LITMIR.BIZ

From the bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home and The Girl From The Savoy comes a novel inspired by the extraordinary story of a remarkable young woman.‘This exquisite, thoroughly researched book places (Gaynor) a clear head and shoulders above the rest. Sunday Independent1838: when a terrible storm blows up off the Northumberland coast, Grace Darling, the lighthouse-keeper’s daughter, knows there is little chance of survival for the passengers on the small ship battling the waves. But her actions set in motion an incredible feat of bravery that echoes down the century.1938: when nineteen-year-old Matilda Emmerson sails from across the Atlantic to New England, she faces an uncertain future. Sent away in disgrace, she must stay with her reclusive relative, Harriet Flaherty, a lighthouse keeper on Rhode Island. Once there, Matilda discovers a discarded portrait that opens a window on to a secret that will change her life forever.

Подробнее

Sweeping and epic, The Last Romantics is an unforgettable portrait of one perfectly imperfect family – the Skinner siblings – and how the consequences of one fateful summer will change their lives forever.The stunning new novel from the New York Times bestselling author, Tara Conklin.Meet the Skinner siblings: fierce Renée, dreamy Caroline, golden boy Joe and watchful Fiona.Their story begins with the sudden death of their father and a period known as The Pause; one free and feral summer spent at the neighbourhood pond, which will bind the Skinners tightly together, and irrevocably shape the course of their lives.Two decades later, the adult siblings have scattered. But tragedy will draw them back together once again. They’ll be forced to question the life choices they’ve made and ask what, exactly, they will do for love.Beautifully told with warmth and heartbreak, The Last Romantics is a compelling story about family, the ways in which four siblings grow together & apart, the thousand little ways in which they can betray one another – but also how they’ll always find home.

Подробнее

500 years after the death of Leonardo Da Vinci, Ben Lewis considers the unrivalled legacy of his art through an original biography of the ‘Salvator Mundi’ (Saviour of the World) – the lost Da Vinci painting.In 2017, Leonardo Da Vinci’s small oil painting, the Salvator Mundi entered global popular consciousness with its record-breaking $450m sale in 2017. The Salvator is, in the words of its discoverer, ‘the rarest thing on the planet by the greatest human being who ever lived.’ Only re-attributed to Leonardo in 2011, as the last one that will be discovered and sold, it is widely said to be ‘the Last Leonardo’.In this stunning mix of biography, art history, history and thriller that goes deep into the story of this astonishing picture, not to mention the shady dealings of the contemporary art world, Ben Lewis writes a truly original and gripping narrative history.This book forensically retraces the history of the Salvator Mundi, uncovering a very different narrative from the carefully edited, sanitised and sometimes spurious one presented by the dealers and connoisseurs, who marketed and sold it. The real painting is a prism through which we can understand the highs and lows of the art world, experiencing the passions that drove men and women to own this work, as well as the philistinism that led them to almost destroy and lose it; through which we can track the vicissitudes of the highly secretive and unregulated art market, across five centuries and the intrinsic link between art and the social and political system it inhabits. This story is an opportunity to tell a twisting tale of geniuses and gangsters, double-crossing, disappearances and sometimes dubious attributions, where we’re never quite certain what to believe.The Last Leonardo is an adventure story about art historians and a work of art. It is a book about a search for lost treasure, for something with a totemic power, that existed, until recently, only in myth and legend.

Подробнее

An intimate and compelling exploration into the unique psyche of the heart surgeon, by one of the profession’s most eminent figures.Although Professor Stephen Westaby was born with the necessary coordination and manual dexterity, it was a head trauma sustained during university that gifted him the qualities of an exceptional heart surgeon: qualities that are frequently associated with psychopathy. His thirty-five-year career has been characterised by fearlessness and ruthless ambition; leaving empathy at the hospital door as thousands of patients put their lives in his hands.For heart surgeons, the inevitable cost of failure is death and in The Knife’s Edge, Westaby reflects on the unique mindset of those who are drawn to this exhilarating and often tragic profession. We discover the pioneers who grasped opportunities and took chances to drive innovation and save lives. Often difficult, uninhibited and fearless, theirs is a field constantly threatened by the risk of public failure.Like those before him, Westaby refuses to draw the line in his search of a lifetime solution to problems of the heart. His determination is unerring – a steadfastness underpinned by his unusual mind. But as we glimpse into the future of cardiac surgery, for all its remarkable scientific advancement, one question remains: within the confines of socialised medical healthcare systems, how can heart surgeons – individuals often hardwired with avoidance of self-doubt, a penchant for glory and a flagrant disregard for authority – truly flourish?

Подробнее

Longlisted for the National Book Award for FictionAn unforgettable collection of stories from Daniel Alarcón, one of the New Yorker’s 20 best writers under 40, and one of the best storytellers of our time.Migration. Betrayal. Family secrets. Doomed love. Uncertain futures. In Daniel Alarcón’s hands, these are transformed into deeply human stories with high stakes.In ‘The Thousands’, people are on the move and forging new paths; hope and heartbreak abound. A man deals with the fallout of his blind relatives' mysterious deaths and his father's mental breakdown and incarceration in ‘The Bridge’. A gang member discovers a way to forgiveness and redemption through the haze of violence and trauma in ‘The Ballad of Rocky Rontal’. And in the tour de force novella, ‘The Auroras’, a man severs himself from his old life and seeks to make a new one in a new city, only to find himself seduced and controlled by a powerful woman.Richly drawn, full of unforgettable characters, The King is Always Above the People reveals experiences both unsettling and unknown, and yet eerily familiar in this new world.

