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Did I Ever Tell You?: The most moving memoir of 2024
By Genevieve Kingston. 2024
'Compelling and heartbreaking' Ann NapolitanoA deeply moving memoir of a young daughter, her dying mother - and the trail of…
letters and gifts she left behind.'Her messages met me like guideposts in a dark forest; if her words couldn't point the way, at least they offered the comfort of knowing someone had been there before'Ten days before Gwen Kingston turned twelve, her beloved mother - with whom she shared a birthday - died. She left behind two chests - one for Gwen and one for her brother - filled with lovingly wrapped presents and letters marking the milestones she would miss: driver's licences, graduations and every one of their birthdays until the age of thirty. Each gift a chance to reach back into the past and, for the briefest moment, hear her voice again.Over the last twenty years, the chest of treasures has travelled with Gwen across a continent, from state to state and apartment to apartment, growing lighter with each passing birthday. And now, just three gifts remain . . .In this beautiful and heart-rending memoir, Gwen describes growing up in the shadow of loss, guided by what her mother left behind. Woven in is her mother's own story, and that of their whole family - tragedies foreseen and unforeseen, paths taken and not taken. It's about a mother's love for her daughter, but more than that, it is a story of marriage, family, inheritance and everything that shapes a life.Performance: An electrifying memoir from the dark heart of London's Soho
By Ruth Ivo. 2024
'Stunning . . . a love letter to the aliveness of London and its nightlife' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH'A wild night of…
a book' OCTAVIA BRIGHTAs 'Ruby', Ruth Ivo was a successful burlesque performer, living in blissful bohemian squalor on a decommissioned military boat and spending her evenings unfolding from a Fabergé egg in various London clubs. Her life changes when she is asked to become show director at 'The Club', a place as secretive as it is notorious. Before long, she's trawling Soho back streets for props and knocking back shots with movie stars and billionaires. But as her nights unravel in a maelstrom of glamour and chaos behind the scenes, she feels her grasp on reality slipping through her fingers, and her soul wrung out by decadence. Under pressure to produce shows each more shocking than the last, she watches the performers under her care contort themselves before baying crowds. When a devastating event leaves her unmoored, Ruby has to wonder if she's sold her soul to the devil . . . or become him. Performance is a visceral and exquisitely written portrait of a place that has come to embody the excesses of late capitalism; of tumbling willingly down the rabbit hole, only to lose yourself in the dark.______'Performance is theatrical, immersive and utterly heartbreaking. An astonishing debut' CHRISTIE WATSON'A story this addictive, it's hard not to consume it in one go' RHYANNON STYLES'I devoured this book in two days, all of its twisting corners and dark alleyways. I know Soho like the back of my hand and this brought that lost world back in vivid colours' JODIE HARSHMissing: My life finding the lost and delivering justice for the living
By Charlie Hedges. 2024
'A phenomenal insight... a fascinating read. I couldn't put it down' Jackie Malton, author of The Real Prime SuspectEvery 90…
seconds in the UK, a missing person is reported to the police.A pioneer in the field with experience spanning four decades, Charlie Hedges' job is to work out the best way to find them. What's going on in their life? When were they last seen?Have they chosen to go missing or is someone else involved?With no two cases ever the same, Charlie has been involved in some of the most high-profile reports during his career with the police and as a consultant in missing cases. From the evil of abductions and trafficking to the tragic accidents of the vulnerable, Charlie has dedicated his life to developing the ways we help not just the missing, but the families and loved ones left behind.Unique and fascinating, Missing tells Charlie's untold story of finding those who desperately need to be found and the cases that will never leave him.Missing: My life finding the lost and delivering justice for the living
By Charlie Hedges. 2024
'A phenomenal insight... a fascinating read. I couldn't put it down' Jackie Malton, author of The Real Prime SuspectEvery 90…
