Aaron T Beck

Aaron Vallance

Aaron Young was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and read Politics and Communications at The University of Liverpool. He is a BAFTA-nominated director, producer and executive producer with over 20 years of experience across projects for the BBC, PBS, Channel 4, Channel 5, UKTV, UK Film Council and Arts Council England. A long-time collaborator of acclaimed historian, James Holland, he is the producer and director of the BAFTA-shortlisted BBC titles ‘Battle of Britain: The Real Story’ and, ‘Dam Busters: The Race to Smash the German Dams’, as well as ‘The Battle for Malta’, ‘Normandy ’44: The Battle Beyond D-Day’, the RTS-nominated ‘Imphal &amp; Kohima: Britain’s Greatest Battle.’, and the 3-part series, 'Normandy '44: D-Day and the Battle for France. His most recent credits include 'Hidden Histories of WWII', 'Lost Temples of Cambodia', the RTS-winning ‘Lost Home Movies of Nazi Germany’, and ‘Prue Leith: Journey with My Daughter’. Aaron was named in the inaugural list of BAFTA ‘Brits to Watch.’ He is the co-owner of award-winning film and television production company, Bright Button Productions, and lives with his wife and children in Poundbury, Dorset.

Aaron Young

Aatish Taseer

Abbe Prevost

Abbey Bryant is an NYC-based award-winning illustrator. With her BFA in Children's Book Illustration, her notable illustrated books include Nautilus award winner Hazel Mist, Hypnotist as well as an Enchanted Fairy House Kit with Scholastic's Klutz! 
 
As a queer illustrator, LGBTQ+ themes and stories hold a spot near to her heart. Most days she can be found around the city drawing New Yorkers or sketching trees at the park.

Abbey Bryant

Abbey Clancy is a model, television presenter and the host of chart-topping podcast The Therapy Crouch. She was the runner-up of Britain's Next Top Model in 2006, winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and went on to present Britain's Next Top Model. Later this year she will host Celebrity Homes on ITV.

Abbey Clancy

Abbie Greaves studied at Cambridge University before working in a literary agency for a number of years. She was inspired to write her first novel, The Silent Treatment, after reading a newspaper article about a boy in Japan who had never seen his parents speak to one another before. 
 
Abbie lives in Brighton with her boyfriend.

Abbie Greaves

Abbie Ross is a British author and psychotherapist. Her first book, Hippy Dinners, a funny and poignant memoir of her bohemian childhood in 1970s North Wales, has been optioned by Baby Cow, who are developing it into an 8-part television series. 
Before turning to writing, Abbie had a successful career as a producer at Aardman Animations, the acclaimed studios behind Wallace &amp; Gromit and the film Chicken Run. 
Today, she divides her time between her thriving psychotherapy practice in Bristol, and her writing, and finds that the two careers complement each other perfectly.

Abbie Ross

Abbie Spallen

Abbie Taylor lives in Dublin. She works as a doctor and has two daughters.

Abbie Taylor

Abby L Yates co-founded the Ghostbusters with Erin Gilbert. Ghosts from Our Past was her first book, now finally back in print.

Abby L Yates

Abby Lee

Abby Rawlinson is an integrative therapist with a private practice based in east London, UK. Her work mixes traditional psychotherapeutic theories with cutting-edge, evidence-based techniques into a style that feels relatable, down-to-earth, and compassionate. Abby regularly contributes to articles, including but not limited to Stylist, Elle, BBC, Harpers Bazaar, Sheerluxe, Women's Health, and Psychologies. She can be found on Instagram @therapywithabby or online at therapywithabby.co.uk

Abby Rawlinson

Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, FIFA World Cup champion, six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award and one of Time’s Most Influential People. She is a founder of Treat Media, an award-winning media company that makes art for humans who want to stay human. Abby is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wolfpack and the New York Times bestseller Forward. Named one of the ‘50 Most Powerful People in Podcasting,’ she is co-host of the chart-topping podcast We Can Do Hard Things, which has received over a half billion plays. Abby is an executive producer of the Sundance award-winning film Come See Me in the Good Light, part owner of the NWSL’s Angel City Football Club and sits on multiple boards. Her most recent book, We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions, created with Glennon Doyle, Amanda Doyle and Treat Media, is being hailed as ‘the guidebook for being alive.’

