Headline Books

Read by Daphne Kouma, Homer Todiwala, Matthew Spencer & Peter Kenny The Imperial War Museum open its world-famous archives to celebrate the letters, diaries and spoken words of those who witnessed the key events of the Second World War. During the Second World War, across the frontline as well as on the Home Front, millions of people recorded their thoughts of their experiences - whether in letters, their personal diaries or those prosecuting the war giving speeches. Much as Letters of Note celebrated the great letters written through history, so Words of War allows the Imperial War Museum to showcase its incredible array of first-hand material to shine a light on how people journeyed through the 1939-45 conflict. Ten chapters take the listener chronologically through the key moments of the war: from the retreat to Dunkirk to the battle of the Atlantic; the savage fighting in the jungles of the far East to the RAF Bomber Command's campaign in Europe; the discovery of the Nazi's concentration camp system to

Two women set sail for Australia, bound by a terrible truth. But only one will make it off the ship. The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay is a darkly gripping dual-time novel, with a wealth of twists, turns and secrets and an absolute book club treat, perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Rachel Rhys and Hannah Richell. England, 1919: Rose and Ivy board a ship bound for Australia. One is travelling there to marry a man she has never met. One is destined never to arrive. Australia, 2016: Amongst her late-grandmother's possessions, Molly uncovers a photograph of two girls dressed in First World War nurses' uniforms, labelled 'Rose and Ivy 1917', and a letter from her grandmother, asking her to find out what happened to her own mother, Rose, who disappeared in the 1960s. Compelled to carry out her grandmother's last wish, Molly embarks on a journey to England to unravel the mystery of the two girls whose photograph promised they'd be 'together forever'....

The second instalment in Carol McGrath's captivating The Daughters of Hastings trilogy! A marriage made in heaven, or hell? 1075 and Dowager Queen Edith has died. Her niece Gunnhild longs to leave Wilton Abbey, but is her suitor, Breton knight Count Alain of Richmond, interested in her inheritance as the daughter of King Harold and Edith Swan-Neck, or does he love her for herself? Is her own love for Count Alain an enduring love, or has she made a terrible mistake? The Swan Daughter is woven around a true 11th-century tale of elopement, love and courage. Love the novels of Carol McGrath? Don't miss The Silken Rose, starring one of the most fierce and courageous forgotten queens of England!

Paul Merson's wonderfully moving and brutally honest memoir of battling addiction for three decades. For 21 years, Paul Merson played professional football. He won two First Division titles with Arsenal and was one of the finest players of his generation. But for 30 years, Paul Merson has also been an addict. Alcohol, drugs, gambling: a desperately unenviable cocktail of addictions and depression which has plagued his entire adult life and driven him to the verge of suicide. 'I've come to realise that I'm powerless over alcohol...I'm an alcoholic. My drinking and gambling have left a lot of wreckage.' Until recently, the drinking and gambling were still raging. 'I wanted to kill myself. I couldn't go on anymore. I just couldn't see a way out.' Then something clicked. 'One day, I was walking home from the pub late on a Sunday evening, and I thought to myself: I've had enough of feeling like this, every day of my life. I rang up Alcoholics Anonymous the next day, and since then I haven't had a drink.' Ho

From the founder and activist behind one of the largest movements of the 21st century, the Me Too movement, Tarana Burke debuts a powerful memoir about her own journey to saying those two simple yet infinitely powerful words and how she brought empathy back to an entire generation. Tarana didn't always have the courage to say me too. As a child, she reeled from her sexual assault, believing she was responsible. Unable to confess what she thought of as her own sins for fear of shattering her family, her soul split in two. One side was the bright, intellectually curious third generation Bronxite steeped in Black literature and power, and the other was the bad, shame-ridden girl who thought of herself as a vile rule breaker, not of a victim. She tucked one away, hidden behind a wall of pain and anger, which seemed to work...until it didn't. Tarana fought to reunite her fractured soul, through organising, pursuing justice and finding community. In her debut memoir, she shares her extensive work supporting and

London was a city on the front line in the Second World War. It suffered hits from nearly 12,000 tons of bombs, with nearly 30,000 civilians killed by enemy action. The Blitz changed the landscape of the city. Many famous landmarks were hit, including Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London - even the Imperial War Museum. Some areas, such as Stepney, were so badly damaged that they had to be almost entirely rebuilt after the war. But it wasn't just the city's physical landscape that was transformed. With the arrival of large numbers of Commonwealth and overseas service personnel, London became much more cosmopolitan. After 1942, vast numbers of American servicemen were deployed in the capital, and it was also a busy transport hub and a popular destination for troops on leave. This audiobook tells the story of these momentous years in London's history through IWM's unique collections. Using personal accounts from letters and diaries, objects and documents it gives an up-close and r

Bizarre, brilliant and filled with things you didn't know you didn't know - The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything evokes a sense of wonder at the scale of this planet, and the universe in which it sits. The Compendium of (Not Quite) Everything is a treasure trove of random knowledge. Covering everything from the furthest known galaxies to the murky origins of oyster ice cream, inside you will find a discussion of how one might determine the most average-sized country in the world; details of humanity's most ridiculous wars; and, at last, the answer to who would win in a fight between Harry Potter and Spider-Man. Bizarre, brilliant and filled with the unexpected, The Compendium covers the breadth and depth of human experience, weaving its way through words and numbers, science and the arts, the spiritual and the secular. It's a feast of facts for a hungry mind. Includes entries on the cosmos, the human planet, questions of measurement, history/politics, the natural world, leisure and many 'oddities' that

The complete Six Tudor Queens short-story collection by acclaimed historian and Sunday Times best-selling author, Alison Weir. Behind every great king stands a queen. And behind every queen, the whole court watches on.... Over the years of his reign, six different women took their place beside King Henry VIII of England as his wife and queen. But the real stories of the six Tudor queens belong to those who lived among them. Played out in glittering palaces and whispering courts, these are tales of the people who loved and served these women, and those who lied and betrayed them. Collected together for the first time, In the Shadow of Queens reveals 13 startling stories from the Tudor court, told by those at the very heart of that world. Groundbreaking truth. Breathtaking fiction.

