The New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how “cultish” groups, from Jonestown and Scientologists to SoulCycle and social media gurus, use language as the ultimate form of power.

What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .

Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.

Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.

Hundreds of years ago, a brutal war split a land in two. Starside is the realm of magic and immortals –the descendants of the gods, living in a power-rich paradise. Stormside is where mortals fight for scraps of that magic.

Every fifty years, the gates between them open, and fifty challengers are allowed to journey across Starside on a deadly quest to access a pool of magic that can heal, grant wealth, or extend life. Everyone has their reasons for entering, but Aris has only one: vengeance. As a child, a goddess set fire to her village, killing her family. Aris isn't after the gods' magic – she's going to kill them.

First, she must survive the Culling, the king's deadly competition to choose his fifty challengers. An orphaned blacksmith's apprentice, Aris doesn't have the superior weapons of the heirs from the Great Houses. But the greatest swords – ones that contain power – are not inherited or bought, they are claimed, by both sides. And when Aris claims a great sword, it makes her not just a real competitor – but a target.

Getting past the gates is only the beginning. Starside is deadlier than it seems. If the ancient creatures, magic-wielding beasts, and bloodthirsty immortals weren't dangerous enough, a new peril has even immortals fearing what rises from the ground at night. With a blade most would kill to claim, Aris can't trust anyone. Especially not Harlan Raker, the merciless and mysterious king's guard who betrayed her years ago – and who may now be the key to her survival.

But Aris is hiding a secret tied to her family's death. And when it's revealed, not even the gods will be able to stop what's coming…

New York Admirals captain Scott Hunter takes his pregame rituals very seriously. When a particular smoothie precedes Scott's breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic…and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter.

Kip Grady knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon—and more. What goes on between them is hot, incredible and frequent…but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors.

Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career or the public’s image of what a hockey captain should be. Kip is ready to go all in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

At last, here is the ultimate celebration of the nation's beloved sitcom from its legendary creator, John Cleese. Enjoy the behind-the-scenes magic, with stunning on-set photographs from the archives ... and a laugh a page!

Duck surprise. The car that wouldn't start. The psychiatrists. Those builders...

Fifty years ago Fawlty Towers hit British TV screens for the first time, becoming an instant classic. Now for the first time John Cleese tells his stories from behind the scenes of his favourite moments. From writing scripts that were so carefully planned they were double the length of similar shows', to casting, lighting, how the show was almost cancelled before it started, and other production shenanigans, these are your favourite moments from Fawlty Towers as you've never seen them before. Exploring the how and why of creating classic comedy, there is a laugh on every page, and a dose of nostalgia for vintage TV fans. With gorgeous commissioned illustration and archival imagery, the book revisits such iconic scenes as Basil thrashing his car, a rat appearing in a box of cheese biscuits, and Basil goose-stepping across the dining room to an audience of horrified guests.

Written by and starring Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth, the first series of Fawlty Towers aired in 1975, with a second series broadcast in 1979. It featured Cleese as the irascible hotel manager Basil Fawlty, Prunella Scales as his sybaritic wife Sybil, Andrew Sachs as the hapless waiter Manuel, and Booth as Polly, an efficient waitress and art student. It won three BAFTAS and, despite having only 12 episodes in total, continues to be regularly voted the best sit-com in British history.

There’s a tempest brewing in Central America. A government crackdown on cartels leaves most of the drug lords locked up in an impregnable prison. In response, Amador Fierro, a brilliant, tech-savvy crime boss forges the seven largest cartels into an allegiance called La Liga. If they are to defeat the U.S. led offensive, they will need a powerful weapon. Thus is born Project Q: an Artificial General Intelligence computer that, when finished, will grant Fierro such overwhelming control of America.
 
Chairman Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon are the only ones standing in his way, but they have their own problems. While two members of the team are unreachable in the Darien Gap searching for an Iranian Quds Force base, the Oregon crew have a mole in their midst. Meanwhile, other dark forces are at play, competing for the all consuming power at hand.
 
