HodderPod - Hodder books podcast

In his first memoir, beloved comedian and national treasure Bill Bailey shares stories of his life - and the animals he's met along the way. Bill Bailey has always had dogs, including a Patterdale terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill has shared his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy. 'We even had a giant chicken, a huge Malay cockerel called Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.' That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation's favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in west London. Full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world, My Animals and Other Animals is the story of Bill's life; but more than that, it's the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey.

In his first memoir, beloved comedian and national treasure Bill Bailey shares stories of his life - and the animals he's met along the way. Bill Bailey has always had dogs, including a Patterdale terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill has shared his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy. 'We even had a giant chicken, a huge Malay cockerel called Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.' That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation's favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in west London. Full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world, My Animals and Other Animals is the story of Bill's life; but more than that, it's the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey.

In his first memoir, beloved comedian and national treasure Bill Bailey shares stories of his life - and the animals he's met along the way. Bill Bailey has always had dogs, including a Patterdale terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill has shared his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy. 'We even had a giant chicken, a huge Malay cockerel called Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.' That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation's favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in west London. Full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world, My Animals and Other Animals is the story of Bill's life; but more than that, it's the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey.

A gothic literary mystery set in 1920s Edinburgh, Hazardous Spirits whisks the listener away to a world of seances and spiritualism. Edinburgh, 1923. Evelyn Hazard is a young woman living a comfortable and unremarkable middle-class life. One day, her quiet existence is shattered when her steady, reliable husband Robert makes a startling announcement: he can communicate with the dead. As the couple are pulled into the spiritualist movement that emerged following the mass deaths caused by the First World War and the Spanish Flu, Evelyn's life becomes increasingly unsettled as dark secrets from her past threaten to surface. Faced with the prospect of losing all that is dear to her, Evelyn finds herself asking: is the man she loves a fraud, a madman or - most frighteningly - is he telling the truth? A gothic literary mystery, written in sparkling prose, Hazardous Spirits evokes the spirit of 1920s Edinburgh, in all its bohemian vibrancy.

A gothic literary mystery set in 1920s Edinburgh, Hazardous Spirits whisks the listener away to a world of seances and spiritualism. Edinburgh, 1923. Evelyn Hazard is a young woman living a comfortable and unremarkable middle-class life. One day, her quiet existence is shattered when her steady, reliable husband Robert makes a startling announcement: he can communicate with the dead. As the couple are pulled into the spiritualist movement that emerged following the mass deaths caused by the First World War and the Spanish Flu, Evelyn's life becomes increasingly unsettled as dark secrets from her past threaten to surface. Faced with the prospect of losing all that is dear to her, Evelyn finds herself asking: is the man she loves a fraud, a madman or - most frighteningly - is he telling the truth? A gothic literary mystery, written in sparkling prose, Hazardous Spirits evokes the spirit of 1920s Edinburgh, in all its bohemian vibrancy.

'A thirteen-year-old girl is at a party. A boy, slightly older, sees her. Juliet. This book is about that girl.' A cultural, historical and literary exploration of the birth, death and legacy of the ultimate romantic heroine—Shakespeare's Juliet Capulet. Juliet Capulet is the heartbeat of the world's most famous love story. She is an enduring romantic icon. And she is a captivating, brilliant, passionate teenage girl who is read and interpreted afresh by each new generation. Searching for Juliet takes us from the Renaissance origin stories behind William Shakespeare's child bride to the boy actor who inspired her creation onstage. From enslaved people in the Caribbean to Italian fascists in Verona, and real-life lovers in Afghanistan. From the Victorian stage to 1960s cinema, Baz Luhrmann and beyond. Sophie Duncan draws on rich cultural and historical sources and new research to explore the legacy and reach of Romeo and Juliet far beyond the literary sphere. With warmth, wit and insight, she shows us why Juliet is for now, for ever, for everyone.

From Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman, creators of the international smash-hit play and film Ghost Stories, comes a new novel: The Warlock Effect. Meet Louis Warlock. Man about town, denizen of Soho's nightclubs and cabaret bars - and the most skilled magician of his time... As a boy, Ludvik Weinschenk fled Nazi Germany to England with a pack of playing cards and three tricks to his name. Twelve years later, in 1950s London, having risen through the ranks of concert parties, night clubs and variety theatres, Ludvik - or Louis Warlock as he is now known - is the most famous magician in Britain. But after his talent for deception attracts the attention of the British secret service, Louis is thrown into the perilous world of espionage and finds himself sent across Europe with a dangerous mission to fulfil. When he comes face to face with a nemesis whose cunning rivals his own, Louis will need to use every trick in the book - or risk the most terrible consequences, both for the country and for himself. A highly entertaining, fiendishly clever thriller, The Warlock Effect offers a twist-filled, rollicking adventure - and a glimpse into the phenomenal mind of an extraordinary magician.

Do two trees ever appear identical? No, but why? Every small difference is a clue. Each tree we meet is filled with signs that reveal secrets about the life of that tree and the landscape we stand in. The clues are easy to spot when you know what to look for, but remain invisible to most people. In How to Read a Tree, you'll discover the simple principles that explain the shapes and patterns you can see in trees and what they mean. And you'll learn rare skills that can be applied every time you pass a tree, whether you are in a town or a wilder spot. As the author of the international bestsellers The Walker's Guide and How to Read Water, Tristan Gooley knows how to uncover the phenomena worth looking for. He has been instructing people in the art of reading trees for two decades and this book includes signs that will not be found in any other book in the world. Once you have learned to see these things it is impossible to unsee them. We will never look at a tree the same way again.

