Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by Literary Hub The best in short fiction from around the world, from celebrated anthologist and author John Freeman and award-winning novelist Rabih Alameddine In The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, writers from different nations, languages, and sensibilities come together in a globe-spanning and long overdue tour of modern fiction. In “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo;” Haruki Murakami brings us a man who believes a giant amphibian is enlisting him to protect his city from an impending earthquake. In “War of the Clowns;” Mozambique’s Mia Couto sketches a perfect allegory for our divided culture. In the predecessor story to her iconic novel The Vegetarian, Han Kang depicts a protagonist quietly undergoing an unlikely transformation. A Colm Tóibín character thinks, “I do not even believe in Ireland;” while Carol Bensimon reflects from Brazil, “All great ideas seem like bad ones at some point.” Salman Rushdie brings us to unsettled rural India, Olga Tokarczuk to an ugly woman exhibit at the circus, Abdellah Taïa to the queer Arab world, Ted Chiang to a far-off galaxy. The United States is far from the center of the literary universe. This anthology is reminiscent of iconic director Bong Joon Ho’s line about overcoming “the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles” to enter a new world of film—the work of thoughtful and accomplished translators opens the door wide for those curious about what lies beyond the Western canon and classroom. Writers from six continents, ranging from new voices to literary icons, each offer a window into a distinct point of view, both transcending and illuminating their place of origin. They offer not only captivating prose, but a reminder of the power of the imagination across space and time.

Get off the beaten track and discover over 100 incredible cycling adventures across the globe. See the world on two wheels and explore the most thrilling on and off-road cycling routes. Whether you're an experienced, ascent-loving road cyclist or are planning your first cycling trip, this stunning guide will help you plan the perfect bicycle tour. Inside the pages of this inspirational travel guide you'll find: - 100 rides around the world, chosen by cycling and travel experts, from day cycles around cities to bikepacking journeys across continents - Maps and elevation profiles included, with downloadable GPX routes available too! - A beautifully presented guide with stunning photography throughout for anyone looking for epic bike rides - Each chapter explores a different continent, with rides arranged geographically and details of distance, total ascent and road surface - Top tips for getting the most out of each ride - including refuelling spots, breathtaking viewpoints - as well as suggestions for alternative ways to tackle a route Ride will take you around the world to see all the places on your bucket list! In Europe, you can power up mountain passes in Italy's Dolomites or tackle Bolivia's infamous Death Road in South America. Cycle the famous Cape-to-Cairo route across Africa or go island-hopping in Japan. Awe-inspiring images and descriptions of each bike ride will have you itching to jump on the saddle. This travel book includes all you need to plan the nitty-gritty of your trips like handy maps, elevation profiles and practical information such as distance, difficulty, and road surface. We've also included facts and figures on the world's most famous cyclists and iconic races, plus information on the history of cycling, how to choose a bike and what kit to take.

**New York Times Bestseller** Jay Winik brings to life in “gripping” detail (The New York Times Book Review) the year 1944, which determined the outcome of World War II and put more pressure than any other on an ailing yet determined President Roosevelt. 1944 was a year that could have stymied the Allies and cemented Hitler’s waning power. Instead, it saved those democracies—but with a fateful cost. Now, in a “complex history rendered with great color and sympathy” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), Jay Winik captures the epic images and extraordinary history “with cinematic force” (Time). 1944 witnessed a series of titanic events: FDR at the pinnacle of his wartime leadership as well as his reelection, the unprecedented D-Day invasion, the liberation of Paris, and the tumultuous conferences that finally shaped the coming peace. But millions of lives were at stake as President Roosevelt learned about Hitler’s Final Solution. Just as the Allies were landing in Normandy, the Nazis were accelerating the killing of millions of European Jews. Winik shows how escalating pressures fell on an infirm Roosevelt, who faced a momentous decision. Was winning the war the best way to rescue the Jews? Or would it get in the way of defeating Hitler? In a year when even the most audacious undertakings were within the world’s reach, one challenge—saving Europe’s Jews—seemed to remain beyond Roosevelt’s grasp. “Compelling….This dramatic account highlights what too often has been glossed over—that as nobly as the Greatest Generation fought under FDR’s command, America could well have done more to thwart Nazi aggression” (The Boston Globe). Destined to take its place as one of the great works of World War II, 1944 is the first book to retell these events with moral clarity and a moving appreciation of the extraordinary actions of many extraordinary leaders.

