Allen & Unwin

Kawashima Masayuki is a successful graphic designer living in Tokyo with his loving wife, Yoko, and their healthy baby girl. Outwardly, their lives are a picture of happiness and contentment. Every night, however, unable to sleep, Kawashima creeps fr om his bed and watches over the baby's crib while his wife sleeps. But this is no ordinary domestic scene, for on each of those nights, as he stands gazing at his newborn child, Kawashima has an ice-pick in his hand, and an almost visceral desire to use it. One particular night, as this drama unfolds once more, Kawashima makes a decision to confront his demons, and sets into motion an uncontrollable chain of events seeming to lead inexorably to murder The follow up to In the Miso Soup, Piercing confirms Ryu Murakami as the master of the psycho-thriller. Read and be terrified, sickened and utterly gripped.

Greil Marcus weaves individual moods and moments into a brilliant history of their changing times. The book begins in Berkeley in 1968, and ends with a piece on Dylan's show at the University of Minnesota on election night 2008. In between are moment s of euphoric discovery: from Marcus' sleeve notes for the 1967 Basement Tapes to his exploration of Dylan's reimagining of the American experience in 1997's Time Out of Mind. And rejection; Marcus's Rolling Stone piece on Dylan's album Self Portrait -- often referred to as the most famous record review ever written -- began with 'What is this shit?' and led to his departure from the magazine for five years. Marcus follows not only recordings but performances. books, movies, and all manner of hi ghways and byways in which Bob Dylan has made himself felt in our culture. Together, the dozens of pieces collected here comprise a portrait of how, throughout his career, Bob Dylan has drawn upon and reinvented the landscape of American song, its my ths and choruses, heroes and villains. They are the result of more than forty years' engagement between an unparalleled artist and a uniquely acute listener.

Love and Hunger is a distillation of everything Charlotte Wood has learned over more than twenty years about cooking and the pleasures of simple food well made. In this age of gastro-porn and the fetishisation of food, the pressure to be as expert as the chefs we've turned into celebrities can feel overwhelming. An instant antidote to such madness is this wise and practical book - an ode to good food, prepared and presented with minimum fuss and maximum love. Cooking represents 'creativity in its purest form'. It is meditation and stimulation, celebration and solace, a gift both offered and received. It can nourish the soul - and the mind - as well as the body. Love and Hunger will make you long to get into the kitchen to try the surprising tips and delicious recipes, and will leave you feeling freshly inspired to cook with joy for the people you love. Love and Hunger is a gift for all who value the solitary and shared pleasures of cooking and eating. Like a simple but glorious meal, this feast of a book is infused with warmth and generosity.

Two old school friends reconnect unexpectedly after thirty-five years and discover that they both love travelling - and the more exotic and far-flung the location, the better! Not having a clue whether they will get along, the eccentric pair embark on a trial journey to Morocco. That tentative beginning has turned into a series of wonderfully unusual holidays, and Hil and Liz have been circumnavigating the globe ever since. Among many other destinations, they have taken in Marrakech, Fez and the Atlas Mountains; Patagonia and the Galapagos Islands; Istanbul and Cappadocia. They've been on safari in Namibia, Botswana and the Serengeti, attended music festivals in Naples and Prague and made a pilgrimage to the western isles of Mull and Iona. Along the way they have encouraged, enraged and entertained each other, while living through countless adventures. This is a book for thrillseekers and armchair travellers alike, a celebration of friendship and laughter - and an inspiration for anyone who's longed to venture outside their comfort zone and travel to exotic places.

"Bleddyn Butcher has been taking pictures of me and my cohorts since I first got up on stage back in Australia right through to the shuddering present and some of these images are so familiar to me, so much a part of the fabric of my life, my little history, that much like the songs I have written, these photographs have become the props around which my memories collect. Without them so many of those days would be lost. Soul-stealer and dream-catcher - here he comes then - with his book of rescued moments."" Nick Cave In 1981, dazzled by Nick Cave's extraordinary talent, rock photographer Bleddyn Butcher started taking photos of Cave and his then band, punk darlings The Birthday Party. A long friendship began. With over 100 carefully selected and many never-before-seen photographs, A Little History reflects the evolution of one of today's most original artists, burrowing beneath Cave's smouldering public persona to reveal the irrepressible humour which punctuates his private life. Alongside portraits of band members from The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds and Grinderman, there are snapshots of backstage encounters with the likes of John Cale, Bob Dylan, Kylie Minogue and Nina Simone, peers Shane MacGowan and Mark E Smith and former girlfriends Anita Lane and Viviane Carneiro. One of rock's few singular personalities, Nick Cave's influence now extends far beyond music into the realms of film and literature. A Little History is the definitive portrait of a crucial artist."

