Laugh, cry, stand up and cheer: Forrest Gump is everyman's story, everyman's dream. A wonderfully warm, savagely barbed, and hilariously funny 'tale told by an idiot', from the razor-sharp pen of a contemporary wizard.
No one is spared and everyone is included. If you've ever felt lacking, left out, put upon - or just wanted to have a rollicking good time - this book is for you. At 6'6", 240 pounds, Forrest Gump is a difficult man to ignore, so follow Forrest from the football dynasties of Bear Bryant to the Vietnam War, from encounters with Presidents Johnson and Nixon to powwows with Chairman Mao. Go with Forrest to Harvard University, to a Hollywood movie set, on a professional wrestling tour, and into space on the oddest NASA mission ever.
''Cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy'' Sunday Times The Discworld is very much like our own - if our own were to consist of a flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants which stand on the back of a giant turtle, that is . . . Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job. Death is the Grim Reaper of the Discworld, a black-robed skeleton carrying a scythe who must collect a minimum number of souls in order to keep the momentum of dying, well . . . alive. He is also fond of cats and endlessly baffled by humanity. Soon Death is yearning to experience what humanity really has to offer . . . but to do that, he''ll need to hire some help. It''s an offer Mort can''t refuse. As Death''s apprentice he''ll have free board, use of the company horse - and being dead isn''t compulsory. It''s a dream job - until Mort falls in love with Death''s daughter, Ysabell , and discovers that your boss can be a killer on your love life . . . ________________ The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Mort is the first book in the Death series.
In this, the sixth and final self-contained volume of Armistead Maupin's epic chronicle of modern life, a fiercely ambitious TV talk show host finds she must choose between national stardom in New York and a husband and child in San Francisco. Wistful and compassionate yet subversively funny, Sure of You is a triumphant finale to one of the most addictively entertaining series of novels ever written.
The God Delusion caused a sensation when it was published in 2006. Within weeks it became the most hotly debated topic, with Dawkins himself branded as either saint or sinner for presenting his hard-hitting, impassioned rebuttal of religion of all types.
Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.
A truly unmissable set of unearthed stories from the pen of Sir Terry Pratchett: award-winning and bestselling author, and creator of the phenomenally successful Discworld series.
An exclusive collection of twenty early short stories by one of the world''s best loved authors, these are rediscovered tales that Pratchett wrote under a pseudonym for newspapers during the 1970s and 1980s.
Whilst none of the stories are set in the Discworld, they hint towards the world he would go on to create in his award-winning and globally bestselling series, containing all of his trademark wit, satirical wisdom and fantastic imagination. These are tales which entertain, enlighten and, most importantly, make you laugh.
Meet Og the inventor, the first caveman to cultivate fire, as he discovers the highs and lows of progress; haunt the Council with the defiant evicted ghosts of Pilgarlic Towers; visit Blackbury, a small market town with weird weather and an otherworldly visitor; and travel millions of years back in time to The Old Red Sandstone Lion pub.
The final ever ''new'' writing to be published from the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett, A STROKE OF THE PEN is a must-have collection of fantastic short stories for fans, old and new.
Praise for Terry Pratchett ''Pratchett is a master storyteller'' - A. S. Byatt, Guardian ''The Discworld novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies'' - Independent ''Compulsively readable, fantastically inventive, surprisingly serious exploration in story form of just about any aspect of our world . . . There''s never been anything quite like it'' - Evening Standard ''Like most true originals, Pratchett defies categorisation'' - The Times ''Pratchett found something better than literature'' - Frank Cottrell Boyce, Guardian
George's best friend Annie needs help. Her scientist father, Eric, is working on a space project - and it's all going wrong. A robot has landed on Mars, but is behaving very oddly. And now Annie has discovered something weird on her dad's super-computer. Is it a message from an alien? Could there be life out there?
'It's said that a Jack Reacher novel is bought every four seconds somewhere in the world. Lee Child's genius has been to create a tough guy hero that men will envy and women will adore' Daily Express After an epic and interrupted journey all the way from the snows of South Dakota, Jack Reacher has finally made it to Virginia. His destination: a sturdy stone building a short bus ride from Washington D.C., the headquarters of his old unit, the 110th MP. It was the closest thing to a home he ever had.
Why? He wants to meet the new commanding officer, Major Susan Turner. He liked her voice on the phone. But the officer sitting behind Reacher's old desk isn't a woman. Why is Susan Turner not there?
What Reacher doesn't expect is what comes next. He himself is in big trouble, accused of a sixteen-year-old homicide. And he certainly doesn't expect to hear these words: 'You're back in the army, Major. And your ass is mine.' Will he be sorry he went back? Or - will someone else?
''Death comes to us all. When he came to Mort, he offered him a job.'' Death is the Grim Reaper of the Discworld, a black-robed skeleton carrying a scythe who must collect a minimum number of souls in order to keep the momentum of dying, well . . . alive.
He is also fond of cats and endlessly baffled by humanity. Soon Death is yearning to experience what humanity really has to offer, but to do that, he''ll need to hire some help.
It''s an offer Mort can''t refuse. As Death''s apprentice he''ll have free board, use of the company horse - and being dead isn''t compulsory. It''s a dream job - until Mort falls in love with Death''s daughter, Ysabell, and discovers that your boss can be a killer on your love life . . .
''Cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy'' Sunday Times Mort is the first book in the Death series, but you can read the Discworld novels in any order.
Terry Pratchett was the acclaimed creator of the global bestselling Discworld series, the first of which, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. In all, he was the author of over fifty bestselling books which have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood for services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.
Armistead Maupin is the author of Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, Sure of You, Maybe the Moon, The Night Listener, Michael Tolliver Lives and Mary Ann in Autumn. Three television miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were made from the first three Tales novels. The Night Listener became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette. Maupin lives in San Francisco with his husband, Christopher Turner.
For more information on Armistead Maupin and his books, see his website at www.armisteadmaupin.com
PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first book. Paula was born and brought up in Zimbabwe. She moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train
A title that relates the life of Teddy Todd - would-be poet, heroic World War II bomber pilot, husband, father, and grandfather - as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. It looks at war - that great fall of Man from grace - and the effect it has, not only on those who live through it, but on the lives of generations to come.
