Ferrari: The Passion and the Pain
The inside story of Ferrari’s 1998 Formula 1 season and the team’s battle with McLaren for the World Championship. The Ferrari drivers and key team members reflect on a season of drama, excitement and no little controversy.What were the factors behind the improved performance of the team this season? Who were the characters behind the scenes backing up the brilliant driving of Michael Schumacher and Eddie Irvine? What were the pivotal moments in Ferrari’s head-to-head duel with McLaren throughout the season?Ferrari tells the story from the inside, in the eyes of the team. It features interviews with the drivers and all the key Ferrari personnel, including Jean Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne – plus an exclusive team view of the Schumacher controversy at Spa involving David Coulthard – along with all the race action from the season.The book also looks back to the signing of Schumacher at the start of the 1996 season and follows the team’s fluctuating fortunes through to the dramatic climax of 1997 at Jerez. With its penetrating insight into the inner sanctum of Ferrari, this fascinating expose is a must for all Ferrari fans.
Faust’s Metropolis: A History of Berlin
A radical and exciting history of a city – its culture, its people and its politics – that refreshes our image of Europe’s past and of the writing of history itself.In Berlin, history is tangible. The sense of the past – of Europe, of Germany, and in particular of the twentieth century with its myths, depravities, idealism and horror – hangs in the air around the old Hinterhofs and deserted railway stations. No other city has played such a part in the tides of twentieth-century European affairs.Faust’s Metropolis is a rich and inspiring history of this city, a breathtaking portrait of its people and a thorough evaluation of its achievements and errors. From the revolutionary fervour of its teeming slums, the insufferable pomp of Imperial Berlin, and the frantic modernism of Weimar to the brutality of the Nazis and the symbolic defeat of communism as the Wall came down, Berlin has played host to all the movements that have uplifted and afflicted German and European history. Alexandra Richie writes superbly of its role as a crucible of change.Full of humour and with an inimitable personal view of the modern capital of reunited Germany, Faust’s Metropolis also offers a scholarly, thematic analysis of the ways in which the city has reinvented itself through the ages, the tensions which historically existed between Berliners and other Germans, the crucial role which Berlin has played in shaping the political and cultural life of Europe. In drawing together the complex strands of its actual and imagined past, Alexandra Richie reveals herself as an extraordinary new talent in her field.
Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air
‘Nominally a history of the hot air balloon, Falling Upwards is really a history of hope and fantasy—and the quixotic characters who disobeyed that most fundamental laws of physics and gave humans flight.’ —The New Republic, Best Books of 2013CHOSEN AS BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR IN ** Guardian ** New Statesman ** Daily Telegraph ** New Republic ****TIME Magazine 10 Top Nonfiction Books of 2013** **The New Republic Best Books of 2013** **Kirkus Best Books of the Year (2013)*From ambitious scientists rising above the clouds to test the air, to brave generals floating over enemy lines to watch troop movements, this wonderful book offers a seamless fusion of history, art, science, biography and the metaphysics of flight. It is a masterly portrait of human endeavour, recklessness, vision and hope.In this heart-lifting book, Richard Holmes, author of the best-selling The Age of Wonder, follows the daring and enigmatic men and women who risked their lives to take to the air (or fall into the sky). Why they did it, what their contemporaries thought of them, and how their flights revealed the secrets of our planet is a compelling adventure that only Holmes could tell.It is not a conventional history of ballooning. In a sense it is not really about balloons at all. It is about what balloons gave rise to. It is about the spirit of discovery itself and the extraordinary human drama it produces.From the dramatic and exhilarating early Anglo-French balloon rivalries, the crazy firework flights of the beautiful Sophie Blanchard, the long-distance voyages of the American entrepreneur John Wise and French photographer Felix Nadar to the balloons used to observe the horrors of modern battle during the Civil War (including a flight taken by George Armstrong Custer); the legendary tale of at least sixty-seven manned balloons that escaped from Paris (the first successful civilian airlift in history) during the Prussian siege of 1870-71; the high-altitude exploits of James Glaisher who rose seven miles above the earth without oxygen, helping to establish the new science of meteorology; and how Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jules Verne felt the imaginative impact of flight and allowed it to soar in their work.
Fall Out: A Year of Political Mayhem
The unmissable inside story of the most dramatic general election campaign in modern history and Theresa May’s battle for a Brexit deal, the greatest challenge for a prime minister since the Second World War.By the bestselling author of All Out War, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2017.This is the unmissable inside story of the most dramatic general election campaign in modern history and Theresa May’s battle for a Brexit deal – the greatest challenge for a prime minister since the Second World War.Fall Out tells of how a leader famed for her caution battled her bitterly divided cabinet at home while facing duplicitous Brussels bureaucrats abroad. Of how she then took the biggest gamble of her career to strengthen her position – and promptly blew it. It is also a tale of treachery where – in the hour of her greatest weakness – one by one, May’s colleagues began to plot against her.Inside this book you will find all the strategy, comedy, tragedy and farce of modern politics – where principle, passion and vaulting ambition collide in the corridors of power. It chronicles a civil war at the heart of the Conservative Party and a Labour Party back from the dead, led by Jeremy Corbyn, who defied the experts and the critics on his own side to mount an unlikely tilt at the top job.With access to all the key players, Tim Shipman has written a political history that reads like a thriller, exploring how and why the EU referendum result pitched Britain into a year of political mayhem.
