In 2017 Christa Parravani had recently moved her family from California to West Virginia and was surviving on a teacher's salary and raising two young children with her husband, screenwriter Anthony Swofford. Another pregnancy, a year after giving birth to her...
"The Nine follows the true story of the author's great aunt Helene Podliasky, who led a band of nine female resistance fighters as they escaped a German forced labor camp and made a ten-day journey across the front lines of WWII from Germany back to Paris. The...
"Gary Barlow is one of the most successful British musicians and songwriters of all time, but fifteen years ago, as he himself admits, he hit rock bottom - he was out of shape, out of work, depressed. Food for him had become an addiction, a means not only of...
To Liverpool fans he was 'God', but Robbie Fowler has never told his full story until now. In A Footballer's Life Robbie takes us on a journey through the twenty games that have shaped of his career and thinking about football from Hillsborough to Istanbul,...
Step inside his home and you'll see papier-mâché birds, a life-sized cardboard tiger, model cars; his work bench a vibrant collage of creativity, from hand-drawn maps and postcards to newly devised toys for his beloved grandchildren. Tom Karen is a toymaker,...
"A childhood memoir about growing up in the middle of nowhere and watching too much TV, from beloved comedian, Josh Widdicombe. 'Read any history of the Nineties in Britain and you will read about Britpop, Blair, the birth of the Premier League and the rise of...
Manchester, 2018: Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho lead their teams out to face each other in the 175th Manchester derby. They are first and second in the Premier League, but today only one man can come out on top. It is merely the latest instalment in a...
'Just a child' tells the heartbreaking story of how a young girl from Rotherham was abused by her drug-dealing "boyfriend", eventually giving birth to his baby, right under the nose of the very authorities who were meant to protect her. When reality dawned and...
Tricky is one of the most original music artists to emerge from the UK in the past 30 years. His signature sound, coupled with deep, questioning lyrics, took the UK by storm in the early 1990s and was part of the soundtrack that defined the post-rave...
'The whistle blows and I set off for the one kick I know will stay with me for the rest of my life, maybe even define my life...' Michael Carrick was the heartbeat of Manchester United. For more than a decade he was the player that made them tick. Loved by his...
When Michelle Thomas suffered her first major depressive episode six years ago, she read and watched and listened to everything about mental health she could get her hands on in an effort to fix herself. God, it was tedious. And, quite frankly, depressing....
"I ripped through I Fear For This Boy like a train, snorting with laughter and delight as I rattled along, pulled by the power of Fennell's unique story-telling genius.... I can't recommend the ride highly enough." - Stephen Fry The heart-warming memoir from...
Roger Daltrey is the voice of a generation. That generation was the first to rebel, to step out of the shadows of the Second World War... to invent the concept of the teenager. This is the story from his birth at the height of the Blitz, through tempestuous...
Formed in 1988, Lush were part of the London gig scene during one of the most vibrant and creative periods in UK music. Now, Miki Berenyi tells all. The book begins with her childhood of extremes. From the bohemian lifestyle of her father's social circle to...
"This is the first time Eddie has ever spoken out about his story and he is willing to reveal everything that the press have been dying to know for the last 20 years - including how he escaped. He has never confirmed or denied anything that has been printed...
'WHICH IS THE BEST BAND I'VE BEEN IN? THE SMALL FACES WERE THE MOST CREATIVE, THE FACES WERE THE MOST FUN,THE WHO WERE THE MOST EXCITING. THESE WERE ELECTRIFYING DAYS IN MUSIC. WE WERE ALL UNTRIED, UNTESTED. WHAT WAS STOPPING US? NOTHING.' As drummer with the...
In this incredible companion to the second and third seasons of Netflix's acclaimed series The Crown, renowned biographer and the show's historical consultant Robert Lacey takes us through the real history that inspired the drama. Covering two tumultuous...