'There's a Cornish saying that nothing is left behind in an autumnal tide, the powerful tug between the sun and the equator makes the water surface stronger, and it pulls and builds until we are left with what is known as great tides—but as I stand here on my childhood beach someplace in my 40s, all I can see is the stretch of grey rocks and sand where the ebb has come and gone.' Natasha Carthew grew up in rural poverty in Cornwall, battling limited opportunities, precarious resources, escalating property prices, isolation and a community marked by the ravages of inequality. Her world existed alongside the postcard picture Cornwall, where wealth and privilege converged on sandy beaches and expensive second homes. In the rockpools and hedgerows of the natural world, Natasha found solace in the beauty of the landscape, and in the mobile library she found her means of escape. In her first non-fiction audiobook she returns to the cliff-paths of her childhood, determined to make sense of an upbringing shaped by political neglect and a life defined by the beauty of nature. Undercurrent is part-memoir, part-investigation, part love-letter to Cornwall. It is a vivid, powerful exploration of rural poverty, and the often devastating impact of living without the means or support to build a future. This is a journey through place, and a story of hope, beauty, and fierce resilience.

THE SENSATIONAL NEW THRILLER FROM SARAH BONNER—REVENGE IS BEST SERVED SWEET. Secrets and lies ruin lives Two women receive the same anonymous note. For one it's a threat. For the other it's an invitation for revenge. Helena is beautiful, successful and living in married bliss in Exeter. But she's hiding a secret that could tear her perfect life apart. When the notes begin to arrive, she realises someone else must know. But what might her husband and his overbearing family do if they find out the truth? Thea is reeling from her best friend Helena's death. But when she starts digging into the circumstances, she receives a threatening note warning her to stop. She knows her friend's death wasn't an accident. This was murder. And she is determined to get revenge. And everyone knows, it's almost always the husband . . .

An audacious novel set in near-future America, from the critically-acclaimed author of Spaceman of Bohemia. When Adela discovers she has a terminal illness, her thoughts turn to Tereza, the American-raised daughter she gave up at birth. Leaving behind her moody, grown son, Roman in their native Czech village, she flies to the United States to find the long-lost daughter who never knew her. In New York City, Tereza is working as the star researcher for two suspicious biotech moguls hellbent on developing a 'god pill' to extend human life indefinitely. But before Tereza can find a cure for Adela, her mother dies mysteriously. Narrated from the beyond by Adela, A Brief History of Living Forever is a high-wire act of storytelling. By turns insightful, moving and funny, the novel blends an immigrant mother's heartbreaking journey through the American dream with her children's quest to reclaim her from a country that would erase any record of her existence.

An exposé of the billionaires who built the US economy on sand, and the virus that saw it crumble. A kaleidoscopic account of the financial carnage of the pandemic, revealing the fear, grit and gambles that drove the economy's winners and losers - from a leading Wall Street Journal reporter. Crash Landing takes listeners behind the scenes of an unprecedented period of global economic turmoil, letting listeners into the inner lives of the men and women trying to save big business from the brink. The world's most powerful CEOs never saw it coming, especially after a decade of growth that saw them riding high. Then whispers of a new flu-like illness became a crescendo, and by the end of March 2020, 10 million people were out of work, iconic firms were begging for bailouts and countless small businesses were in freefall. How do you sustain a workforce that can no longer work? How do you ride out a crisis that has no end in sight? How do you prepare for a recovery in a new world? Liz Hoffman pulls back the curtain on the most violent few months in the modern global economy, taking listeners inside boardrooms, onto factory floors and into trading pits. Featuring original interviews with the people responsible for the economy, and in charge of making sure it survives. A gripping story of big business and even bigger characters, Crash Landing will appeal to fans of Michael Lewis and Andrew Sorkin. This is an audiobook that gives you the inside scoop and answers the most important question of today: will this remarkable time give rise to newfound resilience or become just another costly mistake to be forgotten?

The old world is broken. Be part of a better future. America, 2049: Summer temperatures are intolerably high, the fossil fuel industry has shut down, and humans are implanted with a 'Flick' at birth, which allows them to remain perpetually online. The wealthy live in the newly created Floating City off the coast, while people on the mainland struggle to get by. For Rose, a job as a hostess in the city's elite club, feels like her best hope for a better future. At a Cold War-era research station, a group of highly-trained women with the code-name White Alice are engaged in climate surveillance. But the terms of their employment become increasingly uncertain. And in a former oil town in northern Canada called Dominion Lake, a camp is being built-Camp Zero. A rare source of fresh, clean air and cooler temperatures, it will be the beginning of a new community and a new way of life. Grant believes it will be the perfect place to atone for his family's dark legacy. Everyone has an agenda. So who can you trust? Could falling in love be most the radical act of all? Thrilling, immersive and disturbingly prescient Camp Zero is about the world we've built and where we go from here.

A sneak peek behind the professional veneer of vets, sprinkled with wacky moments, wicked humour, and a cornucopia of beloved animals. Trimming a parrot's beak, emptying a dog's anal glands and neutering a cat - then lunch - followed by some tricky horse dentistry, amputating a lamb's leg and calming a distressed client.... It's all in a day's work if you're a vet: a delicate balance of managing animal welfare and ethics, educating people in pet ownership and aligning their expectations with real-life outcomes. As a job, it spans everything from managing the heartbreak of euthanasia, to informing owners that under no circumstances should they take their dog's worming pills, even if they're sure they have worms. During his twenty-five-year career, Welsh vet Siôn Rowlands has experienced almost every animal medical issue imaginable, from rescuing an injured horse from the edge of a cliff to moisturizing a baby elephant. He's also witnessed ridiculous moments, surreal situations and the real toll it can take on a person. Frank, funny and moving in equal measure, Letting the Cat Out of the Bag is a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the uniquely pressurised world of being a vet.