seconds in the UK, a missing person is reported to the police.A pioneer in the field with experience spanning four decades, Charlie Hedges' job is to work out the best way to find them. What's going on in their life? When were they last seen?Have they chosen to go missing or is someone else involved?With no two cases ever the same, Charlie has been involved in some of the most high-profile reports during his career with the police and as a consultant in missing cases. From the evil of abductions and trafficking to the tragic accidents of the vulnerable, Charlie has dedicated his life to developing the ways we help not just the missing, but the families and loved ones left behind.Unique and fascinating, Missing tells Charlie's untold story of finding those who desperately need to be found and the cases that will never leave him.Performance: An electrifying memoir from the dark heart of London's Soho
By Ruth Ivo. 2024
'Stunning . . . a love letter to the aliveness of London and its nightlife' SOPHIE MACKINTOSH'A wild night of…
a book' OCTAVIA BRIGHTAs 'Ruby', Ruth Ivo was a successful burlesque performer, living in blissful bohemian squalor on a decommissioned military boat and spending her evenings unfolding from a Fabergé egg in various London clubs. Her life changes when she is asked to become show director at 'The Club', a place as secretive as it is notorious. Before long, she's trawling Soho back streets for props and knocking back shots with movie stars and billionaires. But as her nights unravel in a maelstrom of glamour and chaos behind the scenes, she feels her grasp on reality slipping through her fingers, and her soul wrung out by decadence. Under pressure to produce shows each more shocking than the last, she watches the performers under her care contort themselves before baying crowds. When a devastating event leaves her unmoored, Ruby has to wonder if she's sold her soul to the devil . . . or become him. Performance is a visceral and exquisitely written portrait of a place that has come to embody the excesses of late capitalism; of tumbling willingly down the rabbit hole, only to lose yourself in the dark.______'Performance is theatrical, immersive and utterly heartbreaking. An astonishing debut' CHRISTIE WATSON'A story this addictive, it's hard not to consume it in one go' RHYANNON STYLES'I devoured this book in two days, all of its twisting corners and dark alleyways. I know Soho like the back of my hand and this brought that lost world back in vivid colours' JODIE HARSHThe Traitor of Arnhem: WWII’s Greatest Betrayal and the Moment That Changed History Forever
By Robert Verkaik. 2024
Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Traitor of Colditz Robert Verkaik reveals the incredible never-before-told story of the role played…
by the Cambridge Spies in the British defeat at Arnhem "Original, thought-provoking and exceedingly well written. I have not read such a convincing portrayal of the German intelligence war in Holland." Robert KershawThe end of the Second World War is in sight.Following the overwhelming victory on D-Day, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin all seek to shape the global future to their own ends and win the race to Berlin.The British launch Operation Market Garden, the greatest airborne operation the world has ever seen. It is a bold roll of the dice, which, if successful, will end the war in weeks. But behind the scenes, spies are working, and plans are betrayed, the operation fails and thousands of Allied soldiers die.The Traitor of Arnhem tells a never-before-told story of this iconic operation, and of the very different figures working in secret to cause the catastrophic defeat. One traitor a terrifying giant of a man, a supposed hero of the resistance who sent hundreds of fellow freedom fighters to torture and death, the other an aristocrat and an English gentleman, working from inside the heart of the Allied war effort in London. Both of them working for the Russians.Drawn from unseen records and shedding fresh light on the operation and the spies responsible for its failure, this is an incredible account of the battle that would go on to shape the twentieth century.Homer and Bart. Phil and Luke. God and Jesus. Charles and William. Perhaps no other relationship is as complex, rewarding…
and ever-changing as that of a father and son. Whether the son becomes a mini-me of the father or rebels entirely, who you grow up to be is inevitably shaped by your father.Over the last 50 years, the relationship between a father and son has changed from being a more distant and emotionally strained one to a more loving, open and honest one, which provides a whole new minefield for fathers to navigate. They're more hands-on than ever before, no longer just the traditional breadwinner and disciplinarian. But this thankfully means the father-son bond is often now stronger than ever, as this book shows.Packed full of facts, quotes and trivia, The Little Book of Fathers and Sons is the perfect insight into this unique relationship, whether the parent or child. Full of wit and wisdom, this is the perfect gift for your old man or little man.Homer and Bart. Phil and Luke. God and Jesus. Charles and William. Perhaps no other relationship is as complex, rewarding…