"Former press secretary to the royal family Dickie Arbiter reveals the inner-workings of everyday life inside Buckingham Palace and what it s really like to be On Duty with the Queen. With over four decades of experience covering royalty as a journalist and as...
As a humble barman at the M25 Orbital raves, Kirk Field witnessed the moment acid house exploded. Inspired by media lies to start writing the truth about what he saw unfolding, Kirk became a 'raving' reporter for the clubbers' bible Mixmag, covering the...
The sequel to the New York Times bestseller Whatever You Say I Am, chronicling the last 20 years of rapper Eminem's life, based on exclusive interviews with the artist, his friends, and associates. In 1999, a former dishwasher from Detroit named Marshall Bruce...
Lennox recounts in riveting detail how he was drawn into his life of crime, how he operated as a drug dealer, enforcer and armed robber, and how he survived numerous spells in prisons including Dartmoor, Strangeways, Grendon, Oxford and Lewes. All culminating...
At the age of 24, Alastair Humphreys set off to try to cycle round the world. By the time he arrived back home, four years later, he had ridden 46,000 miles across five continents on a budget of just £7,000. From frozen Siberia tundra to the jungles of central...
"A unique 'A to Z' biography from music journalist and Queen biographer Mark Blake that will shed new light on the story of the biggest rock band of all time. The story of Queen is rich with anecdotes, trivia, humour and tragedy - accompanied by some of the...
"The story of a girl who never fit in and the woman she became - an incredible first memoir from Anita Rani. Empowering and energetic, The Right Sort of Girl is a coming-of-age story of identity. Trying to navigate her Indian world at home and the British...
The moments in life of "knowing". On Bognor Beach, with Grandpa England, she had "known" that he, and Papa, and she, would carry something on, something given, something bigger than themselves. Lilibet: a carefree child, a lover of horses and dogs, devoted to...
"To any self-respecting sewing fan, Esme Young needs no introduction. The diminutive judge of The Great British Sewing Bee has a sharp eye for a wonky seam, and an even sharper eye for a good necklace. Her life, in many ways, is the story of post-war Britain....
"The definitive autobiography by renowned Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, looking back across his phenomenal life and career. As the founder of Island Records, fabled music producer Chris Blackwell has discovered and worked with some of the most...
The intimate story of a unique marriage that spans the heights of glamour and power to infidelity, manipulation and disaster through the heart of the 20th century. Dickie Mountbatten: A major figure behind his nephew Philip's marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and...
"With her canon of best-selling singles, electrifying stage performances and iconic music videos, Britney Spears is undoubtedly a modern pop superstar. But her story has long been clouded by society's dark obsession with beauty, youth and fame - a relentless...
When James Cook's daughter was nearly one, he began to suspect that she wasn't simply a 'late bloomer', as he and his wife were telling friends and family. Emily was strongly taken by images and patterns around the house, had a marked response to music, but...
"One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the ever looming absence of her incarcerated father and the path we must take to both honor and overcome our origins. For as...
"Blending autofiction and the essay, The Bear Woman takes us on a journey of feminism and literary detective work that spans centuries and continents. In the 1540s, a young French noblewoman, Marguerite de la Rocque, was abandoned by her guardian in the Gulf...
Sent to France with the Royal Flying Corps at just 17, and later a member of the famous 56 Squadron, Cecil Lewis was an illustrious and passionate fighter pilot of the First World War, described by Bernard Shaw in 1935 as 'a thinker, a master of words, and a...
As Anne Lamott knows, the world is a dangerous place. Terrorism and war have become the new normal. Environmental devastation looms even closer. And there are personal demands on her faith as well - getting older; her mother's Alzheimer's; her son's...
Today Vegemite is recognised around the world, but when the salty black paste was first produced in 1923 the public wasn't interested. In fact, it took another 15 years and a world war before we embraced it. Vegemite shares the fascinating tale of Cyril...
Leading Australian journalist John Lyons takes listeners on a fascinating personal journey through the wonders and dangers of the Middle East. In this updated edition, Lyons draws from his years living in Jerusalem to give context to the devastating war...
