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Spare
by Harry
"It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother's coffin as the world watched in sorrow--and horror. As Diana, Princess of Wales, was laid to rest, billions wondered what the princes must be thinking and feeling--and how their lives would play out from that point on. For Harry, this is that story at last. With its raw, unflinching honesty, Spare is a landmark publication full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief"
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Spring Rain : A Life Lived in Gardens by Marc HamerWriter and gardener, Marc Hamer, now in his 60s, shares his path to contentment from difficult beginnings. Through the prism of family gardens, he reflects on how we reconcile our childhoods with where we end up as adults. Growing up in a violent home, as a young boy, Hamer found solace and safety in his small back garden. In particular, in its shed, where he stumbled across an incomplete set of old encylopaedias. These books, and observing the plants and insects in his private kingdom, began his lifelong love of learning and openness to the world. Throughout his journey from youth to age, which included a period living homeless in the countryside, Hamer has found the answers to life's questions in the nature around him. While building his 'final' garden at his home in Cardiff, he looks back at what he has learned along the way, from his days as a child watching ants, to his later life as a professional gardener creating places of calm and restoration for others.
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The perfect assassin by James PattersonAn unassuming professor is abducted and appointed to a mission that he never signed up for. Perfect for fans of Killing Eve. At this school, the first lesson is survival. Dr Brandt Savage's plans for his sabbatical from the University of Chicago change drastically when he is enrolled in a school where he is the sole pupil. His professor is relentless in her lessons. She's also his captor. Savage is forced to undertake intense physical and mental training, with no idea why he was chosen or what is expected of him. But as he learns more about his abductor, Savage discovers just how deeply entwined their lives are. And why, together, they must make a pledge- Do right by all, and wrong to no one.
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Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie's empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho's gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost. With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson gives us a window in a vanished world. Slyly funny, brilliantly observant, and ingeniously plotted, Shrines of Gaiety showcases the myriad talents that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time.
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The Vet's Country Holiday by Lily MaloneFor city vet, Isabella Passmore, the opportunity to pet-sit in the country knocks at the perfect time. Bring on that fresh air! But after three days of holiday bliss, Izzy is bored silly. If the air gets any cleaner, she'll start slinging mud. Then she gets offered work in the second-hand shop. Saved! Maybe. It's been years since Elliot Field's parents rolled out the red carpet, but Elliot only needs one day to learn that this welcome mat comes with strings. His parents' new business is sinking, and they expect him to fix their financial problems. To prepare for the week from hell, he'll need a mug that's not steeped in bad memories, but nothing could prepare him for the employee he encounters at the second-hand shop. For Izzy, pursuing Elliot is a most welcome diversion from walking another lap of town with the dog. For Elliot, their random encounters add up to the sum of much bigger things. He's always been a numbers man and he's kept his heart locked away, but in irrepressible Izzy, is Elliot's number finally up?
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Olive, Mabel & me : life and adventures with two very good dogs
by Andrew Cotter
"The story of Olive and Mabel, Labrador retrievers who rose to internet fame as the subjects of Andrew Cotter's BBC sports parodies. When sporting events were put on hold in March 2020, commentator Andrew Cotter shifted to working from home. The one-on-one competitors? His two Labrador retrievers, Olive and Mabel. In the hilarious videos that ensued, the dogs engage in various contests, from bone-snatching and breakfast-eating to crushing it on the dog walk, while Cotter narrates to hilarious effect. Thescene of Mabel, simply standing still in a fetid pond was one of the most popular. Why? Because this is how dogs live, and Cotter captured it with humor and joy. It's why the series has been viewed more than 50 million times, entertaining dog owners, sports fans and celebrities around the world. Olive and Mabel are more than online celebrities, however, as revealed in this charming narrative. Filled with stories about how Cotter fell in love with his dogs, his passion for hiking with them through the glens and over the peaks of his native Scotland, and the ongoing relationship between Olive and Mabel (particularly the "competitive fire" lit during these days of quarantine), the memoir is by turns side-splittingly funny and thoughtfully tender. It's sure to resonate with all dog lovers"
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The Daves Next Door by Will CarverA disillusioned nurse suddenly learns how to care. An injured young sportsman wakes up to find that he can see only in black and white. A desperate old widower takes too many pills and believes that two angels have arrived to usher him through purgatory. Two agoraphobic men called Dave share the symptoms of a brain tumour, and frequently waken their neighbour with their ongoing rows. Separate lives, running in parallel, destined to collide and then explode. Like the suicide bomber, riding the Circle Line, day after day, waiting for the right time to detonate, waiting for answers to his questions: Am I God? Am I dead? Will I blow up this train? ...[This book is an] existential thriller and a piercing examination of what it means to be human... or not.
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Up in Smoke : Stories from a Life on Fire by Leigh Hosy-pickett Leigh Hosy-Pickett has seen it all in his 25 years as a firefighter. He's battled infernos and pulled people from the wreckage of twisted metal but the closest he ever came to death was at the hands of a confused hen do. Now he's here to tell us the funniest, most eye-opening and moving stories from a life lived amongst the smoke. From blazes involving sex toys, to navigating cannabis farm security measures, this brilliantly warm and entertaining book by a third-generation firefighter is a celebration of the everyday heroism of our fire service. There will be laughter, there will be tears and there will be lots of cakes.
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A Remarkable Woman by Jules Van MilFrenchwoman Avril Montdidier is on a mission: to emigrate to Australia and start her own fashion business, leaving the tragedies of the Second World War behind her. She has family in Melbourne and an apprenticeship at Dior in Paris under her tailored belt, so the future seems bright. Avril settles into 1950s Melbourne and makes friends and contacts for her business-to-be. But just as she's ready to begin, an event in her personal life forces her to make the difficult decision to flee to a cattle station in southern Queensland to work as a nanny. It is here Avril meets Tim: the eldest son of her benefactor and heir to Monaghan Station. Their mutual attraction is immediate, but Tim is already bound to another. Avril must grapple with her twin desires - her love for Tim and the impossibility of their situation, and her yearning to stand on her own two feet and gain independence. It will take a remarkable woman to find her way to happiness.
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Keeping Up Appearances by Tricia Stringer Privacy is hard to maintain in Badara as single mum Paige discovers when she and her three children arrive from the city seeking refuge. Paige's only respite is the Tuesday gym club, where she had feared the judgement of the town matriarchs, but she is met only with generosity and a plethora of baked goods. Well-to-do farmer's wife and proud mother Briony is in full denial of her family's troubles. Suddenly Briony and husband Vince have a full house again - and the piles of laundry aren't the only dirty linen that's about to be aired. For Marion, the unearthing of a time capsule - its contents to be read at the Celebrate Badara weekend - is a disaster. She was only a teenager when she wrote down those poisonous words, but that doesn't mean she won't lose friends and family if they hear what she really thinks of them. When the truth comes out for Badara, keeping up appearances may no longer be an option for anyone.
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Contact your librarian for more great audiobooks!
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