years of Great Finds
A collection of the timeless, the priceless and the unforgettable, this beautiful compendium accompanies the beloved BBC One TV series.
Antiques Roadshow has graced our screens for forty years and has become one of the nation’s most beloved television programmes and a national institution. It has featured thousands of unique stories over the years, and introduced many incredible characters and unforgettable moments. In this anniversary celebration, Paul Atterbury and Marc Allum look back at the quintessential moments from the show’s illustrious history, providing a look at the history behind the very best and most intriguing objects that have appeared on the show.
Antiques Roadshow: 40 Years of Great Finds reveals the astonishing stories behind findings such as the discovery of the Lalique vase which had been bought for a pound at a car boot sale and left in the loft, only to be valued and sold for £25,000; the twenty-three original Beatrix Potter drawings; a brooch designed by the great Victorian architect William Burges; a poignant letter written by a doomed passenger on the Titanic, and legendary 1970s glam rocker Marc Bolan’s distinctive Gibson Flying V guitar.
Beautifully illustrated, and featuring a wealth of artifacts from the show, this is a truly revealing book, unearthing moments from history through each of the extraordinary objects discovered on the programme.
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£19.70£23.80Antiques Roadshow: 40 Years of Great Finds
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Tuesdays With Morrie: An old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lesson
Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher or a colleague?
Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, and gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it?
For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago.
Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?
Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Knowing he was dying of ALS – or motor neurone disease – Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final ‘class’: lessons in how to live.
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world.
Praise for Tuesdays with Morrie:
‘This is a true story that shines and leaves you forever warmed by its afterglow’ Amy Tan
‘A moving tribute to embracing life’ Glasgow Herald
‘An extraordinary contribution to the literature of death’ Boston Globe
‘A beautifully written book of great clarity and wisdom that lovingly captures the simplicity beyond life’s complexities’ M Scott Peck
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Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life
‘Oh Miriam! risks the curse of the sequel, and pulls it off . . . A force of nature, a tour de farce. Bold, brave and bright, but also revealing, shocking and touching. Miriam is an icon, a cocksucker – and the star of her show’ ROBERT McCRUM, Independent
‘Our naughtiest national treasure . . . famously filthy, funny and phlegmatic . . . Oh Miriam! is Margolyes’s manifesto for a fulfilled life . . . She loves to tell it straight. And the older she gets, the straighter she tells it’ SIMON HATTENSTONE, Guardian
‘Irrepressible . . . A life-enhancing rollercoaster of a ride . . . this book is like Margolyes herself – outspoken, ebullient and unexpectedly wise’ EMMA LEE-POTTER, Daily Express
‘Snortingly funny . . . deliciously unbridled . . . There is something heroic in her unruliness. Let Miriam take the lead and enjoy the show’ RHIK SAMADDER, Observer
‘Insanely interesting, full of profanity and profundity, Oh Miriam!’s title comes from all the people who have ever exclaimed her name in every tone from horror to hilarity; and her unfiltered personality leaps off the page – honesty, kindness, generosity, sanity, erudition, outspokenness’ SUZANNE HARRINGTON, Irish Examiner
‘Endearingly eccentric’ WOMEN’S WEEKLY
From declaring my love to Vanessa Redgrave to being fed cockroaches by Steve Buscemi, from turnip-based comedy with Blackadder to being farted on by Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Graham Norton’s sofa to Alan Cumming’s camper van, my life has been (and continues to be) an uproarious adventure.
Oh Miriam! has been such a constant refrain in my life, said in all kinds of tones – laughs, surprised gasps and orgasmic sighs (I’m hoping for all of those from you as you read on!) – that it had to be the title of this book. And with a cast list that stretches from Churchill to DiCaprio, Dahl to Dietrich, Princess Margaret to Maggie Smith, I’ve so much more to tell you and so much more to say.
My chapters range from ‘How to Stay Married’ to ‘Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down’. Discover how to break the thickest conversational ice; why swearing is actually good for you (though not on the Today programme); the unexpected things I learned at school and what my Spice Girl name would be. Not to mention my Tale of the Unexpected and my very own Vagina Monologue.