An original, revelatory, enthralling narrative history of how Queen Boudica led the greatest rebellion Britain has ever seen. Almost 2000 years ago, Boudica led the greatest rebellion Britain has ever seen. Within the space of a single blood-soaked year, she united the tribes to deliver blow after devastating blow to the Roman regime, culminating in a brutal, decisive battle. Archaeologist Duncan Mackay has spent a lifetime on the trail of Boudica. Beginning near his home in Norfolk, in the heart of Boudica's tribal territory, he embarks on a journey in the footsteps of Romans and Britons, exploring their villages, towns, forts and roads. The passage of two millennia has buried the world that Boudica knew, but Duncan finds that its echoes and physical traces still surround us - as long as you know where to look. The armies marched along the roads we still use, and died in their thousands in towns, cities and countryside where we still live today. The site of Boudica's last battle was long believed be lost to time, but the threads of the story all pull towards one remarkable, forgotten little corner of the English landscape. From the Breckland of Norfolk to the back streets of Colchester, from the remotest corner of Anglesey to the depths of the London Underground, Duncan takes us back two thousand years to retell the story of Britain's bloodiest year. Fusing ancient history, modern excavation, landscape exploration, and vivid reconstruction, Echolands weaves the long-lost tapestry of Boudica's war.

Two friends in a Parisian perfume shop make a discovery that will transform our understanding of the world and the origins of life on Earth forever. Set amidst the unforgettable sights and smells of 18th and 19th Century Paris, Elixir tells the story of Edouard Laugier and Auguste Laurent, the son of a perfumer and a fellow aspiring chemist, who met on the Left Bank while pursuing their passion for science. Spurned by the scientific establishment, the pair ended up working out of Edouard's family perfume shop, Laugier père et fils. By day they prepared the revitalizing elixirs and rejuvenating eaux it was famous for, but by night using the ingredients of the perfumery and the principles of alchemy, they pursued the secret of life itself. Elixir reads like a novel, brimming with eccentric characters, experimental daring, and the romance of the Bohemian salon. It is the story of a long-standing scientific puzzle and the struggle to gain acceptance for a new way of thinking about the building blocks of living matter long after those who discovered it were both dead. Yet this is also a story of hope and determination. For while the scientific establishment ridiculed their work at the time, teenage lab assistant Louis Pasteur took it seriously and over the course of an exceptional career, was able to show that their work pointed to a deep, inexplicable asymmetry in the molecular arrangement of living things - an unexplained asymmetry which remains one of science's great mysteries.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes two captivating new novellas surrounding the events of Foul Lady Fortune and following a familiar cast of characters from the These Violent Delights Duet! In A Foul Thing, Roma and Juliette have established themselves as the heads of an underground weapons ring in Zhouzhuang, making a living the way they do best while remaining anonymous in their peaceful, quiet life. But when they hear about several Russian girls showing up dead in nearby towns, they decide to investigate-and ultimately discover that this mystery is much closer to home than they ever imagined. In This Foul Murder, Benedikt and Marshall have been summoned by Roma to find the elusive scientist, Lourens, and bring him to Zhouzhuang. Time is of the essence aboard the week-long Trans-Siberian Express, but when someone is murdered on board, Benedikt and Marshall convince the officer in charge not to stop the train so that they aren't thrown off-schedule. Instead, they pretend that they are investigators and promise they can solve the murder, but as they dig deeper, they realize that the murder might having surprising ties to their own mission...

Open relationship. Threesomes. Online dating. Being twenty-something in London. Sounds like fun...right? Eoin is doing great. He's 27, gainfully employed and in a long-term relationship with his boyfriend Rich. Okay, so his best friend Jax is diving into yet another disastrously bad relationship and Eoin's going to be the one dealing with the eventual fallout. And his boss at the café, Rebecca, seems to have vanished, so somehow Eoin's left managing the place. And to be honest, he's not got much else going on. But still, he's got his boyfriend Rich - steady, sensible and dependable Rich. That is, until Eoin's world is turned upside down when Rich announces that he wants an open relationship. Terrified of losing the man he loves, Eoin reluctantly agrees to this new arrangement, and stumbles into the world of dating with no strings attached. What could go wrong?

London, 1870. Lucy Braithwhite lives a privileged existence as heir to the fortune of Braithwhite & Company - the most successful purveyor of English luxury wallpapers the world over. The company's formulas have been respected for nearly a century, but have always remained cloaked in mystery. No one has been able to explain the originality of design, or the brilliance of their colours, leaving many to wonder if the mysterious spell-like effect of their wallpapers is due simply to artistry, or something more sinister. When Mr Luckhurst, the company's manager, and the man who has acted as surrogate father to Lucy and her invalid brother John since they were children, suddenly dies, Lucy is shocked to discover that there is no succession plan in place. Who will ensure that the company and her family continue to thrive? The answer soon arrives in the form of the young and alluring Julian Rivers, who, unbeknownst to Lucy and John, has been essential to the company's operations for some time. At first, he seems like the answer to their prayers, but as Lucy begins piecing together Julian's true intentions, and John begins seeing spectral visions in the house's wallpaper, it becomes clear to Lucy that she must do everything within her power to oppose the diabolic forces that have risen up to destroy her family. Set against the backdrop of the real-life arsenic wallpaper controversy of the late 19th century, The Company is a dark and haunting slice of gothic Victoriana, following one woman's fight to preserve all that she holds dear.

From Sunday Times bestselling author Owen King comes a Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm where cats are revered as religious figures, thieves are noble, scholars are revolutionaries, and conjurers the most wonderful criminals. At first glance, the world has not changed: the trams on the boulevards, the grand hotels, the cafes abuzz with conversation. The street kids still play on the two great bridges that divide the city, and the smart set still venture down to the Morgue Ship for an evening's entertainment. Yet it only takes a spark to ignite a revolution. For young Dora, a maid at the university, the moment brings liberation. She finds herself walking out with one of the student radicals, Robert, free to investigate what her brother Ambrose may have seen at the Institute for Psykical Research before he died. But it is another establishment that Dora is given to look after, The Museum of the Worker. This strange, forgotten edifice is occupied by waxwork tableaux of miners, nurses, shopkeepers and other disturbingly lifelike figures. As the revolution and counter-revolution outside unleash forces of love, betrayal, magic and terrifying darkness, Dora's search for the truth behind a mystery that she has long concealed will unravel a monstrous conspiracy and bring her to the very edge of worlds. In The Curator, Owen King has created an extraordinary time and place - historical, fantastical, yet compellingly real, and a heroine who is courageous, curious and utterly memorable.