The race to stop the launching of Project Q will come down to the wire. It’s a race neither Juan Cabrillo, nor the western world, can afford to lose . . .

In a world of constant motion, where desires and dreams often feel just out of reach, “Yoshuku” offers a path to manifestation rooted in ancient Japanese wisdom and introduces you to the gentle power of collective intention and pre-celebration - a practice that not only shapes your future but uplifts those around you.

Azumi Uchitani, an internationally acclaimed cultural communicator, unveils the secrets of Yoshuku―a long-established Japanese approach to bringing your deepest wishes into reality. With the same quiet profundity found in concepts like wabi-sabi, Yoshuku teaches us that the key to manifesting lies not in relentless pursuit, but in mindful anticipation and shared joy.

In these pages, you'll discover:

- How to harness the power of collective energy to manifest your goals
- Ancient Japanese rituals seamlessly adapted for modern life
- The art of pre-celebration and its role in attracting positive outcomes
- Techniques to cultivate harmony between your desires and the world around you
- Ways to enrich not only your own life but the lives of those in your community

"Yoshuku" is more than a book―it's an invitation to slow down, tune into the rhythms of the universe, and gently guide your destiny. Whether you're familiar with manifestation techniques or new to the concept, this book will lead you to a more intentional, fulfilling life.

Embrace the Japanese art of manifesting and watch as your world transforms, one shared celebration at a time.

Thea Fox is just twelve years old when her parents are brutally slain. With Thea's help the police are able to put their murderer - a psychotic serial killer called Ray Riggs - behind bars for life. Changed forever, Thea slowly learns to come to terms with the events of that terrible night and builds a new life in a small country town where she can breathe in the smells of pine, fresh bread and her grandmother's homemade candles.

But the connection that helped Thea put her parents' killer behind bars will come to haunt her. Though her Grandmother calls it a gift, to Thea it feels more like a curse because Ray feels the connection too and though Thea may try to move on, Ray isn't willing to let her go quite so easily...

366 Devotions on Following Jesus and Living Life to the Full

As believers in Christ we long for eternity and for the day we will be united with our beloved Savior. But how should we live in the meantime and how should we handle all that comes our way? Firm Faith is a 366-day devotional that will help you to live a godly life built on an unbreakable foundation of unwavering faith. With a steadfast conviction in God, you will be equipped to navigate any challenge, difficulty or uncertainty you might face in this life.

Join Angus Buchan on a yearlong journey of living each day to the full for Jesus and finishing your race on this earth strong, steadfast and victorious.

• 366 devotions with key Scripture verses.
• 392 pages.
• Hardcover with ribbon marker.
• Also available in Afrikaans under the title Vaste geloof.

As gelowiges in Christus sien ons uit na die ewigheid en om eendag by ons geliefde Saligmaker te wees. Maar hoe moet ons intussen leef en hoe moet ons die kwessies op ons pad hanteer? Vaste geloof se 366 dagstukke sal jou help om ’n man of vrou na God se hart te wees met ’n geloof wat gebou is op ’n vaste fondament. Met onwankelbare vertroue op God sal jy toegerus wees om enige uitdaging, probleem of onsekerheid te hanteer.

Stap saam met Angus Buchan op ’n jaarlange reis en leef elke dag voluit vir Jesus terwyl jy jou aardse reis sterk en oorwinnend voltooi.

• 366 oordenkings
• 392 bladsye
• Hardeband met merklint
• Ook beskikbaar in Engels onder die titel Firm Faith

'Have I succeeded, in my own life? I don't know. I don't think so. I'm in my eighties now and I just don't know. But then, maybe "success" is the wrong way of framing it. You just try, and when you fail, you keep trying.'

Over the course of eight years, Martin Scorsese and Jesuit theologian Antonio Spadaro discussed filmmaking and faith.

From his Catholic upbringing amidst the brutality of 1950s New York to the heights of Hollywood, Scorsese sketches a unique self-portrait. And from Mean Streets to Killers of the Flower Moon - and especially the spiritual reckonings of The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence - he grants readers a new understanding of his films.