Buckle up and join me on another unforgettable adventure, but this time through my heart and head . . .
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£12.30£23.80Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life
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Pru and Me: The Amazing Marriage of Prunella Scales and Timothy West
‘A beautiful, witty, moving and joyful portrait of marriage’ Red
‘A memoir laden with laughter and love’ Daily Mail
‘Deeply moving, poignant and enthralling’ Mail on Sunday
Give a heartwarming and cosy tale in this first-hand account of one of the most celebrated partnerships in the history of British entertainment, the 60-year marriage of Timothy West and Prunella Scales
__________Timothy West and Prunella Scales are – first and foremost – actors. Over seventy years they have delighted millions, portraying a host of larger-than-life characters that the nation has taken into their hearts.
But their finest roles, it turns out, have always been as husband and wife – in the extraordinary and enduring double act that is Tim and Pru.
In Pru & Me, Timothy West charts the course of their lives, from the years before they met – treading the boards in the 50s – to their secret courting, marriage and settling in Wandsworth. And then together as they established themselves at the heart of British theatre, television and film over the next seventy years, in some of the nation’s favourite shows, such as Fawlty Towers and Brass.
Crammed full of stories, often funny, sometimes poignant and occasionally jaw-dropping, Pru & Me also vividly recounts the late blaze of glory that introduced the world to the real Tim and Pru via Great Canal Journeys. Here, the couple charmed the nation while at the same time charting Pru’s gentle struggle with dementia.
An honest, charming and above all uplifting story of twin souls who, once they found one another, clung together through thick and thin. Pru & Me is a joyous portrait of a very, very special love story.
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The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939
The bestselling author of STALINGRAD and BERLIN: THE DOWNFALL on the Spanish Civil War, drawing on masses of newly discovered material from the Spanish, Russian and German archives.
The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century: a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose Condor Legion so notoriously destroyed Guernica.
Antony Beevor’s account narrates the origins of the Civil War and its violent and dramatic course from the coup d’etat in July 1936 through the savage fighting of the next three years which ended in catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in 1939. And he succeeds especially well in unravelling the complex political and regional forces that played such an important part in the origins and history of the war.
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The Woman in Me: Britney Spears
The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.
Written with remarkable candour and humour, Spears’s ground-breaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.
____________________________________‘The sharpness of her perspective is a miracle… May her truth pose a legitimate threat to the system that exploited her’ – Guardian
‘Britney Spears holds nothing back in her short, bittersweet and extremely powerful memoir… That it hasn’t turned into a complete tragedy is a testament to Spears’s essential fortitude of spirit – something that burns off these pages’ – Telegraph
‘Spears’s prose contains more compassion and perspective than bitterness or self-pity’ – The Times
‘It’s nearly impossible to come out of it without empathy for and real outrage on behalf of Spears, whose admitted bitterness over the dire circumstances of the last decade-plus of her life is tempered by an enduring, insistent optimism’ – New York Times
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£11.40£23.80The Woman in Me: Britney Spears
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Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors: 50 Places That Changed British Politics
‘’F *** ing brilliant. I would describe it as like a bag of political nuts – moreish and fabulously salty’ JOE LYCETT
Forget Westminster bust-ups and PMQs, some of the key events that have shaped modern British politics happened not in the cloisters of parliament or Downing Street’s many corridors of power, but in car parks, village halls and seaside resorts where the mundane have played host to the mighty. From Pitt the Younger’s Putney Heath duel to finding Margaret Thatcher a voice coach on a train, Harold Wilson’s ‘Scilly’ season holidays to John Major’s dental appointment clearing his path to No10 – these (and many more) are the places where chance meetings, untimely deaths and snap, sometimes daft, decisions changed the course of politics.
Matt Chorley has spent almost two decades covering Westminster, interviewing prime ministers, mocking ministers and chronicling the serious, and sometimes unintentionally absurd, events which act as unlikely turning points in the direction of a nation. Illustrated by award-winning political cartoonist Morten Morland, Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors combines Matt’s insider-knowledge, smart analysis and detailed research with his background in comedy to create an hilarious history of how politics actually happens.
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