Somebody I Used To Know

The bestselling author of Somebody's Daughter and Cemetery Girl, “one of the brightest and best crime fiction writers of our time” (Suspense Magazine) delivers a pulse-pounding thriller about a man who is haunted by a face from his past... When Nick Hansen sees the young woman at the grocery store, his heart stops. She’s the spitting image of his college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, who died in a campus house fire twenty years earlier. But when Nick tries to speak to her, she acts skittish and rushes off. The next morning the police arrive at Nick’s house and show him a photo of the woman from the store. She’s been found dead, murdered in a local motel, with Nick’s name and address on a piece of paper in her pocket. Convinced there's a connection between the two women, Nick enlists the help of his college friend Laurel Davidson to investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa’s death. But the young woman’s murder is only the beginning...and the truths Nick uncovers may make him wish he never doubted the lies.

Presents the text of Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use"; contains background essays that provide insight into the story; and features a selection of critical response. Includes a chronology and an interview with the author.

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 1. I’m in a coma. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 3. Sometimes I lie. Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?

“A brave and illuminating journey inside the mind, heart, and life of a person with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.”—Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice Wendy Mitchell had a busy job with the British National Health Service, raised her two daughters alone, and spent her weekends running and climbing mountains. Then, slowly, a mist settled deep inside the mind she once knew so well, blurring the world around her. She didn’t know it then, but dementia was starting to take hold. In 2014, at age fifty-eight, she was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer’s. In this groundbreaking book, Mitchell shares the heartrending story of her cognitive decline and how she has fought to stave it off. What lay ahead of her after the diagnosis was scary and unknowable, but Mitchell was determined and resourceful, and she vowed to outwit the disease for as long as she could. As Mitchell learned to embrace her new life, she began to see her condition as a gift, a chance to experience the world with fresh eyes and to find her own way to make a difference. Even now, her sunny outlook persists: She devotes her time to educating doctors, caregivers, and other people living with dementia, helping to reduce the stigma surrounding this insidious disease. Still living independently, Mitchell now uses Post-it notes and technology to remind her of her routines and has created a “memory room” where she displays photos—with labels—of her daughters, friends, and special places. It is a room where she feels calm and happy, especially on days when the mist descends. A chronicle of one woman’s struggle to make sense of her shifting world and her mortality, Somebody I Used to Know offers a powerful rumination on memory, perception, and the simple pleasure of living in the moment. Philosophical, poetic, intensely personal, and ultimately hopeful, this moving memoir is both a tribute to the woman Wendy Mitchell used to be and a brave affirmation of the woman she has become. Praise for Somebody I Used to Know “Remarkable . . . Mitchell gives such clear-eyed insight that anyone who knows a person living with dementia should read this book.”—The Times (London) “A landmark book . . . The best reward for [Mitchell’s] courage and candour would surely be fundamental changes in the way people with dementia are treated by society.”—Financial Times

In 1969 when Bunkie King was a wide eyed Sydney schoolgirl from a troubled family she met Jack Thompson, struggling actor and soon to be Australia's biggest screen star. He was also romantically involved with Bunkie's older sister, Leona. The relationship lasted 15 years. But it really took another lifetime a failed marriage, motherhood, her own breakdowns and breakthroughs for her to find the voice in which to describe her journey to true independence.

A beautiful story of love and second chances, with a remarkable family at its heart, from the Sunday Times bestselling author. So much can change in half a lifetime… Then At fifteen, George is the foster brother Leah never asked for. As the angry, troubled boy struggles to come to terms with his circumstances, Leah finds herself getting drawn closer to him. Theo’s wealthy family have mysteriously pulled him out of boarding school and he’s now enrolled at the local state school with Leah and George. When their worlds collide that summer, the three teenagers form a bond they believe will be unbreakable. But life doesn’t always go to plan... Now Shocking news brings Leah back to Yorkshire, baby daughter in tow. But Emilie’s father Theo isn’t with them, and George has unexpectedly returned. After half a lifetime, have they healed the scars of their pasts? Will coming back home set their hearts in a different direction? ‘A beautiful story about love and family and healing broken hearts. It swept me up and wouldn’t let me go – I loved it’ BETH O’LEARY 'Gorgeous, brimming with heart, this is Paige Toon at her best. Beautiful and accomplished... A class act' MILLY JOHNSON ‘What a perfect emotive journey! I could feel every character so brilliantly, the writing was beyond immersive… I really never wanted this to end!’ LOUISE PENTLAND ‘Utterly brilliant… I want to go back and read it all again. A book that highlights the strength of love and the importance of compassion and understanding’ GIOVANNA FLETCHER ‘An absolute tearjerker, full of love for the family we’re born into and the one we build along the way. This book will live in my heart for a long, long time’ LINDSEY KELK ‘Someone I Used To Know had me hooked from the first page to the last. I adored everything about this gorgeous story and the unforgettable family at its heart’ CATHERINE ISAAC ‘A heartfelt, heartbreaking and heartwarming story of love, family and loss and the ties that bind us’ DANI ATKINS ‘Broke my heart, pieced it back together and made it soar… And I absolutely didn’t see that twist coming’ ZOË FOLBIGG ‘I can’t even cope with how much I loved Someone I Used To Know. It’s so wonderful and warm and clever and funny… I’ve already messaged half a dozen friends to insist they pre-order their copy’ LUCY VINE ‘I just loved it – I was so invested. Touching, beautiful, romantic… and the hottest love interest omg!’ LIA LOUIS 'This novel almost finished me off! An absolute heartwarming delight delivered with Paige's trademark warmth. The wonderful cast of characters will stay with you long after you've reached the final page' KATY COLINS

Pop music surrounds us - in our cars, over supermarket speakers, even when we are laid out at the dentist - but how often do we really hear what's playing? Switched on Pop is the book based on the eponymous podcast that has been hailed by NPR, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Entertainment Weekly for its witty and accessible analysis of Top 40 hits. Through close studies of sixteen modern classics, musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding shift pop from the background to the foreground, illuminating the essential musical concepts behind two decades of chart-topping songs. In 1939, Aaron Copland published What to Listen for in Music, the bestseller that made classical music approachable for generations of listeners. Eighty years later, Nate and Charlie update Copland's idea for a new audience and repertoire: 21st century pop, from Britney to Beyoncé, Outkast to Kendrick Lamar. Despite the importance of pop music in contemporary culture, most discourse only revolves around lyrics and celebrity. Switched on Pop gives readers the tools they need to interpret our modern soundtrack. Each chapter investigates a different song and artist, revealing musical insights such as how a single melodic motif follows Taylor Swift through every genre that she samples, André 3000 uses metric manipulation to get listeners to "shake it like a Polaroid picture," or Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee create harmonic ambiguity in "Despacito" that mirrors the patterns of global migration. Replete with engaging discussions and eye-catching illustrations, Switched on Pop brings to life the musical qualities that catapult songs into the pop pantheon. Readers will find themselves listening to familiar tracks in new waysand not just those from the Top 40. The timeless concepts that Nate and Charlie define can be applied to any musical style. From fanatics to skeptics, teenagers to octogenarians, non-musicians to professional composers, every music lover will discover something ear-opening in Switched on Pop.