Penguin Group

He came home from work. She fixed him a martini. He said she looked beautiful. And then four catastrophic words hung in the air between them: I Want A Divorce. That was it. Suddenly Suzanne Finnamore was alone, with no idea of what to do next. What would she say to her young son when he woke up the next morning? How would she tell the world that he'd chosen to move on and leave her behind? She faced the news of her ex-husband's Thing Woman, she suffered the emptiness of a Valentine's Day alone, she drank all the mandarin-flavoured vodka that was festering in the freezer. But with a lot of grit and the help of her whiskey-toting mother, Bunny, and loyal friend Christian, she found the hope and humour to drag herself through. From her darkest moments of despair to the eventual freedom of life on her own, Suzanne's story will speak to anyone whose heart's been stamped on — and needed the strength to start afresh.

In the sticky summer heat unruly desires stir the blood... For Catullus, the brilliantly witty and outrageous young poet, and Clodia, his older, married lover, a borrowed villa in Rome is a secret, illicit meeting-place. When they are apart, Catullus burns with desire for 'his girl', while Clodia goes her own way among his rivals. Other passions simmer in the heat: the streets threaten to erupt in political violence, hearts sour and contemplate murder, and love and hate are dangerously entwined. Catullus' jealousy grows as toxic as hellebore or hemlock. Poisoning is a Roman art, and there is poison everywhere...

Thomas Friedman's phenomenal The World is Flat helped millions of people see globalization in a new way. Now he takes a fresh, provocative look at the biggest challenge facing us today — our hot, flat and crowded world. Climate change and rapid population growth mean that it's no longer possible for businesses, or the rest of us, to keep doing things the same old way. Things are going to have to change — and fast. Here Friedman provides a bold strategy for clean fuel, energy efficiency and conservation that he calls 'Code Green'. It will change everything, from what we put into our cars and see on our electricity bills to how we live our lives. Hot, Flat and Crowded is fearless, forward-looking and rich in common sense about the challenge — and the promise — of the future.

For most people, being a single mother to three boys (two of them teenagers), sorting out your feelings for an ex-boyfriend who's now an international film star, pacifying an elderly father who keeps asking why you're not married, tolerating your bigoted brother, while keeping out of the way of a dismissive film producer who seems to have made a mission out of annoying you, would be quite enough of a challenge. Annie Lester however, is not only trying to tackle all this — she's also doing it in the small Gulf emirate of Hawar where, in the summer of 2002, the impact of America's decision to invade Iraq is just beginning to be felt. As her well-organised life begins to unravel in the most unexpected ways, Annie has to make some difficult decisions, and question where her loyalties lie. Are her sons defined by who they are, or by what they do? Can a British woman ever really be at home in the Middle East? And can James Hartley, the blue-eyed heartthrob adored by millions, really be serious about someone as ordinary as Annie Lester believes herself to be?

Lover. Mother. Writer. Each of these roles has meant the world to Izzy Mulcahy. But now, as she stands accused of killing her elderly father, Izzy sets out on a journey of self-discovery and finds the three roles colliding in ways that both surprise and sustain her. However, her journey also leads her to conclude that when she stands up in court her testimony will have a devastating effect on the two loves of her life, her daughter, Star, and her soulmate, Zach...

Captain Robert Falcon Scott didn't start out life as a hero. In fact, as a boy and young man he was considered small, frail and shy. So what was it that turned this ordinary man into a legend? Through his gripping new account of how this modest naval officer became Scott of the Antarctic, Neil Oliver vividly relates the awe-inspiring tales that inspired Britain's greatest hero. And alongside these epics of courage, fortitude and sacrifice, Oliver tells the astonishing stories of those heroes who followed Scott and whose deeds stood comparison with this iconic explorer's own humbling example. From Rorke's Drift to the Battle of Britain and Nelson to Neil Armstrong, these are men who understood — as Scott always did — that it was more important to die a hero than live a coward's life.

What if your boyfriend died right in front of you? It was a night of laughter and celebration. But when John dies in a dreadful accident, his girlfriend Emma is plunged into despair. She loved John more than life itself — and now death has taken him from her. She feels nothing, she has lost everything, her world spins out of control. Or so she thinks. For Emma has friends — good friends who rally around. But the shocking memory of that night returns to haunt each of them in different and trying ways. And Emma knows that if she is ever to laugh at life again, or find love she once had, she will have to let go of the man she thought she couldn't live without. She must let go and trust her heart.