Reflecting on grace and violence, fear and hope, passion and belief, these rich and intimate conversations offer a remarkable insight into the director's life and work.

To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything.

Ten years.

That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?

Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all.

It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love.

It’s time to make a call.

This mystery thriller by the Number One bestselling author of The Inheritance Games is a gripping story of high stakes, betrayal, and unpredictable twists. Perfect for fans of A Good Girls Guide to Murder.

Any problem can be fixed for a price . . .

When Tess Kendrick is sent to stay with her older sister in Washington D.C., she has no idea that Ivy is the capitol’s go-to “fixer,” a person who can make powerful people’s scandals disappear with a snap of her fingers. Tess never thought she and Ivy had much in common, but when she enrolls at the exclusive Hardwicke School, she soon finds herself thrust into the role of high school fixer, solving problems for the children of the D.C. elite.

But secrets pile up as each sister lives a double life, and their worlds come crashing together when a scandal from the halls of Hardwicke reaches Capitol Hill. As the stakes turn deadly, Tess must uncover who’s behind the power play before she becomes a target herself.

Don’t miss the sequel, Lessons in Power!

Meet Adina: a woman who has never felt at home on Earth

Born at the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space, Adina is a baby of unusual perception. Tiny and jaundiced, she reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognises she is different, not least because of her strange knowledge of a faraway planet. Then a fax machine arrives at home. Her mission is clear: she must report on the oddities of humankind.

As Adina grows up, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and delights of human existence. But then she starts to wonder. Is there a chance there are others like her out there?

Adina sees our world differently. And her gentle, perceptive – and funny – observations offer a quietly joyful new view of life on Earth, the challenge of knowing ourselves and the miracle of finding our people in this vast universe.

The tools and understanding you need to protect yourself, and your family.

Smartphone Nation will transform the way you – and your children – understand your devices and how they affect you. In this practical, agenda-setting book, Dr Kaitlyn Regehr – one of the world’s foremost experts on digital literacy – sets out how you can keep the advantages of the internet whilst identifying often hidden dangers and stepping away when you’re over-reliant.

Grassroots movements have done an amazing job of alerting us to a critical generational problem, but there is more work to be done. In reality, being part of the online world is essential for modern life and understanding that world is crucial. Covering misogyny, pornography, body image, advertising, violence and more, Smartphone Nation provides a wealth of information – plus practical exercises and clear takeaways - to help you think critically about the content you’re consuming, and how it is ‘fed’ to you.

You’ll learn how to game your algorithm, how to limit targeted advertising, how to catch misinformation and how to improve your digital nutrition.

Essential reading for parents and anyone who has ever worried about how compulsively they check their phone, Smartphone Nation will equip you not only to survive in the digital space, but to thrive.

When a toxic hospital consultant dies of a heart attack, fellow doctor Eitan Rose smells foul play. Nobody else does though, including some quite crucial players like the police and the coroner.

But Eitan just won't let it drop, and his friends and colleagues become increasingly concerned about his mental health as his chaotic investigation and equally chaotic life spiral out of control. Is he making a career-ending mistake, or could there genuinely be a killer stalking the wards?

A deathly funny mix of mystery, murder and medicine, A PARTICULARLY NASTY CASE is the brilliantly original debut novel from Adam Kay, BAFTA-winning author of multi-million global bestseller THIS IS GOING TO HURT.

An explosive conspiracy is on the verge of detonation.

A Korean man is poisoned in broad-daylight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

A Russian intelligence officer is assassinated in a Washington hotel.

And a real-estate mogul has just become the 45th President of the United States.

The world teeters on the brink and three individuals find themselves caught up in the cross hairs:

Jenna, a seasoned CIA officer, whose past missions refuse to stay buried.

Lyosha, a student in Moscow who confronts Vladimir Putin on live TV only to suffer the consequences.

And Eric, a North Korean spy in the heart of the White House who adores the man he is working to undermine: the President.

