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Biography
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The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting
Evanna Lynch has long been viewed as a role model for people recovering from anorexia and the story of her casting as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films has reached almost mythic proportions. Yet even after recovery, there remains a conflict at the very core of her being: a bitter struggle between the familiar, anaesthetising pursuit of perfection, and the desire to fully and fearlessly embrace her creativity. In her memoir, Evanna confronts all the complexities and contradictions within herself and reveals how she overcame a life-threatening eating disorder, began to conquer her self-hate and confronted her fear of leaving the neatness and safety of girlhood for the unpredictable journey of being a woman.
£14.99
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Hope
Tom Parker had it all. A beautiful wife, a chart-topping pop career, a baby on the way. And then one November morning, he passed out, and woke up in hospital. A diagnosis for stage IV brain cancer followed. A diagnosis which did not give him long to live. And yet, two years on, he is still here. This book will tell his story, from his working class beginnings in Bolton and his rise to meteoric, chart-topping fame with The Wanted to his cancer diagnosis and search for a cure through both chemotherapy and alternative methods. In this inspirational memoir, Tom will show how having faith in hope and daring to dream means you can carry on, against all the odds.
£20.00
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Quilt on Fire
A frank, funny and inspiring memoir from Christie Watson about the search for meaning in mid-life. 'Quilt on Fire' reframes mid-life with openness and honesty, and celebrates the messy magic of being a single woman in your forties.
£16.99
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Born A Crime
Trevor Noah is the host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , where he gleefully provides America with its nightly dose of serrated satire. He is a light-footed but cutting observer of the relentless absurdities of politics, nationalism and race - and in particular the craziness of his own young life, which he's lived at the intersections of culture and history. In his first book, Noah tells his coming of age story with his larger-than-life mother during the last gasps of apartheid-era South Africa and the turbulent years that followed. Noah was born illegal - the son of a white, Dutch father and a black Xhosa mother, who had to pretend to be his nanny or his father's servant in the brief moments when the family came together.
£12.99
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Railway Man
In 1942 Lomax was caught up in the fall of the British Empire, & tortured by the Japanese. Many years after the war, his life was changed by the discovery that his interrogator was still alive - their reconciliation is the culmination of this unusual story.
£12.99
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Theroux the Keyhole
The funny, revealing and insightful diary of one man living and working through the madness of the pandemic, from the always entertaining Louis Theroux.
£9.99
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What Are You Doing Here?
A moving, powerful autobiography from an inspirational woman, one of the Windrush generation who became a member of the House of Lords.
£20.00
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In the Wars
The extraordinary memoir of a boy who recognized the power of education and dreamed about helping others. It's a tale of courage, ambition, and unwavering resilience in the face of all the challenges that life can throw in your way.
£10.99
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The Interpreter's Daughter
In the last years of her life, Teresa Lim's mother, Violet Chang, had copies of a cherished family photograph made for those in the portrait who were still alive. The photo is mounted on cream card with the name of the studio stamped at the bottom in Chinese characters. The place and date on the back: Hong Kong, 1935. Teresa would often look at this photograph, enticed by the fierceness and beauty of her great-aunt Fanny looking back at her. But Fanny never seemed to feature in the told and retold family stories. Why? she wondered. This photograph set Teresa on a journey to uncover her own family history. Through detective work, serendipity, and the kindness of strangers she was guided to the fascinating, ordinary, extraordinary life of her great-aunt and her world of sworn spinsters, ghost husbands and the working-class feminists of 19th century south China.
£20.00
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Sidesplitter
'But where are you REALLY from?' Phil Wang has been asked this question so many times he's finally written a book about it. In this mix of comic memoir and observational essay, one of the UK's most exciting stand-up comedians reflects on his experiences as a Eurasian man in the West and in the East. Phil was born in Stoke-on-Trent, raised in Malaysia, and then came of age in Bath - 'a spa town for people who find Cheltenham too ethnic'. Phil explores the contrasts between Eastern and Western cultures and delves into Britain and Malaysia's shared histories, bringing his trademark cynicism and wit to topics ranging from family, food, and comedy to race, empire, and colonialism.
£12.99
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Remembered For A While
Since his death in 1974, Nick Drake has become increasingly well-known, and is discovered anew by each generation. You may not have heard of him, but once you have you wonder how you could ever not have known who he was. This book is a celebration of his life and his music, including lyrics and letters, interviews and essays, and other miscellanea.
£50.00
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Ethel Rosenberg
On 19th June 1953 Ethel Rosenberg became the first woman to be executed by the US government in almost a century, and the only woman in the US to be executed for a crime other than murder. She was 37 years old and the mother of 2 small children. Her case resonates more than ever today at a time of world tension and conspiracy rumours focused on a resurgent Soviet Union. Any battle to seek forgiveness for a convicted communist spy would, today, at a time when the Cold War seems all too resonant, stand little chance of success. But the story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg refuses to die; this is an important moment to recount not simply what FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the 'trial of the century', but also a timeless human story of a supportive wife, loving mother and idealist who had her life barbarically cut short for a crime she almost certainly did not commit.
