When you're in love with the wrong person for the right reasons, anything could happen. Tretch lives in a very small town where everybody's in everybody else's business. Which makes it hard for him to be in love with his straight best friend. For his part, Matt is completely oblivious to the way Tretch feels - and Tretch can't tell whether that makes it better or worse.The problem with living a lie is that the lie can slowly become your life. For Tretch, the problem isn't just with Matt. His family has no idea who he really is and what he's really thinking. The girl at the local bookstore has no clue how off-base her crush on him is. And the guy at school who's a thorn in Tretch's side doesn't realize how close to the truth he's hitting.Tretch has spent a lot of time dancing alone in his room, but now he's got to step outside his comfort zone and into the wider world. Because like love, a true self can rarely be contained.

'The book we all need - full of escapism, romance, hope and kindness' Milly Johnson 'Gloriously romantic' Sun 'I couldn't put it down' Jill Mansell Your big secret is out. What next? For Lara and her daughter Eliza, it has always been just the two of them. But when Eliza turns eighteen and wants to connect with her father, Lara is forced to admit a secret that she has been keeping from her daughter her whole life. Eliza needs answers - and so does Lara. Their journey to the truth will take them on a road trip across England and eventually to New York, where it all began. Dreams might have been broken and opportunities missed, but there are still surprises in store... Anything Could Happen is a warm, wise, funny and uplifting novel about love, second chances and the unexpected and extraordinary paths life can take us down. More praise for Anything Could Happen 'Captivating' Woman & Home 'A lovely, romantic read' 5* reader review 'Tender, bittersweet and funny' Veronica Henry 'Heartwarming' 5* reader review 'Perfect' Prima 'I absolutely loved it' 5* reader review 'A star-crossed lovers story with so much heart and humour' Fiona Palmer 'Unputdownable' 5* reader review 'Full of extraordinary surprises' Woman's Own 'Delightful' 5* reader review 'A feel-good, uplifting book' Sheila O'Flanagan 'Kept me captivated' 5* reader review 'Lovely!' Hello! 'One of my favourite authors' 5* reader review 'Romantic, uplifting and a total joy' Heidi Swain 'A perfect rainy day read' Bella 'Brimming with humour and hope - this book is a joy to escape into' Cathy Bramley '[A] warm hug of a novel' Irish News 'A story of true love and near misses' 5* reader review 'A wonderful book about the What Ifs of love and loss' Laura Kemp 'I laughed and cried and didn't want it to end' 5* reader review 'A captivating, humorous and warm-hearted story elevated to must-read status' Heat 'A story of love, forgiveness and taking a chance on new beginnings' 5* reader review

In 1968, the USS Pueblo was seized while conducting electronic surveillance in international waters along the coast of North Korea, and its crew was held captive until it confessed to conducting intelligence within North Korean waters. This study examines the incident in light of concurrent historical events, recently declassified CIA documents, a naval briefing, contemporary newspaper accounts, and testimony by two members of the crew including Lloyd M. "Pete" Bucher, the commander of the ship. It finds that the main task of the Pueblo was not the surveillance of North Korea but rather a survey of the Russian fleet; nor was the incident a North Korean attempt to catch an American spy ship in the act--instead, it was probably aimed at "generating diversionary pressures on the U.S. at a time when Communist forces in South Vietnam are poised to launch a major country-wide offensive."

Two veteran writers collaborate on this fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the journey that took the “practically perfect” nanny from the pages of P. L. Travers’s beloved novels to the stage. Well-known British writer and radio personality Brian Sibley tells Mary Poppins’s story, from her obscure origins in Travers’s Australian childhood and her progress through the series of books Travers began to write in 1934, to her incarnation by Julie Andrews in one of the most successful Disney films of all time, to her long-awaited landing onstage in London’s West End. A long-time friend of Travers and co-writer with her of an unproduced sequel to the film, Sibley offers unique insights into the idiosyncratic author’s complex relationship to her heroine, and the decades-long series of proposals and negotiations that finally resulted in Disney Theatrical Productions joining forces with the Cameron Mackintosh Theatrical Group to realize Travers’s stories as a spectacular work of musical theater. Sibley’s details the entire development process of the show’s script, music, choreography, and design, culminating in a glorious opening night on December 15, 2004 in London’s Prince Edward’s Theatre, as Mary Poppins is met by cheering sold-out houses and critical raves. In the book’s second half, Michael Lassell gives a fascinating backstage account of the show’s transfer to Broadway, including the show’s American casting and important changes to its book, lyrics, and designs, as the creative team strives to “plus” Poppins to perfection.

