Guardian Faber Publishing – förlag

'Dark and compelling . . . Brilliant' BILL BROWDER'More gripping than a thriller' ANDREY KURKOV'A master chronicler' CHARLIE ENGLISHBetrayal charts the dramatic collapse of the post-1945 international system. The agreement that nations do not change borders by force is under attack, not just from Russia but America, too. Donald Trump has threatened to seize Greenland and bombed Iran as part of a violent remaking of the Middle East. Vladimir Putin's bloody imperial campaign to seize Ukraine and redraw Europe's map continues. Meanwhile, China eyes up Taiwan.Written in thrilling style, this vital and clear-eyed book reports from the frontlines during an age of upheaval. Luke Harding visits villages in eastern Ukraine under Russian bombardment, talks to Greenlanders about a US takeover, tours the divided Korean peninsula and sits down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He examines why Trump appears to be in thrall to Putin and tracks Russian spies and their links with Nigel Farage's Reform party. Betrayal is an essential guide to brutal Great Power politics and how it came back.

'Finn has written the definitive book on ultra running today. I couldn't put it down.' - Dean Karnazes'Epic ... A triumphant, emotive and moving account of the transformative force of mind over matter.' - Irish Times***Marathons are no longer enough. Pain is to be relished, not avoided. Hallucinations are normal.Ultra running defies conventional logic. Yet this most brutal and challenging sport is now one of the fastest-growing in the world. Why is this? Is it an antidote to modern life, or a symptom of a modern illness?Adharanand Finn travelled to the heart of the sport to find out - and to see if he could become an ultra runner himself. His journey took him from the deserts of Oman to the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies, and on to his ultimate goal, the 105-mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.The Rise of the Ultra Runners is the electrifying, inspirational account of what he learned along the way. Through encounters with the sport's many colourful characters and his experiences of its soaring highs and crushing lows, Finn offers an unforgettable insight into what can be found at the boundaries of human endeavour.

'Dark and compelling . . . Brilliant' BILL BROWDER'More gripping than a thriller' ANDREY KURKOV'A master chronicler' CHARLIE ENGLISHBetrayal charts the dramatic collapse of the post-1945 international system. The agreement that nations do not change borders by force is under attack, not just from Russia but America, too. Donald Trump has threatened to seize Greenland and bombed Iran as part of a violent remaking of the Middle East. Vladimir Putin's bloody imperial campaign to seize Ukraine and redraw Europe's map continues. Meanwhile, China eyes up Taiwan.Written in thrilling style, this vital and clear-eyed book reports from the frontlines during an age of upheaval. Luke Harding visits villages in eastern Ukraine under Russian bombardment, talks to Greenlanders about a US takeover, tours the divided Korean peninsula and sits down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He examines why Trump appears to be in thrall to Putin and tracks Russian spies and their links with Nigel Farage's Reform party. Betrayal is an essential guide to brutal Great Power politics and how it came back.

From the bestselling author of Alex's Adventures in Numberland and Can You Solve My Problems? comes a fascinating, hugely entertaining collection of puzzles for crossword addicts and language-lovers of all stripes. 'The only puzzle book I've seen that manages to befuddle both sides of the brain at the same time.'DARA Ó BRIAIN'Such fun, full of unexpected ideas and charmingly written.'TIM HARFORDThe Language Lover's Puzzle Book is a book of more than 100 surprising and entertaining puzzles that celebrate the amazing diversity of the world of words and language.Featuring a huge variety of ancient, modern and even invented languages, this collection of problems will introduce you to unusual alphabets and scripts, curious vocabularies and phonologies, and global variations in simple behaviours like counting, telling the time, and naming children.Whether you are a crossword solver, a code-breaker or a Scrabble addict, these puzzles are guaranteed to twist your tongue and sharpen your mind.'Alex Bellos is a dazzling polymath whose cleverness and ingenuity are on full display in this utterly brilliant and original collection of linguistic puzzles. This book is destined to be a classic for puzzle lovers.'JOSHUA FOER, co-founder of Atlas Obscura and author Moonwalking with Einstein'An irresistible linguistic workout - challenging and deeply satisfying.'GASTON DORREN, author of Lingo and Babel'For all the language and puzzle fans in your life!' GRETCHEN McCULLOCH'A cornucopia of ingenious and insightful challenges.' DAVID CRYSTAL'This compendium of puzzles is a great idea.' MICHAEL ROSEN'You'll love what Alex Bellos has done here.' GYLES BRANDRETH'Tantalisting.' THE ECONOMIST'The perfect way to pass the time.' BBC SCIENCE FOCUS