and ever-changing as that of a father and son. Whether the son becomes a mini-me of the father or rebels entirely, who you grow up to be is inevitably shaped by your father.Over the last 50 years, the relationship between a father and son has changed from being a more distant and emotionally strained one to a more loving, open and honest one, which provides a whole new minefield for fathers to navigate. They're more hands-on than ever before, no longer just the traditional breadwinner and disciplinarian. But this thankfully means the father-son bond is often now stronger than ever, as this book shows.Packed full of facts, quotes and trivia, The Little Book of Fathers and Sons is the perfect insight into this unique relationship, whether the parent or child. Full of wit and wisdom, this is the perfect gift for your old man or little man.The Traitor of Arnhem: WWII’s Greatest Betrayal and the Moment That Changed History Forever
By Robert Verkaik. 2024
Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Traitor of Colditz Robert Verkaik reveals the incredible never-before-told story of the role played…
by the Cambridge Spies in the British defeat at Arnhem "Original, thought-provoking and exceedingly well written. I have not read such a convincing portrayal of the German intelligence war in Holland." Robert Kershaw, author of It Never Snow In SeptemberThe end of the Second World War is in sight.Following the overwhelming victory on D-Day, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin all seek to shape the global future to their own ends and win the race to Berlin.The British launch Operation Market Garden, the greatest airborne operation the world has ever seen. It is a bold roll of the dice, which, if successful, will end the war in weeks. But behind the scenes, spies are working, and plans are betrayed, the operation fails and thousands of Allied soldiers die.The Traitor of Arnhem tells a never-before-told story of this iconic operation, and of the very different figures working in secret to cause the catastrophic defeat. One traitor a terrifying giant of a man, a supposed hero of the resistance who sent hundreds of fellow freedom fighters to torture and death, the other an aristocrat and an English gentleman, working from inside the heart of the Allied war effort in London. Both of them working for the Russians.Drawn from unseen records and shedding fresh light on the operation and the spies responsible for its failure, this is an incredible account of the battle that would go on to shape the twentieth century."The strongest point of the book is the story about 'Josephine'. We will probably never be sure who 'Josephine' was, if it even was a person, but... Robert proves the case as far as circumstantial evidence allows one." Bob de Graaff, Holland's foremost expert on intelligence and the official historian of the Dutch intelligence services.Did I Ever Tell You?: The most moving memoir of 2024
By Genevieve Kingston. 2024
'Compelling and heartbreaking' Ann NapolitanoA deeply moving memoir of a young daughter, her dying mother - and the trail of…
letters and gifts she left behind.'Her messages met me like guideposts in a dark forest; if her words couldn't point the way, at least they offered the comfort of knowing someone had been there before'Ten days before Gwen Kingston turned twelve, her beloved mother - with whom she shared a birthday - died. She left behind two chests - one for Gwen and one for her brother - filled with lovingly wrapped presents and letters marking the milestones she would miss: driver's licences, graduations and every one of their birthdays until the age of thirty. Each gift a chance to reach back into the past and, for the briefest moment, hear her voice again.Over the last twenty years, the chest of treasures has travelled with Gwen across a continent, from state to state and apartment to apartment, growing lighter with each passing birthday. And now, just three gifts remain . . .In this beautiful and heart-rending memoir, Gwen describes growing up in the shadow of loss, guided by what her mother left behind. Woven in is her mother's own story, and that of their whole family - tragedies foreseen and unforeseen, paths taken and not taken. It's about a mother's love for her daughter, but more than that, it is a story of marriage, family, inheritance and everything that shapes a life.Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Loving and Living Alone
By Amy Key. 2023
"[Arrangements in Blue] reflects on a life spent as a single woman and how that affects friendships, freedom, domesticity, family,…