Diane, owner of Happy People Read and Drink Coffee, a cosy coffee shop turned library in Paris, seems to have the perfect life. But when she suddenly loses her husband and daughter in a car accident, her life is overturned and the world as she knows it disappears. Trapped by her memories, Diane closes her shop and retreats from friends and family. One year later, she moves from Paris to a small town on the Irish coast, determined to heal by rebuilding her life alone, without anyone's help or pity - until she meets Edward, a handsome and moody Irish photographer. Along windy shores and cobbled streets, Diane falls into a surprising and tumultuous romance. As she works to overcome her painful memories, Diane and Edward's once-in-a-lifetime connection inspires her to love herself and the world around her with new-found inner strength and happiness. But will it last when Diane leaves Ireland, and Edward, for good?

A band. A road trip. A gig that maybe doesn't suck. Corey and Wes are convinced nothing cool can come of their lame summer at jazz camp, when along comes Ash - all blonde hair and brash words - who cracks their world wide open. Finally, something they can't seem to hate. Convinced that a great musician is made on the road, the three friends flee camp and begin the epic, hilarious road trip: The Haters Summer of Hate Tour. Amidst sneaking into seedy bars, evading their parents and the police, and spending every minute together in a makeshift tour bus, romance blossoms and bursts and hygiene takes a back seat. Wes begins to realize the limitations of hating everything: it keeps you at a convenient distance from something, or someone, you just might love.

Henry has ended his marriage to Caroline and run off with his daughter's teacher, Martha. Caroline, having shredded a wardrobe-full of Henry's suits, has gone after them. Craig and Leslie have dropped over from next door to catch up on the fallout from Henry and Caroline's all-night row. And Janice, Caroline's sister, is staying for the weekend to look after the children because Janice is the sensible one. Then Craig enters through the bedroom window expecting a tryst with Caroline and finds Janice instead, Leslie storms in full of threats, Henry, Caroline and Martha arrive back from the airport in separate taxis - and let's not even get started on Brendan the pizza guy. Janice can cope with all that. But when her ex-husband Alec knocks on the door things suddenly get complicated...

French women seem inherently more confident in their bodies, able to embrace the sensuality of life and love. What's their secret? Lingerie. Yet, despite an insatiable curiosity for all things French, most women still find lingerie an enigma, a tangled melange of silk and lace, and are confused about how, when, and where to wear it. (Hint: it's not just for special occasions.) Many aspire to having a drawer full of silky, lacy undergarments, but have no idea where to start: How should my bra fit? How exactly do I wear a garter belt? Do bras and knickers always have to match? With illustrations by French lingerie designer Paloma Casile, Paris Undressed: The Secrets of French Lingerie will help women feel at ease with their figures and show them how to integrate a lingerie lifestyle a la francaise to enhance their own femininity, confidence, and joie de vivre. It will transform the way women perceive their undergarments - and their bodies - and reveal how to co-ordinate a lingerie wardrobe to reflect personality and to meet lifestyle needs with the right dose of reverie.The book also includes a hand-selected guide to the most confidential addresses and lingerie boutiques in Paris, and discloses where to find the perfect bra, couture camisole or cheeky knicker. Paris Undressed goes behind the seams, combining cultural references, expertise, and practical advice to inspire every woman to reconsider her underwear drawer.

Diane, owner of Happy People Read and Drink Coffee, a cosy coffee shop turned library in Paris, seems to have the perfect life. But when she suddenly loses her husband and daughter in a car accident, her life is overturned and the world as she knows it disappears. Trapped by her memories, Diane closes her shop and retreats from friends and family. One year later, she moves from Paris to a small town on the Irish coast, determined to heal by rebuilding her life alone, without anyone's help or pity - until she meets Edward, a handsome and moody Irish photographer. Along windy shores and cobbled streets, Diane falls into a surprising and tumultuous romance. As she works to overcome her painful memories, Diane and Edward's once-in-a-lifetime connection inspires her to love herself and the world around her with new-found inner strength and happiness. But will it last when Diane leaves Ireland, and Edward, for good?