In the grand tradition of Josephine Cox, Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin, comes an unstoppable and enthralling new standalone saga from Jennie Felton. She always knew a piece of her heart was missing.... Cecile has been raised to a life of privilege at Polruan House, by her widowed father and aunt. Now she's of age, they are determined that she make a proper match, but Cecile's heart belongs to their coachman, Sam - most definitely not suitable marriage material. When Sam turns to his friend, smuggler Zach Carver, for help eloping with Cecile, Zach tells of a recent encounter with Lise, a beautiful but poor girl in St Ives, who is the mirror image of Cecile. So a daring plan is born to briefly swap the girls. But bringing Cecile and Lise together will uncover an astonishing family secret of a bold escape from a loveless marriage, a treacherous shipwreck and a sister thought lost to the sea long ago....

Read by Alex McKenna, Carlotta Brentan, Ewan Chung, Joe Knezevich, Lauren Fortgang, Stacey Glemboski and Susan Dalian. Everyone has those friends. Doesn't matter how long it's been, or how badly they've behaved, or how late it is when that call finally comes - you show up. No questions asked. There's something so beautiful about that kind of unconditional love. It can turn ugly, though.... Ten years after graduation, a group of friends plan a reunion in a remote house in upstate New York. It isn't a bachelor party, as they've led one of their friends to believe, but instead an intervention for an escalating drug addiction. They lost one member of their friendship group in college, and they'll do anything to make sure that doesn't happen again.... But from the moment they arrive, something doesn't feel right. The local community doesn't like outsiders, and they're especially hostile to this group. And with so much shared history between old friends, it's inevitable that a secret or two will slip out over t

Packed hilarity and heartbreak, this new novel from best-selling Author Olivia Beirne follows two estranged sisters who learn more about each other from a house swap than they ever expected.... Perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary and Marian Keyes. You can learn a lot about someone when you swap houses.... Twins Katy and Rebecca don't know much about each other's lives anymore. Rebecca thinks that Katy is a high-flying event planner in London, while Katy thinks that Rebecca lives in idyllic marital bliss in the countryside. Each sister believes the other has created a perfect life - but the truth is that neither twin has the life she pretends she does. And when these sisters unexpectedly swap houses for a week, they're in for a big shock. But it might just be the wake-up call they've both been waiting for....

Twenty-four hours after leaving his cell he was dead. Can she find out why? When a man is found savagely 'crucified' amidst a murky swamp in northern Australia, detective Dana Russo and her team are called to a shocking scene. The victim is a convicted rapist, just released from prison, who years earlier committed an atrocious crime yards from where he was killed. Who murdered him - and why? With several potential leads, the investigation quickly becomes more complex and sinister than anyone imagined. And Dana realises she'll have to confront her own troubled past to understand the true motives of the killer.... A twisting, compelling and utterly haunting new novel from the international best-seller, perfect for fans of Jane Harper's The Dry and Chris Hammer's Scrublands.

The third and final instalment in Carol McGrath's beautifully crafted Daughters of Hastings series, perfect for fans of Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory. The Betrothed Sister is stunning tale of the exiled Princess Gytha, daughter of King Harold II, offering fascinating insight into 11th century Europe. It is September 1068. Thea, also known as Gytha, the elder daughter of King Harold II, travels with her brothers and grandmother into exile carrying revenge in her heart. She is soon betrothed to a prince of Kiev. Will her betrothal and marriage bring her happiness, as she confronts enemies from inside and outside Russian territories? Will she prove herself the courageous princess she surely is, win her princely husband's respect and establish her independence in a society protective towards its women?

Winner of the Best First Novel 2018 Award at the International Thriller Writers Awards. The first in a brand-new series featuring Thea Paris, a kidnap and ransom specialist. Lisa Gardner says The Freedom Broker is 'clever and gritty', and Peter James says it's 'spellbinding'. If you like I Am Pilgrim, David Baldacci's King and Maxwell series or Ludlum's Bourne series, you will love this. Thea Paris is one of only 25 elite professionals in the world with the ability to bring hostages home safely. International negotiation, undercover operations and extractions are a part of life. Their only objective: release. For Thea, her family's wealth meant kidnap was a constant threat and their worst fears were realised when her brother was kidnapped. Although he was returned, she made it her life's mission to stop others suffering the trauma they did. Now Thea's past is about to come back with a vengeance as her billionaire father is taken. With her professionalism challenged to its limits, all Thea knows is that s

By the Amref activist Nice Leng'ete, one of the TIME's 100 Most Influential People in 2018, an inspirational story of one girl who changed the minds of her elders, reformed traditions from the inside, and is creating a better future for girls and women throughout Africa. Born in a remote village in Kenya, Nice Leng'ete saw the young girls she grew up with receive the cut, the rite of passage into female adulthood in Masai culture. Every girl got the cut, and once you did, you'd be married off to a man triple your age. You might be his second or third wife. You'd have children in your teens. This is exactly what happened to Nice's sister. To resist the cut meant becoming an outcast in Masai culture. Yet Nice managed to avoid it and stay in school. It was not an easy time. She was shunned. At the age of 21, Nice moved to Nairobi to work for Amref Health Africa, an organisation spearheading the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation. Though she was still considered an outcast in her village - even an entap

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.