This audiobook has been recorded using Text to speech (TTS). From rap artists wearing their symbol to multi-million dollar movies, the enigmatic and elusive secret society we know as the illuminati has held us captive in more ways than one. We are told they originated in the 18th century, but the truth is much older than that. Who are they? What secrets do they hold? When and where did they originate? They run governments, companies and religions. They have done so for a very long time. Their names have changed, their faces altered but their secrets remain the same. We see glimpses of their power. We see the outcomes of their plots and schemes. We see revolutions and war. We succumb to their propaganda and manipulation again and again. Most have no idea that they are under the spell. In the 18th century they emerged briefly into the spotlight to bring about world-wide cataclysmic change and they called themselves the Illuminati. Quickly they spread and embedded themselves and their ideals within other secret societies. The French had a bloody revolution. America turned the tide against a royal regime. Russia, Spain and more, all fell to the zeal of a new world order. In this book we will delve deep into the what these people believe in and enter their secret initiations and rituals. We will explain what those rituals mean and their origins. We will see the spread of their influence with the assassins, Druze, Yezidis, Allumbrados, Ismailis, Templars, Triad and more. We will see how they created and fostered revolutions from France and America to China and Russia. And we will uncover their very ancient origins and how they were there at the very beginning of the major religions of the globe. This is the story of the world's most powerful secret society - the illuminati.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER The jaw-dropping conclusion to the acclaimed Founders Trilogy, from the Hugo-nominated author of Foundryside and Shorefall "It's so rare to love every single book in a trilogy, to admire the aim, precision, and storytelling stamina this much."-The New York Times Book Review ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The Quill to Live Sancia, Clef, and Berenice have gone up against long odds in the past. But the war they're fighting now is one even they can't win. This time, they're not facing robber-baron elites or even an immortal hierophant, but an entity whose intelligence is spread over half the globe-one that uses the magic of scriving to control not just objects but human minds. To fight it, they've used scriving technology to transform themselves and their allies into an army-a society-unlike anything humanity has seen before. With its strength at their backs, they've freed a handful of their enemy's hosts from servitude, and even defeated some of its fearsome, reality-altering dreadnoughts. Yet despite their efforts, their enemy marches on. Implacable. Unstoppable. Now, as their opponent closes in on its true prize-an ancient doorway, long buried, that leads to the chambers at the center of creation itself-Sancia and her friends glimpse a last opportunity to stop this unbeatable foe. To do so, they'll have to unlock the centuries-old mystery of scriving's origins, embark on a desperate mission into the heart of their enemy's power, and pull off the most daring heist they've ever attempted. But their adversary might have a spy in their ranks-and a last trick up its sleeve. And to have a chance at victory, Sancia, Clef, and Berenice will have to make a sacrifice beyond anything that's come before.

Individuals all over the world can use Airbnb to rent an apartment in a foreign city, check Coursera to find a course on statistics, join PatientsLikeMe to exchange information about one's disease, hail a cab using Uber, or read the news through Facebook's Instant Articles. The promise of connective platforms is that they offer personalized services and contribute to innovation and economic growth, while bypassing cumbersome institutional or industrial overhead. In The Platform Society, Van Dijck, Poell and De Waal offer a comprehensive analysis of a connective world where platforms have penetrated the heart of societies-disrupting markets and labor relations, circumventing institutions, transforming social and civic practices and affecting democratic processes. This book questions what role online platforms play in the organization of Western societies. First, how do platform mechanisms work and to what effect are they deployed? Second, how can platforms incorporate public values and benefit the public good? The Platform Society analyzes intense struggles between competing ideological systems and contesting societal actors-market, government and civil society-raising the issue of who is or should be responsible for anchoring public values and the common good in a platform society. Public values include of course privacy, accuracy, safety, and security, but they also pertain to broader societal effects, such as fairness, accessibility, democratic control, and accountability. Such values are the very stakes in the struggle over the platformization of societies around the globe. The Platform Society highlights how this struggle plays out in four private and public sectors: news, urban transport, health, and education. Each struggle highlights local dimensions, for instance fights over regulation between individual platforms and city governments, but also addresses the level of the platform ecosystem as well as the geopolitical level where power clashes between global markets and (supra-)national governments take place.