After victory in World War II, Britain was a relieved but also a profoundly traumatized country. Simon Winder, born into this nation of uncertain identity, fell in love (as many before and since) with the man created as the antidote, a quintessentially British...
My son's death will never make sense to me. But it has taught me that it's possible to find meaning, collectively and individually, in the loss of what we love. And in finding them, transform. Resilience is a seed that we all bear inside us. It germinates in...
Dr Sima Samar has been fighting for equality and justice for most of her life. Born into a polygamous family, she learned early that girls had inferior status, and she had to agree to an arranged marriage if she wanted to go to university. By the time she was...
To be a bookseller or librarian ... You have to play detective. Be a treasure hunter. A matchmaker. An advocate. A visionary. A person who creates 'book joy' by pulling a book from a shelf, handing it to someone and saying, 'You've got to read this. You're...
Love is our only hope. It is not always the easiest choice, but it is always the right one, the noble path, the way home to safety, no matter how bleak the future looks. Anne Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our lives - how it...
For over a decade, Danni Brooke was one of the most effective female undercover cops in the UK, one of a very small number of women in the Met's elite unit. She was so successful at taking down criminals she was seconded to forces around the country. Whether...
Bangka Island, 1942. Vivian Bullwinkel was just 26 when Japanese soldiers marched her and her fellow nurses into the shallow waters of a remote beach to be executed. Miraculously, Vivian would be the lone survivor - and she committed the rest of her life to an...
Iconic Kiwi comic, country music, yodelling, lesbian duo - in their own words Jools and Lynda Topp aka The Topp Twins tell this story in their own words, describing their adventurous lives through laugh-out-loud anecdotes and heartwarming tales. As well as...
Whether via the numerous media reports, 60 Minutes specials, Women's Weekly cover stories or her first book, Everything To Live For, we know about the why, how and what of that fateful day in September 2011. We know how she died four times on the operating...
eAudiobook
Here After is a poetic, raw depiction of an unlikely love followed by a dizzying loss. A stunning, taut memoir from debut Canadian author Amy Lin that will resonate deeply with anyone who has been in grief's grasp. "When he dies, I fall out of time." Amy Lin...
This program is read by cabaret legend Justin Vivian Bond.From the acclaimed biographer Cynthia Carr, the first full portrait of the queer icon and Warhol superstar Candy Darling.Warhol superstar and transgender icon Candy Darling was glamour personified, but...
'The zigzagging life of an adventurer' GUARDIAN 'An astonishing, wonderful memoir of an extraordinary life' HENRY MARSH, author of Do No Harm 'Exciting and complex, full of insight and humour' SPECTATOR An unforgettable memoir from the author of the...
From Eric Blehm, the bestselling author of The Last Season and Fearless, comes an extraordinary new book in the vein of Into the Wild, the story of the legendary snowboarder Craig Kelly and his death in the 2003 Durrand Glacier Avalanche--a devastating and...
This essential authorized biography of Eugene Peterson offers unique insights into the experiences and spiritual convictions of the iconic American pastor and beloved translator of The Message. "In the time of a generation-wide breakdown in trust with leaders...
The vivid and masterful story of Isabella Stewart Gardner--creator of one of America's most stunning museums--an American original whose own life was remade by art. Isabella Stewart Gardner's museum, with its plain exterior enfolding an astonishing four-story...
One of the greatest and most admired artists of the twentieth century, Georgia O'Keeffe led a life rich in intense relationships--with family, friends, and especially with fellow artist Alfred Stieglitz.Her extraordinary accomplishments, such as the often...
'My first stray thought: cancer is a gift. I'm lucky to have it. What priceless material for a doctor-writer. 'What lessons might cancer teach him before it finishes him off? Peter Goldsworthy asks, obliquely. A GP of forty years' practice, as well as one of...