Abby Wambach

Abel &amp; Cole’s story starts in 1988 with Keith Abel flogging potatoes door-to-door. ‘Of course potatoes are organic,’ he thought, ‘they’re vegetables’. However, he quickly discovered how unnecessarily complicated our food system had become and, consequently, realised the huge benefits of going organic and never looked back. In fact, Abel &amp; Cole still get veg from the farm where Keith's first organic spuds came from. 
To this day, their priorities remain the same. Now, selling 100% organic produce, Abel &amp; Cole believe that organic farming (a holistic system that encourages biodiversity) is the very best way to go. It protects our countryside and the critters that inhabit it, insists on the very best animal welfare, supports your local community and, frankly, tastes heaps better. Abel &amp; Cole think so anyway.

Abel & Cole Limited

Abhijit Banerjee, winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics, is the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a co-founder and co-director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). In 2011, he was named one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 global thinkers. Banerjee served on the U.N. Secretary-General’s High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Abhijit V. Banerjee

Abhishek Mukherjee, 30, is a Delhi-based journalist. He holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Delhi University, a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Raipur. He also likes dogs.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Abi Elphinstone grew up in Scotland where she spent most of her childhood running wild across the moors, hiding in tree houses and building dens in the woods. After being coaxed out of her tree house, she studied English at Bristol University and then worked as an English teacher in Africa, Berkshire and London. She is the bestselling and multi-award shortlisted author of RUMBLESTAR (first in The Unmapped Chronicles), SKY SONG &amp; THE DREAMSNATCHER TRILOGY, published by S&amp;S. When she's not writing, Abi volunteers for Beanstalk, speaks in schools and travels the world looking for her next story.

Abi Elphinstone

Abi Falase is a Black British writer and director, reimagining fundamental societal concepts in inventive new worlds. Abi has written and directed a number of plays, including The Village and Rush with the Almedia Theatre, as well as Rift for Immediate Theatre and was shortlisted for the BBC Scriptworks ‘A Thousand Stories’ scriptwriting competition in 2021.

Abi Falase

Abi Titmuss

Abie Longstaff is the eldest of six children and grew up in Australia, Hong Kong and France. She knows all about squabbling, chaos and bossing younger sisters around. So she logically began her career as a barrister. She started writing when her children were born. Her favourite childhood books were Hating Alison Ashley, A Little Princess, Maura's Angel and The Black Stallion and she sneakily reads them again sometimes. Abie lives in Hove with her family.

Abie Longstaff

Abigail Ahern

Abigail is a Brighton-based writer, illustrator and creative producer. Original storytelling has always been at the heart of Abigail's career and she has spent a decade leading social media campaigns for some of the biggest TV &amp; entertainment clients in the world. Abigail also used to perform stand-up comedy and won several tiny trophies for her onstage humour; which involved life-size illustrations, ridiculous songs and rambling stories about her family.

Abigail Balfe

Abigail Docherty

Abigail Foster is a Chartered Accountant and founder of Elent Finance, a financial education company designed to demystify the world of finance and empower you to achieve financial wellbeing. 
 
Abigail has worked with leading financial institutions across the UK, including HMRC, the Bank of England and Downing Street, and global companies such as Google and Goldman Sachs. She hosts a weekly money segment on LBC radio and has also appeared as a finance expert on ITV, Channel 5 and Sky News.

Abigail Foster

Abigail Owen is the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author of 30+ books that range from upper YA (18+) epic romantasy to new adult modern mythic romantasy to super spicy adult paranormal romance. She loves magical worlds with plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs! Other titles include: wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, AuDHD, spreadsheet lover, Jeopardy! fanatic, organizational guru, true classic movie buff, linguaphile, wishful world traveler, and chocoholic. Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own swoon-worthy hero, their (mostly) angelic teenagers, and an adorable fur baby.

Abigail Owen

Abigail Ulman was born and raised in Melbourne. She has a BA in Creative Arts from the University of Melbourne/VCA and was a recent Wallace Stegner Fellow in Fiction at Stanford University. This is her first book.

Abigail Ulman

Abilio Estévez

Abir Mukherjee is the bestselling author of the award-winning Wyndham &amp; Banerjee series of crime novels set in 1920s India and the British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year 2025 Hunted. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and won various awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Européen, and the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing. 
 
 
He also co-hosts the popular Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast which takes a wry look at the world of books, writing, and the creative arts, tackling everything from bestsellers to pop culture. Abir grew up in Scotland and now lives in Surrey with his wife and two sons. 
 
 
Website: abirmukherjee.com Twitter, Threads &amp; Instagram: @radiomukhers Facebook: AuthorAbir

Abir Mukherjee

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Lindsey Bareham

One cook, her kitchen and a lifetime of recipes. 
 
