Prepare to spend Christmas in the Italian alps... The last thing Harriet Westmoreland wants is Christmas away from home, particularly when skiing, snow, heights and freezing her backside off are on the menu. While her own family, together with her best friend Grace's, are soon whizzing down ridiculously scary mountains in the fashionable Italian resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Harriet is stuck in the remedial class on the nursery slopes unable, it seems, to remain vertical. Tired of trying to stay upright in the dunces' class, Harriet decides to overcome her fear of heights and take her bruised body off to explore the refugios in the magnificent Dolomites above Cortina. And maybe catch a glance of George Clooney, rumoured to be in town... But what happens next triggers a totally unexpected avalanche of events which proves that, for friends Harriet and Grace and all their families, Christmas really is a time for little miracles... A laugh-out-loud novella from the Kindle top 5 bestselling author of A Village Affair. Praise for Julie Houston: 'A real page-turner. You'll laugh and cry, but not be able to put it down as Julie's trademark humour shines through from beginning to end' Cassam Book Blog. 'This is one of those novels that makes you want to read "just one more chapter" before you turn out the light, and that chapter turns into several more' Big Bertha, Amazon Top 500 Reviewer. 'I became so engrossed in this story I couldn't stop – kept going for just another chapter, and another, until I'd read straight through to the end. I loved it – the magic five for me, a wonderful read and one to keep for rereading' Jeannie Zelos Book Reviews. 'An absolutely briliant read. This will definitely be a book to look out for in 2016 and I, for one, will be recommending it at every opportunity' I Love Smart Books. 'A wonderful read... The prose flows effortlessly and takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride... Julie Houston is definitely an author to watch out for' Kathryn Hughes, Kindle #1 bestselling author of The Letter and The Secret. 'Stick this right at the top of your To Read List' BestChickLit.Com.

Part detective work, part treasure chest, full of history and scandal, The Gilded Chalet takes you on a grand tour of two centuries of great writing by both Swiss and foreign authors and shows how Switzerland has always been at the center of literary Europe. Two centuries after the Romantics went there to invent Gothic horror, the lure of Switzerland hasn't left us. Writers from the Fitzgeralds to Fleming, Highsmith to Hemingway, Conan Doyle to le Carré, came to escape world wars, political persecution, tuberculosis. They came for sanctuary (from oppression or the tax man), for fresh air and nude sunbathing, for scenery resembling, as Rooney puts it, 'Mother Nature on steroids.' Patricia Highsmith spent her last years in a granite home in Ticino with a fridge containing little but peanut butter and vodka. Hermann Hesse had himself buried to the neck as a cure for alcoholism. Nabokov chased butterflies and played tennis on the hotel courts. When it comes to literature, it seems all roads lead to Switzerland. Padraig Rooney peers through the chalet windows and discovers how Switzerland has influenced some of the greatest authors and characters of literature.

Ultimate Skiing Adventures takes you on a skiing voyage around the planet's biggest, best and most unusual ski destinations – from the huge mega-resorts of the French Alps to sailing along Iceland's north coast in search of great snow, there are exciting adventures that will appeal to everyone from novice to expert. The inspirational descriptions of 100 locations combine Alf Alderson's personal experience with the input of experts in all aspects of skiing and mountain sports and are accompanied by stunning full-page photography from some of the world's foremost ski photographers. Published in a year of great uncertainty for ski travel, this book allows you to escape onto the slopes in your own home. Perfect for indulging in some armchair skiing of slopes that only the most adventurous will tackle and for planning your next ski trip. And it's not just about skiing – the contents cover avalanche rescue techniques, snow science, road trips, the work of ski patrollers and resorts so remote and obscure that you may never have heard of them. The book is divided into sections on Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, Scandinavia and the Rest of the World. Discover where you will ski next – in reality or in your imagination.

This Scottish offpiste guidebook focuses on the amazing terrain in the mountains around Glencoe. It unlocks the potential to some of Scotland's best backcountry skiing with snow filled powder bowls, exciting corniced gullies, open faces, and narrow and twisting hidden couloirs. Inside you will find easy freeride routes at Glencoe Mountain resort, challenging hidden corries and gullies on the famous Buachailles and the Bidean nam Bian massif, as well as some classic days out, such as the prized Black Mount Traverse.

'The ultimate in feelgood fiction reads, it will fill your heart with Christmas spirit.' Milly Johnson, author of Woman in the Middle This Christmas will be the most special of them all... Elderly widow Sabine knows this will be her last Christmas in her beloved home, Mitras Castle. Determined to make it just like the ones she remembers from her childhood, she employs Dido Jones of Heavenly Houseparties to help with the big day. Dido is enchanted by the castle as soon as she steps through the imposing front door. And as Christmas day approaches, her feeling of connection to the old house runs deeper than she first thought. But when the snow begins to fall and Sabine's family arrive at the house - including Dido's teenage crush Xan - tensions rise around the castle's future and long-buried mysteries begin to unravel... As past secrets come to light, can this still be a magical Christmas to remember? _________ Praise for Trisha Ashley: 'One of the best writers around' Katie Fforde 'Full of down-to-earth humour' Sophie Kinsella 'A warm-hearted and comforting read' Carole Matthews Readers are falling in love with One More Christmas at the Castle: ***** 'Trisha's Christmas stories are the perfect start to the festive season' ***** 'Pure Christmas escapism with plenty of mulled wine and mince pies' ***** 'This is cosy, festive, fun and so much more. I wanted to move into the castle and join in all the festivities!'

‘An addictive mix of suspense, romance, and the supernatural.’ Janey Fraser, Guilty. ‘A triumph of storytelling.’ Eric Delve, To Boldly Go In the third installment of The Secret of the Journal series, Christmas approaches and the relationship between British historian, Emma D'Eresby and American surgeon, Matthew Lynes deepens as she readies herself to meet his family in rural Maine. But tensions are simmering beneath the surface. What does sinister Maggie have against her, and what might she be prepared to do to keep Matthew and Emma apart? Emma has discovered Matthew's origins, but that is only the beginning; in order to prepare for the future, she must also understand his past.

Get into the festive spirit with this romantic, hilarious and festive story about bad dates, eternal optimism and what it's really like to be alone at the most wonderful time of the year. All she wants for Christmas is him . . . It's bad enough to be perpetually single, without also being the dating journalist for a major lifestyle website. And Genie Havisham has just been set her toughest deadline yet: find a boyfriend by Christmas or find a new job. Determined not to end the year alone and jobless, Genie sets out to find where all the eligible bachelors in London have been hiding, using whatever means possible. But among the terrible dates, one night stands and the unexpected return of her 'supposedly reformed' ex-boyfriend, could Genie have overlooked what's been right under her nose all along? A fun and flirty debut from Jenny Stallard about one woman's race to find a man in time for Christmas.