The Etymologicon:

A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language, The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces. Mark Forsyth s riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere.The Horologicon:

A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English LanguageMark Forsyth presents a delightfully eccentric day in the life of unusual, beautiful and forgotten English words. From uhtceare in the hours before dawn through to dream drumbles at bedtime, The Horologicon gives you the extraordinary lost words you never knew you needed. Wake up feeling rough? Then you’re philogrobolized. Pretending to work? That’s fudgelling .A Radio 4 Book of the Week, The Horologicon is an eye-opening, page-turning celebration of the English language at its most endearingly arcane.The Elements of Eloquence:

How To Turn the Perfect English PhraseIn his inimitably entertaining and witty style, he takes apart famous quotations and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde or John Lennon. Crammed with tricks to make the most humdrum sentiments seem poetic or wise, The Elements of Eloquence reveals how writers through the ages have turned humble words into literary gold and how you can do the same.

Unwrap a new Disney storybook every day in the run up to Christmas in this fantastic advent calendar format

Classic Disney franchises and festive stories make this the perfect way to count down the days until Christmas

There's a rumble in the jungle and a commotion in the ocean in Giles Andreae's vibrant picture books.

Jungle animals including a lion, elephant and crocodile come together in these noisy and loud picture books with flowing, rhyming text. There's also a marvellous story about minibeasts; the tale of farmyard animals having fantastic fun; and prehistoric perfection in Mad About Dinosaurs.

These books will inspire a lifelong love of reading with their zesty humour and bright, bold artwork.

Unfold the giant track, wind up Thomas and watch him travel around Sodor, through the station, past the level crossing and the seaside and all the way to the circus!

Then read the story that follows his journey, meetings lots of friends along the way.

Join in the fun with this farmyard shaped slipcase set, containing twenty paperback books, perfect for animal lovers!

Over 100 authentic, seasonal recipes from Persian cook and food blogger, Maryam Sinaiee.

Nightingales and Roses offers you a true taste of Persian home cooking. Iranian food blogger and cook, Maryam Sinaiee, takes us through a full year in the Persian kitchen, explaining the stories and traditions behind each delicious dish.

From Lamb and Aubergine Stew and Baked Fish with Tamarind to Rosewater Ice Cream and Saffron Rice Pudding, Maryam's recipes reveal the diverse range of flavours that make up this unique cuisine.

Beautifully photographed throughout, this is the perfect introduction to real Iranian food.

A multi-award winning classic and its timeless sequel presented in twenty-two beautiful volumes in a gift box. For over a hundred years, Lewis Carroll's classic stories of logic and lunacy have delighted young and old alike. Abundantly illustrated, these contemporary and accessible interpretations are full of warmth and humour. Alice herself is truly a child of our times – casually dressed, personable and spirited. In Helen Oxenbury's hands, the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland is a wondrous place indeed!

Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). Oh yeah. And dead. Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's! well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out! "So you won't keep anything from me again?" He put his hand to his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die." "Okay then. Though you don't actually have a heart," she said. "I know." "And technically, you've already died." "I know that too." "Just so we're clear." Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction.

Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source -- the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture! Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

This Collection Contains:

- Skulduggery Pleasant 1

- Playing with Fire

- The Faceless Ones

- Dark Days

- Mortal Coil

- Death Bringer

- Kingdom of the Wicked

- Last Stand of Dead Men

- The Dying of the Light

All three of Michael Palin's bestselling diaries, covering 30 years from 1969 to 1998. Throughout his years in Monty Python, his many successful film appearances, the writing of his novels and his travels to all corners of the globe, there was one constant in Michael Palin's life: the daily ritual of writing in his diary. Now, for the first time, the complete diaries have been brought together, charting Michael's highs and lows, and studded with his hallmarks of curiosity and sense of adventure. Volume one begins when he was newly married and struggling to make a name for himself in the world of television comedy. But Monty Python was just around the corner. Volume two follows his trail through seven movies and ends with his final preparations for the documentary that was to change his life - Around the World in Eighty Days. And volume three tracks his journeys to far-flung places, not to mention more films, award-winning TV roles and a first novel. 'Palin shows himself in these diaries to be an acute observer as well as a champion curator of an anecdote' Sunday Times

