Duckworth Books strana 2 z 4

MANGER DANGER!When ALIENS invade on the day of the school Christmas play, nativity sheep Finley Swinnerton and his festive troupe are hurled into EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL peril. Can lamb-with-a-plan Finley save Christmas? Will the Nativity go ahead? And does he HAVE to save Brussels sprout? oin Finley and his best friend Lyra for a FESTIVE FORAY full of stars, BAA’s and ta-da’s as they go toe-to-tentacle with the galaxy’s slimiest and grimiest grinches in this hilarious battle to rescue Christmas. It’s going to be Bethle-may-hem… It’s TEACHERS versus ALIENS… versus THE NATIVITY!

'An engrossing, slickly plotted policier that will leave you wanting more' TOM BENJAMIN, author of the Daniel Leicester mysteriesA HEADLESS MAN. A MISSING GIRL. A LIFE RULED BY SECRETS. When a decapitated body washes up on the banks of the River Loire in the ancient city of Tours, the reluctant juge d’instruction Matthieu Lombard is brought in to lead the investigation. But when Lombard’s young niece appears, the inquiry changes course. Suddenly immersed in another world – one of eco-terrorism, bio-medical research, French aristocracy and the violent forgotten underbelly of society – Lombard begins to make unexpected connections. Can the brutal murder of a lonely man really be justified by a noble cause? Or are good intentions hiding darker motives, more cynical and more deadl? he second book in the gripping new crime series from The Times-bestselling author of Death and Croissants

All things were believable back then ? wizards, alchemy, fairies, angels. This is the story of those magical times.A lyrical and highly atmospheric exploration of the lives of Tudor and Renaissance magicians, men from Dee to Kepler to Bruno, who were also scientists, astrologers, mathematicians and alchemists. Their studies, books and ideas still permeate scientific history - as well as literature and film from Philip Pullman to CS Lewis, but what do we know of the rest of their households; the lovers, wives, mothers and daughters? In The Years of the Wizard, Rachel Morris also vividly reimagines the less documented lives of the magician''s families and lovers. From those who supported the travelling households - packing up the libraries, feeding the assistants, entertaining the patrons, educating the children - as well as those archiving, documenting and collaborating with their magical work.With vivid storytelling Rachel Morris magically animates both the known past lives of these extraordinary men and the imaginary stories of the less documented women, elders and children in this era of discovery and magic.

When the Tarot was invented in Italy during the early fifteenth century, it was simply a pack of cards used for playing games, but today the cards are used throughout the world and not only for fortune telling – for true believers they are the key to secret knowledge and the meaning of life. A History of the Occult Tarot is the classic work on the history of the Tarot deck and its use in occult circles. Decker and Dummett examine how the Tarot became the favoured divination tool of occultists from the late nineteenth century – a bridge to the spirit world, a map of the unconscious. From Theosophical to Aleister Crowley to the Order of the Golden Dawn and P.D. Ouspensky, this compelling survey of the Tarot's history describes the many fascinating decks imagined over time as well as the secret histories of the mystics who devised them.

Hettie, Tilly, Bruiser and the Butter sisters set out across the snowy fens to spend Christmas at The Fishgutter’s Arms. Snowed in with no hope of rescue, they find themselves sharing Christmas with some unwanted guests. Will the ghosts of Christmas Past wreak vengeance on the present? Can our feline detectives dig themselves out of a spooky festive fiasco? And will the sausage rolls and sherry last until midnigh? ump on board for a cat-a-strophic sleigh ride into a snow drift full of Christmas spirits.

'Oh, what lives they both led!' Spectator'Enriched by the correspondence between the twins – for, ultimately, the great love story is theirs alone' TelegraphA TLS Book of the YearWhen her mother Celia Paget died, Ariane Bankes inherited a battered trunk stuffed with letters and diaries belonging to Celia and her twin Mamaine. This correspondence charted the remarkable lives of the Paget sisters and their friends and lovers, including Arthur Koestler, Albert Camus, Sartre and de Beauvoir, and George Orwell. Out of this rich archive, The Quality of Love weaves the story of these captivating and unusually beautiful identical twins who overcame a meagre education to take 1930s London society by storm and move among Europe’s foremost intellectuals during the twentieth century’s most dramatic decades. Above all, it is a sparkling portrait of the deep connection between two spirited sisters.

A compendium of new writing telling of little known journeys and uncovered histories of railway routes around the world - from the UK, Europe and Africa to North America, the Middle East and Asia. This collection will appeal to general readers around travel, history and railways, as well as readers of post-colonial writings, geo-political explorations or global family histories.From the Burmese highlands to the British Pennines, from the history of a precipitous coastal stretch of Indian railroad to a cross-continent odyssey on African railways, this is a new way of exploring the world and its history, by train.The Untold Railways Stories is a testament to both the joy and impact of train travel - to the ambition and ingenuity, and also to destruction and sacrifice within the history of passenger railways - and is published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of first passenger railway line.

'Smart and gripping – I read it in one sitting. Tara is a glorious creation, crackling with life and aspiration and sensuality' Kamila Shamsie, author of Home FireWINNER OF THE STANFORDS FICTION AWARD 2026SHORTLISTED FOR THE NOTA BENE PRIZE 2026------------An unforgettable story of motherhood, obsession and ambitionIn a village in rural Pakistan, Tara is waiting and watching. The smell of dung and dust hangs over her world. She is desperate to leave the petty life of the village and escape the iron grip of her violent, unpredictable brother. Marrying a middle-class accountant allows her to escape to the capital, but she soon finds that life as a respectable housewife is not sufficient either. She wants what the rich mothers at her children’s school have. She wants what their husbands have. But can she truly shake her past? And what of the menacing spectre of her brother, a reminder of the threads that tie her to the life she left behin? et against a hypnotic, oppressive backdrop of political violence and natural disaster, A Splintering traces the class struggle of a woman stuck between province and metropolis, between motherhood and ambition. Disquieting and utterly gripping, it is an extraordinary achievement by Dur e Aziz Amna, an exploration of a complex and unforgettable character who will risk everything to carve out a life of her own.

A gripping story of rescue, survival and female solidarity. In the twenty years since 2001, Afghan women obtained legal degrees, became judges and set out to transform their country – tackling corruption, and reducing horrifying levels of violence against women and children. These educated and powerful women led the mission to build a modern democracy. However, when Western forces withdrew in August 2021, the women judges of Afghanistan and their families faced mortal danger. The Escape from Kabul is the never-before-told story of the escape of nearly 200 women and their families, thanks to a network of professional friends, female judges and lawyers from around the world, who refused to abandon them to the Taliban. A searing insight into the challenges of safely building a new life overseas and also the captive fate of women in Afghanistan. ‘Anyone concerned about the fragility of rights or the isolation of those living under repression should read this book’ Martha Minow, author of When Should Law Forgive?

Beyond the booze and the bratwurst: what football really tells us about GermanyGermany is one of the world’s great footballing powers. Four-time World Cup winners, Euro 2024 hosts and home to clubs like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, the country’s notorious winning mentality and vibrant fan culture are as famous as its beer and its cars. But if you look closer, what does the beautiful game really tell us about German history, culture and societ? layed in Germany takes us on a journey through modern Germany’s football heartlands in search of the issues that define it. Through the songs, stadiums and simmering resentments of football, Kit Holden sheds light on a nation so diverse and divided that the only thing that really unites it is the game itself. From the author of Sports Book Awards-shortlisted Scheisse! We're Going Up!

?If you are reading this, it means that I have just become a mother'' Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett began writing The Republic of Parenthood in the final weeks of her pregnancy. The plan was to document, in real time, what it means to be a parent in Britain today. But when her son was born five weeks early, she found herself catapulted into parenthood: a world of crushing love, and fear, and hope.Drawn from Cosslett?s agenda-setting Guardian column and beautifully illustrated by Pia Bramley, The Republic of Parenthood is a fearless account of the first years of this new life. From Rachel Cusk to Anne Enright, many seminal writers have tackled the subject but, as a new generation become parents, Cosslett uses razor-sharp honesty and great humour to explore the unique challenges they face. The Republic of Parenthood wrestles with the entire joyful, overwhelming, messy experience, whether writing about the impact of Britain?s catastrophic childcare system, or the quest for the pair of socks that can withstand a persistent toddler''s best efforts. At its heart is the understanding that something so entirely personal is also political; a paeon to love and pain, and one that will resonate with weary parents everywhere.

Planning your wedding ought to be a straightforward business when the proposal has been accepted and everyone is pleased for you. But for bride-to-be Susan Jones, a beloved village resident with a strong-minded daughter, things aren’t as simple as she’d hoped. Friends and neighbours compete to give the bride away, arguments break out over who will make her lace veil and even the newlyweds' future home is chosen for them. For the little seaside haven of Combe Tollbridge, marrying Susan Jones to Mickey Binns indeed takes a village!

From streets to cars, parks to barbers, nightclubs to restaurants, these nine exuberant essays explore how we meet fellow humans, how we share space and what we gain from the physical presence and interactions of others. ''I have spent most of the last sixteen years creating unusual performances in everyday locations - in cafes and cinemas, on rooftops, in parks and out on the crowded streets of towns and cities. Doing so has meant spending a lot of time thinking carefully about these everyday spaces and the kinds of encounters we have in them. Encounterism draws from this history of messing around in everyday life to tell stories about a range of ordinary human encounters. The kind of interactions - with hairdressers, nightclubbers or strangers we pass on the street - that would normally disappear unnoticed into the great ocean of activity occurring around them. Our lives are littered with these little interactions, occupying a grey space between ritual and routine. Ways of meeting we

It’s 1599. Fang and Lazare are on the run with their friends Amber, Nell and half-fae child Tem. The news that Tem possesses the power to make humans immortal is spreading across London like wildfire – and has even reached the ears of the ailing Queen Elizabeth Tudor. Desperate to avoid capture by the English crown, keep Tem safe, reverse their curse and not all die, the gang flee to The Lost City of Llanelli, the realm of the dragon queen Redthroat the Invincible. Rumoured to have almighty power, does Redthroat really have the answers to their problems? And if they can stop getting attacked by muggers, harpies and dragons for five minutes, might Fang and Lazare be able to confess that they are falling in lov? ropes:Grumpy x SunshineFound familyDragons, vampires and supernatural beingsMild spice

Longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2024With dizzying acuity and insight, Roberts paints a portrait of a life and its landscapes, creating precious connections with wild creatures and places, from swans in the Cambrian Mountains to wolves in the Pacific Northwest.By walking at dawn and dusk, in the two lights of awakening and deepening - through the stripped, windswept hills of Wales, and the jungles and savannahs of Africa - he navigates from a soul-stripping sense of loss towards hope in the future. In the presence of wild creatures he finds a way back to life.

Chief Inspector Pel has been kidnapped. Or is he being held for ransom, traded for the release of prisoners, or has he perhaps been murdered? He is, in any event, missing. To make matters worse, the press report the escape of the notorious Poltergeist from a high-security prison. Just when things can’t get more desperate, a fantastic robbery from the gunroom of Baron de Charnet’s chateau takes place and a collection of diamonds is stolen from a high-street jeweller’s safe. Moody, sharp-tongued and worrying constantly about his health, Inspector Pel normally ensures that no case goes unsolved, in these mordantly witty French mysteries.