AN OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK - Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TIME, Oprah Daily, and Vogue "Douglas Stuart brilliantly weaved a layered, compelling and yet so intimate a story of identity, what it means to belong, and the courage to claim your own truth."--Oprah Winfrey "One of 2026's literary triumphs."--Boston Globe From the Booker Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo comes a vivid, moving novel following a young man returning to his Hebridean island home, a portrait of a father's expectations and a son's desires Out of money and with little to show for his art school education, John-Calum Macleod takes the ferry back home to the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides to find that little has changed except for him. He returns to the windswept croft and the two pillars of his childhood: his father John, a sheep farmer, tweed weaver, and lay preacher in the local Presbyterian church, and his maternal grandmother Ella, a profanity-loving Glaswegian whose steady warmth helped Cal weather the sudden departure of his mother. Cal privately wonders if any lonely men might be found on the barren hillsides of home, while John is dismayed by his son's long hair, strange clothes, and seeming unwillingness to be Saved. But Cal isn't the only one in the croft house who is keeping secrets. As lambing season turns to shearing season, the threads holding together the community together become increasingly frayed, and nothing will remain as it was before. John of John is a singular novel about duty, passion, and the transformative power of the truth. It is a magnificent literary work that cements Douglas Stuart's reputation as one of our greatest novelists working today.

A stunning, globe-spanning journey through the beauty and power of mathematics “Powerful; passionate, and inspiring.” —New York Times A New York Times Bestseller What if you had to take an art class in which you were only taught how to paint a fence? What if you were never shown the paintings of van Gogh and Picasso, weren't even told they existed? Alas, this is how math is taught, and so for most of us it becomes the intellectual equivalent of watching paint dry. In Love and Math, renowned mathematician Edward Frenkel reveals a side of math we've never seen, suffused with all the beauty and elegance of a work of art. In this heartfelt and passionate book, Frenkel shows that mathematics, far from occupying a specialist niche, goes to the heart of all matter, uniting us across cultures, time, and space. Love and Math tells two intertwined stories: of the wonders of mathematics and of one young man's journey learning and living it. Having braved a discriminatory educational system to become one of the twenty-first century's leading mathematicians, Frenkel now works on one of the biggest ideas to come out of math in the last 50 years: the Langlands Program. Considered by many to be a Grand Unified Theory of mathematics, the Langlands Program enables researchers to translate findings from one field to another so that they can solve problems, such as Fermat's last theorem, that had seemed intractable before. At its core, Love and Math is a story about accessing a new way of thinking, which can enrich our lives and empower us to better understand the world and our place in it. It is an invitation to discover the magic hidden universe of mathematics.

