The new book of essays from Jonathan Franzen, author of Freedom. Jonathan Franzen's Freedom was the runaway most-discussed novel of 2010, an ambitious and searching engagement with life in America in the 21st century. The editor of The New York Times Book Review, Sam Tanenhaus, proclaimed it a masterpiece of American fiction and lauded its illumination, through the steady radiance of its author's profound moral intelligence, [of] the world we thought we knew. Now, a new collection of Franzen's nonfiction brings fresh evidence of that moral intelligence, confirming his status not only as a great American novelist but also as a master noticer, social critic, and self-investigator. In Farther Away, which gathers together essays and speeches written mostly in the past five years, the writer returns with renewed vigor to the themes, both human and literary, that have long preoccupied him. Whether recounting his violent encounter with bird poachers in Cyprus, examining his mixed feelings about the suicide of his friend and rival David Foster Wallace, or offering a moving and witty take on the ways that technology has changed how people express their love, these pieces deliver on Franzen's implicit promise to conceal nothing from the reader. On a trip to China to see first-hand the environmental devastation there, he doesn't omit to mention his excitement and awe at the pace of China's economic development; the trip becomes a journey out of his own prejudice and moral condemnation. Taken together, these essays trace the progress of unique and mature mind wrestling with itself, with literature, and with some of the most important issues of our day. Farther Away is remarkable, provocative, and necessary.

The language and culture of China. A topic so complex and epic it would surely take years of study to scratch the surface. Wrong! Collins Chinese Language and Culture is a sharp and informative introduction to the Chinese language and way of life. You'll learn essential phrases and grammar points, the origins of Chinese characters and how to form them. There are lessons about Chinese etiquette, how to haggle your way down a street market and what to do in a restaurant. Whether as an accompaniment to studies or a stand-alone guide, Collins Chinese Language and Culture gives you access to the life and language of this ancient empire and modern superpower in the making.

Stroke by stroke, you will learn 250 Chinese characters with Collins Easy Learning Chinese Characters. With thousands of characters to learn, beginning to read and write Chinese is a daunting task. Aimed at learners seeking to master Chinese writing, this book shows you how to form 250 of the most important characters. It explains the meaning of each character, the radicals it includes and some of the most useful compound words it can make. Stroke by stroke practice on every page lets you practice writing each character for yourself. In no time at all you will become familiar with reading writing characters and start to feel at ease within the Chinese writing system.

This new edition of Collins Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus ensures you'll always have the words you need at your fingertips. With matching dictionary and thesaurus entries on the same page, you'll never be stuck for words again! With all the main entry words shown in colour, Collins Pocket Dictionary and Thesaurus is easy on the eye and will help you find all the words, definitions and alternatives you need -- and fast. Clear, straightforward definitions reflect today's language, while the matching thesaurus entries provide a generous choice of synonyms and antonyms. And you can always rely on Collins to provide you with today's English as all our definitions, examples, idioms and usage notes are based on the Collins Word Web -- our unrivalled and constantly updated 4-billion-word database.

A fantastic new colour school thesaurus for ages 10+ in the best-selling Gem format. Written specially to help with school work and homework, this new edition of the Gem School Thesaurus provides thousands of synonyms to increase vocabulary, with examples to show context for every synonym listed. This handy thesaurus includes all the newest words in the English language, plus an updated supplement to provide help with finding the right word. Unlike any other school thesaurus, with the Collins Gem School Thesaurus you can be sure you're using the right word every time. Every entry has a definition, and each alternative word is followed by its own example, helping you decide which word is the most appropriate to use. The perfect companion to the new Collins Gem School Dictionary, and an indispensable tool for any school student aged 10+. Using a thesaurus has never been easier!

Filled with artistry and images, this book showcases the work of twenty-seven established and emerging artists in the area of science fiction and fantasy art. From the utterly bizarre and remarkable, to the down-right creepy, it is suitable for all science fiction and fantasy fans as well as those interested in art and graphic design.