The discovery of Endurance briefly swept the anxiety and rancour of 2022 from the headlines of the world, and new generations thrilled again to one of the greatest tales of all time. Acclaimed South African writer Darrel Bristow-Bovey has a deeply personal...
Philippa Langley took the world by storm when, against all the odds and a seven-year investigation, she discovered the grave of King Richard III (1452-1485) in a Leicester car park. A king finally laid to rest, the rediscovery and reburial of Richard III was...
As the lead singer of Modern Romance he toured the world, as the screenwriter of Kinky Boots he conquered Hollywood, now comes Geoff Deane's latest act as a quite brilliant and witty ranconteur in his hilarious memoir From Mohair Suits to Kinky Boots.... Geoff...
Groomed. Gaslighted. Ghosted. They thought they'd found their soulmate. They had no idea he was spying on them. These five motivated, independent women each thought they'd met their perfect partner - someone who shared their values, ambitions and goals. But...
Since his time on Hildasay, Chris' adventure has only gotten wilder. No one was more surprised than Chris when, in November 2020, he had an unlikely (seemingly destined) encounter with fellow adventurer Kate. The two turned out to be kindred spirits and - even...
When Dark Emu was adopted by Australia like a new anthem, Bruce found himself at the centre of a national debate that often focussed on the wrong part of the story. But through all the noise came Black Duck Foods, a blueprint for traditional food growing and...
The Ballad of Speedball Baby is the thrilling, darkly hilarious, and heart-wrenchingly vulnerable story of Ali Smith's coming-of-age in '90s New York as she commits to the messy, exhilarating life of a musician and must survive the slings and arrows society...
I have come to think of all the metal in my body as artificial stars, glistening beneath the skin, a constellation of old and new metal. A map, a tracing of connections and a guide to looking at things from different angles. How do you tell the story of a life...
In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend a boarding school. A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, firsthand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Spencer attended in his youth...
The hotly anticipated book from 'one of the all-time pop-culture greats' (New York magazine) that chronicles her shocking life and unyielding determination to not only survive but achieve her dreams. Julia Fox is famous for many things: her captivating acting,...
From international drag superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul, comes his most revealing and personal work to date--a brutally honest, surprisingly poignant, and deeply intimate memoir of growing up Black, poor, and queer in a broken home to discovering the...
Since the age of twenty-one, Paul McCartney has lived one of the ultimate rock-n-roll lives played out on the most public of stages. Now, Paul's story is told by rock music's foremost biographer, with McCartney's consent and access to family members and close...
Suitcases from Heaven: A Mother's Journey through Her Daughter-in-law's Cancer is the heart- wrenching story of a daughter-in-law fighting a rare, terminal cancer with a mountain of miracle-moving faith, and a mother-in-law depleted of miracle-believing faith...
This program is read by the author. An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery. Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her...
From one of our leading experts on disinformation, this inventive biography of the rogue WWII propagandist Thomas Sefton Delmer confronts hard questions about the nature of information war: what if you can't fight lies with truth? Can a propaganda war ever be...
This program is read by the author.On the last night of the 2021 CrossFit Games, ten thousand fans watched in horror as Brooke Wells' elbow dislocated under the weight of a 190-pound barbell. This is the extraordinary story of what happened next: How Wells...
"Black Boys Like Me ignited parts of me I honestly didn't believe any book could ever know. . . . Seldom do incredibly titled books earn their titles. Matthew R. Morris earns this classic title with a classic book about our insides." --Kiese Laymon, author of...
An artful and contemplative tribute to the late actor famed for his role as Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210.Best known for playing loner rebel Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills 90210, Luke Perry was fifty-two years old when he died of a stroke in 2019. There...
Ruth Clare's father came back from the Vietnam War a changed man: a violent, controlling parent and a dominating, aggressive husband. Through a childhood of being constantly on guard, with no one to protect her but herself, Ruth learned to be strong and fierce...
