Random House Inc.

Giles Andreae, 2009

Now readers can sing along with this hilarious book and CD read by Lenny Henry. You can never have enough pants, as this exuberant celebration of lots and lots more pants proves! Giles Andreae's brilliant rhyming text and Nick Sharratt's hilarious, vibrant illustrations will delight children and adults alike. Featuring amongst others, a hippo, a limousine and a dinosaur in pants, plus a rather embarrassed farty pants, this lively picture book is guaranteed to make you giggle! Подробнее

George's Secret Key to the Universe

Lucy and Stephen Hawking, 2008

Take a rollercoaster ride through the vastness of space and, in the midst of an exciting adventure, discover the mysteries of physics, science and the universe with George, his new friends next door – the scientist Eric and his daughter, Annie – and a super-intelligent computer called Cosmos, which can take them to the edge of a black hole and back again. Or can it? And who else would like to get their hands on Cosmos? A funny and hugely informative romp through space, time and the universe. Подробнее

Faith in Fakes

Umberto Eco, 1995

By the author of «The Name of the Rose», these essays, written over the last 20 years and culled from newspapers and magazines, explore the rag-bag of modern consciousness. Eco considers a wide range of topics, from «Superman» and «Casablanca», Federico Fellini and Michelangelo Antonioni, Jim Jones and mass suicide, and Woody Allen, to holography and waxworks, pop festivals and football, and not least the social and personal implications of tight jeans. Подробнее

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour

Ori Brafman, 2009

Why are we more likely to fall in love when we feel in danger? Why would an experienced pilot disregard his training and the rules of the aviation industry, leading to the deadliest airline crash in history? Why do we find it near-impossible to re-evaluate our first impressions of a person or situation, even when the evidence shows we were wrong? Discover the answers in «Sway». We all believe we are rational beings, yet the truth is that we’re much more prone to irrational behaviour than we realise or like to admit. In this compelling book, Ori and Rom Brafman reveal why. Looking at irrational behaviour in fields as diverse as medicine, archaeology and the legal system, they chart the psychological undercurrents that influence even our most basic decisions. In doing so they draw on the latest research in social psychology and behavioural economics to reveal the irresistible forces that sway us all. «Sway» is a fascinating insight into the way we all behave and will change the way you view the world. Подробнее

Buyology: How Everything We Believe About Why We Buy is Wrong

Martin Lindstrom, 2009

Most anti-smoking campaigns inadvertently encourage people to smoke. The scent of melons helps sell electronic products. Subliminal advertising may have been banned, but it's being used all the time. Product placement in films rarely works. Many multi-million pound advertising campaigns are a complete waste of time. These are just a few of the findings of Martin Lindstrom's groundbreaking study of what really makes consumers tick. Convinced that there is a gulf between what we believe influences us and what actually does, he set up a highly ambitious research project that employed the very latest in brain-scanning technology and called on the services of some 2000 volunteers. Buyology shares the fruits of this research, revealing for the first time what actually goes on inside our heads when we see an advertisement, hear a marketing slogan, taste two rival brands of drink, or watch a programme sponsored by a major company. The conclusions are both startling and groundbreaking, showing the extent to which we deceive ourselves when we think we are making considered decisions, and revealing factors as varied as childhood memories and religious belief that come together to influence our decisions and shape our tastes. Подробнее

Vampire Beach: Bloodlust/Initiation

Alex Duval, 2008

Jason and his sister have just moved to Malibu — to a town full of beautiful rich kids whose lives revolve around money, fashion, cars and parties. But these teens hide a dark — and dangerous secret... Bloodlust Jason gets swept along by the excitement of his new crowd and is flattered to be included — and also very flattered by the apparent interest of the stunning Sienna. But when he finds out the truth behind his new friends, Jason has to decide if he can accept the status quo. Everyone else seems to be able to — and it might just mean he could get closer to Sienna... Initiation Something happens to take Jason's mind of the gorgeouse Sienna when he realises that there's something weird going on in De Vere Heights. Could his Aunt Megan be involved somehow? And when his old friend Tyler turns up too, and starts to mess with the wrong people, Jason starts to understand that they're all playing with something much more dangerous than it first seemed... Подробнее

Vampire Beach: Ritual/Legacy

Alex Duval, 2008

Jason and his sister have just moved to Malibu — to a town full of beautiful rich kids whose lives revolve around money, fashion, cars and parties. But these teens hide a dark — and dangerous secret... Ritual Jason takes his sister to a New Age fair — and they visit a psychic. Jason is given a warning of great danger — and sure enough, he is soon after attacked by a mysterious assailant. When he wakes up in hospital he discovers that he's been shot with a crossbow. Who would use such a weapon — possibly some kind of vampire hunter? Could Sienna be the one who's really in danger? Initiation Jason's new-found happiness with Sienna is under threat when her parents find out. They don’t believe a human-vampire relationship can work and forbid Sienna from seeing Jason. Jason’s vampire aunt Bianca has a suggestion that might solve the problem — for ever... Jason has to make a decision that could change his life completely. There are exciting new possibilities right at his fingertips, but what hidden dangers lurk beneath the glamorous surface? Подробнее