This new edition of the Collins Chinese Gem Dictionary has been specially designed to meet the needs of learners of both Chinese and English. A clear colour layout, up-to-date coverage of everyday words and phrases, and a handy travel supplement make this dictionary the ideal portable companion. Collins Chinese Gem has been written for all those learning Chinese or English for study or for travel. It is the ideal text for anyone who needs a wealth of reliable information in a portable format.

Collins Pocket Thesaurus has a wide range of up-to-date entries, a generous choice of synonyms, and thousands of antonyms, giving unrivalled everyday language coverage for a thesaurus of its size. The hard-wearing vinyl cover makes it an ideal reference book for carrying to school or work. This new edition of Collins Pocket Thesaurus provides up-to-date language coverage along with practical guidance on effective English for everyday use. All main entry words are highlighted in colour and the most helpful synonyms in each entry are given first and highlighted to ensure you find what you're looking for in the shortest time. With key antonyms included for many entries and the unique supplement, Collins Pocket Thesaurus is the ideal one-stop reference source for every home and office.

One of the most photographed women in Britain, Coleen knows what it's like to live in the celebrity glare. The fully updated paperback of her number one bestselling style autobiography 'Welcome to My World' offers exclusive insights into her transformation from an ordinary Liverpudlian schoolgirl into a glamorous style icon. During that transformation, Coleen has become a huge inspiration to young women everywhere. We have watched in admiration as she has become sought after for the cover of the world's fashion and style magazines, featured in Vogue, presented her own TV programme, become a regular magazine columnist and worked as the face of high profile brands. The updated paperback includes the story of her star-studded 21st birthday bash and her exciting new TV plans. 'Welcome to My World' is Coleen's chance to share with her millions of fans the ways in which she has developed her taste in fashion, and the tips she can pass on from her increasingly admired style and her fitness regime. She also gives fascinating insights into what life is really like in the unrelenting celebrity spotlight and amidst the glare of the constant paparrazi flashbulbs.Along with often humorous insights into Coleen's world, the book includes her tips on fashion and style do's and don'ts based on her own experience of growing up in the limelight. It will be an inspiration to anyone interested in fashion, glamour and how one girl coped when she was thrust into the celebrity spotlight and her life changed forever.

Giorgio Locatelli started helping out in the family restaurant at age five. He was raised in Corgeno in northern Italy, close to the Swiss border and Milan. Almost everything his family ate and drank was produced locally. He was told by the head chef at his first real Italian restaurant job that he would never make it as a chef. His grandmother, who shared her great love of food with him, said Giorgio would have to go back and show him. And so he did. After getting suspended from cooking school because of kissing a girl on the school's steps, he went on to become a greatly admired chef. Made in Italy is a 624-page, vibrantly illustrated book full of Locatelli's recipes, insight and historical detail about Italian food. He combines food narrative with hands-on expertise of a top chef. He peppers the book with evocative stories and funny and often outspoken observations on the state of food today. This is the contemporary Italian food bible, from the acknowledged master of modern Italian cooking.

The long-awaited fifth volume in the hugely popular and highly acclaimed epic fantasy A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE The last of the Targaryons, Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, has brought the young dragons in her care to their terrifying maturity. Now the war-torn landscape of the Seven Kingdoms is threatened by destruction as vast as in the violent past. Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf with half a nose and a scar from eye to chin, has slain his father and escaped the Red Keep in King's Landing to wage war from the Free Cities beyond the narrow sea. The last war fought with dragons was a cataclysm powerful enough to shatter the Valyrian peninsula into a smoking, demon-haunted ruin half drowned by the sea. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS brings to life dark magic, complex political intrigue and horrific bloodshed as events at the Wall and beyond the sea threaten the ancient land of Westeros.

Volume 2 of the gripping epic masterpiece, The story of Solzhenitsyn's entrance into the Soviet prison camps

The story of an independent young woman whose life is changed forever by a chance encounter with a childhood friend. A magical blend of compelling action, exotic locations and intriguing characters, told with Paulo's characteristic power and insight. Pilar is an independent and practical young woman who is feeling bored and frustrated by the daily grind of her university life. Looking for a deeper meaning to her existence, she happens to meet an old childhood friend, now a handsome, mesmerizing spiritual teacher — and a rumoured miracle worker. As he leads her on a magical journey through the Fench Pyrenees, Pilar begins to realize that this chance encounter is going to transform her life forever. With Paulo's trademark blend of mysticism, magical realism and folklore, Pilar's story is a poignant and deeply inspiring tale.

