Penguin Group

How do we really make ourselves understood to other people? This question is at the heart of David Bellos' funny, wise and life-affirming language book, which shows how, from puns to poetry, news bulletins to the Bible, Asterix to Swedish films, translation is at the heart of everything we do — and makes us who we are. It was selected by The New York Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2011. A wonderful, witty book... richly original, endlessly fascinating... for anyone interested in words.

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

When Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election, he also won a long-running debate with his wife Michelle. Contrary to her fears, politics now seemed like a worthwhile, even noble pursuit. Together they planned a White House life that would be as normal and sane as possible. Then they moved in. In The Obamas, the New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor takes us deep inside the White House as they grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, maintain friendships, and figure out what it means to be President and First Lady.

In The Quest, master storyteller, leading energy expert and Pulitzer prize-winner for The Prize, Daniel Yergin shows us how energy is the ultimate engine of global political and economic change, in a gripping story that spans the old energies on which our civilization has been built, the new energies that are competing to replace them, and the battle over climate change. Epic in scope and never more timely, The Quest vividly reveals the decisions, technologies, and individuals that are shaping our future.

From the acclaimed bestselling author of Sushi for Beginners and Angels comes a collection of personal essays on shopping, writing, movie-making, motherhood and all the assorted calamities involved in being a savvy woman in the new millennium. Her novels are read and adored by millions around the world, and with Under the Duvet, Marian Keyes tackles the world of nonfiction. These are her collected pieces: regular bulletins from the woman writing under the covers. Marian loves shoes and her LTFs (Long-Term Friends), hates realtors and lost luggage, and she once had a Christmas office party that involved roasting two sheep on a spit, Moroccan-style. She's just like you and me... Featuring a wide compilation of Marian's journalism from magazines and newspapers, plus some exclusive, previously unpublished material, Under the Duvet is bursting with funny stories: observations on life, in-laws, weight loss, parties and driving lessons that will keep you utterly gripped — either wincing with recognition or roaring with laughter.

In this monumental multiple biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin studies Abraham Lincoln's mastery of men. She shows how he saved Civil War-torn America by appointing his fiercest rivals to key cabinet positions, making them help achieve his vision for peace. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it's an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. A book to bury yourself in.

Tara, Katherine and Fenton have been best friends since they were teenagers. Now in their early thirties, they've been living it up in London for ten years. And now all three are drinking in the last chance saloon and they're about to discover that if you don't change your life, life has a way of changing you...

Offers the author's observations on: life, in-laws, weight loss and parties; her love of shoes and her LTFs (Long-Term Friends); the horrors of estate agents and lost luggage; and, how she once had an office Christmas party that involved roasting two sheep on a spit, Moroccan style.

Hot-shot magazine editor Lisa Edwards' career is destined for high-rise New York when suddenly she's diverted to low-rise Dublin. But what can she do about it? Ashling Kennedy, Lisa's super-organized assistant, worries about everything from her lack of waist to the lack of men in her life. She's even anxious about of a little bit of raw fish...

Babies and toddlers will love this interactive touch-and-feel Moo! Moo! tab book from the best-selling Ladybird Baby Touch series. It enables them to use the animal-shaped tabs to help turn the pages and find and name the different bright farm-themed pictures throughout, from cow and pig to tractor and barn. There are also big, stimulating touch-and-feel areas to stroke and talk about on every page — which animal feels furry? Which one feels smooth? This Ladybird Baby Touch title is a perfect first word book for all young fans of the farm.

Is death the end... or only the beginning? Ethan Wate always dreamed of leaving the stifling Southern town of Gatlin. But he never dreamt that finding love with Lena Duchannes would drive him away. Lena is a Caster girl whose supernatural powers unveiled a secretive and cursed side of Gatlin, so powerful it forced him to make a terrible sacrifice. Now Ethan must find a way to return to Lena — and Gatlin — as she vows to do whatever it takes to get him back. Even if it means trusting old enemies or risking their loved ones' lives. Can Ethan and Lena rewrite their fate and their spellbinding love story in this stunning finale to the Beautiful Creatures series?

It is 1910, the age of flying machines is still in its infancy, and newspaper publisher Preston Whiteway is offering $50,000 for the first daring aviator to cross America in less than fifty days. He is even sponsoring one of the prime candidates-an intrepid woman named Josephine Frost-and that's where Bell, chief investigator for the Van Dorn Detective Agency, comes in. Frost's violent-tempered husband has just killed her lover and tried to kill her, and he is bound to make another attempt. Bell has tangled with Harry Frost before; he knows that the man has made his millions leading gangs of thieves, murderers, and thugs in every city across the country. He also knows that Frost won't be only after his wife, but after Whiteway as well. And if Bell takes the case . . . Frost will be after him, too.

Nigel Slater presents over 350 creative, delicious and nourishing recipes and suggestions for those who'd rather spend more of their time eating than cooking. From simple snacks to dinner-party desserts, all the dishes in Real Fast Food can be ready to eat in 30 minutes or under.

This title presents ten terrifying tales of life as a wartime fighter pilot, from the master of the short story, Roald Dahl. During the Second World War Roald Dahl served in the RAF and even suffered horrific injuries in an air crash in the Libyan desert. Drawing on his own experiences as a fighter pilot, Dahl crafted these ten spine-tingling stories: of air battles in the sky; of the nightmare of being shot down; the infectious madness of conflict; and, the nervy jollity of the Mess and Ops room. Dahl brilliantly conveys the bizarre reality of a wartime pilot's daily existence, where death is a constant companion and life is lived from one heartbeat to the next. Stories include: Death of an Old Man, An African Story, A Piece of Cake, Madame Rosette, Katina, Yesterday was Beautiful, They Shall Not Grow, Beware of the Dog, Only This, and Someone Like You.

The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles is art critic Martin Gayford's account of the tumultuous nine weeks in which the famous nineteenth century artists Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin shared a house in the small French town of Arles.

Soon China will rule the world. But in doing so, it will not become more 'Western'. Martin Jacques' groundbreaking book overturns conventional thinking about the ascendancy of China, showing how its impact will not just be economic, but cultural. As China's powerful civilization reasserts itself, it will signal the end of the global dominance of the Western nation-state, and the start of a future of 'contested modernity'. This profound, far-sighted book explains for the first time the deeper meaning of China's rise to power.

In 1960 Jack Kerouac was near breaking point. Driven mad by constant press attention in the wake of the publication of On the Road, he needed to 'get away to solitude again or die', so he withdrew to a cabin in Big Sur on the Californian coast. The resulting novel, in which his autobiographical hero Jack Duluoz wrestles with doubt, alcohol dependency and his urge towards self-destruction, is one of Kerouac's most personal and searingly honest works. Ending with the poem 'Sea: Sounds of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur', it shows a man coming down from his hedonistic youth and trying to come to terms with fame, the world and himself.

Desolation Angels is the wild and soulful story of the legendary road trip that Jack Kerouac took before the publication of On the Road, told through the persona of Jack Duluoz and accompanied by his thinly-disguised Beat cohorts Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and William Burroughs. As they hitch, hop freight trains, walk and talk their way across the world, from California to Mexico, London to Paris and on to opium-ridden Tangiers, Kerouac chronicles their poetry, partying, mountain vigils and spiritual contemplation with unsurpassable energy and humanity.

Jack Kerouac called Doctor Sax, the enigmatic figure who haunted his boyhood imagination, 'my ghost, personal angel, private shadow, secret lover'. In this extraordinary autobiographical account of growing up in Lowell, Massachussetts, told through his fictional alter ego Jack Duluoz, he mingles real people and events with fantastical figures to capture the accents, scents, sights and texture of his childhood: playing among the river weeds and railroad tracks, going to church, witnessing life and death on the street corners. Written when he was staying with William Burroughs in Mexico in 1952, Doctor Sax was Kerouac's favourite of all his books: a dark, vivid and magical evocation of a boy's vibrant inner life.

Get cooking simple and delicious meals with Nigel Slater's Real Cooking. 'This is real cooking. The roast potato that sticks to the roasting tin; the crouton from the salad that has soaked up the mustardy dressing ... these are the things that make something worth eating. And worth cooking' Nigel Slater. Nigel Slater's sumptuous recipes are not about making fancy stocks and sauces or perfecting spun-sugar baskets. They are about using the best quality ingredients to make food that is a joy to eat. Freshness, simplicity and flavour: these are what count for Nigel Slater in the easy-to-follow and deliciously satisfying meals contained in Real Cooking. Nigel Slater is the Observer's food writer, writing a month column for Observer Food Monthly. Real Fast Food was shortlisted for the Andre Simon Award while The 30-Minute Cook was nominated for both the Glenfiddich and Julia Child Awards. In 1995 he won the Glenfiddich Trophy and he has twice won the Cookery Writer of the Year Award as well as being named Media Personality of the Year in the 1996 Good Food Awards. His other bestselling books include Real Fast Puddings, Real Food, Appetite and The Kitchen Diaries.

Harmony, Texas, librarian Emily has started a writing group. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Harmony's library. Now she must deal with a secret she's kept for 15 years Na secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future.

Ladybird's My First Storytime Treasury is a big, colourful book packed with eight gentle, funny animal and vehicle stories. The jolly characters range from lions and tigers to kittens, puppies and even a tractor — all the things that young children most like to hear about. An ideal Christmas or birthday gift, My First Storytime also has a squishy padded cover and shiny foil on the front, and an attached ribbon bookmark to hold your place. It's perfect for sharing with children at storytime or bedtime! Stories include: The Trouble with Thomas Tiger, Don't Worry Henry Puppy, Alfie Kitten Makes a Friend, Hannah Hippo's New Helper, Sam Tractor to the Rescue, Sophie Snake Gets in a Twist, Daisy Learns to Dance and Lewis Lion Learns to Roar.

For years Rupert Murdoch's newspapers had been hacking, spying, blagging, bribing and destroying the evidence. They thought they were untouchable. They were wrong. This is the book that exposed the shadow state at the heart of Britain. Now fully updated with the very latest in the News Corp scandal, it tells the story of how a criminal conspiracy involving politicians, the police and the press was revealed; the smears and threats they used to cover it up; the brave whistleblowers who cracked open the case — and what it now means for all of us.

Assassin's Creed: Forsaken is the latest thrilling novelization by Oliver Bowden based on the phenomenally successful game series. The new game, Assassin's Creed III, takes one of gaming's most popular franchises to new heights in its most realistic world yet and introduces a brand new Assassin, Connor. During the American Revolution, Connor has sworn to secure liberty for his people and his nation and unleashes his powerful skills on the chaotic, blood-soaked battlefields of the hostile American wilderness. Assassin's Creed: Forsaken is the story behind who Connor really is and how he has become a deadly killer.