The perfect Christmas gift full of warmth and nostalgia, for fans of ITV's Emmerdale, and readers who love heartwarming and heartbreaking stories set during World War II. Britain is at war once again and the families of Emmerdale are trying their best to cope with a new way of life. Rationing has been introduced across the country, two million more men have been called up for service, and blackouts, evacuees and military training camps have become the norm. In Beckindale, three young women are about to find their lives changed forever... Annie Pearson is working on Emmerdale Farm, while her love, Edward Sugden is at the front line. Lily Dingle has found purpose in joining the ATS, though she may get more than she bargained for. And Meg Warcup, now teaching at the local school, has taken in two children evacuated from Hull. They've adjusted to their new way of life until one day a German plane comes crashing down in the village... and changes everything in the village of Beckindale. The third novel in the Emmerdale series transports us to the Yorkshire Dales in the midst of World War II, exploring the lives of Emmerdale's much-loved families. Will the nation's favourite village overcome adversity to deal with the loves and lives lost?

'Absolutely loved this ... brought me to tears of joy at the end ... I cannot recommend this book enough' Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars 'Bought it for my mum for Christmas. She thinks it's fantastic' Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars 'Very easy to read, a good storyline with strong characters. Highly recommend it' Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars * * * * * * * The perfect Christmas gift, full of drama and romance, for fans of ITV's Emmerdale and readers who love heart-wrenching stories set during wartime. December 1944. The residents of Beckindale can't believe they're going through another wartime Christmas, although the success of the D-Day landings earlier in the year has brought some hope to the village. The women of Emmerdale are navigating their own lives, loves and dreams, and as the war draws to a close, they realise things will never be the same again. The Emmerdale girls are going to learn things are never dull where love is involved. Exploring the lives of Emmerdale's much-loved families during World War II, including favourites such as the Sugdens and the Dingles, The Emmerdale Girls is a hopeful and nostalgic novel about community, friendship, and love. * * * * * * * I've enjoyed all 5 books! Great reads and so hope there is another' Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars 'Very well written, a Must for people who have followed Emmerdale from its time of being Emmerdale Farm' Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars 'Well worth the read Amazon Reviewer, 5 stars

On the day the Second World War broke out, Frank White was a 12-year-old schoolboy in Manchester. On the day it ended, he was serving on a Royal Navy warship in the Indian Ocean. In 2013, he started to write this novel. 'What I wanted to do,' he says, 'was to capture that feeling of those times and remind people of what the country went through.' 'Fabulous, often funny . . . the authentic, freewheeling atmosphere of a time when all bets were off' Daily Mail As Churchill and the nation face their darkest hour in 1940, a Lincolnshire village wakes up to a glorious summer's morning. Following Dunkirk, the fate of the whole war will soon rest with the RAF and their desperate effort to win the Battle of Britain. If they fail, Hitler's next step will be invasion. And as the scene comes to life before us over the next six months, this shadow of war will not disappear. From the pub to the church, struggling single mother to the lady of the manor, the paper boy to a traumatised bomb disposal volunteer, this superb jewel of a novel portrays a community of people and weaves together their stories with passion, betrayal, intrigue and suspense. There Was a Time is a triumph of the storyteller's art. This edition includes a new Author's Note and additional illustrations by the author.

Steve Halliwell is best known as the loveable patriarch Zak Dingle in the hit TV show Emmerdale, a part he has played since 1994 and which has led him to become one of the UK’s most recognisable and treasured soap stars. Yet before he found success on the Yorkshire Dales, Halliwell spent many years desperately seeking work, often spending time on the streets in the search of food. This warts-and-all story of Halliwell’s rise to fame, where success was only won after great personal struggles, is inspirational to those who wish to establish a life and career for themselves in the face of similar hardships. Going beyond the experiences of one man, If the Cap Fits explores a wider social, cultural and class history that permeated the country in the sixties and seventies, and still lingers today. Above all else, this is an honest tale of rejection and redemption throughout a fascinating and colourful life that will appeal to all who have the ambition to better themselves.