A cookery book like no other, The Trifle Bowl and Other Tales is a dip into Lindsey Bareham's kitchen, introducing us to more of her tempting, easy-to-follow seasonal recipes, this time organized by the well-loved and well-used pots, pans, gadgets and utensils she uses to cook them. Roast Tomato Risotto with Saffron and Honey in a sauté pan, Cod, Anchovy and Spinach Boulangère made using a mandoline, Vietnamese Chicken Patties with Mint Salad and Roast Peanuts in a quaint burger press, and Raspberry Jelly Trifle in her grandmother’s trifle bowl. This unique approach to ordering recipes also looks at the objects themselves – their history, design evolution and why they're good at what they do – and their power to evoke memories of meals past. It is not just a book to cook from, Lindsey's fine writing makes it a pleasure to read from too.

The Trifle Bowl and Other Tales

Patrick Robinson

Daniel Topolski

WINNER OF THE FIRST WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK AWARD Strikingly reminiscent of Chariots of Fire, this classic bestseller tells the story of the sporting event which shook both Oxford University and its Boat Club to the very foundations during the harsh winter of 1986/7. 
 
A group of American students arrives at Oxford, hoping to put some steel into a Boat Race crew still reeling from their recent humiliating defeat at the hands of Cambridge. But disagreements over training methods soon bring to a head a bitter clash between the elected President of the Dark Blues and a fiery-tempered rower from California. 
 
Much more than the race is at stake in this clash between the amateur sporting tradition of the Boat Race and New World big-star sportsmanship. In the resulting battle, which made headline news worldwide, the rebels, having failed to remove the Boat Club President, pull out six weeks before the race. 
 
Can Oxford Coach Topolski, against all odds, mould an inexperienced and demoralized reserve crew of no-hopers into a winning team?

True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny

Sarah Ryle

From one man’s Hackney market stall to a company serving fifty million customers in thirteen countries every week, this is the extraordinary story of one of Britain’s most remarkable companies. Told by those who themselves feature in it – Tesco’s own employees – it relates a fascinating social history as well as an epic business venture. 
 
Drawn from hundreds of hours of interviews with Tesco staff, collected by National Life Stories at the British Library, these personal accounts from across the decades are frank, insightful, sometimes funny and, above all, very human. 
 
How, then, did Tesco grow from Jack Cohen’s barrow in Hackney to the hypermarkets in Hungary and Thailand and a home-delivery service to customers from Cheshire to the Czech Republic? Why and how did Tesco survive and (mostly) thrive where other British companies stalled? And what impact has Tesco’s success had on its employees and consumers? Here is Tesco’s authentic story, carefully researched and engagingly written by Sarah Ryle, told for the first time by the people at the very heart of the business.

The Making of Tesco

A Story of British Shopping

Waldo Pancake

Waldo Pancake is loved by millions for his bestselling merchandise, featuring hilariously sarcastic, arrestingly poignant messages, characterised by his own special brand of humour. 
 
One day, Waldo looked around and realised that what the world needed was more of him. Much more. Happily, the result is Live, Believe, Worry a Bit - a beautifully designed little book packed with Waldo's hilarious take on life, the universe and just about everything else, packaged in his unique, trademark style. 
 
So if you are in need of something to put a smile on your face, pick up a copy and dive in. Welcome to Waldo's world!

Live, Believe, Worry a Bit

Waldo Pancake is loved by millions for his bestselling merchandise, featuring hilariously sarcastic, arrestingly poignant messages, characterised by his own special brand of humour. 
 
This beautifully designed little book is perfect for those who seek a gift for that special person in their life but who don't want to go overboard on the schmaltz. Affectionate, yet with a twist of Waldo wit, this book is perfect for those who might struggle to find the words to express themselves. Let Waldo do the talking for you. 
 
'I love you so much that I went into a shop and bought you a little book about it.'

Love is Me Buying You this Book

Kitty Ferguson

Suppose you and I still wondered whether all of the pinpoints of light in the night sky are the same distance from us. Suppose none of our contemporaries could tell us whether the Sun orbits the Earth, or vice versa, or even how large the Earth is. Suppose no one had guessed there are mathematical laws underlying the motions of the heavens. 
 
How would - how did - anyone begin to discover these numbers and these relationships without leaving the Earth? What made anyone even think it was possible to find out “how far,” without going there? 
In Measuring the Universe we join our ancestors and contemporary scientists as they tease this information out of a sky full of stars. Some of the questions have turned out to be loaded, and a great deal besides mathematics and astronomy has gone into answering them. Politics, religion, philosophy and personal ambition: all have played roles in this drama. 
 