A brilliant novel from award-winning writer and rising star Claire Askew. DI Helen Birch is recovering from major surgery, housebound and exceptionally bored. Her boss, DCI McLeod, has made it crystal clear: she is not to take on any work until her recuperation is over. In her absence, Amy Kato is promoted to sergeant and is given a maddening case to work on: Edinburgh is being plagued by an anonymous vigilante. He started small, meting out punishment to obnoxious boy racers and other antisocial folk, but his behaviour is escalating. Amy can tell from the anonymous online paper trail he leaves. His writings are increasingly confident, and increasingly threatening. And yet he also seems to be invisible: her team can find no clue as to his identity, and no trace of his whereabouts. At first, McLeod doesn't see the case as a huge deal. Concerned, Amy comes to Birch in secret to ask for help, and Birch finds it impossible to resist taking action: placing her directly in the path of immense danger ... A gripping crime thriller for fans of Susie Steiner, Elly Griffiths and Val McDermid - guaranteed to keep you up all night...

The Parenting Map is a practical fail-safe, whole-family programme designed to help both adults and children heal and thrive. We parents are plagued with doubt. In an ever-changing world our children must adapt constantly to the demands of the modern world - and we as parents do too. From social media pressures, generational expectations, and with a mental health crisis sweeping the younger generation, parenting can be a challenging and uncertain journey through uncharted territory. Dr Shefali, a therapist who has worked with thousands of parents - and is a parent herself - is here to provide a helping hand. Empowering parents with her revolutionary conscious parenting method, The Parenting Map will lead you on an exciting path of growth, helping you to disrupt unhealthy belief patterns and overcome deeply ingrained fears so you can find an authentic connection between yourself and your children. Following a step-by-step plan to navigate everyday challenges, Dr Shefali will teach you how to shift your focus to a new consciousness, transform your mindset, and improve your communication within the parenting dynamic. Your entire relationship with your children - and with yourself - will change, resulting in deeper bonds and healthy, thriving, well-adjusted children. Featuring hands-on practical advice which question and empower you, as well as case studies to help you day to day, The Parenting Map is the ultimate manual for the modern-day parent.

The myth of Perseus, told through the story of the three women who knew him best - his mother Danae, his wife Andromeda, and his victim, Medusa. History remembers him as a hero. But the women who knew him best remember a different man... Perseus grows up wanting to be a hero, but he cannot become one if his mother Danae still sees him as a boy. When his stepfather Polydektes casts him away on a voyage across the sea, Perseus is determined to fulfil the great destiny of the son of a god and the grandson of a king. But the line between heroism and monstrosity is thin, and when Perseus attempts to seduce first gentle Medusa and then beautiful Andromeda, before finally reuniting with Danae, they each learn of the dangers of resisting a boy prepared to risk it all for greatness...

An unforgettable love story set in Siberia during the Second World War and of living with impossible choices. Lena knows she hasn't got long left. While a nurse administers morphine to ease her pain, she relives her life. Growing up in a small town in Poland, she was an earnest young girl determined to become a doctor who found her dreams put on hold as she became the reluctant wife of an army officer and then again by becoming a mother, in which she finds a fierce and surprising joy. As war approaches, she returns home. But when Russia invades her middle-class family are deemed Enemies of the State and sent to the work camp in Siberia. It is in the endless forest, where, despite the bitter cold, the biting hunger and the back-breaking work, Lena learns that it is possible to fall in love at the edge of the world and the edge of life. When her lover, Grigori, falls ill she takes the decision to use the precious antibiotics she was given in Poland, to save him. It means that when her daughter becomes sick, she is unable to save her. It's a decision that will continue to haunt her after the war, even as she builds a tentative new life, first in Wales, then England. Exploring marriage, motherhood and our incredible capacity for cultivating hope in the darkest times, The Snow Hare is the unforgettable story of a woman who dares to love and to dream in the face of impossible odds, and of the peace we each must make with our choices, even long after the years have gone by.

For fans of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, this a witty, elegant fairytale of New York, set in 1938. In a New York City jazz bar on the last night of 1937, watching a quartet because she couldn't afford to see the whole ensemble, there were certain things Katey Kontent knew: - how to sneak into the cinema, and steal silk stockings from Bendel's - how to type eighty words a minute, five thousand an hour, and nine million a year - that if you can still lose yourself in a Dickens novel then everything is going to be fine By the end of the year she'll have learned: - how to live like a redhead and insist upon the very best - that chance encounters can be fated, and the word 'yes' can be a poison - that riches can turn to rags in the trip of a heartbeat...

Freedom, you can't get and bury, and keep it and keep it so it won't ever go away. No, child. You got to swing your freedom like a club. In 1859, in a small town jail, deep in the forests of Canada, an elderly woman sits behind bars. She came to Dunmore via the Underground Railroad to escape enslavement, but an American bounty hunter tracked her down. Now she's in jail for killing him. Lensinda Martin, a smart young reporter, wants to tell the woman's version of events, hoping that it will lead to her acquittal, but the woman will only tell her story on one condition: she gets one from Lensinda in return. As the women swap stories—of family and first loves, of survival and freedom against all odds, it becomes apparent that their histories are interconnected, and a hidden bond between the two women is revealed which will change Lensinda's life forever. Travelling along the path of the Underground Railroad from Virginia to Michigan, from the Indigenous nations around the Great Lakes, to the Black refugee communities of Canada, In the Upper Country is an unforgettable debut about the interwoven history of peoples in North America, slavery and resistance, and two women reckoning with the stories they've been given, and the ones they want to tell.