"Half-silly, half-serious and full of human interest."--The Wall Street Journal Get ready for a wild ride with this classic and fun World War II adventure about a boy who helps invent a car the Nazis would love to get their hands on! Thirteen-year-old Angelo knows that his father’s job is in jeopardy. Only one thing can save it: inventing a car the world has never seen before. On vacation in the French countryside, Angelo gets an idea. So far, cars have only been made for the rich. Someone should create a car for everyday working people. Angelo thinks he’ss up to the challenge! After a lot of failures, and some rather painful crashes, Angelo, with help from his friend Camille and some other villagers, builds a prototype that just might work. But testing it won’t be easy—especially when war is declared and he finds out the Nazis are planning to steal his design! This funny adventure will have you speeding through the pages. So buckle up and enjoy the wild ride! "Kids will appreciate Angelo's confident, headlong enthusiasm and his hilarious mishaps driving across pocked fields, while adults will enjoy the new angle on both automotive and war history."--Kirkus Reviews "An unusual look at a much-studied historical period . . . Black-and-white chapter-heading illustrations are a charming addition."--Booklist "A feel-good story about the French Resistance that might very well inspire more than a few designers and engineers.--School Library Journal “A captivating book for young people of all ages.” —T.E. Carhart, bestselling author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank “Charming.” —The Guardian “A thoroughly engaging read.” —The Spectator “Feel-good, funny, romping, filmic adventure.” —The Sunday Times “A fantastic family read.” —Mr Ripley’s Enchanted Books “Refreshingly different and very engaging.” —Reading Zone “A delightful book.” —Historical Novel Society “Unusual and delightful.” —Parents in Touch “I loved this delightful novel. It’s intended for middle grade readers but people of all ages will love it.” —The Bookbag

“The best English novel since the war.” -- Philip Roth Over the course of his seemingly irreproachable life, Magnus Pym has been all things to all people: a devoted family man, a trusted colleague, a loyal friend—and the perfect spy. But in the wake of his estranged father’s death, Magnus vanishes, and the British Secret Service is up in arms. Is it grief, or is the reason for his disappearance more sinister? And who is the mysterious man with the sad moustache who also seems to be looking for Magnus? In A Perfect Spy, John le Carré has crafted one of his crowning masterpieces, interweaving a moving and unusual coming-of-age story with a morally tangled chronicle of modern espionage.

Longlisted for the CWA John Creasy New Blood Dagger Award 2013 and shortlisted for CWA Endeavour Historical Dagger Award 2014 ‘She looked up at the terraced house, with the closed shutters and the big room at the end of the long unlit corridor where the man who smiled too much did his work. She climbed the steps and knocked on the door...’

In The New Emmerdale Cookbook Marlon Dingle, the young chef from Emmerdale, presents recipes from Emmerdale's Diner and his exploits in Italy. Other recipes include Mandy's favorites, Zac Dingle's family recipes, as well as cooking from the Sugden kitchen, the Woolpack, and Home Farm.

‘One of them shouted “A Merry Christmas English. We’re not shooting tonight.” . . . [then] they stuck up a light. Not to be outdone, so did we. Then up went another. So, we shoved up another. Soon the lines looked like an illuminated fete.’ Rifleman Leslie Walkington On Christmas Eve 1914, a group of German soldiers laid down their arms, lit lanterns and started to sing Christmas carols. The British troops in nearby trenches responded by singing songs of their own. The next day, men from both sides met in No Man’s Land. They shook hands, took photos and exchanged food and souvenirs. Some even played improvised football games, kicking around empty bully-beef cans and using helmets for goalposts. Both sides also saw the lull in fighting as a chance to bury the bodies of their comrades. In some parts of the front, the truce lasted a few hours. In others, it continued to the New Year. But everywhere, sooner or later, the fighting resumed. Today, the Christmas Truce is seen as a poignant symbol of hope in a war that many people regard as unnecessary and futile. But what was the real story of those remarkable few days? In this fascinating new book, historian Anthony Richards has brought together hundreds of first-hand reminiscences from those who were there – including previously unpublished German accounts – to cast fresh light on this extraordinary episode.

‘No part of the Great War compares in interest with its opening’, wrote Churchill. ‘The measured, silent drawing together of gigantic forces, the uncertainty of their movements and positions, the number of unknown and unknowable facts made the first collision a drama never surpassed...in fact the War was decided in the first twenty days of fighting, and all that happened afterwards consisted in battles which, however formidable and devastating, were but desperate and vain appeals against the decision of fate.’ On of Britain's foremost military historians and defence experts tackles the origins - and the opening first few weeks of fighting - of what would become known as 'the war to end all wars'. Intensely researched and convincingly argued, Allan Mallinson explores and explains the grand strategic shift that occurred in the century before the war, the British Army’s regeneration after its drubbings in its fight against the Boer in South Africa, its almost calamitous experience of the first twenty days’ fighting in Flanders to the point at which the British Expeditionary Force - the 'Old Contemptibles' - took up the spade in the middle of September 1914: for it was then that the war changed from one of rapid and brutal movement into the more familiar vision of trench warfare on Western Front. In this vivid, compelling new history, Malliinson brings his experience as a professional soldier to bear on the circumstances, events, actions and individuals and speculates – tantalizingly – on what might have been...