When satirist John Clarke died in April 2017, many people mourned his passing as if they had lost a friend or a member of the family. Many of us felt we grew up with him. After all, for the best part of half a century, since he burst into our lives as Fred...
At age 18, Bariz Shah ended up in an Auckland prison. As an Afghan migrant who was deeply affected by 9/11, Bariz spiralled from schoolyard fights into crime and drugs - until prison made him rethink the story of his life. Years later, in Christchurch, Bariz...
In Grace (Eventually), Anne Lamott examines the ways we're caught in life's most daunting predicaments: love, mothering, work, politics and maybe toughest of all, evolving from who we are to who we were meant to be. This is a complicated process for most of...
1959 saw Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the other members of Miles's sextet come together to record the seminal jazz album of all time Kind of Blue. 3 Shades of Blue is a magnificent, blended biography on the meandering paths which led Miles,...
When Cathy is asked to foster Alex, aged 7, she questions why he can't stay with his present carers. But the present carers are expecting a baby and aren't coping, so Alex goes to live with Cathy. He settles easily and the introduction to his adoptive family...
In A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell reveals the truth about Princess Diana--and presents a faithful account of her thoughts. He was the favourite footman who formed a unique relationship with the Queen. He was the butler who the Princess of Wales called 'my rock'...
Soon to be a major motion pictured directed by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is "a moving, touching, important story." SETH GODIN. When William Kamkwamba was just 14 years old, his family told him that he must leave school as...
Acclaimed historian Alison Weir looks into the life of the first Tudor queen, revealing the woman behind the image Elizabeth of York would have ruled England, but for the fact that she was a woman. One of the key figures of the Wars of the Roses, daughter of...
Billy Connolly may be a citizen of the world, but in his heart, he's never been far from his homeland. Made in Scotland is Billy's unique and intimate portrait of his native Scotland, a love letter to the places and people that made him. It's an adventure...
Now a major film starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan Falling pregnant as a teenager in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to the convent in Co. Tipperary to be looked after as a fallen woman. She cared for her baby for three years until the Church took him and sold...
The story of the real relationship between King Charles III and his mother, by the esteemed royal biographer, Ingrid Seward. The relationship between the late Monarch and her son, the King, has long been a subject of fascination. The upbringing of an heir is...
Brought to you by Penguin. What do three murderers, Karl Marx's daughter and a vegetarian vicar have in common? They all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian...
"Debra Dank has created an extraordinary mosaic of vivid episodes that move about in time and place to tell an unforgettable story of country and people. There is great pain in these pages, and anger at injustice, but also great love, in marriage and in...
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) possessed one of the twentieth century's most astonishing voices. Historian Judith Tick offers a sublime portrait of this ambitious risk-taker whose exceptional musical spontaneity made her a transformational artist. Becoming Ella...
From the dogged Long Island reporter who has been on his trail since 2019, the bizarre, page-turning, and frankly hysterical story of America's most outrageous grifter--US Representative George Santos. America has grown used to larger-than-life politicians:...
At twenty-six years old, life looked a certain way for Nikki Vargas. She'd settled in New York City ready to join the ranks of the Carrie Bradshaws of the world, had landed in a promising advertising career, and was newly engaged to her college sweetheart. But...
The remarkable, must-read story of Charlie Chaplin's years of exile from the United States during the postwar Red Scare, and how it ruined his film career, from bestselling biographer Scott Eyman.Bestselling Hollywood biographer and film historian Scott Eyman...
A poignant and moving memoir-in-essays from stand-up comedian Aida Rodriguez on the power of overcoming hardship and transforming pain into laughter.Aida Rodriguez has, to put it mildly, lived a whirlwind life. Her rags to-riches story is mind-blowing: She was...
A hilariously-honest, heartwarming essay collection about life, love, and discovering you have ADHD at age 35 Despite being a published writer with a family, a gaggle of internet fans, and (most shockingly) a mortgage, Emily Farris could never get her sh*t...
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