Brothers bound by blood but fated to be enemies. Can their Empire survive or will it crumble into myth? Istanbul, 1903. Since his younger brother usurped the Imperial throne, Sultan Murad V has been imprisoned with his family for nearly thirty years. The new century heralds immense change. Anarchy and revolution threaten the established order. Powerful enemies plot the fall of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. Only death will bring freedom to the enlightened former sultan. But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep: assassins lurk in shadows, intrigue abounds, and scandal in the family threatens to bring destruction of all that he holds dear… For over six hundred years the history of the Turks and their vast and powerful Empire has been inextricably linked to the Ottoman dynasty. Can this extraordinary family, and the Empire they built, survive into the new century? Set against the magnificent backdrop of Imperial Istanbul, The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is a spellbinding tale of love, duty and sacrifice. Evocative and utterly beguiling, The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus is perfect for fans of Colin Falconer, Kate Morton and Philippa Gregory. "A richly woven carpet of a book." Historical Novel Society "With intelligence and sensitivity, Ayşe recreates the dramatic story of our family." Kenize Mourad, author of the international best-seller Regards from the Dead Princess

A colossal cheat sheet for your post-college years, answering all the needs of the modern woman—from mastering money to placating overly anxious parents, from social media etiquette to the pleasure and pain of dating (and why it’s not a cliché to love yourself first). A perfect combination of tried-and-true advice and been-there tips, it’s a one-stop resource that includes how to clean up your digital reputation, info on finding an apartment you can afford and actually want to live in, and why you should exercise the delicate art of defriending. Plus the fundamentals, from health (mental and physical) to spirituality to ethics to fashion, all delivered in Melissa Kirsch’s fresh, personal, funny voice—as if your best friend were giving you the best and smartest advice in the world.

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Looming Tower, and the pandemic novel The End of October: an unprecedented, momentous account of Covid-19—its origins, its wide-ranging repercussions, and the ongoing global fight to contain it "A book of panoramic breadth ... managing to surprise us about even those episodes we … thought we knew well … [With] lively exchanges about spike proteins and nonpharmaceutical interventions and disease waves, Wright’s storytelling dexterity makes all this come alive.” —The New York Times Book Review From the fateful first moments of the outbreak in China to the storming of the U.S. Capitol to the extraordinary vaccine rollout, Lawrence Wright’s The Plague Year tells the story of Covid-19 in authoritative, galvanizing detail and with the full drama of events on both a global and intimate scale, illuminating the medical, economic, political, and social ramifications of the pandemic. Wright takes us inside the CDC, where a first round of faulty test kits lost America precious time . . . inside the halls of the White House, where Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger’s early alarm about the virus was met with confounding and drastically costly skepticism . . . into a Covid ward in a Charlottesville hospital, with an idealistic young woman doctor from the town of Little Africa, South Carolina . . . into the precincts of prediction specialists at Goldman Sachs . . . into Broadway’s darkened theaters and Austin’s struggling music venues . . . inside the human body, diving deep into the science of how the virus and vaccines function—with an eye-opening detour into the history of vaccination and of the modern anti-vaccination movement. And in this full accounting, Wright makes clear that the medical professionals around the country who’ve risked their lives to fight the virus reveal and embody an America in all its vulnerability, courage, and potential. In turns steely-eyed, sympathetic, infuriated, unexpectedly comical, and always precise, Lawrence Wright is a formidable guide, slicing through the dense fog of misinformation to give us a 360-degree portrait of the catastrophe we thought we knew.

A sweeping coming-of-age epic, The Lacquered Talisman launches the story of one of the most influential figures in Chinese history. He is the son of a bean curd seller and he will found the Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644. Known as "Fortune" as a boy, Zhu Yuanzhang is part of a large and doting family who shepherd him through hardship until drought and plague ravage the countryside. Left with nothing but a lacquered necklace from his grandfather, Fortune is deposited in the village temple and is soon wandering the countryside as a begging monk. He encounters pockets of resistance to the ruling Mongol dynasty, studies the stars, and tangles with Daoists as he seeks to understand his destiny. Signs and dreams convince him that he has a special fate. Is he to be the abbot of a monastery? A general? What matters most is that he proves himself to be a filial son. Praise for The Lacquered Talisman: "Historical fiction lovers will delight in The Lacquered Talisman, which gives us a vividly-imagined, brilliantly-told story of a real-life emperor's humble origins. The first part of a biography of the first Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, it is a vivid and engaging portrayal of a young man determined to honor the love and sacrifices of his tragedy-stricken family, set against the beautifully-drawn backdrop of 14th century China." --IndieReader "This epic coming of age story is about Fortune, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, as a boy until he reached the age of twenty-three. The author writes in a literary style, and although it is fiction, it reads similar to an account told by a first-person narrator. The style is evocative of the ancient Classic style and suits this lovely novel exactly." --Discovering Diamonds

In 2014 she said: 'I'm NEVER doing Breakfast Radio ever again.' Now she's back. So, what made journalist, presenter, playwright and all-round lovable rascal Cat Harvey rejoin the broadcasting enigma that is Ewen Cameron? Was it the pandemic? The closure of theatres? Or was it the simple fact that she needed a laugh? In CAT'S OUT THE BAG, Cat answers all these questions and more! She spills the beans on the behind-the-scenes antics on one of Scotland's favourite radio shows. There's dancing on the kitchen table with a global superstar at 3 a.m., Ewen's traffic-stopping prank and THAT rumour of a night of passion with a Rolling Stone. It's a world where hilarity is mandatory, nonsense is encouraged, and everyone is welcome. Side-splittingly funny, insightful, poignant and ultimately uplifting in a world of gloom, this is the banter we all need. 'I think it's quite sweet she's spent years trying to find my house.' - Marti Pellow 'I first met them when I was 17. Cat said I'd be a superstar. Ewen said I'd never make it. Cat has always been my favourite.' - Amy MacDonald

With his eighth birthday just around the corner, the very thought of having to celebrate his special day during lockdown sends poor Reggie into a meltdown. An unexpected radio announcement might just change everything.

Darkness Never Prevails. While staying home was a vital safety measure in 2020, the freedom of the TARDIS remained a dream that drew many - allowing them to roam the cosmos in search of distraction, reassurance and adventure. Now some of the finest TV Doctor Who writers come together with gifted illustrators in this very special short story collection in support of BBC Children in Need. Current and former showrunners - Chris Chibnall Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat - present exciting adventures for the Doctor conceived in confinement, alongside brand new fiction from Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss and Vinay Patel. Also featuring work from Chris Riddell, Joy Wilkinson, Paul Cornell, Sonia Leong, Sophie Cowdrey, Mike Collins and many more, Adventures in Lockdown is a book for any Doctor Who fan in your life, stories that will send your heart spinning wildly through time and space... £2.25 from every copy sold in the UK of Doctor Who: Adventures in Lockdown will benefit Children in Need (registered charity number 802052 in England & Wales and SC039557 in Scotland)