There are poignant personal stories, of people like Copernicus, Kepler, Newton, Herschel, and Hubble. Today scientists are attempting to determine the distance to objects near the borders of the observable universe, far beyond anything that can be seen with the naked eye in the night sky, and to measure time back to its origin. The numbers are too enormous to comprehend. 
 
Nevertheless, generations of curious people have figured them out, one resourceful step at a time. Progress has owed as much to raw ingenuity as to technology, and frontier inventiveness is still not out of date.

Measuring the Universe

The Historical Quest to Quantify Space

What is a black hole? Could we survive a visit to one? Perhaps even venture inside? What would we find? Have we yet discovered any real black holes? 
 
And what do black holes teach us about what physicist John Archibald Wheeler called “the deep, happy, mysteries of the universe”? 
 
These are just a few of the tantalizing questions examined in this jargon-free review of one of the most fascinating topics in modern science. In search of the answers, we trace a star from its birth to its death throes, take a fabulous hypothetical journey to the border of a black hole and beyond, spend time with some of the world’s leading theoretical physicists and observational astronomers scanning the cosmos for evidence of real black holes, and take a whimsical look at some of the wild ideas black holes have inspired.

Prisons of Light

Black Holes

The extraordinary, unlikely tale of Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler and their enormous contribution to astronomy and understanding of the cosmos is one of the strangest stories in the history of science. 
 
Kepler was a poor, devoutly religious teacher with a genius for mathematics. Brahe was an arrogant, extravagant aristocrat who possessed the finest astronomical instruments and observations of the time, before the telescope. Both espoused theories that seem off-the-wall to modern minds, but their fateful meeting in Prague in 1600 was to change the future of science. 
 
Set in one of the most turbulent and colourful eras in European history, when medieval was giving way to modern, Tycho and Kepler is a double biography of these two remarkable men.

Tycho and Kepler

The Unlikely Partnership that Forever Changed our Understanding of the Heavens

Les Pringle

This book has been re-issued as Dial 999! ISBN 9780552165310. 
 
Card-playing corpses, unfaithful husbands and 'flying' ladies - life as an ambulance driver in the 1970s was certainly varied ... 
 
At the age of twenty-three, Les Pringle decided to escape from office life, broaden his horizons and become an ambulance driver. Little did he realize how broad those horizons would turn out to be. 
 
Filled with warmth and humour, Blue Lights and Long Nights takes us back to a time when lonely old ladies could call 999 and have a cup of tea waiting when the drivers turned up for a chat; when learning to drive the ambulance meant going out for one test drive and managing not to hit a pedestrian; and every day brought a glimpse into other people's lives. 
 
Gripping, poignant and darkly funny, Blue Lights and Long Nights is an affectionate, warm-hearted look at a world gone by.

Blue Lights and Long Nights

Martha Stewart

From the Queen of American cookery comes a fabulous collection of recipes - all 500 calories or less, and all big on flavour! 
 
Martha Stewart knows it's not enough for home cooks to prepare tasty weeknight meals in a flash - they also need to be healthy and appealing for the whole family. Martha Stewart's Everyday Light features delicious, low-fat recipes that are made with accessible ingredients, and each recipe is accompanied by beautiful colour photography to keep you inspired and cooking light every day of the week. 
 
The recipes, which are organised seasonally, include salads, soups, stews, main courses, easy sides, desserts, and more. You'll find slimmed-down favourites, such as Beef Chilli, Chicken Parmesan, and deceptively skinny Chocolate-Chunk Brownies, plus new delights such as Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry with Peanuts and Salmon Burgers with Yoghurt-Dill Sauce. With basic low-fat cooking techniques (stir-frying, cooking in parchment, grilling), tips on the 10 best ways to boost flavour without adding fat (including marinades, dressings, herbs and spices), and simple tools for low-calorie cooking (cast-iron skillets and grill pans and steamer baskets), Martha Stewart's Everyday Light helps you cook the kind of delicious, healthy food you really want to eat!

Martha Stewart's Everyday Light

The Quickest and Easiest Recipes all Under 500 Calories

Nora Ephron

‘A woman for all seasons, tender and tough in just the right proportions’ 
The New York Times 
 
Two classic collections of uproarious essays from the late Nora Ephron, bestselling author of I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing. Here she tackles everything from feminism to the media, from politics to beauty products, with her inimitable charm and distinctive wit. 
 
From her Academy Award-nominated screenplays (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie &amp; Julia) to her bestselling fiction and essays, Nora Ephron illuminated her era with wicked honesty and insight. 
 