Conspirator: Lenin in Exile

Helen Rappaport, 2009

»Conspirator» is the compelling story of Lenin in exile. It tells how, for seventeen years, he lived a hand-to-mouth existence outside Russia, working towards the upheaval that in 1917 transformed the political landscape of Europe: the Russian Revolution. Constantly watched by the secret police, the arch conspirator and his cohorts were dependent on the protection of a shadowy network of like-minded friends and supporters. Obsessive, penniless and driven, they took huge risks to publish and smuggle back into Russia the samizdat literature that spread their message. Lenin was always on the move, between the great cities of Europe — Paris, London, Geneva, Brussels and Munich — and the rural backwaters of Finland and Poland. He led an uncertain life, often under assumed names, fleeing lodgings at a moment's notice and frequently short of food. Helen Rappaport's lively account describes Lenin's triumphs and the conflicts, personal and political, with those who shared his exile. She builds up a vivid picture of Russian emigre life and of how Lenin and the Bolsheviks worked to achieve his vision of a Soviet social democracy. She also explores the toll that their extraordinary existence took not just on Lenin but on the loyal group that surrounded him, and particularly on the women in his life: his long-suffering wife, Nadezhda Krupskaya, his mother-in-law, and his mistress, Inessa Armand, as well as his mother and sisters back home. This is a book alive with fascinating detail, from Lenin's 1908 visit to the celebrated writer Maxim Gorky in Capri for a restorative holiday, to his trips to the working-men's music halls of Montmartre in Belle Epoque Paris, and the story of the London detective who kept Lenin under surveillance, hiding in a cupboard in a room above a pub in Islington as the fledgling party congress fomented revolution. With much new material from rare and previously overlooked sources, «Conspirator» puts Lenin's pre-revolutionary struggle for change in Russia into the wider context of the international socialist movement, revealing the human side of this revolutionary figure. It is an unrivalled portrait of Lenin in the making. Подробнее

Errornomics: Why We Make Mistakes and What We Can Do To Avoid Them

Joseph T. Hallinan, 2009

How did security staff at LA International Airport miss 75% of bomb-making materials that went through screening? Which way should you turn before joining a supermarket queue? Why should a woman hope it was a man who witnessed her bag being snatched? And what possessed Burt Reynolds to punch a guy with no legs? Human beings can be stubbornly irrational and wilfully blind … but at least we’re predictably wrong. From minor lapses (why we’re so likely to forget passwords) to life-threatening blunders (why anaesthetists used to maim their patients), Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Joseph T. Hallinan explains the everyday mistakes that shape our lives, and what we can do to prevent them happening. Подробнее

The Moon and Sixpence

W.Somerset Maugham, 2008

Charles Strickland, a conventional stockbroker, abandons his wife and children for Paris and Tahiti, to live his life as a painter. Whilst his betrayal of family, duty and honour gives him the freedom to achieve greatness, his decision leads to an obsession which carries severe implications. Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, «The Moon and Sixpence» is at once a satiric caricature of Edwardian conventions and a vivid portrayal of the mentality of a genius. Подробнее

The Last Watch

Sergei Lukyanenko, 2009

»The Last Watch» is the stunning sequel to the Night Watch trilogy, following the fortunes of the Others. Indistinguishable from normal people but possessed of supernatural powers and capable of entering the Twilight, a shadowy world that exists in parallel to our own, each Other owes allegiance either to the Dark, or to the Light...While on holiday in Scotland, visiting 'The Dungeons of Edinburgh', a young Russian tourist is murdered. As the police grapple with the fact that the cause of the young man's death was a massive loss of blood, the Watches are immediately aware that there is a renegade vampire on the loose. Anton — the hero of the Night Watch trilogy — is detailed to this seemingly mundane investigation, but begins to realise that there is much more to the story than a wildcat vampire and a single murder, and discovers that a team of unlicensed Others are hunting for a fabled magical treasure, hidden in the sixth level of the Twilight by Merlin himself. Подробнее

Disgrace (Vintage Booker Edition)

J.M. Coetzee, 2009

After years teaching Romantic poetry at the Technical University of Cape Town, David Lurie, middle-aged and twice divorced, has an impulsive affair with a student. The affair sours; he is denounced and summoned before a commitee of inquiry. Willing to admit his guilt, but refusing to yield to pressue to repent publicly, he resigns and retreats to his daughter Lucy's isolated small holding. For a time, his daughter's influence and natural rhythms of the farm promise to harmonise his discordant life. But the balance of power in the country is shifting. He and Lucy become victims of a savage and disturbing attack which brings into relief all the faultlines in their relationship. Подробнее

Possession: A Romance (Vintage Booker Edition)

A.S. Byatt, 2009

»Possession» is an exhilarating novel of wit and romance, at once a literary detective novel and a triumphant love story. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars investigating the lives of two Victorian poets.Following a trail of letters, journals and poems they uncover a web of passion, deceit and tragedy, and their quest becomes a battle against time. Подробнее