'We have to shift from a mindset of shame, which sees anxiety as evidence of brokenness, to a mindset of curiosity, which recognizes that anxiety is evidence of our sensitive heart, our imaginative mind and our soul's desire to grow towards wholeness.' Three million people are thought to suffer from anxiety in the UK, and it is an issue that affects a growing number of people across all ages. For anyone troubled by obsessive thoughts, insomnia and other manifestations of anxiety, counsellor Sheryl Paul offers shelter in the storm. In The Wisdom of Anxiety, Paul reveals that anxiety, like any emotion, is a signal - a clear bodily invitation to heal and renew your trust in your choices, self-image and core values. Weaving together practical exercises with personal stories, Paul offers medication-free approaches for accessing the gifts in different kinds of anxiety, and especially the anxiety summoned by life's transitions, for example a career change, becoming parents or becoming carers for loved ones. Chapters include recognising the symptoms of anxiety, its origins, the myth of 'normal', the expectation of happiness and a timeline of healing that includes exercises for the body and mind. There are also chapters on parenting in an age of anxiety and the vulnerability of connection and relationships.

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

What will the fracturing of the United States look like? After the Revolution is an edge-of-your-seat answer to that question. In the year 2070, twenty years after a civil war and societal collapse of the "old" United States, extremist militias battle in the crumbling Republic of Texas. As the violence spreads like wildfire and threatens the Free City of Austin, three unlikely allies will have to work together in an act of resistance to stop the advance of the forces of the white Christian ethnostate known as the "Heavenly Kingdom." Out three protagonists include Manny, a fixer that shuttles journalists in and out of war zones and provides footage for outside news agencies. Sasha is a teenage woman that joins the Heavenly Kingdom before she discovers the ugly truths behind their movement. Finally, we have Roland: A US Army vet kitted out with cyberware (including blood that heals major trauma wounds and a brain that can handle enough LSD to kill an elephant), tormented by broken memories, and 12,000 career kills under his belt. In the not-so-distant world Evans conjures we find advanced technology, a gender expansive culture, and a roving Burning Man-like city fueled by hedonistic excess. This powerful debut novel from Robert Evans is based on his investigative reporting from international conflict zones and on increasingly polarized domestic struggles. It is a vision of our very possible future.

I hate the nickname Cori Catastrophe, it’s accurate though. In my world, magic weaves through society, seemingly giving mages the leg up. I'm no mage, yet bad luck clings to me like a shadow. Everything changed when my twin brother died in my arms. My parents never forgave me, not that I blame them. Since then, I've been on my own, except for my BFF Jo and her family. Still, trust doesn't come easy. Paying for college sucks while mages get free rides. Even if I have to work two jobs, I'm going to earn my degree and become an EMT. But my luck does weird things, like dropping dead bodies in my path. Nothing new, but this body had my name in his pocket. I don't know why anyone is looking for me, but I won't let anything stop me from getting control over my own life. Not even magic. Join Cori in these slice of life books starting with 'My Luck,' the inaugural tale in the world of Twisted Luck. Dive into a modern-day urban fantasy filled with an asexual main character, life-long friendships, found family, magic, and the unexpected. Step into a world a heartbeat away from our own, where magic is commonplace, but life remains as challenging as ever. Grab book one today and lose yourself in this bestselling series!

It is a cultural novel dealing with the Cultural and Social bonding, kinship, unions, separations and accidental happenings in Indian Telugu families during 1960-2000.