This collection brings together some of Ephron’s most famous writing on a generation of women (and men) who helped shape the way we live now, and on significant modern-day events. In these sharp, hilariously entertaining and vividly observed essays, from the famous ‘A Few Words About Breasts’ to important pieces on her time working for newspapers and magazines, this is Ephron at her very best.

Crazy Salad & Scribble Scribble (An Omnibus)

‘Nora Ephron can write about anything better than anybody else can write about anything’ 
New York Times 
 
A bitingly funny, provocative and revealing look at our foibles, passions and pastimes – from the much-missed, bestselling author of I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing. 
 
From her Academy Award-nominated screenplays (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie &amp; Julia) to her bestselling fiction and essays, Nora Ephron was one of the most gifted, prolific and versatile writers of our time. 
 
In this classic collection of magazine articles, Ephron does what she does best: embrace culture with love, cynicism and unmatched wit. 
 
From tracking down the beginnings of the self-help movement, to dressing down the fashion world’s most powerful publication, to capturing a glimpse of a legendary movie in the making, these timeless pieces tap into our enduring obsessions with celebrity, food, romance, clothes, entertainment and sex. Whether casting her ingenious eye on public figures or herself, Ephron deftly weaves her journalistic skill with the intimate style of an essayist and the incomparable talent of a great storyteller.

Wallflower at the Orgy

Dolly Parton

Expanding on the hugely popular graduation speech that Dolly Parton gave at the University of Tennessee, Dream More explores the personal philosophy this much-loved artist has forged over the course of her astonishing career as a singer, songwriter, performer and philanthropist. 
 
In this thought-provoking book, Dolly Parton draws on her childhood experiences growing up in the hills of eastern Tennessee and her life as the iconic performer she is today, as she encourages us all to … 
 
Dream more 
Learn more 
Care more … and 
Be more 
 
Honest and uplifting, Dream More is an inspiring anthem for anyone who wants to take charge of their life and forge a brighter future on their own terms.

Dream More

Gene Kerrigan

Ireland’s economic collapse hit with bewildering speed and cut deep into many lives. At a time when we most needed leadership, our politicians let us down, telling us we were all to blame for the recession and that we just needed to suffer a little pain to make everything right again. It was a Big Lie. 
This book offers an alternative view to the official cover story of austerity. It’s about the great majority of us who weren’t gambling with our future. It’s about what’s being done to us, who is doing it and why. It’s also about who benefits from this and who gets it in the neck. And what we might do about that. 
Gene Kerrigan delves deep into the muddy waters of the boom and crash, the chaos in the banks, the intervention by the troika and the erosion of democracy. He looks at how the Dáil and the media became full of mindless free market cheerleaders, how the country became laden down with unregulated bankers, and how the government acquiesced in imposing a destructive programme of austerity on the Irish people. 
Meanwhile, the elites in our society wrap the green flag around themselves, calling for sacrifice and patriotism, while they hold on fiercely to every perk and privilege. 
It’s time to tell the truth.

The Big Lie - Who Profits From Ireland’s Austerity?

Hallie Rubenhold

By the bestselling winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019 for THE FIVE: THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER 
 
This is the book that inspired ITV'S hit drama HARLOTS. 
 
If you ever wondered what Jane Austen's Mr Darcy and his fellows got up to on their numerous trips to London, here is the book they would certainly have carried around ... 
 
HARRIS'S LIST OF COVENT GARDEN LADIES was a bestseller in the Eighteenth Century, shifting 250,000 copoies in an age before mass consumerism. A 'guide book' published annually at Christmas, it detailed the names, attributes and 'specialities' of the capital's prostitutes. During its heyday (1759 -95) HARRIS'S LIST was the essential accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure. 
 
Hallie Rubenhold has collected the funniest, rudest and most bizarre entries penned by Jack Harris, Pimp-General-of-all-England, into this fascinating and mischievous collection.

Harris's List of the Covent Garden Ladies

By the bestselling author of THE FIVE: THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER

Colm O'Regan

A BOOK if you don’t mind! And him with a degree and a job and all. 
 
Everyone should have an Irish Mammy. She’s never short of advice, a kind word and a cup of tea (making sure to scald the teapot first, of course). 
 
Bring the coat anyway. If it’s too hot you can take it off. 
 
Comedian Colm O’Regan explores the phenomenon of the Irish Mammy and what she might say about everything from the ‘new mass’ to the cardinal sin of not owning a cough bottle and the importance of airing clothes properly. The global influence of the Irish Mammy, through history, science, politics and literature, is undeniable. Did you know, for instance, that Hamlet had an Irish Mammy? 
 