Everyday Madness: On Grief, Anger, Loss and Love
‘The small translucent bottle of shampoo outlived him. It was the kind you take home from hotels in distant places. For over a year it had sat on the shower shelf where he had left it. I looked at it every day.’After the death of her partner of thirty-two years, Lisa Appignanesi was thrust into a state striated by rage and superstition in which sanity felt elusive. The dead of prior generations loomed large and haunting. Then, too, the cultural and political moment seemed to collude with her condition: everywhere people were dislocated and angry.In this electrifying and brave examination of an ordinary enough death and its aftermath, Appignanesi uses all her evocative and analytic powers to scrutinize her own and our society’s experience of grieving, the effects of loss and the potent, mythical space it occupies in our lives.With searing honesty, lashed by humour, she navigates us onto the terrain of childhood, the way it forms our feelings of love and hate, and steers us towards a less tumultuous version of the everyday.This book may be short, but life, death, madness, love, and grandchildren, are all there – seen through the eyes of a writer who is ever aware of the historical and current vagaries of woman’s condition.
Every Woman For Herself: This hilarious romantic comedy from the Sunday Times Bestseller is the perfect spring read
First comes marriage. Then comes divorce. Then it’s every woman for herself …When Charlie’s husband Matt tells her that he wants a divorce she has to start from scratch. Suddenly single, broke and approaching 40 she is forced to return to her childhood home in the Yorkshire moors.Living with her father and eccentric siblings could be considered a challenge but soon Charlie finds her new life somewhat refreshing. Now that she’s single she’s got no need to dye her roots nor to be the perfect wife and she can return to her first love- painting.But just as she begins to feel settled, handsome, bad-tempered actor Mace North moves in down the road and starts mixing things up for Charlie in more ways than one …Every Woman for Herself is a hilarious account of divorce and dating from Sunday Times besteller Trisha Ashley. Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Carole Matthews,the country setting and rom-com storyline make this the perfect summer read.Praise for Trisha Ashley:‘One of the best writers around!’ Katie Fforde‘Full of down-to-earth humour.’ Sophie Kinsella‘A warm-hearted and comforting read. Trisha at her best’ Carole Matthews‘An absolute delight. Every Woman for Herself is a laugh-out-loud read that leaves you feeling pleased with the world’ Take a Break
Ever the Diplomat: Confessions of a Foreign Office Mandarin
For over 30 years Sherard Cowper-Coles was on the diplomatic front line in a distinguished Foreign Office career that took him from the corridors of power in Whitehall to a string of high-profile posts across the globe.Entering the Foreign Office fresh from Oxford in 1977, he enjoyed a meteoric rise with postings in Beirut, Alexandria and Cairo, Washington, and Paris, and working on Hong Kong, punctuated with spells in London, where the young diplomat had a baptism of fire writing foreign affairs speeches for Geoffrey Howe and Margaret Thatcher.In 1999, he was made Principal Private Secretary to the irascible Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, providing the book with some of its most hilarious sequences, and his glittering career culminated in a succession of ambassadorial posts as Our Man in Israel, Saudi Arabia and finally Afghanistan.‘Ever the Diplomat’ is his revealing, passionate and witty account of half a lifetime in diplomacy, which is set to become a classic of the genre.
Escape to the Riviera: The perfect summer romance!
**Lose yourself in the south of France this summer in this fabulously feel-good beach read!**Carrie Hayes has a job she enjoys and a perfectly nice boyfriend. She’s sorted. Isn’t she?But Carrie’s life wasn’t always like this. As a young,wild drama student, she married fellow actor, RichardMaddox, after a whirlwind romance. Life back then wasfull of possibilities, but when Hollywood beckonedRichard, Carrie was left behind.Now an A-list superstar, Richard’s life couldn’t be moredifferent to Carrie’s, so when their paths cross in glamorousSt Tropez, she can’t help but wonder what might have been.But with lovely, sensible Alan in tow, Carrie knowsshe needs to do the right thing. The only problem is,Carrie and Richard never quite got round to getting a divorce…Lose yourself this summer on the French Riviera,the perfect read for fans of Lucy Diamond and Jane Costello.
Elly Pear’s Let’s Eat: Simple, Delicious Food for Everyone, Every Day
Sunday Times bestselling author Elly Pear shares over 90 of her new pescatarian recipes all centring around vegetables, grains, pulses and dairy.Her approach to food and cooking perfectly suits the modern-day cook and is packed with innovative fresh flavours, interesting textures and a strong garnish game to boot. Crucially, Elly believes that food should be simple and special, whatever the occasion – the two go hand-in-hand.Let’s Eat contains everything you need to know to enjoy incredible meat-free dishes in a straight forward, cost-effective way. You don’t need a stand mixer, a huge processor or oodles of obscure ingredients. These are the cookery building blocks which will help you try new things, mix it up and feel confident in the kitchen. Elly covers:• Batch cooking, where you’ll learn how a little advance preparation can make for effortless dinners, whatever day of the week.• Freezeable dishes, where Elly provides 4 innovative ways to use your defrosted portions. Repetitive leftovers are a thing of the past.• Quick and easy menus containing curated sets of recipes perfectly suited to a whole host of occasions, whether it’s a romantic dinner for two, a brunch party or weeknight family teatime.Elly appreciates the challenges of being a modern cook. Hers is simple, tasty food – that sort that you can cook day-in, day-out, with ease. It’s nutritious but not spotless, and always brings joy.
Eight Hundred Grapes: a perfect summer escape to a sun-drenched vineyard
There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide…On the eve of her wedding, Georgia Ford returns to her family’s vineyard, shaken by a devastating secret. She yearns for the rituals of harvest, the comfort of her mother’s lasagne, her brothers’ camaraderie – but the family home is rife with undercurrents. Her parents’ long marriage is revealed to be far from perfect , and her brothers, Bobby and Finn, are badly at odds.As the storm clouds gather over the vineyard’s last harvest, sibling rivalry, marriage vows and the promise of the future are strained to breaking point. Can Georgia and her family make their peace with the secrets they have hidden from each other? Georgia must also face the secret her fiance has kept from her and decide where her heart lies.