'She could look demure while behaving like an empress. Blonde, with eyes like pearls too big for her head, she was very striking, but marginally pretty and certainly not beautiful... But it was her edge that made her memorable — her upstart superiority, her reluctance to pretend deference to others'. Bette Davis was the commanding figure of the great era of Hollywood stardom, with a drive and energy that put her contemporaries in the shade. She played queens, jezebels and bitches, she could out-talk any male co-star, she warred with her studio, Warner Bros, worked like a demon, got through four husbands, was nominated for seven Oscars and — no matter what — never gave up fighting. This is her story.

'Cooper was heroic, of course, in his own mind as much as in his scripts. He was manly, tall, and ruggedly handsome. He was a man for a fight'. On screen he was the ultimate all-American hero: lean, laconic and masculine, a lone sheriff battling his enemies in High Noon, or a tough individualist in The Fountainhead. Off screen he bedded a host of leading ladies and carefully honed his image, making hundreds of movies and winning two Oscars in the process. Acclaimed film writer David Thomson explores the career and the contradictions of 'Coop', the star who lived the dream in the golden age of Hollywood.

Jim Lovelock is an iconic figure in British science, a prophet whose prophecies are coming true. This is his definitive authorised biography. Lovelock is best known as the 'father' of Gaia theory, which is now established as the most useful way of understanding the dramatic changes happening to the environment of the Earth. But few people know about his early work as a chemist and inventor — work which included inventing the detectors used to search for life on Mars, and blowing the whistle on the depletion of ozone layer. In his personal life, he was a Quaker and conscientious objector in World War Two (later changing his mind in view of the evils of Nazism), supported his family for a time by selling his own blood, and gave up a salary and security to become an independent scientist based in an English village — from which all his best known work emerged. As he approaches his 90th birthday, looking forward to going into space, this book truly reveals an independent, original and inspiring life.

Endpoint opens with a series of connected poems which were written on the occasions of Updike's recent birthdays and culminate in his confrontation with his final illness. They look back on the boy that Updike once was, on his family and little town and the circumstances that fed his love of writing. Then there are 'Other Poems', ranging from fanciful musings about what it would be like to be a stolen Rembrandt painting to celebratory outpourings that capture the spontaneity and flux of life. Finally, there is a set of sonnets, some of which are inspired by exotic travels in distant lands, and some of which simply take pleasure in the idiosyncrasies of nature in Updike's own backyard. For John Updike, the writing of poetry was always a special joy, and this final collection is an eloquent and moving testament to the life of this extraordinary writer.

This book helps you get your teeth into all things vampire. Does your child love vampires? Then bring them face to fang with these evil beings. From how to kill a vampire, to famous profiles including Vlad the Impaler, they'll find out everything they ever wanted to know about the world's most evil bloodsuckers. This book is packed with tons of creepy vampire facts and chilling illustrations — no vampire-lover should be without one.

The year is 1348 and the first plague victim has reached English shores. Panic erupts around the country and a small band of travellers comes together to outrun the deadly disease, unaware that something far more deadly is — in fact — travelling with them. The ill-assorted company — a scarred trader in holy relics, a conjurer, two musicians, a healer and a deformed storyteller — are all concealing secrets and lies. And at their heart is the strange, cold child — Narigorm — who reads the runes. But as law and order breaks down across the country and the battle for survival becomes ever more fierce, Narigorm mercilessly compels each of her fellow travellers to reveal the truth, and each in turn is driven to a cruel and unnatural death.

Take a fresh approach to Venice with this Step by Step guide, part of a brand new, stylishly designed series from Insight Guides. Lavishly illustrated in full colour, this book features irresistible self-guided walks and tours, written by a local expert and packed with great insider tips. Whether you are new to the city or a repeat visitor, whatever your interests, and however long your stay, this book is the perfect companion, showing you the smartest way to link the sights and taking you beyond the beaten tourist track. All the walks and tours come with clear, easy-to-follow full-colour maps and hand-picked places to eat and drink en route. A 'Key Facts' box at the start of each tour highlights the recommended time needed to enjoy it to the full, plus the distance covered and a start and end point; all this makes it simple to find the perfect tour for the time you have to spare. The book also recommends top tours by theme and includes a special 'Only in' feature, highlighting a number of experiences or attractions that are unique to the destination. In addition, it has background information on food, drink and shopping, plus a Directory section with a clearly organised A-Z list of practical information and hotel and restaurant listings to suit all budgets. The guide also comes with a free pull-out map, complete with street index and with the walks and tours clearly marked. This map is great for use both with and without the main book.

Insight Guides present the full breadth of each nation in a large format suitable for a thorough introduction to the people and sights, while cities and regions are presented in a portable format ideal for the discriminating urban explorer in pursuit of the best the area has to offer.