So if you’re an Irish Mammy, have one, know one or suspect you might be turning into one, this book will act as your guide. But be aware that though this book might think it knows it all, it doesn’t, only Mammy knows it all.

Isn't It Well For Ye?: The Book of Irish Mammies

Mitchell Symons

When Mitchell Symons wrote his extraordinary bestsellers This Book, That Book and The Other Book - all neatly combined in one sensational volume, The Ultimate Loo Book - he was judged by many to be the King of Trivia. Now, inThe Bumper Book for the Loo, this supremo of weird and wonderful, astonishing and inexplicable facts, figures, stats and stories returns with a super selection of trivialistic treats - each one more remarkable and, yes, even more trivial than anything he's compiled before. 
 
For example, did you know that... 
 
·The first alarm clock could only ring at 4 a.m... 
·There was once an internet rumour that Belgium doesn't exist... 
·In 1830, King Louis XIX ruled France for just 15 minutes... 
·All mammals have jaws but only humans have chins... 
·Peru has more pyramids than Egypt... 
 
Packed to the rafters with all manner of useful and useless information, lists of the biggest, the smallest, the best and the worst, The Bumper Book for the Loo is a hilarious compendium of endless delights - and a hugely entertaining, unputdownable feat of nonsense!

The Bumper Book For The Loo

Facts and figures, stats and stories – an unputdownable treat of trivia

Flotsam &amp; Jetsam is the ultimate trivia book for fans of the popular BBC Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs, and a fascinating introduction for all those who have yet to discover its delights. 
 
Taking the reader through seven decades of wonderful entertainment, here is an absorbing range of facts, figures and miscellany – including who chose what, and why. It also reveals much about the castaways' drives and motivations, their influences and, of course, their lives. 
 
Spanning the early years with the original presenter, Roy Plomley, and the present day, the Desert Island Discs programme has brought its own unique surprises to listeners, some very personal, some humorous, such as Eric Morecambe's choice of a deckchair as his luxury and Ernie Wise's of a deckchair ticket machine. 
 
From Beethoven to the Beatles, from chessboards and chocolate to Jane Austen and Zola, Flotsam &amp; Jetsam is the perfect companion guide to the national treasure that is Desert Island Discs.

Desert Island Discs: Flotsam & Jetsam

Fascinating facts, figures and miscellany from one of BBC Radio 4’s best-loved programmes

Genevieve Taylor

Move over cupcakes! Marshmallows – sweet, comforting, versatile and utterly delicious – have arrived with style. The childhood favourite has had an extraordinary makeover. Easy and cheap to make, and a low-fat treat that is perfect for puddings, parties and presents, these sensational, pillowy delights will leave your mouth watering. Try: 
 
Nostalgic Marshmallows: Neapolitan ice-cream marshmallow; marshmallow and jam ‘teacakes’; chocolate orange squares… 
Marshmallows for celebrating: Hallowe’en and party pops; marshmallow frosted cakes; lovehearts and s’mores… 
Grown-up Marshmallows: coffee and walnut marshmallows; Turkish delights; mojito marshmallows… 
 
With techniques and tips for making the perfect marshmallow, and with a vegetarian option, this collection of glorious artisan sweets will change the way you think about marshmallows for ever!

Marshmallow Magic

Simon Mayo

Can a crocodile spit? What does the Queen have for dinner? How do you measure a rainbow? Why is q always followed by u? 
 
Originally open for children to phone in with their homework issues, these days the ‘Homework Sucks’ segment of Simon Mayo’s award-winning Drivetime show invites listeners of all ages to send in questions they've always wanted to ask. Because the chances are a member of the very clever Radio 2 audience will have an answer. So now all you need to do is learn the contents of this book by heart. We apologize if, in the process, you become: 
 
a) smarter b) more interesting c) better at pub quizzes d) all of the above 
 
Got a question? Got a better answer? Join in! #homeworksucks

Homework Sucks!

A Drivetime Book of Really Useful Information

Sean Magee

‘For seventy years now Desert Island Discs has managed that rare feat – to be both enduring and relevant. By casting away the biggest names of the day in science, business, politics, showbiz, sport and the arts, it presents a cross-sectional snapshot of the times in which we live. As the decades have passed, the programme has kept pace; never frozen in time yet always, somehow, comfortingly the same.’ Kirsty Young 
 
BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs celebrates its seventieth birthday in 2012. Since the programme’s deviser Roy Plomley interviewed comedian Vic Oliver in January 1942, nearly 3,000 distinguished people from all walks of life have been stranded on the mythical island, accompanied by only eight records, one book and a luxury. 
 