£10.99
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Darker Than the Deepest Sea
In 'Darker Than The Deepest Sea', renowned producer and radio broadcaster Trevor Dann offers a look at the life, music and heritage of one of the UK's most enigmatic and enduring music talents.
£12.99
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Nick Drake
A biography of the British singer songwriter who died aged twenty six, having made three albums, all now recognised as classics
£14.99
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Miss Shirley Bassey
In 1954, Shirley Bassey was 17 years old. She had just returned from an exploitative revue tour. Disillusioned and 4 months pregnant, she decided that her dream of being a professional singer was over. 10 years later, she was one of the biggest stars in the world and was poised to conquer America.
£13.99
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Dostoevsky in Love
Dostoevsky's life was marked by brilliance and brutality. Sentenced to death as a young revolutionary, he survived mock execution and Siberian exile to live through a time of seismic change in Russia, eventually being accepted into the Tsar's inner circle. He had three great love affairs, each overshadowed by debilitating epilepsy and addiction to gambling. Somehow, amidst all this, he found time to write works which are now recognised as among the finest ever written. In 'Dostoevsky in Love', Alex Christofi weaves carefully chosen excerpts of the author's work with the historical context to form an illuminating and often surprising whole.
£12.99
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Orwell's Roses
'Outside my work the thing I care most about is gardening' wrote George Orwell in 1940. Inspired by her encounter with the surviving roses that Orwell planted in his cottage in Hertfordshire, Rebecca Solnit explores how his involvement with plants, particularly flowers, illuminates his other commitments as a writer and antifascist, and the intertwined politics of nature and power.
£10.99
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Good Vibrations
In 'Good Vibrations,' Mike Love tells the unique story of his legendary, chaotic, and ultimately triumphant five-decade tenure as the front man of The Beach Boys, from their Californian roots to international fame.
£12.99
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God Only Knows
Originally published in 1978 as 'The Beach Boys and the California Myth', this study was both the first full-length book on the band and the first to recognize Brian Wilson as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. Covering the turbulent family strife and internal conflicts as well as giving proper attention to the remarkable music, the book was an instant classic. An intimate look at Brian's life and career, it's told through the eyes of those who were there during Wilson's most legendary productions including Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations. Revised and updated, 'God Only Knows' covers the decades since the previous edition, including Brian's first acclaimed solo album, his startling return to live performing, the landmark Pet Sounds tour, the 'All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson' and the triumphant and miraculous Brian Wilson Presents SMILE world premiere in London.
£18.99
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Land of Milk and Honey
A personal account of farming and countryside life in the aftermath of Brexit, coupled with the impact of extreme environmentalism and Scottish nationalism.
£20.00
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Spider Woman
Lady Hale is an inspirational figure admired for her historic achievements and for the causes she has championed. 'Spider Woman' is her story. As 'a little girl from a little school in a little village in North Yorkshire', she only went into the law because her headteacher told her she wasn't clever enough to study history. She became the most senior judge in the country but it was an unconventional path to the top. How does a self-professed 'girly swot' get ahead in a profession dominated by men? Was it a surprise that the perspectives of women and other disadvantaged groups had been overlooked, or that children's interests were marginalised?
£12.99
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This Much Is True
Award-winning actor, creator of a myriad of memorable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, Miriam Margolyes is a national treasure. Now, at last, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story. And it's far richer and stranger than any part she's played. Find out how being conceived in an air-raid gave her curly hair; what pranks led to her being known as the naughtiest girl Oxford High School ever had; how she ended up posing nude for Augustus John aged 17, being sent to Coventry by Monty Python and the Goodies and swearing on University Challenge (she was the first woman to say F*** on TV). This book is packed with unforgettable stories from why Bob Monkhouse was the best (male) kiss she's ever had to being told off by the Queen.
£12.99
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Beautiful Country
Qian is just seven when she moves to America, the 'Beautiful Country', where she and her parents find that the roads of New York City are not paved with gold, but crushing fear and scarcity. Unable to speak English at first, Qian and her parents must work wherever they can to survive, all while she battles hunger and loneliness at school. Thus begins an extraordinary story that describes, in vivid colours, days labouring in sweatshops and sushi factories, nights scavenging the streets for furniture, and the terrifying moment when the family emerges from the shadows to seek emergency medical treatment for Qian's mother. Qian Julie Wang's memoir is an unforgettable account of what it means to live under the perpetual threat of deportation and the small joys and sheer determination that kept her family afloat in a new land.
£10.99
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The Utopians
The absorbing story of six utopian communities across the world, each of which sprang up in the aftermath of the First World War.
£12.99
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