An intimate weaving of memoir and herbal folklore, All My Wild Mothers is a story of rewilding our wastelands and the transformation that can happen when we do. At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood and all that was to come. But when the telephone rang, the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident. Five years later, struggling with grief, the demands of being a parent-carer for her young son, and the impact of deeper austerity, life feels very different to the future she had imagined. A move to a new social housing estate in rural Cumbria offers Victoria and her family a chance to rebuild their lives. Constructed over an industrial site, at first the barren ground seems an unlikely place to sow the seeds of a new life. She and her son set about transforming the rubble around them into a wild apothecary garden. Daisy, for resilience. Dandelion, for strength against adversity. Red campion, to ward off loneliness. Sow thistle, to lift melancholy. Borage, to bring hope in dark and difficult times. Stone by stone, seed by seed, All My Wild Mothers is the story of how sometimes life grows, not in spite of what is broken, but because of it.

It's the year 2035 and fiction has been banned by the government for five years. Writing novels is a crime. Reading fairytales to children is punishable by law. Fern Dostoy is a criminal. Officially, she has retrained in a new job outside of the arts but she still scrawls in a secret notepad in an effort to capture what her life has become: her work on a banned phone line, reading bedtime stories to sleep-starved children; Hunter, the young boy who calls her and has captured her heart; and the dreaded visits from government officials. But as Fern begins to learn more about Hunter, doubts begin to surface. What are they both hiding? And who can be trusted?

Saints and preachers, librarians and horse thieves, lawmakers and lawbreakers and a crash-surviving spaceborn vagrant searching for her lover on a scarred Earth. Earth, the distant future: climate change has reduced our verdant home into a hard-scrabble wasteland. Saints and sinners, lawmakers and sheriffs, travellers and gunslingers and horse thieves abound. People are as diverse and divided as they've ever been—except in their shared suspicions when a stranger comes to town. One night, a ship falls from the sky, bringing the planet's first visitor in 300 years. She's armed; she's scared...and she's looking for someone. Love, loss and gunslinging in this dazzling debut novel by Grace Curtis. For fans of Sam J. Miller, Mary Robinette Kowal and Becky Chambers, Frontier is a heartfelt queer romance in a high noon standoff with our planet's uncertain future, full of thrills, a love story and laser guns.

The Carter women don't follow the rules: they make them. The brilliant gangland thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Diamond. Gangster Max Carter and his ex-wife Annie Carter are leading separate lives in separate countries: past hurts and broken promises cannot be resolved. But then a summons to Majorca and a tragic death makes Max question all that has happened to him over many years. He had two brothers - both are now dead. His closest friend has been found hanging from a London bridge. As the police wrestle with a seemingly unsolvable case, Max is forced to revisit his painful past to find answers to a mystery that seems to make no sense at all. Who is targeting his family and why? Annie Carter is at a crossroads in life. She has a luxurious lifestyle but no one to share it with, and Max clearly thinks she is in danger too. Her daughter, Layla, has left her mafia lover Alberto Barolli and is back in London, stumbling into the police investigation and making waves. You should never go back, so the old saying goes. But then, the Carter women don't follow the rules, they make them. And when the truth of what's been happening is finally revealed, will the Carter family stand together - or will it finish them for good?

The deadliest criminals of Manchester's murky underworld are back in an explosive book! A sister's love. When Fauzia's brother turns up with a dead body, her perfect life is shattered. She'll protect him to the ends of the earth, but who is he running from? A woman scorned. Keisha knows all too well that family comes first. Reeling from rejection, she's determined to make Malton pay. And she'll hurt him in the worst way imaginable. A deadly threat. Craig Malton is on the hunt for a violent drug lord who's wreaking havoc and destruction in Manchester. Little does he know what's coming for him... An action-packed gangland thriller in Manchester's murky underworld - perfect for fans of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers.

Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller The thrilling true story of the real Great Escape, published to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the escape. Roger Bushell was 'Big X', mastermind of the mass breakout from Stalag Luft III in March 1944, immortalised in the Hollywood film The Great Escape. Very little was known about Bushell until 2011, when his family donated his private papers - a treasure trove of letters, photographs and diaries - to the Imperial War Museum. Through exclusive access to this material - as well as fascinating new research from other sources - Simon Pearson, Chief Night Editor of The Times, has now written the first biography of this iconic figure. Born in South Africa in 1910, Roger Bushell was the son of a British mining engineer. By the age of 29, this charismatic character who spoke nine languages had become a London barrister with a reputation for successfully defending those much less fortunate than him. He was also renowned as an international ski champion and fighter pilot with a string of glamorous girlfriends. On 23 May, 1940, his Spitfire was shot down during a dogfight over Boulogne after destroying two German fighters. From then on his life was governed by an unquenchable desire to escape from Occupied Europe. Over the next four years he made three escapes, coming within 100 yards of the Swiss border during his first attempt. His second escape took him to Prague where he was sheltered by the Czech resistance for eight months before he was captured. The three months of savage interrogation in Berlin by the Gestapo that followed made him even more determined. Prisoner or not, he would do his utmost to fight the Nazis. His third (and last escape) destabilised the Nazi leadership and captured the imagination of the world. He died on 29 March 1944, murdered on the explicit instructions of Adolf Hitler. Simon Pearson's revealing biography is a vivid account of war and love, triumph and tragedy - one man's attempt to challenge remorseless tyranny in the face of impossible odds.

The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, 17-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat. In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, 17-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits. Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation's coveted spice—a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief. But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation's magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city's location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission. Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes—and in her own heart—but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia? In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.