Here the story of one of BBC Radio 4’s favourite programmes is chronicled through a special selection of castaways. 
 
Roy Plomley, inventor of the programme as well as its presenter for over forty years, quizzes the young Cliff Richard about ‘these rather frenzied movements’ the 1960s pop sensation makes on the stage. Robert Maxwell tells Plomley’s successor Michael Parkinson that ‘I will have left the world a slightly better place by having lived in it.’ Diana Mosley assures Sue Lawley that Adolf Hitler was ‘extraordinarily fascinating’ and had mesmeric blue eyes. And Johnny Vegas tugs Kirsty Young’s heart-strings with his account of a childhood so impoverished that family pets were fair game: ‘My dad had always claimed that rabbits were livestock, but we’d never eaten one before.’ 
 
Desert Island Discs is much more than a radio programme. It is a unique and enduringly popular take on our lives and times – and this extensively illustrated book tells in rich detail the colourful and absorbing story of an extraordinary institution.

Desert Island Discs: 70 Years of Castaways

Karen Doherty

Georgia Coleridge

THE breakthrough guide to solving SIBLING RIVALRY! 
 
* Do your children ever argue, fight or wind each other up? 
* Do they get competitive, jealous or vie for your attention? 
* Do you feel powerless to stop their squabbling? 
* Do you long for a better atmosphere at home? 
 
In the follow-up to their bestseller, Seven Secrets of Successful Parenting, Karen Doherty and Georgia Coleridge tackle Sibling Rivalry. Now, in this ingenious guide, Karen and Georgia use their seven ground-breaking parenting styles to resolve your family's problems; from small, petty irritations to deep seated rifts and resentments that can last for years. Incorporating masses of original material, with cutting-edge advice from both professionals and parents, they'll help you to: 
 
* Stop your children's arguments in their tracks 
* Help them resolve their disagreements 
* Dissipate jealousy and resentment 
* Create a happier family 
 
Practical, flexible and packed full of clear, reassuring advice, Sibling Rivalry – Seven Simple Solutions will help your children get on better now and long into the future. It's ESSENTIAL READING FOR EVERY FAMILY!

Sibling Rivalry

Seven Simple Solutions

Josceline Dimbleby

A chance encounter with Andrew Lloyd Webber at a summer party sent Josceline Dimbleby on a quest to uncover a mystery in her own family's past. Her great-aunt Amy Gaskell was the subject of a beautiful dark portrait by the Pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne-Jones, but all that was known about Amy, according to family lore, was that she had 'died young of a broken heart'. 
 
In her search, Josceline discovered a cache of unpublished letters from Burne-Jones to her great-grandmother May Gaskell, Amy's mother.They formed a passionate and prolific correspondence, of up to five letters a day, from the last six years of the painter's life. As she read, more and more questions were raised: why did Burne-Jones feel he had to protect May from an overwhelming sadness? What was the deep secret she had confided to him? And what was the tragic truth behind beautiful Amy's wayward, wandering life, her strange marriage and her unexplained early death?

A Profound Secret

May Gaskell, her daughter Amy, and Edward Burne-Jones

Goldie Hawn

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 
In A Lotus Grows in the Mud, Goldie Hawn takes us on an inspiring odyssey and, with her trademark effervescent humour, reveals the lessons she's learned and the wisdom she's gained along the way. This is Goldie's chance to talk about everything from anger and fear, to love, compassion, friendship, and the many challenges she's faced in her career. 
 
First recalling her early days as the little girl from suburbia who longed to be a ballerina but felt like an ugly duckling, Goldie then takes us on a whirlwind tour through her go-go dancing years in 1960s New York, her phenomenal success on TV's Rowan &amp; Martin's Laugh-in, Hollywood stardom and her extraordinary experiences in films such as the Oscar-winning Cactus Flower, Swing Shift, and Private Benjamin. She also speaks about her relationship with her family - partner Kurt Russell, her children Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell, and her stepson Boston. 
 
Written with compassion and integrity, A Lotus Grows in the Mud is an insightful and inspiring look back at a life well lived by a woman well loved.

A Lotus Grows In The Mud

Jilly Cooper

Sue Macartney-Snape

A Country House Extravaganza Story by Jilly Cooper. Pictures by Sue Macartney-Snape. 
 
Rufus, fifth Earl of Atherstone, has no son and gloomily contemplates his vast Lincolnshire estate passing into the hands of his plain but good-natured daughter, Araminta, and her grasping cousin, Piggy Atherstone, who is determined to marry her. A serious rival for Araminta's hand, however, materialises in Bounder Cartwright, a debonair money-market gambler, whose sexual conquests are as prolific as his investments are suddenly catastrophic. By Ascot he has won the day and the wedding is fixed for September. 
 
