Bantam Press

Lottie is tired of long-term boyfriends who don't want to commit to marriage. When her old boyfriend Ben reappears and reminds her of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. There will be no dates and no engagement - just a straight wedding march to the altar! Next comes the honeymoon on the Greek island where they first met. But not everyone is thrilled with Lottie and Ben's rushed marriage, and family and friends are determined to intervene. Will Lottie and Ben have a wedding night to remember ...or one to forget?

Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time was a publishing phenomenon. Translated into thirty languages, it has sold over nine million copies worldwide. It continues to captivate and inspire new readers every year. When it was first published in 1988 the ideas discussed in it were at the cutting edge of what was then known about the universe. In the intervening years there have been extraordinary advances in our understanding of the space and time. The technology for observing the micro- and macro-cosmic world has developed in leaps and bounds. During the same period cosmology and the theoretical sciences have entered a new golden age. Professor Stephen Hawking has been at the heart of this new scientific renaissance. Now, in The Universe in a Nutshell, Stephen Hawking brings us fully up-to-date with the advances in scientific thinking. We are now nearer than we have ever been to a full understanding of the universe. In a fascinating and accessible discussion that ranges from quantum mechanics, to time travel, black holes to uncertainty theory, to the search for science's Holy Grail - the unified field theory (or in layman's terms the 'theory of absolutely everything') Professor Hawking once more takes us to the cutting edge of modern thinking. Beautifully illustrated throughout, with original artwork commissioned for this project, The Universe in a Nutshell is guaranteed to be the biggest science book of 2001.

Harvard professor Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call while on business in Paris: the elderly curator of the Louvre, Jacques Sauniere, has been brutally murdered inside the museum. Alongside the body, police have found a series of baffling codes. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, begin to sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to find a trail that leads to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and suggests the answer to a mystery that stretches deep into the vault of history. Langdon suspects the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion a centuries old secret society and has sacrificed his life to protect the Priorys most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religio us relic hidden for centuries. But it now appears that Opus Dei, a clandestine sect that has long plotted to seize the Prirorys secret, has now made its move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine code and quickly assemble the piece s of the puzzle, the Priorys secret and a stunning historical truth will be lost forever

Eldritch Swan is a dead man. Or at least that is what his nephew Stephen has always been told. Until one day Eldritch walks back into his life after 36 years in an Irish prison. He won't reveal any of the details of his incarceration, insisting only that he is innocent of any crime. His return should be of interest to no-one.

Winter in South Dakota. Blowing snow, icy roads, a tired driver. A bus skids and crashes and is stranded in a gathering storm. There's a small town twenty miles away, where a vulnerable witness is guarded around the clock. There's a strange stone building five miles further on, all alone on the prairie. There's a ruthless man who controls everything from the warmth of Mexico. Jack Reacher hitched a ride in the back of the bus. A life without baggage has many advantages. And crucial disadvantages too, when it means facing the arctic cold without a coat. But he's equipped for the rest of his task. He doesn't want to put the world to rights. He just doesn't like people who put it to wrongs.

Do you want to be happier? Do you want to stop feeling bad right now? Do you want to experience greater joy than ever before? What if it was possible to feel happier than you had ever imagined? Then this book and hypnosis CD are for you! It doesn't matter whether you are sad, bored, down, depressed, doing all right or quite happy - the system in this book will help you become a lot happier. Paul McKenna has spent the last 25 years studying and developing ways to make people happier and has created a system that has an immediate, extraordinary and measurable effect upon people's happiness levels. Recent scientific research shows that happiness levels are not fixed. To increase your happiness levels takes a small amount of regular effort over a few days, following simple instructions and using some powerful psychological techniques. The human mind is like a computer. It has its own software, which organises your thinking and behaviour. Almost all human problems are caused by negative programmes running in the unconscious mind. The hypnosis CD with this book helps you remove negative thinking and installs positive programmes which seek out and magnify the factors which create your happiness. You don't need faith in this system. Happiness is not a matter of luck or belief, it is created by particular ways of thinking and acting. Use this book, take control of your life and increase your happiness today!

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be! Except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

Built up over the millennia, layer upon layer, the City is ancient and vast. Over the centuries, it has sprawled beyond its walls, the cause of constant war with neighbouring people and kingdoms, laying waste to what was once green and fertile. And at the heart of the City resides the emperor. Few have ever seen him. Those who have remember a man in his prime and yet he should be very old. Some speculate that he is no longer human, others wonder if indeed he ever truly was. And a small number have come to a desperate conclusion: that the only way to stop the ceaseless slaughter is to end the emperor's unnaturally long life. From the rotting, flood-ruined catacombs beneath the City where the poor struggle to stay alive to the blood-soaked fields of battle where so few heroes survive, these rebels pin their hopes on one man. A man who was once the emperor's foremost general. A man, a revered soldier, who could lead an uprising and unite the City. But a man who was betrayed, imprisoned, tortured and is now believed to be dead...

There is no question that adopting a plant-rich diet is better for us - and for the planet - and given the recent meat and processed food crisis, people are becoming ultra vigilant about their diets and the fresh, wholesome food they want to eat. Skipping meat, even for a few days a week, can make a difference to your health and wellbeing, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavour. Today, vegetarian cooking has never been easier or more delicious thanks to the abundance of farmer's markets, the diverse range of fresh produce in our supermarket aisles, and the excellent choices of pastas, grains, pulses and even frozen food staples available to us. Meatless is an inspiring, beautifully illustrated new cookery book for committed vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Here you will find classics as well as soon-to-be favourites including: small plates and simple side dishes to mix and match (Fresh Pea Hummus, Baked Polenta Fries); stovetop suppers (Spring Vegetable Ragout; Southwestern Hash; Shiitake Fried Rice); soups, stews and chilli (Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Green Vegetable Curry; Marrakesh Stew); casseroles and other baked dishes (Herbed Ricotta Souffle, Portobello Gratins); substantial salads (Warm Edamame Salad; Roasted Tomato Tabbouleh; New Greek Salad); sandwiches, burgers and pizzas (Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza; Chipotle Avocado Sandwich); and, pasta and other noodles; (Rice Noodles & Broccoli Pesto; Two-bean Pasta Salad, No-bake Lasagna with Ricotta and Tomatoes). With an overview of items that build flavour and add protein, and essential recipes and techniques for vegetable stock, rice, dried beans, polenta, and much more, Meatless is destined to become a go-to favourite for vegetarians and meat-eaters - and a fabulous road map to a healthier lifestyle.

Crammed with everything you could ever need to know about Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn, this is the ultimate 100 per cent unofficial guide to all things One Direction! Complete with awesome activities and cool quizzes, this is the must-have book for all 1D fans! It's full of photos of the fantastic X-Factor five, plus there's the very latest news and gossip on how the boys are taking the US, and the world, by storm. And just when you thought this book couldn't get better, it did. With 8 stand-out pages of 3D photos of 1D, fans will never feel closer to their favourite pop stars!

Politicians have a notoriously bad reputation: one recent survey found people trust them less than used-car salesmen. Voter turn-out in most elections is shockingly low; and episodes like the MPs' expenses scandal of 2009 simply serve to confirm the opinion of many that 'they're all as bad as each other'. But deep down, most of us also know we are incredibly lucky to live in a democracy, with freedoms that billions of people across the planet would give anything to enjoy. So we are lucky - but still, we don't like our system and we don't trust our politicians. In the face of growing global unrest, from the Occupy movement and the 2011 summer riots to the Arab Spring, what is the answer? Part of the cure must be to better understand the disease: to understand how our democracy works, with all its strengths and weaknesses, achievements and archaisms, complexities and flaws. In Power to the People Dan Jellinek provides a unique and accessible guide to democracy in the UK, investigating how our government and our communities function, and the role that we, the general public, need to play to keep the wheels turning. If you want to know what it really means to be British, how your small actions can bring about big changes, and how you can improve your life and the lives of others then this book is a must-read. Wake up, stand up and be counted; the power is in your hands.

"It's said that a Jack Reacher novel is bought every four seconds somewhere in the world...Lee Child's genius has been to create a tough guy hero that men will envy and women will adore". (Daily Express). After an epic and interrupted journey all the way from the snows of South Dakota, Jack Reacher has finally made it to Virginia. His destination: a sturdy stone building a short bus ride from Washington D.C., the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP. It was the closest thing to a home he ever had. Why? He wants to meet the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner. He liked her voice on the phone. But the officer sitting behind Reacher's old desk isn't a woman. Why is Susan Turner not there? What Reacher doesn't expect is what comes next. He himself is in big trouble, accused of a sixteen-year-old homicide. And he certainly doesn't expect to hear these words: 'You're back in the army, Major. And your ass is mine.'Will he be sorry he went back? Or - will someone else?

Amazon made its mark sending new books quickly in nice, smile-embossed boxes. But its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, wasn't content with being a bookseller. He wanted Amazon to become the world's store, where everything is available to everyone, usually in 24 hours. To do so, he developed a corporate culture of relentless ambition and drive and revolutionized retail the way Ford revolutionized manufacturing. Brad Stone has been given unprecedented access to Amazon employees, both current and former, to give readers the first fly-on-the-wall narrative account of the world's largest online retailer. In a club of tech business innovators that includes Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, Bezos stands out for his hyper-competitive business strategies, which are leading Amazon to current ventures from hardware like e-readers and tablet PCs, web hosting for some of the world's most valuable companies, book publishing, and even a top secret space program. The Everything Store will be the revealing, definitive biography of the company and its genius creator.

Stephen Hawking has dazzled readers worldwide with a string of bestsellers exploring the mysteries of the universe. Now, for the first time, the most brilliant cosmologist of our age turns his gaze inwards for a revealing look at his own life and intellectual evolution. My Brief History recounts Stephen Hawking's improbable journey, from his post-war London boyhood to his years of international acclaim and celebrity. Lavishly illustrated with rarely seen photographs, this concise, witty and candid account introduces readers to a Hawking rarely glimpsed in previous books: the inquisitive schoolboy whose classmates nicknamed him 'Einstein'; the jokester who once placed a bet with a colleague over the existence of a black hole; and the young husband and father struggling to gain a foothold in the world of academia. Writing with characteristic humility and humour, Hawking opens up about the challenges that confronted him following his diagnosis of motor neurone disease aged twenty-one. Tracing his development as a thinker, he explains how the prospect of an early death urged him onwards through numerous intellectual breakthroughs, and talks about the genesis of his masterpiece A Brief History of Time - one of the iconic books of the twentieth century. Clear-eyed, intimate and wise, My Brief History opens a window for the rest of us into Hawking's personal cosmos.

Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood) is in Hollywood ! It's as if all her life has been leading to this moment. She's hanging out with the stars. Or at least she will be, when she finally gets to meet movie superstar Sage Seymour, whom husband Luke is now managing. There's so much to see and do! And getting Minnie through the hurdles for her A-list Hollywood pre-school will require some her help. Becky sets her heart on a new career - she's going to be a celebrity stylist. Red carpet, here she comes! But Becky soon finds it's tough in Tinseltown. Luckily her best friend Suze comes over to keep her company, and together they embark on the Hollywood insider trail But somehow ...things aren't quite working out as they'd hoped. Then Becky's big chance comes, and it's an opportunity that money can't buy. But will it cost her too much?