THE HILARIOUS SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A big-hearted story of a family on the brink from the marvellous, much-loved Mel Giedroyc. 'Properly funny with a brilliant cast of characters' GRAHAM NORTON 'A real treat. I enjoyed it HUGELY' MARIAN KEYES 'Funny and fresh. No soggy bottoms here' CLARE MACKINTOSH __________ Sally Parker is searching for the hero inside herself. But TBH she just wants to lie down. Her husband Frank has lost his business, their home and their savings in one go. Her bank cards have been stopped. The kids are running wild. And now the bailiffs are at the door. What does a woman do when the bottom suddenly falls out? Will Sally Parker surprise everybody....most of all herself? __________ 'This book is a riot! Delicious in its detail' SOPHIE KINSELLA 'A stonking good read. Exactly like Mel herself: engaging, uproarious and gleeful' JO BRAND 'A warm, honest and humorous look at a family and what really matters in life. Brimming with hilarious scenes, it is also a redemptive book, and one of hope' WOMAN & HOME 'A warm contemporary fable bursting with colourful characters and comic energy' DAILY MAIL SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2021 REAL READERS ADORE THE BEST THINGS... 'A well written, warm hug of a read. Something much needed in these days of doom and gloom' 'This book is everything I would have expected from the wonderful Mel Giedroyc. Funny and touching*****' 'I could hear Mel reading this book! Terrific characters. Very entertaining *****' 'A lovely, warm cuddle of a book' 'One of the best things I've read this year. Please read it *****' 'I felt like Mel was reading this into my ear. I was left with the warm fuzzys at the end****' 'Would make a brilliant film or sitcom. The Parker family are a chaotic, loveable bunch' 'I zipped through it with many an accompanying titter, the occasional chortle and the odd unladylike snort. A nice piece of escapism, so needed at this time ****' 'Warm, interesting, clever and funny, as well as poignant at times. A brave heroine, a cast of strong characters and a page-turner of a story *****' 'Glorious storytelling, this is a rich comedic feast of domesticity. Excellent characters. Kept me gripped throughout. *****'

Peter Kreeft's Socrates probes the contemporary values of success, power and pleasure.

For centuries, philosophers, theologians, moralists, and ordinary people have asked: How should we live? What makes for a good life? In The Best Things in Life, distinguished philosopher Thomas Hurka takes a fresh look at these perennial questions as they arise for us now in the 21st century. Should we value family over career? How do we balance self-interest and serving others? What activities bring us the most joy? While religion, literature, popular psychology, and everyday wisdom all grapple with these questions, philosophy more than anything else uses the tools of reason to make important distinctions, cut away irrelevancies, and distill these issues down to their essentials. Hurka argues that if we are to live a good life, one thing we need to know is which activities and experiences will most likely lead us to happiness and which will keep us from it, while also reminding us that happiness isn't the only thing that makes life good. Hurka explores many topics: four types of good feeling (and the limits of good feeling); how we can improve our baseline level of happiness (making more money, it turns out, isn't the answer); which kinds of knowledge are most worth having; the importance of achieving worthwhile goals; the value of love and friendship; and much more. Unlike many philosophers, he stresses that there isn't just one good in life but many: pleasure, as Epicurus argued, is indeed one, but knowledge, as Socrates contended, is another, as is achievement. And while the great philosophers can help us understand what matters most in life, Hurka shows that we must ultimately decide for ourselves. This delightfully accessible book offers timely guidance on answering the most important question any of us will ever ask: How do we live a good life?

**Finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Lambda Award in Bisexual Fiction** "Sexy, fun, serious and unputdownable." —Bethanne Patrick, The Washington Post “Brazen, brawny, sexy . . . full of unforgettable characters and insatiable appetites. I was riveted. Painstakingly researched and pulsing with adrenaline, Carrasco’s debut will leave you thirsty for more.” —Lyndsay Faye, author of The Gods of Gotham A vivid, sexy barn burner of a historical crime novel, The Best Bad Things introduces readers to the fiery Alma Rosales—detective, smuggler, spy It is 1887, and Alma Rosales is on the hunt for stolen opium. Trained in espionage by the Pinkerton Detective Agency—but dismissed for bad behavior and a penchant for going undercover as a man—Alma now works for Delphine Beaumond, the seductive mastermind of a West Coast smuggling ring. When product goes missing at their Washington Territory outpost, Alma is tasked with tracking the thief and recovering the drugs. In disguise as the scrappy dockworker Jack Camp, this should be easy—once she muscles her way into the local organization, wins the trust of the magnetic local boss and his boys, discovers the turncoat, and keeps them all from uncovering her secrets. All this, while sending coded dispatches to the circling Pinkerton agents to keep them from closing in. Alma’s enjoying her dangerous game of shifting identities and double crosses as she fights for a promotion and an invitation back into Delphine’s bed. But it’s getting harder and harder to keep her cover stories straight and to know whom to trust. One wrong move and she could be unmasked: as a woman, as a traitor, or as a spy. A propulsive, sensual tour de force, The Best Bad Things introduces Katrina Carrasco, a bold new voice in crime fiction.