Then, at the last minute, the events of the previous Boxing Night catch up with the Atherstones in a surprising way. Will the wedding take place or not? 
 
The combination of Jilly Cooper's irreverent tale of country house life with the colourful and perceptive paintings of Sue Macartney-Snape which inspired it, presents a wickedly funny portrait of the English upper classes at play. Araminta's Wedding is irresistible fireside reading for even the coldest of stately homes.

Araminta's Wedding

David Sayer

Do you want to dazzle in the kitchen with a dinner party your friends will never forget? 
 
Or perhaps you'd like to impress your partner with a perfect Valentine's Day meal for two. 
 
Or maybe you've watched a Come Dine With Me special, been struck by festive inspiration and you're keen to cook up a Christmas feast for the whole family. 
 
Whatever the occasion, if you want to be crowned the king or queen of entertaining, this is the book for you. 
 
Packed full of over a hundred recipes from the show, covering everything from light, summery suppers (such as pea velouté followed by monkfish with a Mediterranean salsa and white chocolate and coconut terrine) to hearty, warming comfort food for a cold winter's day (such as French onion soup followed by fillet of beef with roasted shallots and praline liqueur cheesecake), there are delicious dishes here for every celebration. 
 
With top entertaining tips and handy hints to help you to create fresh, seasonal delights, plus a guide to organizing your very own Come Dine With Me competition, this official companion takes the quest for the perfect dinner party to another level. So read on, re-live your favourite moments from the show and learn how to create some masterpieces of your very own.

Come Dine With Me - Special Occasions

A celebration of the mongrel. 
 
The mongrel occupies a special place in our hearts and homes. Jilly Cooper collected stories from hundreds of owners to write this engaging and affectionate tribute. She presents a delightful account of the lives and natures of a vast assortment of dogs of doubtful parentage: a fascinating, moving and entertaining chronicle of their exploits and accomplishments, their bravery, devotion and wisdom. Jilly's special method of classification enables you to tell instantly if your pet is a Woolly Whitejaw, a Borderline Collie, a Bertrand Russell or a Lancashire Hot Pet. At last, our mongrels have achieved the recognition they have so long deserved...

Intelligent and Loyal

Harry Eastwood

DELICIOUS WHEAT-FREE CAKES THAT WILL REVOLUTIONISE YOUR BAKING 
 
Harry Eastwood loves cake: from light, fluffy Victoria Sponge to dark and delicious Forbidden Chocolate Brownies. In Red Velvet &amp; Chocolate Heartache, she has fiddled, tweaked and thought outside the box to pioneer a way of bringing exquisite cakes that remain natural and healthy into our everyday lives - by introducing ingredients from the vegetable garden. Ginger Sticky Toffee Pudding made with parsnip, or Orange Squash Cupcakes made with butternut squash are bound to amuse and delight your tastebuds. 
 
In this spirited cookery book, Harry shares her baking secrets and practical knowledge as a cook and as a food writer to prove that it is possible to have your cake and eat it.

Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache

Harry Eastwood has taken on the challenge of a lifetime: marrying her love of classic French cookery with a desire to maintain her waistline. 
 
The Skinny French Kitchen is the result of Harry's year spent tasting, testing and tweaking the great French classics in her tiny Parisian kitchen up seven flights of stairs. Every recipe has been slimmed down to a fraction of its usual calorie cost without robbing it of flavour or its French character. From light and delightful Tarte aux Pommes and Mousse au Chocolat to irresistible Coq au Vin Blanc and Croque Monsieur, Harry has proved once again that fat and flavour don't always go hand in hand . . .

The Skinny French Kitchen

John Irving

John Irving's memoir begins with his account of the distinguished career and medical writings of the novelist's grandfather Dr Frederick C. Irving, a renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist, and includes Mr Irving's incisive history of abortion politics in the United States. But My Movie Business focuses primarily on the thirteen years John Irving spent adapting his novel The Cider House Rules for the screen - for four different directors. 
 
Mr Irving also writes about the failed effort to make his first novel, Setting Free the Bears, into a movie, about two of the films that were made from his novels (but not from his screenplays), The World According to Garp and The Hotel New Hampshire; about his slow progress at shepherding his screenplay of A Son of the Circus into production. 
 
Not least, and in addition to its qualities as a memoir - anecdotal, comic, affectionate and candid - My Movie Business is an insightful essay on the essential differences between writing a novel and writing a screenplay.

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