Old gods, new rules. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee puts a modern-day twist on ancient mythology in this bold reimagining of the Greek gods as a family of billionaires—with all the messy drama that entails. Love hit Julia Dodds like a lightning bolt. Fleeing the fallout of a failed relationship, Julia was building a new life for herself in New Zealand when she met Harry Adams. Adventurous, good-looking, and down-to-earth, he seemed too good to be true, but two years in, Julia and Harry are inseparable. Until a chance encounter at a hotel bar threatens their happy ending. Julia learns that Harry is actually Harry Ellene, son of one of the world’s richest families—exactly the kind of people she had been running from when they first met. Upset by Harry’s lie, but still madly in love, Julia accompanies Harry to his family’s annual reunion on their private island in the Aegean Sea. She’s determined to find out whether Harry is still the man she fell for. Little does Julia know, she’s up against more than wealth and privilege—the Ellenes are actually Greek Gods. It’s no secret the Gods love to meddle—and when it comes to Julia, Harry’s divine relatives each have their own agenda. Harry’s mother, Hera, will do anything to protect her own. Harry’s—or rather Ares’s—sister-in-law Aphrodite has a deeply personal reason for hating Julia, and tasks Hermes, keeper of family secrets, with digging up dirt. Meanwhile, Hades, who’s spent years trying to upend Zeus’s power, finally sees an opportunity to strike. Set against a globe-trotting backdrop that spans New York’s exclusive private clubs, the wilds of New Zealand, and the snow-draped estates of the Alps, Ungodly Rich is a story of love, revenge, secrets, sex, and the most ancient motivator of all: family.

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Electrifying" (People) ¿ "Masterly" (The Guardian) ¿ "Dramatic and memorable" (The New Yorker) ¿ "Magic" (TIME) ¿ " Ingenious" (The Financial Times) ¿ "A gonzo literary performance" (Entertainment Weekly) ¿ "Rare and splendid" (The Boston Globe) ¿ "Remarkable" (USA Today) ¿ "Delicious" (The New York Times) ¿ "Book groups, meet your next selection" (NPR) From the author of Flashlight, a twisting and tender novel of adolescent pressures and intrigues that unravel towards a greater truth. In an American suburb in the early 1980s, students at a highly competitive performing arts high school struggle and thrive in a rarified bubble, ambitiously pursuing music, movement, Shakespeare, and, particularly, their acting classes. When within this striving "Brotherhood of the Arts," two freshmen, David and Sarah, fall headlong into love, their passion does not go unnoticed-or untoyed with-by anyone, especially not by their charismatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley. The outside world of family life and economic status, of academic pressure and of their future adult lives, fails to penetrate this school's walls-until it does, in a shocking spiral of events that catapults the action forward in time and flips the premise upside-down. What the reader believes to have happened to David and Sarah and their friends is not entirely true-though it's not false, either. It takes until the book's stunning coda for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place-revealing truths that will resonate long after the final sentence. As captivating and tender as it is surprising, Susan Choi's Trust Exercise will incite heated conversations about fiction and truth, and about friendships and loyalties, and will leave readers with wiser understandings of the true capacities of adolescents and of the powers and responsibilities of adults.

An illustrated book on the refugee crisis that will break your heart in under 48 pages, from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed. "Intensely moving. . .Powerfully evocative of the plight in which displaced populations find themselves."– Kirkus, STARRED Review "Hosseini's story, aimed at readers of all ages, does not dwell on nightmarish fates; instead, its emotional power flows from the love of a father for his son." – Publishers Weekly, STARRED BOX Review A short, powerful, illustrated book written by beloved novelist Khaled Hosseini in response to the current refugee crisis, Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city's swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone. Impelled to write this story by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed upon the beach in Turkey in September 2015, Hosseini hopes to pay tribute to the millions of families, like Kurdi's, who have been splintered and forced from home by war and persecution, and he will donate author proceeds from this book to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund lifesaving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe. Khaled Hosseini is one of the most widely read writers in the world, with more than fifty-five million copies of his novels sold worldwide in more than seventy countries. Hosseini is also a Goodwill Envoy to the UNHCR, and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by Literary Hub The best in short fiction from around the world, from celebrated anthologist and author John Freeman and award-winning novelist Rabih Alameddine In The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, writers from different nations, languages, and sensibilities come together in a globe-spanning and long overdue tour of modern fiction. In “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo;” Haruki Murakami brings us a man who believes a giant amphibian is enlisting him to protect his city from an impending earthquake. In “War of the Clowns;” Mozambique’s Mia Couto sketches a perfect allegory for our divided culture. In the predecessor story to her iconic novel The Vegetarian, Han Kang depicts a protagonist quietly undergoing an unlikely transformation. A Colm Tóibín character thinks, “I do not even believe in Ireland;” while Carol Bensimon reflects from Brazil, “All great ideas seem like bad ones at some point.” Salman Rushdie brings us to unsettled rural India, Olga Tokarczuk to an ugly woman exhibit at the circus, Abdellah Taïa to the queer Arab world, Ted Chiang to a far-off galaxy. The United States is far from the center of the literary universe. This anthology is reminiscent of iconic director Bong Joon Ho’s line about overcoming “the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles” to enter a new world of film—the work of thoughtful and accomplished translators opens the door wide for those curious about what lies beyond the Western canon and classroom. Writers from six continents, ranging from new voices to literary icons, each offer a window into a distinct point of view, both transcending and illuminating their place of origin. They offer not only captivating prose, but a reminder of the power of the imagination across space and time.

NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - FINALIST FOR THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE - A fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman's unlikely friendship with a wild hare. A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, TIME, The Boston Globe, The Economist, Scientific American, Slate "Moving. . . . Impart[s] valuable lessons about slowing down and the beauty in the unexpected."--USA Today "A perfect testimony to the transformative power of love."--Margaret Renkl, author of The Comfort of Crows >In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare--a leveret--that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how difficult it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton's house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, weasels, feral cats, raptors, or even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death. Raising Hare chronicles their journey together while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. We witness firsthand the joy at this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, which serves as a reminder that the best things, and most beautiful experiences, arise when we least expect them.

“Set in Belfast in the early 1950s, Brian Moore’s The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne is not a kind book, no, but it is utterly transfixing . . . By the end of this truly brilliant, shocking novel, a story peopled by characters who make your skin crawl, the impossible has occurred: The reader both understands and feels compassion for a really awful woman.” —Katherine A. Powers, The Boston Globe “Remarkable . . . seldom in modern fiction has any character been revealed so completely or been made to seem so poignantly real.” —The New York Times “A powerful haunting story by a young Irish-Canadian who knows the meaning not only of loneliness, but that of compassion as well.” —The New York Times “Moore has absolute control over his narrative, and Judith Hearne’s descent is both excruciating and enthralling.” —Anne Enright in O, The Oprah Magazine “A penetrating, comic, tragic tale of a plain woman…It is a novel that occasionally sings with the lilt of the Irish greats.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Brian Moore [wrote] a superb first novel; The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne reads as freshly, and as heart-breakingly, today as it did when it first appeared in 1955.” —John Banville “The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne is, to my notion, everything a novel should be.” —Harper Lee, The New York Times (1960) “Each book of [Moore’s] is dangerous, unpredictable, and amusing. He treats the novel as a trainer treats a wild beast.” —Graham Greene “Moore is surely one of the most versatile and compelling novelists writing today.” —Daily Telegraph “I can’t think of another living male novelist who writes about women with such sympathy and understanding.” —Times Literary Supplement “A harrowing tour de force.” —New Statesman and Nation

Following the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, a panoramic exploration of peoples, objects and beliefs from the celebrated author of A History of the World in 100 Objects and Germany 'Riveting, extraordinary ... tells the sweeping story of religious belief in all its inventive variety. The emphasis is not on our differences, but on shared spiritual yearnings' Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times, Books of the Year One of the central facts of human existence is that every society shares a set of beliefs and assumptions - a faith, an ideology, a religion - that goes far beyond the life of the individual. These beliefs are an essential part of a shared identity. They have a unique power to define - and to divide - us, and are a driving force in the politics of much of the world today. Throughout history they have most often been, in the widest sense, religious. Yet this book is not a history of religion, nor an argument in favour of faith. It is about the stories which give shape to our lives, and the different ways in which societies imagine their place in the world. Looking across history and around the globe, it interrogates objects, places and human activities to try to understand what shared beliefs can mean in the public life of a community or a nation, how they shape the relationship between the individual and the state, and how they help give us our sense of who we are. For in deciding how we live with our gods, we also decide how to live with each other. 'The new blockbuster by the museums maestro Neil MacGregor ... The man who chronicles world history through objects is back ... examining a new set of objects to explore the theme of faith in society' Sunday Times

Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year Award This audiobook narrated by Richard Lyddon spans 1,000 years of global history to show why technological and economic progress is often followed by stagnation and even collapse In How Progress Ends, Carl Benedikt Frey challenges the conventional belief that economic and technological progress is inevitable. For most of human history, stagnation was the norm, and even today progress and prosperity in the world's largest, most advanced economies—the United States and China—have fallen short of expectations. To appreciate why we cannot depend on any AI-fueled great leap forward, Frey offers a remarkable and fascinating journey across the globe, spanning the past 1,000 years, to explain why some societies flourish and others fail in the wake of rapid technological change. By examining key historical moments—from the rise of the steam engine to the dawn of AI—Frey shows why technological shifts have shaped, and sometimes destabilized, entire civilizations. He explores why some leading technological powers of the past—such as Song China, the Dutch Republic, and Victorian Britain—ultimately lost their innovative edge, why some modern nations such as Japan had periods of rapid growth followed by stagnation, and why planned economies like the Soviet Union collapsed after brief surges of progress. Frey uncovers a recurring tension in history: while decentralization fosters the exploration of new technologies, bureaucracy is crucial for scaling them. When institutions fail to adapt to technological change, stagnation inevitably follows. Only by carefully balancing decentralization and bureaucracy can nations innovate and grow over the long term—findings that have worrying implications for the United States, Europe, China, and other economies today. Through a rich narrative that weaves together history, economics, and technology, How Progress Ends reveals that managing the future requires us to draw the right lessons from the past.

Get off the beaten track and discover over 100 incredible cycling adventures across the globe. See the world on two wheels and explore the most thrilling on and off-road cycling routes. Whether you're an experienced, ascent-loving road cyclist or are planning your first cycling trip, this stunning guide will help you plan the perfect bicycle tour. Inside the pages of this inspirational travel e-guide you'll find: - 100 rides around the world, chosen by cycling and travel experts, from day cycles around cities to bikepacking journeys across continents - Maps and elevation profiles included, with downloadable GPX routes available too! - A beautifully presented guide with stunning photography throughout for anyone looking for epic bike rides - Each chapter explores a different continent, with rides arranged geographically and details of distance, total ascent and road surface - Top tips for getting the most out of each ride - including refuelling spots, breathtaking viewpoints - as well as suggestions for alternative ways to tackle a route Ride will take you around the world to see all the places on your bucket list! In Europe, you can power up mountain passes in Italy's Dolomites or tackle Bolivia's infamous Death Road in South America. Cycle the famous Cape-to-Cairo route across Africa or go island-hopping in Japan. Awe-inspiring images and descriptions of each bike ride will have you itching to jump on the saddle. This travel book includes all you need to plan the nitty-gritty of your trips like handy maps, elevation profiles and practical information such as distance, difficulty, and road surface. We've also included facts and figures on the world's most famous cyclists and iconic races, plus information on the history of cycling, how to choose a bike and what kit to take.