Scale: 1:20,000 (3.17 inches to 1 mile). Central London at 1:12,500 (5.1 inches to 1 mile). Compact and slim pocket sized atlas with exceptionally clear street maps showing a wealth of detail. This neat, handy little pocket-sized atlas is an ideal purchase for resident and visitor alike. It has an extensive area of coverage and shows the centre of London at an extra large scale. The maps are exceptionally clear and easy to use with colour coding for both the roads as well as locations such as shops, hospitals, hotels, schools etc.

Meet teenage Carrie Bradshaw as she hits the bright lights, big city of New York for the very first time! Find out how Carrie transforms from country girl to super-cool fashionista in the second explosive CARRIE DIARIES novel from the globally bestselling author of SEX AND THE CITY. Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it — the crazy characters in her neighbourhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she's finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream. This sequel to THE CARRIE DIARIES brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country sparrow — as Samantha Jones dubs her — to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realises that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined. With her signature wit and sparkling humour, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of the New York City's most unforgettable icons, Carrie Bradshaw.

Just how badly do you want to find paradise? When Tom Finn is almost jailed for confronting two burglars in his own home, this taxi driver takes his young family to live on the tropical island of Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is all the Finn family dreamed of — a tropical paradise where the children swim with elephants, the gibbons sing love songs in the jungle, the Andaman Sea is like turquoise glass and this young family is free to grow. But both man-made disaster and the unleashed forces of nature shatter this tropical idyll for Tom Finn's family. CATCHING THE SUN is a gripping, moving story of a family who go in search of Paradise — and end up discovering themselves.

Paradise can be murder! When Christian Fletcher dies in the fire that consumes the Bounty, destroyed against his will to prevent any possibility of ever returning to England, the men who risked everything for freedom find themselves without their leader — and imprisoned forever in paradise. 'I never liked Fletcher Christian. Mister Fletcher Christian. Yet after I held him as he died, watching the great HMS Bounty burn, I feared for what the future may hold. The eighteen of us had risked everything for freedom; we had stood up to Captain Bligh's tyranny, but with no good man to lead us we were imprisoned in paradise. Blissful blue skies and tranquil bays were not going to be enough to save us from ourselves!' A story of low treachery and high adventure, murder under the palm trees, trouble in paradise and a lost Eden in the South Seas.

Relive the magic of the Disney Pixar film, Brave, with this storybook and CD — a great value at just $6.99. The CD includes word-for-word narration, thrilling sound effects, and original character voices from the movie!

Call Me Irresistible R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year. Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends. One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible — Ted Beaudine — the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache. But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say I don't, Meg becomes the most hated woman in town — a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all. Call Me Irresistible is the book Susan Elizabeth Phillips's readers have long awaited. Ted, better known as little Teddy, the nine-year-old heartbreak kid from Phillips's first bestseller, Fancy Pants, and as young Teddy, the hunky new college graduate in Lady Be Good, is all grown up now — along with Lucy from First Lady and Meg from What I Did for Love. They're ready to take center stage in a saucy, funny, and highly addictive tale fans will love. Crown Susan Elizabeth Phillips the queen of romantic comedy, raves the McClatchy-Tribune News Service, just one of numerous accolades the beloved New York Times bestselling author has earned in her remarkable career. For more than three decades, this wise and witty writer has charmed hearts and won the devotion of legions of readers. Now she's back with the book her fans have been demanding — a sassy, sexy, downright irresistible tale of true love Texas-style, featuring gorgeous heartbreaker Ted Beaudine, now grown up and in a heap of romantic trouble all his own.

Younger readers enter the world of Marvel's most popular billionaire Super-Hero, Tony Stark, also known as the invincible Iron Man. Full color.