Liv Travers never knew real friendship until she met fellow mums Beth and Binnie. The three women become inseparable as they muddle through early parenthood together. Then along comes Ange... Ambitious, wealthy and somehow able to do it all. Under Ange's guiding presence, the group finds new vigour and fresh aspirations - bigger houses, better schools, dinners at exclusive restaurants. But Liv can't keep up and is increasingly edged out. When the...

"Verbal Judo is the classic guide to the martial art of the mind and mouth that can help you defuse confrontations and generate cooperation, whether you're talking to a boss, a spouse, or even a teenager. For more than a generation, Dr. George J. Thompson's essential handbook has taught people how to communicate more confidently and persuasively in any situation. Verbal Judo shows you how to listen and speak more effectively, engage others through...

Storm has spent her whole life fighting for survival and acceptance. Now she finally feels at home in the Wild Pack, and for the first time she can remember, the world beyond their camp is at peace. Yet within the Pack, tensions are rising. Some dogs are far from satisfied with the Pack order, and others still don't trust Storm and Arrow, the only two Fierce Dogs within their ranks. Worse, Storm fears her Packmates might be right. Troubled by dreams...

"As borders vanish, more people travel, cultures mingle, and communications across continents become easier, aren't relations between people supposed to be getting less fraught? Why then are people retreating into the refuges of religion, nationality, race, and region? In France the Roma are deported en masse, in Italy Prime Minister Berlusconi has called undocumented workers an 'army of evil' and in Oklahoma, where Muslims are only 0.2 percent of...

An urgent, immersive alternate history set in an imperial Russia on the brink of disaster, following a surprising cast of characters seeking a better future as Saint Petersburg struggles in the wake of Napoleon's failed invasion.Saint Petersburg, 1812. Russian forces have defeated Napoleon at great cost, and the tsar's empire is once again at peace. Sasha, a captain in the imperial army, returns home to Grand Duke Felix, the disgraced second son of...

"As the dystopian trilogy that began with Gilded Cage and Tarnished City concludes, the people of Britain rise up against their magically gifted masters. They must break the system--or be broken. MAGIC RUINS. WE RISE. The rules are simple, the system cruel: the lower classes must give ten years in service to Britain's powerfully gifted rulers. With one uprising crushed by the glittering elite, commoners and aristocrats alike now take sides for a final...

"Fern and her mother have lived as servants in Wyndemere House, the old Gothic mansion of the Davenport family, for as long as she can remember, and her friendship with Dr. Davenport's son Ryder was never a problem ... until they came of age. An intimate encounter following a high school prom brings the pair near-tragic consequences, and the forces of fate, arrogance, and class prejudice gather to crush their warm relationship. Still, the real threat...

Colum McCann's Everything in This Country Must, a writer of fierce originality and haunting lyricism, turns to the troubles in Northern Ireland and reveals the reverberations of political tragedy in the most intimate lives of men and women, parents and children. In the title story, a teenage girl must choose between allegiance to her Catholic father and gratitude to the British soldiers who have saved the family's horse. The young hero of Hunger...

After moons of strife, the forest cats have settled into five camps. But now the dangerous rogue Slash has kidnapped Clear Sky's mate, Star Flower, and made demands for prey that the cats cannot afford to meet. Desperate to save Star Flower, Clear Sky must convince the other groups led by Tall Shadow, Wind Runner, Thunder, and River Ripple to join forces, or their new way of life may not survive.

The spirit-cats have spoken: to survive, the cats from the mountains must grow and spread like the Blazing Star. Clear Sky believes the only way to grow is to band together again, but few cats are willing to ally with him. While Tall Shadow plans to establish a new camp in the pine forest, River Ripple is content by the water, and Wind Runner has made her own home on the moor. The time has now come for all cats to decide where they will live -- and...