In this book you will find volumes 3 to 5: The Land Without Stars, Welcome to Alflolol and Birds of the Master - three stories that introduce the societal criticism aspect of the series. Battle of the sexes, totalitarianism and extreme productivism are lambasted, but never at the expense of fantasy or of the action. And as they travel from world to distant world, Laureline becomes a truly equal partner, far from the stereotypical female sidekick roles of the time. Finally, the second part of the exclusive interview with the authors and director Luc Besson is followed by an in-depth portrait of Pierre Christin, the writer.

Grains have always played an important part in a healthy diet, but not everyone knows how to cook with them. Ghillie not only discusses all the grains - their provenance, nutritional benefit, how best to cook them - but showcases over 100 international recipes that celebrate them. Start the day with Breakfast Quinoa with Raisins and Honey, take Maki and California Rolls to work for lunch, bake some Lazy Courgette & Sundried Tomato Cornbread at the weekend, create a feast of Fragrant Vegetable Biryani for friends, knock up a bulgar wheat Tabbouleh or Fennel Freekeh Pilav for a quick midweek supper or indulge in a Polenta and Ricotta Berry Torte. Everyone should be eating more of these grains rather than relying on staples like pasta and this book is here to inspire and excite.

There's something about the smell of meat cooking that signals a feast - it's savoury, comforting and tempting. A steak on the grill, a roast in the oven, a casserole bubbling: they make your mouth water.

Si King and Dave Myers, aka the Hairy Bikers, have always been passionate about meat, and this bible is an unadulterated celebration of the fine produce we have available today. MEAT FEASTS includes all their favourite recipes and some new surprises. There are family classics, spicy treats, perfect pies and delicious zingy salads.

Si and Dave love their veggies too, and MEAT FEASTS features some of the very best veg recipes to showcase a Sunday joint or make a little meat of a very long way.

A meaty modern classic, MEAT FEASTS is your one-stop meat cookbook!

The best selling series Tannie Maria is now available in a book pack!

Featuring the first 4 books in the series.

This award winning local series will take you deep into the Karoo landscape. Featuring delightful, colourful characters, mysteries and delicious food.

Get ready to solve the cases with Tannie Maria and Jessie.

Recipes for Love and Murder


The first and most popular of the Tannie Maria series: Tannie Maria, our fifty- something, short and soft main character, with her brown curls and untidy Afrikaans, is introduced to the readers. What will this amateur detective uncover in a small town marinated in secrets?The Satanic MechanicTannie Maria seeks out a counsellor, jokily known to all as “the satanic mechanic”. Then a murder flings her straight into Detective Henk Kannemeyer’s investigation. Not only is she dating the dashing Henk, she now has to work beside him: a potential recipe for disaster.Death on the LimpopoLadismith’s famous crime fighter is back – with a tin of buttermilk rusks in hand – to restore peace from the Klein Karoo to the great Limpopo River. The third instalment in the Tannie Maria Mystery crime series plunges Maria and her friends into pools of danger, amid water maidens, murders, and Harley Davidsons.The Milk Tart MurdersWhen Oom Frik of Oom Frik’s Fantastiques dies during a vintage movie screening in Ladismith, Tannie Maria and her policeman boyfriend Henk are on the scene. When a second body turns up, there’s a clue: a letter addressed to Tannie Maria asking for advice – and a milk tart recipe.

*Limited tote bags available.