The past, present and future of the sexism inherent in medicine and medical research—and how to change it. The idea that medicine is gender-neutral is a myth. This isn't inflammatory rhetoric; it's simply true. From the way pain is felt, to how heart attacks are diagnosed, to the very role society plays in the health of the body, the medical landscape in place today is one that was designed for, and by, men. This audiobook is about all the ways medicine is not gender-neutral, from research to treatment to diagnosis. Throughout history, flawed mindsets have paved the way for sub-par treatment, and the prevailing attitudes that still exist today have had terrible repercussions for women and their bodies. Blending fascinating examples with historical and cultural context, and reflecting on her own personal experience with healthcare, Dr Marieke Bigg explores how women's bodies have been ignored, misunderstood and misdiagnosed, whilst keeping an eye to a better future. This is a sharp and honest must-listen, and an empowering tool for anyone committed to making this world safer to navigate for all.

A powerful exploration of what justice truly means for survivors of sexual violence, abuse, and trauma. Part manifesto, part exploration of what justice truly means for survivors of trauma and abuse, Judith Herman forces us to reconsider our perspective on victims, revealing uncomfortable truths about our justice systems and proposing new ways to implement justice. A follow-up to the bestselling Trauma and Recovery the audiobook is divided into three parts, Part One: Power, examines the structure and nature of tyranny, patriarchy and white supremacy; Part Two: Visions of Justice, reveals how our current system is woefully ill-equipped for victims and corrects our misguided assumptions about what survivors need in the aftermath of violence, and finally in Part Three: Centring Survivor Justice, Herman proposes alternative methods of justice, offering hopeful new ways to think about its meanings and possibilities. Truth and Repair is a profound and timely commentary that lies at the intersection of several cultural moments including the #MeToo movement, a resurgent interest in trauma, and the global movements focusing on racial injustices and abuses of power towards people of colour. Thoughtful, visceral and moving, Truth and Repair is a necessary call to action that invites us to envision a new approach to justice—one that centres on healing and solidarity to stand with survivors everywhere.

Birmingham, 1933. Private enquiry agent William Garrett, a man damaged by a dark childhood spent on Birmingham's canals, specialises in facilitating divorces for the city's male elite. With the help of his best friend - charming, out-of-work actor Ronnie Edgerton - William sets up honey traps. But photographing unsuspecting women in flagrante plagues his conscience and William heaves up his guts with remorse after every job. However, William's life changes when he accidentally meets the beautiful Clara Morton and falls in love. Little does he know she is the wife of a client - a leading fascist with a dangerous obsession. And what should have been another straightforward job turns into something far more deadly. Drenched in evocative period atmosphere and starring an unforgettable cast of characters, Needless Alley takes the listener from seedy canal-side pubs, to crumbling Warwickshire manor houses, and into the hidden spaces of Birmingham's queer, bohemian society.

'It's summer. I stand where perhaps Ellen stood, in this ground thick with new thistle and long grass. She would have ken this coast in all weathers: in the summer when it was as gentle as a lake and in the winter, with the high winds and stinging salt spray.' A beautifully written journey through Scottish history and across the Scottish landscape in search of the women accused and killed during the witch hunts. Ashes and Stones is a moving and personal journey, along rugged coasts and through remote villages and modern cities, in search of the traces of those accused of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Scotland. We visit modern memorials, roadside shrines and standing stones, and roam among forests and hedge mazes, folk lore and political fantasies. From fairy hills to forgotten caves, we explore a spellbound landscape. Allyson Shaw untangles the myth of witchcraft and gives voice to those erased by it. Her elegant and lucid prose weaves threads of history and feminist reclamation, alongside beautiful travel, nature and memoir writing, to create a vibrant memorial. This is the untold story of the witches' monuments of Scotland and the women's lives they mark. Ashes and Stones is a trove of folklore linking the lives of modern women to the horrors of the past, and it is record of resilience and a call to choose and remember our ancestors.

Jennifer Cohen, a superstar motivational coach, illuminates how to get the life you want by being bold, resilient, and creating specific goals and habits. 'I know what it takes to get what you want in life. It's a habit anyone can learn, a skill you can develop, a gift you don't need to be born with. The more experience you get, the more confident you'll be. Even when you fail, you'll feel stronger with each try you make. At work, at home, wherever your life unfolds—be bold. Take action. Ask for the right things. Chase what you want instead of taking what you can get. What do you want most in life, and why don't you have it?' Think about the things that give your life depth, focus, and meaning: deeply satisfying relationships with plenty of give and take, physical health and emotional wellbeing, passion projects, self-esteem, and self-respect. Bold people have these things. Bold people recognize what's holding them back—and it's almost always a fear of failure. They train to overcome their fears, they embrace the 10% Target, and they create everyday, life-long habits to get what they want. Bigger, Better, Bolder brings listeners one step closer to boldness, one chapter at a time. With practical takeaways and action steps-bite-sized Bold Moves—and real-life case studies of boldness in action, Jennifer Cohen teaches you how to get what you want.

The Portable Priest brings hope to those who need it—covering an A-Z of life's biggest modern-day challenges. We live in an age where more and more people are saying something like, 'I'm not religious, but I am spiritual'. 'Hope' isn't just a nice idea—it can be life-changing and at the very least, an empowering lens to navigate troubled times and transcend daily stress. Hope, alongside the idea of a higher power, can help people feel less alone and more supported, especially when the world turns on its head, which can happen at any point. It is well-known through history that during troubled waters and periods of change, whether that be a pandemic, the loss of a loved one or simply someone's lack of purpose, people turn to religion for the answers. Reverend Pat Allerton is here to lead us through the different themes and issues of modern life, showing us that Hope is always there. He leads us though topics such as Anxiety, Acceptance, Connection, Forgiveness, Grief, Love, Togetherness, Trust and Uncertainty to prove to us that Hope is the answer even in the darkest of times

A blisteringly funny, heartbreaking novel about 20-something British Ghanaian Maddie as she grapples with identity, love, loss and becoming the woman she wants to be—for fans of Chewing Gum, Such a Fun Age and Queenie. Mum calls me Maame. It has many meanings in Twi, but in my case, it means woman. Meet Maddie. To her mostly absent mum, she's Maame, the woman of the family. To her dad, she's his carer—even if he hardly recognises her. To her friends, she's the one who still lives at home, who never puts herself first. It's time to become the woman she wants to be. The kind who wears a bright yellow suit, says yes to after-work drinks and flirts with a 30-something banker. Who doesn't have to Google all her life choices. Who demands a seat at the table. But to put ourselves together, sometimes we have to fall apart.... Heartbreaking, sharply funny and achingly relatable, Maame is an irresistibly fresh coming-of-age story with a heroine you'll never forget.