sexuality, the psyche, the self. It observes things about being alone that I have never seen or heard articulated before.... beautiful, effortless.... I haven’t been so obsessed with a book in a long time." —Dolly Alderton “The poet Amy Key’s first book might be the most hyped memoir of 2023 (or at least a close second to Spare)… This raw, gorgeous, pulsing memoir is…the harbinger of a real talent.” —Laura Hackett, Sunday Times [UK] Amy Key—a writer “of rare and strange magic” (Guardian)—probes the art of living without romance in this soul-stirring debut. When British poet Amy Key was growing up, she envisioned a life shaped by love—and Joni Mitchell’s album Blue was her inspiration. “Blue became part of my language of intimacy,” she writes, recalling the dozens of times she played the record as a teen, “an intimacy of disclosure, vulnerability, unadorned feeling that I thought I’d eventually share with a romantic other.” As the years ticked by, she held on to this very specific idea of romance like a bottle of wine saved for a special occasion. But what happens when the romance we are all told will give life meaning never presents itself? Now single in her forties, Key explores the sweeping scales of romantic feeling as she has encountered them, using the album Blue as an expressive anchor: from the low notes of loss and unfulfilled desire—punctuated by sharp, discordant feelings of jealousy and regret—to the deep harmony of friendship, and the crescendos of sexual attraction and self-realization. Finding solace in Mitchell’s songs, Key plumbs Blue’s track list for themes that resonate with her heart’s seasons. Listening to the song “California,” she explores the mixed emotions that come with traveling alone in a world built for couples; she juxtaposes the lonely lyrics of “My Old Man” with the pleasurable art of curating a perfect apartment for one; and with the utmost tenderness, she parses out her decision to not have children with the eloquent “Little Green.” Mapping the evolution of her early conceptions of love through her adulthood, Key offers a tender and nakedly candid celebration of the many forms of intimacy that often go unnoticed. An essential work for both the single and the partnered, Arrangements in Blue is a bold manual for building a life on your own terms.Through the Letterbox
By Olive Denyer. 2024
Through the Letterbox consists of inspired poems and is an ideal book for parents or guardians to read to their children.…
It is full of simple but profound words inspire by the word of God. As you sit reading this book you will feel a sense of quietness and peace, for these words speak to all of God’s children whatever their age, as the case may be they are written in a monthly format. And they can be read again and again, each day finding some fresh inspiration from the words and the scriptures. “But Jesus called the parents to him, saying, allow the little children to come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not accept and receive and welcome the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18 verse 16-17.In The Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Defeat, and Renewal
By Richard Nixon. 1990
"Eloquent of the man and . . . of the history he made." —The New York TimesIn the Arena is…
the most personal, profound, and revealing memoir ever written by a major political figure. It is Richard Nixon's frankest, most outspoken book—which includes the inside story of his resignation from the Presidency and its aftermath. President Nixon's previous books have brilliantly chronicled his public career and examined America's strategic role in the world. Now, for the first time, he shares his private thoughts and feelings on his long career, other great leaders at home and abroad, his own family, the state of the world, the arts of politics and diplomacy, and much more—expanding on his 1978 Memoirs and documenting his role as America's Elder Statesman. It's a personal statement by one of the most important and influential figures in American history.Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life
By Sarah Edmondson. 2019
As seen in the HBO docuseries THE VOW: The shocking and subversive memoir of a 12-year-NXIVM-member-turned-whistleblower, and her inspiring true…
story of abuse, escape, and redemption."'Master, would you brand me? It would be an honor.' From the second I climb onto the table, acutely aware that I am lying in the sweat of my sisters, I will have blocked that out. Lying there completely naked, I am at my most vulnerable but determined to prove my strength. I try to keep my legs closed as my body wills itself to protect my most private area. . . . I tell myself: I am a warrior. I birthed a human. I can handle pain. But nothing could have ever prepared me for the feel of this fire on my skin."Scarred is Sarah Edmondson's compelling memoir of her recruitment into the NXIVM cult, the 12 years she spent within the organization (during which she enrolled over 2,000 members and entered DOS—NXIVM's "secret sisterhood"), her breaking point, and her harrowing fight to get out, to expose Keith Raniere and the leadership, to help others, and to heal. Complete with personal photographs, Scarred is also an eye-opening story about abuses of power, female trust and friendship, and how sometimes the search to be "better" can override everything else.• In the tradition of Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman, Escape by Carolyn Jessop, and Troublemaker by Leah Remini• This tell-all follows Sarah from the moment she takes her first NXIVM seminar, to the invitation she accepts from her best friend, Lauren Salzman, into DOS, to her journey toward become a key witness in the federal case against its founders• Evokes questions about friendship, ethics, good and evil, making it a brilliant selection for book clubsAudio edition read by the author.The Art of Dying Well: A Practical Guide to a Good End of Life