Embark on an amazing adventure through more than 80 years of DC Comics history! Explore the evolution of DC Comics from Superman first taking to the skies in 1938 to the Rebirth of the DC multiverse and the final countdown of the Doomsday Clock. Comics, characters, and storylines are presented alongside background information and real-world events to give readers unique insights into the DC Universe. Now fully updated, this spectacular visual chronicle is written by DC Comics experts and includes comic book art from legendary artists such as Bob Kane and C.C. Beck to latter-day superstars like Jim Lee and Tony Daniel, and many more of DC's finest talents. Includes two stunning prints. Previous Edition: 9780241181287 (TM) & (c) DC Comics. (s19)

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL is now a major motion picture from Netflix - starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Laurence Fishburne, Michelle Yeoh, Sofia Wylie, Sophia Anne Caruso and more! A dark and enchanting fantasy adventure perfect for those who prefer their fairytales with a twist... THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL Every four years, two girls are kidnapped from the village of Gavaldon. Legend has it these lost children are sent to the School for Good and Evil, the fabled institution where they become fairytale heroes or villains. A WORLD WITHOUT PRINCES Witches and princesses reside at the School for Girls, where they've been inspired to live a life without princes, while Tedros and the boys are camping in Evil's old towers. A war is brewing between the schools, but can Agatha and Sophie restore the peace? THE LAST EVER AFTER With the girls apart, Evil has taken over and the villains of the past have come back to turn the world of Good and Evil upside down. With the forces of Good in deathly peril, Agatha and Sophie must work together to restore balance. Will they find their way to being friends again? QUESTS FOR GLORY Before they can graduate, the students of the School for Good and Evil must complete their fourth-year Quests for Glory. The stakes are high: success brings eternal adoration, and failure means obscurity forever. A CRYSTAL OF TIME A traitor has seized Camelot's throne, sentencing Tedros, the true king, to death. Tedros's queen, Agatha, narrowly escapes, but their friend Sophie is trapped. She is forced to play a dangerous game as her wedding to the false king fast approaches, and all the while her friends' lives hang in the balance. ONE TRUE KING Beyond Good and Evil. Beyond Ever Afters. The fairy tale of Sophie and Agatha comes to a dramatic conclusion in this sixth and final book of Soman Chainani's bestselling fantasy series. Who will sit on Camelot's throne and rule the Endless Woods? Who will be the One True King? Prepare yourself for the End of Ends...

Ladybird Tales are based on the original Ladybird retellings, with beautiful pictures of the kind children like best - full of richness and detail. Children have always loved, and will always remember, these classic fairy tales and sharing them together is an experience to treasure. Ladybird has published fairy tales for over forty-five years, bringing the magic of traditional stories to each new generation of children. This beautiful hardback Ladybird edition is a perfect first illustrated introduction to this classic fairy tale for young readers from 3+. Ladybird Tales Classic Collection 10 Books Set include: Dick Whittington, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Puss in Boots, The Enormous Turnip, Chicken Licken, The Little Red Hen, The Princess and the Pea, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel .

Get six incredible, full-length Weird but True! books in one out-of-this-world collector's mega-set, featuring all-new outrageous trivia and eye-popping photos in every book and all the fun you've come to expect from this wildly popular series. Fascinating information and lively art combine to make irresistible brain candy for young readers. Kids will have such a good time that they won't even realize they're learning! Did you know that "borborygmus" is the word for the rumbling sound in your stomach when you're hungry, or that some butterflies drink turtle tears? The creators of National Geographic Kids, the nation's most popular kids' magazine present the Weird but True! Collector's Mega-set. It's chock-full of 1,800 wacky, wild, mind-bending facts about everything on Earth and beyond, including animals, food, science, pop culture, outer space, geography, weather, and more! They will so wow family and friends that you won't be able to stop turning the pages of these brainteasing treats.

Cleverly packaged to look like one book, this set actually contains no less than fifteen miniature board books With clear, simple text and bold illustrations these books will introduce children to a range of vocabulary on topics from the natural world to the concepts of colour and shape. Available in English, Irish & Polish