The British Bloke Decoded

'I laughed a lot and now understand blokes a lot more than I ever wanted to' - Katherine Ryan 'Geoff is one of the funniest intelligent thinkers in comedy and this book reflects that perfectly' - Romesh Ranganathan 'Funny and insightful, it makes serious points without committing the cardinal sin of taking itself too seriously. ' - Adrian Chiles 'Highly informative. Geoff will make a proper bloke out of me yet.' - Hugo Rifkind 'A brilliant and hilarious book which defends blokes without denigrating women' - Konstantin Kisin If you see a man drinking a pint in an airport pub alone, that's a bloke. If you see a man driving to the tip on a Saturday morning with a smile on his face, that's a bloke. And if you see a man heading back from the tip and on the way to the pub, that's a very happy bloke. The British Bloke appears simple and straightforward. He loves football, cricket, beer and sheds. But beneath that simple exterior lies a mysterious and complex being... In The British Bloke Decoded, writer, comedian and regular bloke, Geoff Norcott, peels back the layers of blokedom, revealing the truth behind the behaviour of Britain's husbands, dads, brothers and friends. He dives into the value of banter, the roots of mansplaining, the near impossibility of getting blokes to send birthday cards, and whether there could be a medal system for vacuuming. Based on 46 years of intensive field research and semi-scientific insights, this book is a celebration of. the simple British bloke in all his splendour.

Comedian Geoff Norcott should have been Labour through and through. He grew up on a council estate, both of his parents were disabled, and his Dad was a Union man. So, how was it that he grew up to vote Tory? In this courageously honest and provocative memoir, Geoff unpicks his working-class upbringing and his political journey from left to right. Raised by a fierce matriarch and a maverick father on a South London council estate where they filmed scenes for The Bill, Geoff spends his youth attempting to put out kitchen fires with aerosols and leaping in and out of industrial skips. But as he reaches adolescence, his political views begin to be influenced by major events including the early 90s recession, the credit crunch, and a chance encounter with Conservative PM John Major.

When a mortician appears on television to declare that death is infinitely preferable to life, he sparks a religious movement that quickly leaves Christianity and most of Islam in the dust. Gore Vidal’s deft and daring blend of satire and prophecy, first published in 1954, eerily anticipates the excesses of Jim Jones, David Koresh, and the Heaven’s Gate suicide cult.-Print ed.

The enduring appeal of Jane Austen’s fiction is captured in this pocket-sized collection of quotations taken from her celebrated works. The novels of Jane Austen are famed for their ability to perfectly convey the nuances of social interactions in the Regency period. Perhaps what makes the books still so popular is just how recognisable the social situations and character types of two hundred years ago are today. Well-known for her humour, Jane Austen’s Universal Truths is a collection of some of Austen’s most choice and wry observations. Featuring witticisms on love and marriage, the battle of the sexes, town and country and moral duty, and dipping into all of Jane Austen’s six published novels, this collection will delight fans and is the perfect breakdown to introduce a classic author to a new audience. The universal truths are accompanied by illustrations from celebrated artist Polly Fern.

"A group of notable writers ... celebrate our fascination with the houses of famous literary figures, artists, composers, and politicians of the past"--Provided by publisher.

"If you loved Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere, allow me to introduce you to your next obsession. —Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author of The Grace Year A tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secrets At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke—a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater—and Asha, an overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs. But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town—where people stop at nothing to get what they want. Don't miss Annie Ward's other twisty and utterly original thriller, Beautiful Bad!

With more than one and a half million copies sold worldwide in thirty languages, '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' celebrates the great and groundbreaking, classic and cult, must-see movies of all time, offering a treasure trove of incisive, witty, and revealing insights. Spanning more than a century of extraordinary cinema, this comprehensive volume brings together the most significant movies from every country and all genres, from action to Western, through animation, comedy, documentary, musical, thriller, noir, short, remance, and sci-fi. Completely revised and updated for 2013, this definitive edition features a fresh new design, 500 original movie posters, and 200 new movie stills. Fifty previously overlooked or recently discovered masterpieces are reviewed for the first time, taking their place alongside the box-office smashes and critically acclaimed films of movie history. Quotes from movie directors and critics, together with little-known facts complement the incisive reviews and vital statistics of each movie to make this the most fact-filled edition ever. So, whether your passion is rom-com or art house, 'The Blue Angel' or 'Blue Velvet', '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' is bound to become the only film book you will ever turn to.