By Katy Butler. 2019
This &“comforting…thoughtful&” (The Washington Post) guide to maintaining a high quality of life—from resilient old age to the first inklings…
of a serious illness to the final breath—by the New York Times bestselling author of Knocking on Heaven&’s Door is a &“roadmap to the end that combines medical, practical, and spiritual guidance&” (The Boston Globe).&“A common sense path to define what a &‘good&’ death looks like&” (USA TODAY), The Art of Dying Well is about living as well as possible for as long as possible and adapting successfully to change. Packed with extraordinarily helpful insights and inspiring true stories, award-winning journalist Katy Butler shows how to thrive in later life (even when coping with a chronic medical condition), how to get the best from our health system, and how to make your own &“good death&” more likely. Butler explains how to successfully age in place, why to pick a younger doctor and how to have an honest conversation with them, when not to call 911, and how to make your death a sacred rite of passage rather than a medical event. This handbook of preparations—practical, communal, physical, and spiritual—will help you make the most of your remaining time, be it decades, years, or months. Based on Butler&’s experience caring for aging parents, and hundreds of interviews with people who have successfully navigated our fragmented health system and helped their loved ones have good deaths, The Art of Dying Well also draws on the expertise of national leaders in family medicine, palliative care, geriatrics, oncology, and hospice. This &“empowering guide clearly outlines the steps necessary to prepare for a beautiful death without fear&” (Shelf Awareness).Apparently There Were Complaints: A Memoir
By Sharon Gless. 2021
Emmy Award–winning actress Sharon Gless tells all in this laugh-out-loud, juicy, &“unforgettably memorable&” (Lily Tomlin) memoir about her five decades…
in Hollywood, where she took on some of the most groundbreaking roles of her time.Anyone who has seen Sharon Gless act in Cagney & Lacey, Queer as Folk, Burn Notice, and countless other shows and movies, knows that she&’s someone who gives every role her all. She holds nothing back in Apparently There Were Complaints, a hilarious, deeply personal memoir that spills all about Gless&’s five decades in Hollywood. A fifth-generation Californian, Sharon Gless knew from a young age that she wanted to be an actress. After some rocky teenage years that included Sharon&’s parents&’ divorce and some minor (and not-so-minor) rebellion, Gless landed a coveted spot as an exclusive contract player for Universal Studios. In 1982, she stepped into the role of New York Police Detective Christine Cagney for the series Cagney & Lacey, which eventually reached an audience of 30 million weekly viewers and garnered Gless with two Emmy Awards. The show made history as the first hour-long drama to feature two women in the leading roles. Gless continued to make history long after Cagney & Lacey was over. In 2000, she took on the role of outrageous Debbie Novotny in Queer as Folk. Her portrayal of a devoted mother to a gay son and confidant to his gay friends touched countless hearts and changed the definition of family for millions of viewers. Apparently There Were Complaints delves into Gless&’s remarkable career and explores Gless&’s complicated family, her struggles with alcoholism, and her fear of romantic commitment as well as her encounters with some of Hollywood&’s biggest names. Brutally honest and incredibly relatable, Gless puts it all out on the page in the same way she has lived—never with moderation.Variable Valve Timings: Memoirs of a car tragic
By Chris Harris. 2023
'What defines the car-saddo condition is not being able to recall a time when the toy-car-era of your life actually…