From the Sunday Times bestselling author, the 10th anniversary edition of Doing Good Better: a radical, reassuring reassessment of how we can most effectively help others in an era of global instability.FEATURING A NEW FOREWORD'A surprising and often counterintuitive look at the best ways to make a difference. [MacAskill] is that rarest of beasts: a do-gooder who uses his head more than his heart.' Sunday Times'MacAskill is a data nerd after my own heart.' Bill GatesWe might donate to charity, buy ethically-sourced products, and try to cut down on our carbon emissions, but how do we know if we're really helping? In a world beset by crisis after crisis, it's easy to feel cynical and powerless to change anything.Confronting this problem, William MacAskill helped develop a concept which went on to become a global movement: effective altruism, a practical, data-driven approach which shows that each of us has the power to do an astonishing amount of good, given the right information. Doing Good Better is an essential guide which shows how, through simple actions, you can improve thousands of lives - including your own.

The awe-inspiring history of humanity told through our relationship with stars and the night sky.'Excellent . . . This books makes you rethink the traditional story of the history of astronomy . . . Effortlessly readable.' BBC Sky at Night'Stuart Clark's picture of the yawning gaps in our understanding of the cosmos is fuller than most.'NatureFrom the Stone Age to the Space Age, Stuart Clark explores a fascination shared across the world, one that has unequivocally shaped us as civilisations and as individuals, housing our hopes and fears. In the stars, we can see our past - and ultimately, our fate.

The incredible story of how an unassuming playing card company became one of the dominant cultural forces of the twenty-first century: Super Nintendo is a joyous ode to our love of gaming by one of the most trusted voices in video games writing.Readers are loving Super Nintendo⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reading this book a) smacked me in the face with lovely nostalgia b) taught me loads and loads of new things about the games and consoles I've loved and c) gives an incredible insight into the workings and people behind Nintendo.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you love Nintendo, you will love this book.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A book for everyone.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The background read to your video game obsession.'A book bursting with love. Bop your head against it and see if a shower of gold coins comes out'SAM LEITH, THE TIMES'MacDonald writes brilliantly . . . a great book'CHARLIE BROOKER'MacDonald's conversations with all the gifted (and often eccentric) creative people who actually make the games are full of such wholesome insights, as are her own superb analyses of favourite games, and of the general vibe of Nintendo'GUARDIAN'Heartfelt' FINANCIAL TIMES'Fascinating' MAIL ON SUNDAY'Affectionate' IRISH INDEPENDENT'Charming' SPECTATOR'Brilliant' MIRROR'If you want to learn about Nintendo, this is the book to do it'NINTENDOLIFEFEATURING CHAPTERS ONUltrahand, Donkey Kong, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Kirby's Adventures, Wii Sports, Animal Crossing, Nintendo Labo, Super Smash Bros, Splatoon

"When it sings, a garden will have the power to transport and to lead you to a place that is magical. It is an oasis for creation, available to anyone with a little space and the compunction to get their hands dirty."In Natural Selection, Dan Pearson draws on ten years of his Observer columns to explore the rhythms and pleasures of a year in the garden. Travelling between his city-bound plot in Peckham and twenty acres of rolling hillside in Somerset, he celebrates the beautiful skeletons of the winter garden, the joyous passage into spring, the heady smell of summer's bud break and the flaring of colour in autumn. Pearson's irresistible enthusiasm and wealth of knowledge overflow in a book teeming with tips to inspire your own space, be it a city window box or country field. Bringing you a newfound appreciation of nature, both wild and tamed, reading Natural Selection is a deeply restorative experience.

Are you smarter than a Singaporean ten-year-old?Can you beat Sherlock Holmes?If you think the answer is yes - I challenge you to solve my problems. Here are 125 of the world's best brainteasers from the last two millennia, taking us from ancient China to medieval Europe, Victorian England to modern-day Japan, with stories of espionage, mathematical breakthroughs and puzzling rivalries along the way.Pit your wits against logic puzzles and kinship riddles, pangrams and river-crossing conundrums. Some solutions rely on a touch of cunning, others call for creativity, others need mercilessly logical thought. Some can only be solved be 2 per cent of the population. All are guaranteed to sharpen your mind. Let's get puzzling!