This second half of Lady Joker, by Kaoru Takamura, the Grand Dame of Japanese crime fiction, concludes the breathtaking saga introduced in Volume I. Inspired by the real-life Glico-Morinaga kidnapping, an unsolved case that terrorized Japan for two years, Lady Joker reimagines the circumstances of this watershed episode in modern Japanese history and brings into riveting focus the lives and motivations of the victims, the perpetrators, the heroes and the villains. As the shady networks linking corporations to syndicates are brought to light, the stakes rise, and some of the professionals we have watched try to fight their way through this crisis will lose everything—some even their lives. Will the culprits ever be brought to justice? More importantly—what is justice?

A practicing psychologist—one of the top popularizers of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)—offers a fresh, welcome approach for treating mental health issues that speaks to our times, blending mindfulness and spirituality with CBT to effectively overcome negative thinking, achieve deep healing, and truly attain lasting peace. Mental health professionals have numerous tools and techniques to help their patients battle depression and illness. But while these methods can alleviate the pain, they are often only temporary. Based on his extensive knowledge of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and his personal experience with depression and illness, Dr. Seth J. Gillihan believes we need to do more than relieve our symptoms to become healthy and whole. To achieve long-lasting wellness and good health, we must embrace the spiritual in our healing. By incorporating insights from both Christianity and Buddhism and mindfulness into the therapeutic process, we can exponentially magnify the healing CBT provides. Gillihan calls his method Mindful Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and shows how it can be used successfully to master negative thoughts and behaviours and choose the right actions to become fully present and at peace in our daily lives. This extraordinary guide shows how to banish the stubborn lies we tell ourselves—that we're unlovable, stupid, unworthy, defective—and adapt new healthful and spiritual practices that can help us retrain our minds to focus on the deep truths of our existence—that we are perfect in our imperfections, and most important, that we are beings deserving of love.

Step into the ancient fir-tree forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to legends as epic as those of the Greeks and the Romans. Melvin Burgess revolutionised children's literature with the infamous cult novels Junk and Doing It. In his first adult novel, Loki, he breathes new life into Norse myths. Starting with the Norse creation myths, the trickster god Loki takes the listener on a wild ride through Norse mythology, from the time the gods—the founders of Asgard—defeated races of monsters, and hurtling through famous stories, including Odin hanging himself on the World Tree, the theft of the corrupting gold ring and the murder of Baldr, the god of love and the Sun. This narrative may seem familiar enough at first, but the listener should beware. Born within the heart of a fire in the hollow of a tree-trunk, Loki arrives in Asgard as an outsider. He is a trickster, an unreliable narrator, the god of intelligence and politics. In spite of his cleverness and sparkling wit (or, perhaps, because of this...) Loki struggles to find his place among the old patriarchal gods of supernatural power and is constantly at odds with the god of thunder—Thor. This is a retelling that is contemporary in tone, at once amusing and relatable. It is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the old gods of power and authority and instigate a new era ruled by love and intelligence. Alongside the politics of Asgard, it charts the course of Loki's many loves and families, from his mothering of Odin's famous horse to his intense, turbulent, and, eventually, fatal relationship with Baldr the Beautiful—a tender and moving story of love that goes wrong, jealousy and a transitioning that is forbidden by society.

Whether it's the distress of a bad haircut (AGE-OTORI) or longing for the food someone else is eating (GROAKING), the pleasure found in other people's happiness (CONFELICITY) or the shock of jumping into icy water (CURGLAFF), there are real words to pinpoint exactly how you feel and Susie Dent, Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner and lexicographer extraordinaire, is going to help you find them. Here are 1001 terms everyone needs, whether it's the best kind of hug (CWTCH), the relief found in swearing (LALOCHEZIA), or the ability to endure till the end (PERTOLERANCE). It's time to rediscover the lost positives of language (and be more GORM); find out how a stork gave us the word for the love between parent and child, and who the first MAVERICK was. Packed with unexpected stories and unforgettable words, on a mission to describe the indescribable, this life-enhancing audiobook will deepen your vocabulary as much as it extends it. Welcome to the first truly human dictionary, as idiosyncratic and unusual as you are.

How do mathematical models shape our world—and how can we harness their power for good? Models are at the centre of everything we do. Whether we use them or are simply affected by them, they act as metaphors that help us better understand the increasingly complex problems facing us in the modern world. Without models, we couldn't begin to tackle three of the major challenges facing modern society: regulation of the economy, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet in recent years, the validity of the models we use has been hotly debated and there has been renewed awareness of the disastrous consequences when the makers and interpreters of models get things wrong. Drawing on contemporary examples from finance, climate and health policy, Erica Thompson explores what models are, why we need them, how they work and what happens when they go wrong. This is not an audiobook that argues we should do away with models, but rather, that we need to properly understand how they are constructed—and how some of the assumptions that underlie the models we use can have significant unintended consequences. Unexpectedly humorous, thought-provoking and passionate, this is essential listening for everyone.

We have long been suspicious of corporations recklessly pursuing profit and amassing wealth and power. But the story of the corporation didn't have to be like this. For most of history, they were not amoral entities, but public institutions designed to promote the societies that granted them charter. Magnuson reveals how the corporation has evolved since its beginnings in the ancient world. What happens in this next chapter of the global economy depends on whether we can return to their public-minded spirit, or whether we have sunk irrevocably into the swamp of high profit at all costs. Epic and compelling in scope, For Profit illuminates the roles corporations played, for good and evil, in the making of the modern world.

An exploration of the power and the possibility of forgiveness, from New York Times best-selling author Timothy Keller. 'Why is it better for me to forgive someone and take on the cost of that forgiveness myself?' In his new audiobook, renowned pastor and author Timothy Keller grapples with this thorny question: why we should forgive those who hurt us. It is the heart of the gospel, but it's not solely important on a religious level; the matter of forgiveness has a huge impact on social and cultural levels, in terms of how we deal with the people, and problems, in our lives. What is it like to carry around resentment and judgement, and what does it cost us to do so—as against the very real personal cost of extending forgiveness to others? These are issues that matter on a daily level, as well as a spiritual one. Writing with his trademark wisdom and deep reliance on the Bible, Keller helps listeners think about these questions in an way that will help them rethink their lives, in ways that point to Jesus showing us how to live in the world—and how we can live in a spirit of forgiveness.

Why Anyone Can Be a Good Entrepreneur. Is entrepreneurship the path for everyone? No. But can anyone, no matter where they come from, become a successful entrepreneur if they choose to? According to Alexandre Mars, the answer is a resounding yes. Serial tech entrepreneur, millionaire and philanthropist Alexandre Mars gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to become an entrepreneur, and one who does good along the way, sharing tricks of the trade he learned over his career building companies (and selling them to the likes of Blackberry and Publicis) in the U.S. and Europe. Part of a new generation of philanthropists, Alexandre is one of the leading global entrepreneurial voices changing the way the business world thinks about money, its power and its purpose. Mission Possible reminds us that there's no one way to start and build a business. Bringing together a wealth of perspectives from dozens of today's top entrepreneurs from around the world, including the founder of Pinterest and the former Buddhist monk who created Headspace, listeners will discover it is possible to make money and have a bigger mission too.

In person and online, discover the best way to position and market yourself in the new world of work. The New Brand You is the field guide to standing out and succeeding in the new professional landscape transformed by the pandemic. In the new world of virtual, remote and flexible working, everyone needs to consider carefully their personal brand and power, and many will need to hit the 'reset' button. We are all on camera now - we all need to be producers of our own brand narrative. Like it or not, in a digitally driven, more competitive, more global world of employment, the reality is that you need to consider your personal brand. You have no choice, if you don't brand yourself, other people will. And not in the way you want to be seen. That, or you will simply become invisible, and that's almost never good. The New Brand You uses ten tried and tested strategies from the commercial world of branding and applies them to individual brand creation. Strategies such as defining your positioning, researching your target audience and taking steps to ensure you always stay relevant, are equally applicable to individuals as they are to products and companies. It's not about sticking some slightly skewed version of your name on social media, it's about smart positioning and successful tactics. Featuring high profile success stories and accompanied by an online Personal Brand Finder, an assessment tool that measures psychological preferences and aligns with the ten strategies in the audiobook, this audiobook will help you to target the most relevant strategies for you. It will include examples, exercises and callouts to make it a quick listen and easy to action immediately. Getting your personal branding right will give you the edge in the new age of work.

The wild story of a college activist's high-stakes attempt to topple the North Korean regime and change the world. In the early 2000s, Adrian Hong was a soft-spoken Yale undergraduate looking for his place in the world. After reading a harrowing account of life inside North Korea, he realized he had found a cause so pressing that he was ready to devote his life to it. What began as a trip down the safe and well-worn path of organizing soon morphed into something more dangerous. Hong journeyed to China, outwitting Chinese security services as he helped ferry asylum-seeking North Korean escapees to safety. Meanwhile, Hong's secret organization, Cheollima Civil Defense (later renamed Free Joseon), began tracking the North Korean government's activities, and its volatile third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un. Free Joseon targeted North Korean diplomats who might be persuaded to defect, while drawing up plans for a government-in-exile. After the shocking broad-daylight assassination in 2017 of Kim Jong Nam, the dictator's older brother, Hong, along with Marine veteran Christopher Ahn, helped ferry Nam's family to safety. Then Hong took the group a step further. He initiated a series of high-stakes direct actions, culminating in an armed raid at the North Korean embassy in Madrid-an act that would put Ahn behind bars and turn Hong into one of the world's most unlikely fugitives. In the tradition of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, The Rebel and the Kingdom is an exhilarating account of a man who turns his back on the status quo-to instead live boldly by his principles. Acclaimed journalist and bestselling author Bradley Hope - who broke numerous details of Hong's operations in The Wall Street Journal -now reveals the full contours of this remarkable story of idealism and insanity, hubris and heroism, all set within the secret battle for the future of the world's most mysterious and unsettling nation.

An unforgettable love story set in Siberia during the Second World War and of living with impossible choices. Lena knows she hasn't got long left. While a nurse administers morphine to ease her pain, she relives her life. Growing up in a small town in Poland, she was an earnest young girl determined to become a doctor who found her dreams put on hold as she became the reluctant wife of an army officer and then again by becoming a mother, in which she finds a fierce and surprising joy. As war approaches, she returns home. But when Russia invades her middle-class family are deemed Enemies of the State and sent to the work camp in Siberia. It is in the endless forest, where, despite the bitter cold, the biting hunger and the back-breaking work, Lena learns that it is possible to fall in love at the edge of the world and the edge of life. When her lover, Grigori, falls ill she takes the decision to use the precious antibiotics she was given in Poland, to save him. It means that when her daughter becomes sick, she is unable to save her. It's a decision that will continue to haunt her after the war, even as she builds a tentative new life, first in Wales, then England. Exploring marriage, motherhood and our incredible capacity for cultivating hope in the darkest times, The Snow Hare is the unforgettable story of a woman who dares to love and to dream in the face of impossible odds, and of the peace we each must make with our choices, even long after the years have gone by.