ended. Because for us sufferers, it never does.' Nobody knows cars like Chris Harris does. He calls it 'unhinged geekery', but the rest of the world call it infectious enthusiasm, adrenaline fuelled escapism and rigorous journalistic integrity.And then there are his famous skills at the wheel, from city cars to rally cars, not forgetting the Guinness World Record 3.4km sideways in an electric car.And now for the first time, Harris takes us down the road of his life-long obsession with the automobile - along surprising diversions, around hazards and obstructions, down the fast lane collecting Gs and back to the lock-up to prep the stock.From the six-year-old who could recite the stats from What Car? magazine to the YouTube car guru whose honest reviews got him banned by Ferrari. From the Scalextric track of his childhood, to podiums as a racing driver out in the world. From behind his garage doors to the floodlit Top Gear studio.Variable Valve Timings brings you an incredibly engaging story of adventure and petrolhead joy, told with wit, warmth and disarming honesty. This book is a true one-off, just like Chris.A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
By Molly Wizenberg. 2009
From acclaimed food writer, restaurant owner, and author of The Fixed Stars, an elegant memoir of life and food featuring…
with recipes throughout.When Molly Wizenberg's father died of cancer, everyone told her to go easy on herself, to hold off on making any major decisions for a while. But when she tried going back to her apartment in Seattle and returning to graduate school, she knew it wasn't possible to resume life as though nothing had happened. So she went to Paris, a city that held vivid memories of a childhood trip with her father, of early morning walks on the cobbled streets of the Latin Quarter and the taste of her first pain au chocolat. She was supposed to be doing research for her dissertation, but more often, she found herself peering through the windows of chocolate shops, trekking across town to try a new pâtisserie, or tasting cheeses at outdoor markets, until one evening when she sat in the Luxembourg Gardens reading cookbooks until it was too dark to see, she realized that her heart was not in her studies but in the kitchen. At first, it wasn't clear where this epiphany might lead. Like her long letters home describing the details of every meal and market, Molly's blog Orangette started out merely as a pleasant pastime. But it wasn't long before her writing and recipes developed an international following. Every week, devoted readers logged on to find out what Molly was cooking, eating, reading, and thinking, and it seemed she had finally found her passion. But the story wasn't over: one reader in particular, a curly-haired, food-loving composer from New York, found himself enchanted by the redhead in Seattle, and their email correspondence blossomed into a long-distance romance. In A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, Molly Wizenberg recounts a life with the kitchen at its center. From her mother's pound cake, a staple of summer picnics during her childhood in Oklahoma, to the eggs she cooked for her father during the weeks before his death, food and memories are intimately entwined. You won't be able to decide whether to curl up and sink into the story or to head straight to the market to fill your basket with ingredients for Cider-Glazed Salmon and Pistachio Cake with Honeyed Apricots.The Vixen Diaries
By Karrine Steffans. 2009
Karrine Steffans continues to share the much-sought-after details of her star-studded life in this juicy tell-all—and dishes on the celebrity…
men that helped her get where she needed to be.This titillating expose chronicles the personal and professional adventures of this tabloid-laden socialite, dispelling some rumors, while confirming others.Diaries unveils the heavily shrouded Hollywood backrooms and its coveted secrets. Offering her ardent fans answers to burning questions and presenting lessons learned, this book will surely not disappoint.Karrine draws you in to get an up-close and personal look at the Hollywood life of fast money and sex; all the things that make for a great movie. She discusses her interactions with people after the release of Confessions of a Video Vixen and how she copes with it all.Religion and Humour: An Introduction (Engaging with Religion)
By David Feltmate. 2024
This timely and lively introduction to exploring the intersection of religion and humour evaluates existing scholarship and methodologies within the…
field, arguing for a culturally critical approach to the study.Hinged on a qualitative sociological framework, this book asks questions about the construction, presentation, and purpose of humour in religious contexts. It is broken down by theoretical approach, with chapters covering: a “comparative religions” approach; a theological approach; how social sciences offer us useful tools for research; and a review of existing theoretical models. As the first volume to introduce the field of religion and humour, this engaging book is essential reading for students approaching the topic for the first time, and for anyone with an interest in related fields such as religion and popular culture and humour studies.