Ultrarunning legend Dean Karnazes has run 262 miles - the equivalent of ten marathons - without rest. He has run over mountains, across Death Valley, to the South Pole, and is probably the first person to eat an entire pizza while running. With an insight, candour and humour rarely seen in sports memoirs, Ultramarathon Man has inspired tens of thousands of people - nonrunners and runners alike - to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and simply get out there and run. Ultramarathon Man answers the questions Karnazes is continually asked: - Why do you do it? - How do you do it? - Are you insane? and the follow-up queries: - What, exactly, do you eat? - How do you train to stay in such good shape?

From the moment 15-year-old Amelia gets an after-school job at the local supermarket she is sunk, gone, lost, head-over-heels in love with Chris. Chris is the funny, charming, man-about- Woolies - but he's 21 and in his final year at uni. The six- year age gap may as well be a hundred.Chris and Amelia talk about everything from Second Wave Feminism to Great Expectations and Alien, but will he ever look at her in the way she wants him to?A story that's real and warm and just a little bit heartbreaking.First published as Good Oil.

I am by nature a private person. Secrets are different from privacy. They are things you are forced to keep to yourself, by family, friends, by your own shame. Secrets like these come to the surface one day and demand an airing. Emerging from an unconventional, boisterously happy childhood, Mary-Rose MacColl was a rebellious teenager. And when, at the age of fifteen, her high-school teacher and her husband started inviting Mary-Rose to spend time with them, her parents were pleased that she now had the guidance she needed to take her safely into young adulthood. It wasn't too long, though, before the teacher and her husband changed the nature of the relationship with overwhelming consequences for Mary-Rose. Consequences that kept her silent and ashamed through much of her adult life. Many years later, safe within a loving relationship, all of the long-hidden secrets and betrayals crashed down upon her and she came close to losing everything. In this poignant and brave true story, Mary-Rose brings these secrets to the surface and, in doing so, is finally able to watch them float away.

In an alternate reality a lot like our world, every person's physical size is directly proportional to their wealth. The poorest of the poor are the size of rats, and billionaires are the size of skyscrapers. Warner and his sister Prayer are destitute - and tiny. Their size is not just demeaning but dangerous: day and night they face mortal dangers that bigger, richer people don't ever have to think about, from being mauled by cats to their house getting stepped on. There are no cars or phones built small enough for them, or schools or hospitals, for that matter - there's no point, when no one that little has any purchasing power, and when salaried doctors and teachers would never fit in buildings so small. Warner and Prayer know their only hope is to scale up, but how can two littlepoors survive in a world built against them? Brilliant, warm and funny, this is a social novel for our times in the tradition of 1984 or the work of Douglas Adams.

England, 1348: as the Black Death spreads through the country, people start to die by the thousands. In Dorset, young Lady Anne takes control of her lands, with her trusted steward, Thaddeus, at her side. Compassionate and resourceful, she decides to quarantine the estate against the terrifying pestilence, bringing some two hundred serfs inside the moated walls. But in such a confined space, conflicts soon arise. Ignorant of the world outside, Lady Anne's people wrestle with the terrible uncertainty of their futures. Fearing starvation but fearing the disease even more, who amongst them has the courage to leave the security of the walls? And how safe is anyone when a dreadful event threatens the uneasy status quo...?

Petrea King is one of those rare Australians who have changed the country for the better.' Richard Glover As a child Petrea King was dogged by health issues, spending months in hospital over many years. After leaving school, her desire to help others impelled her to become a nurse, then later to qualify as a naturopath, herbalist, homoeopath, yoga instructor and meditation teacher. In her early thirties Petrea was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and given little chance of surviving. She defied her dire prognosis, and believes meditation and coming to terms with past traumas, including the suicide of her brother Brenden, were key to her recovery. Motivated by her own experiences, Petrea founded the Quest for Life Foundation to support people suffering devastating physical and mental illnesses. Up Until Now is her inspirational tale of how she overcame her own challenges to dedicate her life to others. 'The wisdom Petrea imparts, and her compassion and sensitivity, have helped hundreds of thousands of people, providing them with hope in troubled times.' Tony Delroy