Lonely Planet's The Best Things in Life are Free is packed full of money-saving tips, tricks and recommendations for the best-value sights and experiences around the world. From parks, museums and exercise classes that are free, to insider ideas on food and experiences offered at great value, this book features over 60 major cities around the world and promises to help any traveller on a budget to make the most of their trip. Includes parks and gardens, street markets and food trucks, viewing points, museums and galleries, free experiences, spectator sports, city beaches, and much more. For many, free and cheap things are not only appealing but essential for stretching the funds to last as long as possible for an extended journey. Yet, even on a short trip, many unforgettable blasts of freedom and discovery can happen on a thin budget. You quickly realise that cheap can mean much, much better. No fancy Roman trattoria dinner can truly rival the bread and cheese picnic in Villa Celimontana, a short walk from the Colosseum, on a visit to the Eternal City. Needless to say, the monetary value implied in the term 'free' can misrepresent what's on offer within these pages. The quality of an experience, after all, is not always attached to a price tag, such as the priceless experience of unearthing the world's secret wonders, whether that's swimming around Sydney's ocean pools or strolling the tombs and monuments of Delhi's Lodi Gardens. Additionally, it's an exaggeration to say that everything good is 100% free, so you'll find plenty of excellent value cheap things to experience throughout this book as well. Dip into your spare change for classy street food like a choripán (chorizo sandwich) in Buenos Aires, the best views of Hong Kong's skyline from the Star Ferry and a Boston brewery tour. After using the tips in this book, you'll be left with great memories, a happier you and a grateful wallet. Happy travels! Destinations covered: AFRICA Cape Town Marrakesh ASIA Bangkok Beijing Beirut Delhi Dubai Hong Kong Mumbai Shanghai Singapore Tokyo EUROPE Amsterdam Athens Barcelona Berlin Bruges Budapest Copenhagen Dublin Edinburgh Geneva Helsinki Istanbul Lisbon London Madrid Milan Moscow Oslo Paris Prague Reykjavik Rome Stockholm Venice Vienna NORTH AMERICA Austin Boston The Caribbean Chicago Detroit Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami New Orleans New York City Portland, OR San Diego San Francisco Seattle Toronto Vancouver Washington, DC SOUTH AMERICA Bogota Buenos Aires San Salvador Lima Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo OCEANIA Brisbane Melbourne North Island, NZ South Island, NZ Sydney About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.

By anchoring your understanding of productivity in God's plan, What's Best Next gives you a practical approach for increasing your effectiveness in everything you do. There are a lot of myths about productivity--what it means to get things done and how to accomplish work that really matters. In our current era of innovation and information overload, it may feel harder than ever to understand the meaning of work or to have a sense of vocation or calling. So how do you get more of the right things done without confusing mere activity for actual productivity? Matt Perman has spent his career helping people learn how to do work in a gospel-centered and effective way. What's Best Next explains his approach to unlocking productivity and fulfillment in work by showing how faith relates to work, even in our everyday grind. What's Best Next is packed with biblical and theological insight and practical counsel that you can put into practice today, such as: How to create a mission statement for your life that's actually practicable. How to delegate to people in a way that really empowers them. How to overcome time killers like procrastination, interruptions, and multitasking by turning them around and making them work for you. How to process workflow efficiently and get your email inbox to zero every day. How to have peace of mind without needing to have everything under control. How generosity is actually the key to unlocking productivity. This expanded edition includes: a new chapter on productivity in a fallen world a new appendix on being more productive with work that requires creative thinking. Productivity isn't just about getting more things done. It's about getting the right things done--the things that count, make a difference, and move the world forward. You can learn how to do work that matters and how to do it well.

For centuries, philosophers, theologians, moralists, and ordinary people have asked: How should we live? What makes for a good life? In The Best Things in Life, distinguished philosopher Thomas Hurka takes a fresh look at these perennial questions as they arise for us now in the 21st century. Should we value family over career? How do we balance self-interest and serving others? What activities bring us the most joy? While religion, literature, popular psychology, and everyday wisdom all grapple with these questions, philosophy more than anything else uses the tools of reason to make important distinctions, cut away irrelevancies, and distill these issues down to their essentials. Hurka argues that if we are to live a good life, one thing we need to know is which activities and experiences will most likely lead us to happiness and which will keep us from it, while also reminding us that happiness isn't the only thing that makes life good. Hurka explores many topics: four types of good feeling (and the limits of good feeling); how we can improve our baseline level of happiness (making more money, it turns out, isn't the answer); which kinds of knowledge are most worth having; the importance of achieving worthwhile goals; the value of love and friendship; and much more. Unlike many philosophers, he stresses that there isn't just one good in life but many: pleasure, as Epicurus argued, is indeed one, but knowledge, as Socrates contended, is another, as is achievement. And while the great philosophers can help us understand what matters most in life, Hurka shows that we must ultimately decide for ourselves. This delightfully accessible book offers timely guidance on answering the most important question any of us will ever ask: How do we live a good life?