Respectable lady scholars shouldn't be dodging evildoers, escaping lost tombs, and chasing down magical artifacts. Archivist and suffragette Ellie Mallory always dreamed of putting her scholarly skills to work in the ancient sands of Egypt. She never imagined she would be doing so in order to save an object of legendary power from a batch of ruthless villains. Racing baddies to an arcanum of Biblical proportions is only one of Ellie's problems. Her hopelessly academic and perpetually mortified step-brother, Dr. Neil Fairfax, is about to learn that she's been gallivanting around the globe with his danger-magnet best friend, Adam Bates-the roguish surveyor for whom Ellie harbors increasingly complicated feelings. Add the petite and terrifyingly fearless Constance Tyrrell to the mix, and Ellie either has a crack team of artifact-saving experts to hand... or a recipe for disaster. Together, they'll need to follow a trail of three-thousand-year-old clues from the necropolis of Saqqara to the temples of Luxor and beyond, where the ruined capital of a heretic pharaoh hides a secret with the potential to upend history. To keep an earth-shattering magic from falling into the wrong hands, Ellie will need to pull out all the stops-even if that means resorting to fisticuffs, ignoring proper archaeological processes... and solving one of Egypt's greatest mysteries. Dive into Tomb of the Sun King now to experience the next action-packed historical fantasy adventure in the Raiders of the Arcana series! Praise for the Raiders of the Arcana: "Sassy banter and sizzling romantic tension sparkle throughout the fast paced action! ... Fans of Indiana-Jones style historical fantasies will be eager for the next adventure." - ALA Booklist "Fun, female-led mystical adventure with unexpected themes and oodles of heart!" - Five star Goodreads reviewer

From the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lords of Finance comes a brilliant account of the earliest truly global financial calamity. On Friday, 9 May 1873 the Vienna stock market collapsed. Four months later Wall Street was in trouble. Elsewhere, as panic selling spread across financial markets, some countries defaulted on their debts, while the Bank of England was forced to raise its rates to their highest level in a century. It was the first global crash in history. And it was to have calamitous consequences. In his powerful new book, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lords of Finance tells the epic story of that crash and explores its economic and human costs. He describes how the growth of the international bond market in the 1850s and 60s funded a frenzy of speculation in railways, construction and nation-building. He examines those who became swept up in the boom, from leading bankers like the Rothschild dynasty to national leaders both visionary and venal, to rogues and chancers like the shameless Jay Gould, to such sceptical onlookers as Mark Twain and Karl Marx. He then traces how, in the subsequent panic, investors were left with catastrophic losses, while governments on both sides of the Atlantic rushed misguidedly to reorder the world's financial system. As he shows, the blunders made as the crisis unfolded set the stage for twenty years of deflation, and a punitive legacy of aggrieved populism that infected every part of the globe. Amid the crash's many aftershocks, the US abandoned Reconstruction, European powers staged an economic takeover of the heavily indebted Ottoman Empire, and the principle of international free trade came under pressure. Meanwhile there was a revival of antisemitic movements in Europe that blamed 'Jewish finance' for the disaster. A brilliant evocation of a key turning point in world history, 1873 is also a masterly examination of the unforeseen political and social consequences of financial misjudgements.

From Oscar-winner Oliver Stone comes a first-hand look at one of the most important, powerful, and controversial leaders in the world: Vladimir Putin of Russia. The companion to the news-breaking television series, this edition has substantial material not included in the documentary. Academy Award winner Oliver Stone was able to secure what journalists, news organizations, and even other world leaders have long coveted: extended, unprecedented access to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Putin Interviews are culled from more than a dozen interviews with Putin over a two-year span—never before has the Russian leader spoken in such depth or at such length with a Western interviewer. No topics are off limits in the interviews, which first occurred during Stone’s trips to meet with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Moscow and most recently after the election of President Donald Trump. Prodded by Stone, Putin discusses relations between the United States and Russia, allegations of interference in the US election, and Russia’s involvement with conflicts in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere across the globe. Putin speaks about his rise to power and details his relationships with Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump. The exchanges are personal, provocative, and at times surreal. At one point, Stone asks, “Why did Russia hack the election?”; at another, Stone introduces him to Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 Cold War satire "Dr. Strangelove," which the two watch together. Stone has interviewed controversial world leaders before, including Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and Benjamin Netanyahu. But The Putin Interviews, in its unmediated access to one of the most enigmatic and powerful men in the world, can only be compared to the series of conversations between David Frost and Richard Nixon we now refer to as “The Nixon Interviews” of 1977. The book will also contain references and sources that give readers a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the interviews and make for a more robust reading experience.