Showing results by publisher "Little, Brown Book Group" in All Categories

At the age of 50, Eddie Brocklesby decided to run her first half marathon. Until that point, she'd done little running, and her exercise regime consisted of little more than chauffeuring her children to their own sports clubs. In common with so many people, any interest she'd shown in sport in her childhood had diminished as her adult life progressed, with spare time becoming ever more limited in the face of work and family commitments. But the half marathon was the first of what was to become a hugely impressive trajectory of sporting accolades and successes.

This account describes how a 28-year-old from Watford, Nick Leeson, plunged Barings Bank into ruin. In 1994, Leeson seemed to be making the company millions of pounds a week, but he explains how the cover-up of a colleague's small error led to the crash of Britain's oldest merchant bank.

Brought together first as enemies in the Anglo-Boer War and later as allies in the First World War, the remarkable and often touching friendship between Winston Churchill and Jan Smuts is a rich study in contrasts. In youth, they occupied very different worlds: Churchill, the rambunctious and thrusting young aristocrat; Smuts, the aesthetic, philosophical Cape farm boy who would go on to Cambridge. Both were men of exceptional talents and achievements, and between them the pair had to grapple with some of the 20th century's most intractable issues, not least of which was the task of restoring peace and prosperity to Europe after two of mankind's bloodiest wars.

Dating has never been easy. Ever since the Georgians posted the first personal ads, finding Mr Right vs Mr Right Now has always been fraught with sexual and social tension. But as we swipe ourselves into oblivion, do we have it any easier today? From suing a Victorian lover for breaking off your engagement to the 60s quest to date beyond class, race and gender rules, Nichi Hodgson's lively and intriguing history of amorous relationships may leave you grateful that you love in an era of swiping - not swooning.

Jools Walker rediscovered cycling aged 28 after a decade-long absence from the saddle. When she started blogging about her cycle adventures under the alias Lady Vélo, a whole world was opened up to her. But it's hard to find space in an industry not traditionally open to women - especially women of colour. Shortly after getting back on two wheels, Jools was diagnosed with depression and then, in her early 30s, hit by a mini-stroke. Yet, through all of these punctures, one constant remained: Jools' love of cycling.

When I asked a group of girls who had been at Hatherop Castle in the 1960s whether the school had had a lab in those days they gave me a blank look. 'A laboratory?' I expanded, hoping to jog their memories. 'Oh that kind of lab!' one of them said. 'I thought you meant a Labrador.' As we discover from Ysenda Maxtone Graham's quietly hilarious history of life in British girls' boarding schools between 1939 and 1979, this was a not untypical reaction.

Gunnhildur reluctantly allows herself to be taken off police duties to act as bodyguard to a man with a price on his head. Hidden away in a secure house outside Reykjavík, Gunna and the high-profile stranger, a guest of the interiors minister, are thrown together - too close for comfort. They soon find they are neither as safe nor as carefully hidden as Gunna and her boss had thought.

Recently named one of the top 10 holistic health icons in the world, Julie Montagu knows a thing or two about health and happiness. In Recharge, Montagu shares an abundance of guidance, tips and advice designed to help you keep self-care at the forefront of your mind and support you on your journey to a well-rounded sense of wellness. Recharge is your month-by-month self-care bible to help replenish your mind, body and soul. Each month of the year covers a specific area of self-care including mindful eating, managing stress, digital detox, rebuilding self-esteem, finding your passions and more.

Kingmaker. Soothsayer. Warrior. Mage. Kingdoms would rise and fall for her...if she is ever found. In the icy North, where magic is might, an all-powerful elite ruthlessly guided by a glacial Queen have grown to dominate the world. Now rebellion is stirring in the rough, magic-poor South, where for the first time in memory a warlord has succeeded in uniting the tribal nations. Stuck in the middle is Cat - circus performer and soothsayer - safely hidden behind heavy makeup, bright colours and the harmless illusion of the circus. Until someone suspects she's more than she seems....