In a world of shifting allegiances and betrayal, RED STAR DOWN is a global and gripping thriller that explores the intricate web of politics, espionage, and deception during of one of the most turbulent periods in recent history.

The night her best friend is brutally slaughtered by wolves, Vanessa Hart's life is changed forever.

Because these are no ordinary wolves . . . they're werewolves. And when Vanessa's father discovers that she has been bitten, he hands her to them - and to the treacherous Wolf Queen's court.

Taken as prisoner to the enchanted Castle Severi, Vanessa vows to seek vengeance for her friend, even as she finds herself mesmerised by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, and his brooding disgraced cousin, Calix.

Vanessa has two choices: swear her life to the Court, or die the agony of a lone wolf. But the malevolence of werewolf society goes far beyond a single murder in the forest. The Court is at war, and Vanessa just a pawn in its deadly game . . .

Do big government debts and fast rates of adding to them threaten our collective well-being? In this groundbreaking analysis, Ray Dalio, one of the greatest investors of our time and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles, shares the reasons behind his fears for the US debt markets, answering some of the most important market and economic questions we now face: Are there limits to debt growth? Can a big, important reserve currency country like the US really go broke? Is there such a thing as a 'Big Debt Cycle' that can tell us when to worry about debt and what to do about it?

For decades, politicians, policymakers and investors have debated these questions, but the Big Debt Cycle that helps answer them is not talked about or well understood. With the US debt issue coming to a head, Dalio’s How Countries Go Broke provides the first-ever detailed analysis of the Big Debt Cycle, explaining its implications and offering a surprisingly straightforward solution to getting debt problems like those faced by the US under control.

Dalio has built his career as a leading global macro investor by studying the patterns of history to develop unconventional perspectives on what’s happening in markets and economies today. It was this approach that led him, in the years leading up to the 2008 Great Financial Crisis, to study the Great Depression and other past big debt crises and use what he learned to navigate the turbulent markets successfully. By looking closely at thirty-five cases over the past 100 years when governments have gone broke and studying the mechanics behind them, Dalio has developed a first-of-its-kind template for what to watch for and what to do when the threat is as significant as his measures show that it now is. He has discussed this template with treasury secretaries and central bankers from around the world and is now sharing it with the public to help bring urgent attention to the big risks the US and a number of other countries face – and to explain how to avoid the worst-case scenario.

In Fires Which Burned Brightly, Faulks, a reluctant memoirist, offers readers a series of detailed snapshots from a life in progress. They include a post-war rural childhood – ‘cold mutton and wet washing on a rack over the range’ – the booze-sodden heyday of Fleet Street and a career as one of the country’s most acclaimed novelists.

There are not one, but two daring escapes from boarding school; the delirium of a jetlagged American book tour; the writing of Birdsong in his brother’s house in 1992; and memorable trips across the channel to France. Politics, psychiatry and frustrated ventures into the world of entertainment are analysed with patience and rueful humour.

The book is driven by a desire ‘to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.’ It ends with a tribute to Faulks’s parents and a sense of how his own generation was shaped by the disruptive power of war and its aftermath.

Sharply perceptive and alive with a generous wit, Fires Which Burned Brightly is a work of subtle yet profound intelligence and warmth.

Pro hockey star Ryan Price may be an enforcer, but off the ice he struggles with anxiety. Recently traded to Toronto, he’s determined to make a fresh start in the city’s dynamic LGBTQ+ Village. The last thing he expects to find in his new neighborhood is a blast from his past in the fabulous form of Fabian Salah.

Aspiring musician Fabian loathes hockey. But that doesn’t stop him from being attracted to a certain burly ginger-bearded defenseman. He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and the chemistry between them has only intensified.

Fabian is more than happy to be Ryan’s guide to the gay scene in Toronto. Between dance clubs and art exhibits—and the most amazing sex—Ryan’s feeling something he hasn’t experienced in a long time: joy. But playing the role of the heavy on the ice has taken its toll on his body and mind, and a future with Fabian may mean hanging up his skates for good.