Associate

John Grisham, 2009

Kyle McAvoy is one of the outstanding legal students of his generation: he’s good-looking, has a brilliant mind and a glittering future ahead of him. But he has a secret from his past, a secret that threatens to destroy his fledgling career, and possibly his entire life. One night that secret catches up with him in the form of some bad men in a dark alley – they have a deeply compromising video of the incident that haunts him. The men make it clear to Kyle that he no longer owns his own future – that he mist do as they tell him or the video will be made public knowledge, with all the unpleasant consequences. What price do they demand for Kyle’s secret? Strangely, it is for Kyle to do exactly what any ambitious young lawyer would want to do: take a job in New York as an associate at the largest law firm in the world, a job that is incredibly well paid and, with mammoth hours and outrageous billing, could lead to partnership and a fortune. However, Kyle won’t be working for the company, but against it – passing on the secrets of the firm’s biggest trial to date, a dispute between two defence contractors worth billions of dollars to the victor. Now Kyle is caught between the criminal forces manipulating him, and the FBI who would love to unmask the conspiracy. Will his intellect, cunning and bravery be enough to extricate him from an impossible delemma? Подробнее

Comeback

Dick Francis, 1991

Peter Darwin was hoping for some quiet leave from the Foreign Office. Instead he found himself in the village of his childhood — at the service of a veterinary surgeon whose operating theatre was rapidly acquiring an unwanted reputation as an abattoir. The sudden unexplained death of a string of valuable racehorses from one small area in Gloucestershire was a mystery the police couldn't solve. But Darwin was local. He remembered the people and what was at stake...And now he know enough to get himself killed... Подробнее

The Second Plane: September 11, 2001-2007

Martin Amis, 2009

Martin Amis first wrote about September 11 a week later in a piece for «The Guardian beginning», ‘It was the advent of the second plane, sharking in low over the Statue of Liberty: that was the defining moment’. And he has kept returning to September 11, in essays and reviews, and in two remarkable short stories, 'In the Palce of the End' and 'The Last Days of Muhammad Atta'. All are collected here, together with an expanded account of his travels with Tony Blair in 2007 — to Belfast, to Washington, and to Baghdad and Basra. 'We are arriving at an axiom in long-term thinking about international terrorism', he writes: 'the real danger lies, not in what it inflicts, but in what it provokes. Thus by far the gravest consequence of September 11, to date, is Iraq ... Meanwhile, September 11 continues, it goes on, with all its mystery, its instability, and its terrible dynamism'. Подробнее

The Luck of the Bodkins

P.G. Wodehouse, 2008

Seize this wonderful chance to embark on a Wodehousian voyage on the luxurious liner S.S. Atlantic – in the company of Monty Bodkin, whose passion for Gertrude Butterwick knows no bounds (except those set by the wild-at-heart Hollywood starlet Lotus Blossom and her pet alligator). Also aboard are a movie mogul, the centre-forward for the All-England ladies hockey team and the two Tennyson brothers (one of whom has been mistaken for the late poet laureate and given a fat movie contract…). Also a chatty steward, and a mouse doll in which all manner of things can be hidden. This is Wodehouse afloat – a voyage of pure delight. Подробнее

The Thought Gang

Tibor Fischer, 2009

A black comedy in the grand tradition of word-drunk intellectuals-en-dementia, The Thought Gang follows the larcenous adventures of blackout alcoholic philosopher Eddie Coffin, who, in the wake of scandal, flees his professorship in England to begin the next logical step in his career: robbery. Coffin and his new partner in crime and metaphysics, Hubert the one-armed armed robber, road-trip across the Continent in a spree of crime and epistemology, arguing a cracked history of Western philosophy and plumbing the meaning of life. Подробнее

The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein

Peter Ackroyd, 2009

'It was at Oxford that I first met Bysshe. We arrived at our college on the same day; confusing to a mere foreigner, it is called University College. I had seen him from my window and had been struck by his auburn locks'. The long-haired poet — 'Mad Shelley' — and the serious-minded student from Switzerland spark each other's animated interest in the new philosophy of science which is over-turning long-cherished beliefs. Perhaps there is no God. In which case, where is the divine spark, the soul? Can it be found in the human brain? the heart? the eyes? Victor Frankenstein begins his anatomy experiments in a barn in the secluded village of Headington, near Oxford. The coroner's office in Clarendon Street provides corpses — but they have often died of violence and drowning: they are damaged and putrifying. Victor moves his coils and jars and electrical fluids to a deserted pottery manufactury in Limehouse. And, from Limehouse, makes contact with the Doomesday Men — the resurrectionists. He pays better than any hospital for the bodies of the very recently dead. Even so, perfect specimens are hard to come by ... until that Thames-side dawn when Victor, waiting, wrapped in his greatcoat, on his wooden jetty, hears the splashing of oars and sees in the half-light that slung into the stern of the approaching boat is the corpse of a handsome young man, one hand trailing in the water.... Подробнее

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

Bill Bryson, 2006

God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath — The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, «A Walk in the Woods» will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans. Подробнее

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