1989. Salvadorian society is immersed in the horror of civil war. On a fateful November dawn, a group of armed men entered the Universidad Católica and murder six Jesuits priests and two women in cold blood. Survivor of the massacre Father Tojeira is forced to take the reins of control in the sinister days following the attack, desperate to uncover the truth behind the terrible slaughter.

Viceroys is the story of the British aristocracy sent to govern India during the reigns of five British monarchs. It is also the story of how the modern British identity was established. British history from the Hundred Years War onwards gives an impression of how the British were seen. It is a misconception or, more kindly, a British view. Until the 19th century the British did not have an identity readily recognised throughout the world. Even the Elizabethans were never established other than as great individuals. From 1815, an image of Britain as the first superpower was built that would make do until even the 21st century.

Dying well is an art...the rest is just murder. Inspector John Carlyle is waiting for his father to die of a terminal illness. Meanwhile, others are dropping like flies. An elderly professor is found dead in his Bloomsbury flat. The verdict is that of heart attack. But who then stuffed the deceased academic in a closet? And who emptied the man's bank account?

Like the flesh-and-blood humans whose uncensored emotions it represents, slang's obsessions are sex, the body and its functions, and intoxication: drink and drugs. Slang does not do kind. It's about hatreds - both intimate and national - about the insults that follow on, the sneers and the put-downs. Caring, sharing and compassion? Not at this address. There are over 10,000 terms focusing on sex, but love? Not one.

Throughout the 20th century, technology and economics drove a dominant logic: bigger was almost always better. It was smart to scale up - to take advantage of classic economies of scale. But in the unscaled economy, size and scale have become a liability. Today's most successful companies - Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, Salesforce - have defied the traditional 'economies of scale' approach by renting scale instead of spending vast amounts of money building it. And a new generation of upstarts is using artificial intelligence to automate tasks that once required expensive investment.

If humans are fundamentally good, why do we engage in acts of great cruelty? If we are evil, why do we sometimes help others at a cost to ourselves? Whether humans are good or evil is a question that has plagued philosophers and scientists for as long as there have been philosophers and scientists. Many argue that we are fundamentally selfish, and only the rules and laws of our societies and our own relentless efforts of will can save us from ourselves. But is this really true?

What do you say when your new job is very different from what you agreed to? How do you tell your boss that your workload is too heavy or that you need more training? How do you deal with a colleague whose loud speakerphone calls are driving you insane? And how do you repair your reputation after getting drunk at the company holiday party? Ten years of writing a workplace advice column have taught Green that people tend to avoid difficult conversations in the office because we simply don't know what to say. But the stakes are just as high if we don't speak up, because problems that could be solved with a simple conversation can fester if they aren't addressed.

Tehran, 1978: Nahid and Masood, both 18, are young lovers and young revolutionaries, determined to overthrow the Shah's regime and help to bring about democracy. Their clandestine activities are dangerous, but with youth, passion and right on their side, they feel invincible. Then one night, Nahid allows her younger sister to come along to a huge demonstration. Violence breaks out. Nahid lets go of her sister's hand. Everything changes.

While the main focus of the book is on telling the stories, some scene-setting is provided at the beginning, and each chapter also contains a section of commentary to explain what is going on and its significance. The Norse myths have gained widespread attention in the English-speaking world, partly through a Scandinavian diaspora, especially in the USA, and partly through a great interest in the myths and legends which lie behind Viking activity.

It's been seven years since Kaliya's whirlwind college romance with Danny Prescott went up in flames. While her passions have stalled, his career is taking off. So when the hot shot director reappears to offer her a job on his next production, it's a shock to the system. Working with Danny may recapture the intensity of their film school days, but trusting him again won't come as easily.

We know that's what modern mums want: that's why so many of them have joined Mush, our app, to chat to other mums going through the same thing. We know that milestones aren't just about your baby smiling or walking or sleeping through the night for the first time but everything you're going through, too: the first time you manage to leave the house, the first time you get on a train (or plane) with your little one and the first time you have sex with your partner again. The 'mumsition' is the biggest thing you'll ever go through, and so, from the moment you go on maternity leave, we've got your back.