When Marnie Still receives a phone call that summons her to the side of a once-beloved friend, she is wrenched from her orderly London life and sent back into a past from which she has fled but never escaped. Ralph, Marnie and Oliver once knew each other well and are still inextricably bound by ties of love and betrayal. Now at last they meet again in Ralph's secluded cottage in the Scottish highlands, to spend the precious days that Ralph has left with each other. It is nearly Christmas; outside it is icy and dark, and inside time is running out. As they talk and share memories, Marnie is taken back to the summer all those years ago when everything changed between them and heartbreak and desire broke up their little group. Will Ralph have the chance to say what needs to be said before it's too late? Can they put the devastating events of twenty years ago to rest and rekindle the intimacy they once shared? Heartbreaking and poignant, The Winter House is the compelling story of families and lives assembled from the broken remains of what has been lost.

Dan Brown's new thriller The Lost Symbol is the biggest global publishing phenomenon since his runaway bestseller The Da Vinci Code. The new adventures of mystery-solving Professor of Symbology, Robert Langdon have attracted huge global interest and fresh controversies concerning Dan Brown's ideas, characters and thoughts on mythology and history. The Rough Guide to The Lost Symbol traces all the debates concerning religion and secret societies and the views of historians on Dan Brown's plots and ideas. It casts an eye on the locations of the book and how you can visit them and explains how The Lost Symbol connects to Brown's previous work and other books. Whether you are a Dan Brown fanatic, sceptic or agnostic there is no doubting the excitement generated by his exciting stories all of which are explored in this guide. This new Rough Guide has the key to understanding The Lost Symbol.

Richard's life is unravelling: his beautiful wife, Valerie, is having an affair, his son Maxence may (or may not) be mentally disturbed, and the idyllic life he'd hoped for when they moved to Provence has become more nightmare than paradise. Suddenly, a routine trip to Africa to sell pharmaceuticals is more than he can handle and his life starts to implode as he realizes that the idea of a life full of that love he has cherished is a mere illusion. For Richard and Valerie's neighbour Rachel, a trip to Africa also leads to feelings of confusion and doubt. Now Rachel, and her husband Jeff, as well as Richard and Valerie, are left groping for the things that once defined them. In this bold and tender story, both families find themselves desperately seeking the answer to one question: just what is the idea of love — and can it save them? But for the children in the story, the awkward unsettling Maxence and angelic little Maud, the idea of love is much simpler.

One of the most original, dazzling, and critically acclaimed debut novels this year. In this debut novel, hailed by Stephen King as aterrifying, touching, and wildly funny, a the stories of two strangers, Eugene Brentani and Mr. Schmitz, interweave. What unfolds is a bold reinvention of storytelling in which Eugene, a devotee of the reclusive and monstrous author, Constance Eakins, and Mr. Schmitz, who has been receiving ominous letters from an old friend, embark from New York for Italy, where the line between imagination and reality begins to blur and stories take on a life of their own.

Covert operative Micah Dalton is on the outs with his former bosses, staying off the radar and hopefully out of firing rangeauntil an attempt on his life forces him back to the CIA, where he must find an old associate whoas gone missing. But Micahas mission is not about a man. Itas about an elusive ship that is already heading west. And its cargo is death.

With their father and brother taken from them, the royal Eddon twins Barrick and Briony have done their best to hold the kingdom together. But now Barrick has been captured in a failed war against the immortal Twilight People and Briony has been forced to flee the castle. Old magics are stirring beneath the ancient castle and behind the Shadowline, and the machinations of gods, fairies, and mortals threaten to spread devastation across the entire world.

Since revealing their existence to the mortals of Chicago, the vampires are enjoying their celebrity status. But should people learn about the Raves — feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle — the citizens are certain to start sharpening their stakes.

Just as Troy Loensch comes into his own as a pilot with the United States Air Force, a private military contractor called Firehawk takes over. Troy isn't happy with the arrangement — and neither is the CIA. And when they ask Troy for help investigating Firehawk, he accepts — with explosive consequences...

Twenty five years later, revisiting the first authorized biography of Apple and its co-founder and celebrity CEO, Steve Jobs In 1984, «The Little Kingdom: The Private Story of Apple Computer» told the story of Apple's first decade alongside the histories of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Now, completely revised and expanded, «Return to the Little Kingdom» is the definitive biography of Apple and its founders from the very beginning. Moritz brings readers inside the childhood homes of Jobs and Wozniak and records how they dropped out of college and founded Apple in 1976. He follows the fortunes of the company through the mid-1980s, and in new material, tracks the development of Apple to the present and offers an insider's profile of Jobs, whose genius made Apple the powerhouse it is today. Required reading for everyone who's ever listened to music on an iPod, «Return to the Little Kingdom» is timely and thorough, and the only book that explains how Steve Jobs founded the company that changed our world.