Подробнее

An inspirational collection of resourceful and delicious recipes steeped in a fundamentally practical way of approaching home cooking; returning to basics, minimising waste, following the seasons and keeping things simple to create effortless meals packed with flavour.From renowned food writer and broadcaster, Rosie Birkett, comes a truly delicious collection of recipes certain to inspire readers to become truly instinctive home cooks. Embracing seasonal ingredients, The Joyful Home Cook shows us how to coax the most flavour out of every morsel to deliver nourishing and beautiful meals every day of the year.As well as resurrecting underused home cooking skills like smoking, brining and fermenting with an eye to getting the most out of every ingredient, this cookbook applies a thoroughly modern approach to flavour combinations and global culinary influences… Including practical tips such as how to cook cleverly to minimise waste, as well as putting recipe surpluses to shrewd use elsewhere, Rosie reveals how make the most out of every ingredient. Follow her tips and techniques to cultivate well-stocked culinary arsenals you can call upon any time to effortlessly create game-changing meals for friends and family; from homemade sourdough to pickled veg, pistachio pesto to peach eton mess, learn how to cook up a feast of joyful flavours in no time at all.

Подробнее

This collection brings together three novels from one of America’s great modern writers.‘The Virgin Suicides’ – Five doomed sisters and the boys who loved them from afar. A hauntingly evocative tale that became a cult hit film by Sofia Coppola.‘Middlesex’ – Calliope Stephanides: beloved daughter, son, enigma, and the deeply human narrator of this soaring epic.‘The Marriage Plot’ – Three flawed individuals searching for different versions of the same ideal; three separate lives drawn irrevocably together.Illuminating and exquisitely written, in these three novels Eugenides explores the imperfections and vagaries of the human heart with unparalleled wit and insight: essential reading for any lover of great fiction.

Подробнее

The brand new and final novel from the magical pen of ‘the Godmother of Fantasy’, Diana Wynne Jones; co-authored with her sister Ursula Jones.How are you supposed to turn into a Wise Woman if your powers just won’t show up? Aileen is convinced she’ll never become as magical as her Aunt Beck.Then one day her aunt is set a seemingly impossible mission. She must go to the island of Logra and rescue the kidnapped High Prince from the enemy, and Aileen must go with her. They set off along with Ivar, Aileen’s spoilt cousin, and Ogo his clophopping servant, recruiting on their way a huge and elusive cat, a monk with an uncannily wise parrot, and a boy inventor who keeps a pet lizard up his sleeve. But this is no band of mighty warriors, and the evil Lograns and their wizards have blocked their way with an invisible barrier in the sea. Aileen doubts that even with all the magic in the Islands of Chaldea, including Aunt Beck’s, they will be able to penetrate it.But Aileen is about to discover that she could be more important to the mission than she realises. Perhaps it is her, above all, who is being drawn to Logra, and for a very special purpose…

Подробнее

Steve Jones' Body Mind Spirit system shows you how to excel at whatever life throws at you, from self-defence on the streets, dealing with office bully tactics or giving a speech in front of a crowd of people. Using kung fu, dynamic meditation and chi gung, this is a unique guide to achieving success, confidence and balance in modern life.The Intelligent Warrior is a unique guidebook to finding balance and success in life, teaching the reader how to cope with any situation- whether a spiritual, mental or physical challenge- that modern life can throw at you.Steve Jones has developed his own Body Mind Spirit (BMS) system, which encourages the development of all three areas in order to find the focus and balance required to achieve your goals. His system is a hybrid of kung fu, dynamic meditation and chi gung.As well as being a book for martial arts students, this book is ideal for anyone wanting to succeed in business. Steve Jones uses martial arts in the same way that Bill Phillips, Baron Baptiste and Tony Buzan use body building, yoga and mind-maps, as a tool to achieving mental and physical prowess.The Intelligent Warrior will show readers how to:• sharpen mental acuity• defeat depressive thoughts• win at work• face off aggressors• be socially confident

Подробнее

From the New York Times bestselling author of THE MANNY comes a vibrant novel of love, life lessons and learning to trust yourselfAllie Crawford has the life she always dreamed of – she's number two at a high-profile PR firm; she has two kids she adores; and her husband, Wade, is handsome and heroic and everything she thought a man was supposed to be – running a successful news magazine and, best of all, he provides the stable yet exciting New York City life Allie believes she needs in order to feel secure and happy.But when Allie finds Wade locked in their laundry room with a stunning blonde in snakeskin heels, a scandal ensues that flips her life on its head. And when an old flame calls, a new guy gets a little too close for comfort, and the woman wants to befriend Allie, she starts to think her marriage is more of a facade than something real. Maybe she's fallen in love not with Wade – but with the idea of him.Captivating and seductive, told in the whip-smart voice of a woman who is working hard to keep her parenting and career on track, The Idea of Him is a novel of conspiracy, intrigue, and intense passion – and discovering your greatest strength through your deepest fears.

Подробнее