Lady Gaga, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Miley Cyrus, the Barbie soundtrack—Mark Ronson’s musical fingerprints are everywhere in our pop culture. Now comes his electrifying memoir, which captures the music, characters, escapades, and raw emotional journey of his DJ days in ’90s New York.

‘What happens when your music obsession catapults you beyond your wildest dreams? The answer is Night People – the most life-affirming coming-of-age story I’ve read in an age, with a soundtrack to die for. You know how your favourite record sounds? That’s how Mark Ronson writes.’ Pete Paphides, author of Broken Greek

Mark Ronson was born a night person. With hedonistic creatives for parents, parties became his playground. Yet, having moved to New York City from London at a young age, he always felt like a bit of an outsider, until discovering himself in the pulsing, unifying joy of the city’s parties and hip-hop scene. Each night brought a heady mix of music, ambition, danger, delight, and possibilities. Having well and truly caught the DJing bug, he worked to find his place and make his name in the city that never sleeps.

Night People conjures the undeniable magic of '90s New York. It evokes the rush of a time and place where fashionistas and rappers on the rise danced alongside club kids and 9-to-5'ers – and invites us into the tribe of creatives and partiers who came alive when the sun went down. A heartfelt coming-of-age tale, Night People is the definitive account of a cultural moment and the making of a musical mastermind.

Can the truth bring them back together before it's too late? A classic novel of a family in crisis, from the author of the runaway bestseller American Dirt.

Rafaela Acuña y Daubón remembers everything that matters: her beautiful childhood in San Juan, her marriage to Peter, uprooting their children, Ruth and Benny, to the American Midwest, and losing all sense of her place in the world. So she tells no one when her memory begins to slip.

Her daughter, in New York with a family of her own, wishes she could forget her muddy feelings about where she comes from - the same feelings which motivated her 22-yearold daughter Daisy to reconnect with their past. Daisy, who has momentarily forgotten everything, hears the word critical in a hospital room in San Juan and remembers, all at once, the car that hurtled towards her, the terrible storm, and something else. What was it?

Now Ruth and Rafaela must return to the city where it all began, to gather by Daisy's bedside and confront the twists of fate that have caused a growing rift in their family and led them to this moment.

Every flame tells a story...

George McGlory has been struggling since the death of his beloved wife, Audrey. But when he witnesses a public health funeral - with no flowers and no mourners - he is inspired to create The Light a Candle Society.

As George and his friends join together to celebrate forgotten lives, their care, compassion, humour and friendship become gifts not only to the people they are remembering, but to each other.

And the kindness of strangers gives them strength to confront the secrets of their own histories, forging joyful and unexpected new connections...

Pitching sucks. The word alone conjures up dull PowerPoint decks, pushy tactics, and shouty emails. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Danny Fontaine, an expert in innovative pitching, presents a game-changing guide that transforms pitching into an exciting, creative and enjoyable experience. Drawing from his billion-dollar pitching experience, this book delves into the psychology of connection and storytelling mastery, alongside practical methods for persuading any audience. And it's all backed with anecdotes of some of the very best, and worst, pitches of all time.

These techniques work in any context, from corporate boardrooms to classroom lectures to after-dinner speeches, proving that great pitching is all about creating experiences and evoking emotions.

Forget PowerPoint and discover how to captivate any audience, win more deals, and have fun doing it.

Ten days. Eight suspects. Six cities. Five authors. Three bodies. One trip to die for.

Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series, is on a book tour along the gorgeous Amalfi Coast when life starts imitating art as her ex-boyfriend (and book protagonist) Connor Smith is targeted by a killer.

Eleanor’s sleuthing skills are about to be put to the ultimate test as – among literary rivals, rabid fans, a crazed stalker and another ex-flame on tour with her – suspicions are flying faster than paperbacks off a bestseller shelf. But who is really trying to get away with murder?

Eleanor Dash will return in the next book in the Vacation Mysteries series from Catherine Mack, No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding.