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Monocle has always been a champion of taking it slow. It has encouraged readers to dive into a lake and go for a run. To sleep well. To eat food whose makers are proud of its provenance. In a shouty, jabbing-finger moment in history, it has done its bit to argue for a new modern etiquette to be generous with our time, hospitality and forgiveness. Now its editors and correspondents have brought all of this together in The Monocle Manifesto for a Gentler Life, a book that urges us all to slow down, reconnect, make good things and see nice places. And it also knows when to wear a cheeky smile. Chapters include: • An illustrated guide to being nice, respecting your neighbour and controlling your social media rants. • Profiles of the happiest nations – and the least lonely too. • How to build a house that’s good for you and your family. • Essays from leading thinkers and great writers on what we can gain if we shift gear. • The businesses charting a better course – from management to pride in production. • Food – a celebration of the locally made, the chefs that bring people together and a recipe or two. • The objects to own that will give pleasure for years. • The people who changed direction, slowed down and made it work. • The compact cities where you can run a company, be inspired, have a good social life – and be hiking in a forest at 5pm.

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They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbour, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud.Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.Bremer dan Gorst, disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honour on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he's far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if it's his own.Prince Calder isn't interested in honour, and still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power, and he'll tell any lie, use any trick, and betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesn't have to fight for it himself.Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees and frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more, he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him?Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail.Three men. One battle. No Heroes.

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‘Fascinating’ – Brian Cox, Mail on Sunday Books of the YearWhere are we? Who are we? Do our beliefs, hopes and dreams hold any significance out there in the void? Can human purpose and meaning ever fit into a scientific worldview?Award-winning author Sean Carroll brings his extraordinary intellect to bear on the realms of knowledge, the laws of nature and the most profound questions about life, death and our place in it all.From Darwin and Einstein to the origins of life, consciousness and the universe itself, Carroll combines cosmos-sprawling science and profound thought in a quest to explain our world. Destined to sit alongside the works of our greatest thinkers, The Big Picture demonstrates that while our lives may be forever dwarfed by the immensity of the universe, they can be redeemed by our capacity to comprehend it and give it meaning.

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BOOK 7 IN THE EPIC HISTORICAL SAGA OF THE COURTNEY FAMILY, FROM INTERNATIONAL SENSATION WILBUR SMITH'Smith will take you on an exciting, taut and thrilling journey you will never forget' - Sun'With Wilbur Smith the action is never further than the turn of a page' - Independent'No one does adventure quite like Smith' - Daily MirrorHUNTERS. HUNTED.Sean Courtney, an ex-guerilla fighter with a violent past, is now a man of peace, leading safaris in Zimbabwe for wealthy men. His current client is Riccardo Monterro, a strong-headed man whose beautiful, determined daughter Claudia has reluctantly accompanied him. As soon as Claudia and Sean meet, her reluctance quickly turns into passion, and a love affair develops.But there is more to this holiday than just pleasure. Soon Sean finds himself fighting to keep his clients alive, as civil war breaks out in Mozambique and Sean finds himself coming face-to-face with a deadly enemy from his past.What began as a rich man's holiday will become a dangerous and desperate battle for survival.A Courtney Series adventure. A Time to Die is the seventh novel in the Courtney family saga from Wilbur Smith.Book 8 in the Courtney family series, Golden Fox, is available now.

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Standard Edition (details to follow).

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Join everyone's favourite ladybird in this fantastically funny farmyard caper from the stellar picture book partnership of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, creators of What the Ladybird Heard.Those crafty robbers Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are out of jail, and they're heading back to the farm with another cunning plan to cause trouble. They've been stealing eggs from the fat red hen, but now they're setting their sights higher and are planning to steal the fat red hen herself! Fortunately the quiet, clever ladybird is on their trail, and she and her farm animal friends have a plan of their own. With slapstick action, animal noises and a mysterious Snuggly Snerd bird, What the Ladybird Heard Next is a story you'll be reading over and over again.Now available as a board book, this much-loved classic is perfect for young readers, with brilliant rhyming verse from Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo, and bright, distinctive illustrations from award-winning illustrator, Lydia Monks.Enjoy more adventures with the clever little ladybird in What the Ladybird Heard, What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday and What the Ladybird Heard at the Seaside.

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**Pre-order FREED, 'Fifty Shades Freed' as told by Christian**In Christian's own words, and through his thoughts, reflections, and dreams, E L James offers a fresh perspective on the love story that has enthralled hundreds of millions of readers around the world.CHRISTIAN GREY exercises control in all things; his world is neat, disciplined, and utterly empty - until the day that Anastasia Steele falls into his office, in a tangle of shapely limbs and tumbling brown hair. He tries to forget her, but instead is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist. Unlike any woman he has known before, shy, unworldly Ana seems to see right through him - past the business prodigy and the penthouse lifestyle to Christian's cold, wounded heart.Will being with Ana dispel the horrors of his childhood that haunt Christian every night? Or will his dark sexual desires, his compulsion to control, and the self-loathing that fills his soul drive this girl away and destroy the fragile hope she offers him?

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James Frey wakes up on a plane, with no memory of the preceding two weeks. His face is cut and his body is covered with bruises. He has no wallet and no idea of his destination. He has abused alcohol and every drug he can lay his hands on for a decade - and he is aged only 23. His family takes him to a rehabilitation centre. And James Frey starts his perilous journey back to the world of the drug and alcohol-free living. His lack of self pity gives him an unflinching, often searing honesty. "A Million Little Pieces" is an uncommonly geniune account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed.

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The captivating new companion to international bestsellers Here We Are and What We’ll Build A father takes his two children on a thrilling out-of-this-world adventure into space and invites them to look back at Earth and the conflicts that have taken place since the beginning of time. This becomes a brief history of the world and a whistle-stop guide to the universe, all rolled into one – and told with Oliver Jeffers's inimitable perspective, wit and exquisite artwork. Meanwhile Back on Earth gives a unique look at life on Earth with a cosmic perspective – and an enduring message that what binds us together matters more than what sets us apart. A timely story for families everywhere.

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Now a major motion picture available on Disney+! Inspired by a true story, this is the beautifully written tale of how a mighty gorilla wins his freedom. A winning blend of humour and poignancy that will appeal to fans of Michael Morpurgo. This #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning novel is coming to the big screen this summer, with a star-studded cast including Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston, and more! Ivan is an easy-going gorilla who has spent his life performing for the crowds at the Exit 8 shopping mall. He rarely misses life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly thinks about it at all. But everything changes when a baby elephant called Ruby arrives and Ivan realises he must find a new life for them both. Told from Ivan’s perspective, this is a stand-out novel with a pertinent message, ideal for readers of 9+.

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With a new foreword by Ken Blanchard How management can effectively rid themselves of ‘monkeys’ – other people’s responsibilities that cling to them and prevent them managing efficiently. This book explains in simple-minded if abstract terms how to achieve a balance between supervision and delegation for reduced tension and improved productivity in the workplace. ‘There is a high correlation between self-reliance and morale,’ stress the authors. With humour and logic they describe the delicate business of assigning monkeys to the right masters and keeping them healthy, i.e., fed and cared for: ‘… if monkeys are managed properly, you don't have to manage people so much.’

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When Yangomuhle bumps into her new boss for the first time she has no idea who he is, her dauntless character lands her in his office, but he is not who she thought he was from the onset. He is amiable and charming, it's love at first sight for him, but is he going to be able to shuck down the hedge around her? She is stubborn as a mule, he has to pull out all the stops in order to win her heart. The journey is not easy, repugnant past is the constituent to their subdued cries, emotional instabilities and not executed needs of justice.

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