'This book is a not-so-small joy in itself.'NIGELLA LAWSON'Parkinson has the gift of making you look with new eyes at everyday things. The perfect daily diversion.'JOJO MOYES'Always funny and frank and full of insight, I absolutely love Parkinson's writing.'DAVID NICHOLLS'I loved this book . . . Parkinson's writing transports you to unexpected places of joy and comfort . . . these pages contain happiness.'MARINA HYDE'The twenty-first century feels a lot more bearable in Parkinson's company.'CHARLOTTE MENDELSONDrawn from the successful Guardian column, these everyday exultations and inspirations will get you through dismal days. Hannah Jane Parkinson is a specialist in savouring the small pleasures of life. She revels in her fluffy dressing gown ('like bathing in marshmallow'), finds calm in solo cinema trips, is charmed by the personalities of fonts ('you'll never see Comic Sans on a funeral notice'), celebrates pockets and gleefully abandons a book she isn't enjoying. Parkinson's everyday exaltations - selected from her immensely successful Guardian column - will utterly delight.FEATURES BRAND NEW MATERIAL'A compendium of delights.'OBSERVER'Delightful . . . a love letter to those little moments of bliss that get us through the daily grind.'RED

A BBC Radio 4 Book of the WeekLonglisted for the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize 2018A Guardian Book of the Year 2018The owl has captivated the human imagination for millennia; as a predator, messenger, emblem of wisdom or portent of doom. Owl Sense tells a new story. On 'owl walks' with her teenage son, Benji, Miriam Darlington begins a quest to identify every European species of this elusive bird. From Britain she travels to Spain, France, Serbia and Finland, and to the frosted borders of the Arctic. Along the way, however, Benji succumbs to a mysterious and disabling illness, and Miriam's endeavour soon becomes entangled with the search for his cure. Bringing the strangeness and magnificence of owls to life, Owl Sense is a book about wildness in nature but also in the unpredictable course of our human lives.

From a world-renowned neuroscientist comes a revelatory exploration of the neural processes in our brains that shape our day-to-day existence: how they work, what happens when they falter and how we can maintain them throughout our lives.'Owen is not just one of our top scientists, but a great storyteller.' DANIEL LEVITIN'From jewelry heists to the nature of free will, Owen's exploration of our cognitive powers is both a gripping story and a masterful summary of his pioneering research into the inner workings of our minds and brains.'ANIL SETH, bestselling author of Being You***Why is it that some people breeze through life with the mental clarity of a chess grandmaster, while others struggle to organize their thoughts or even remember where they left their keys?Our brains are miraculous things. Through a set of processes called executive functions, they drive everything over the course of our lives, allowing us to create and retrieve memories, understand our own and others' emotions, plan our short- and long-term goals, and much more.Drawing on gripping case studies and cutting-edge research, acclaimed neuroscientist Adrian Owen maps out the architecture of our brains and these executive functions. From encounters with memory champions, athletes who have suffered multiple concussions and patients with conditions such as ADHD, autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, he reveals the importance of these functions not only for the potential of our brains but to our very ways of being.Think Before You Think presents a remarkable picture of both the brain's brilliance and its fragility, providing practical advice on maintaining our executive functions at every stage of our lives. In doing so, it brings readers to a closer understanding of what it is that makes each of us human.***'Owen is a wonderful guide and takes readers on a fascinating journey into the human mind . . . Think Before You Think provides a practical blueprint for a brighter future.' PROFESSOR RICHARD WISEMAN, author of 59 Seconds

For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religion and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art and poetry.In Ten Birds that Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and eventful relationship through ten key species from all seven of the world's continents. From Odin's faithful raven companions to Darwin's finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening and endlessly engaging work of natural history.

The incredible story of how an unassuming playing card company became one of the dominant cultural forces of the twenty-first century: Super Nintendo is a joyous ode to our love of gaming by one of the most trusted voices in video games writing.Readers are loving Super Nintendo⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reading this book a) smacked me in the face with lovely nostalgia b) taught me loads and loads of new things about the games and consoles I've loved and c) gives an incredible insight into the workings and people behind Nintendo.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you love Nintendo, you will love this book.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A book for everyone.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The background read to your video game obsession.'A book bursting with love. Bop your head against it and see if a shower of gold coins comes out'SAM LEITH, THE TIMES'MacDonald writes brilliantly . . . a great book'CHARLIE BROOKER'MacDonald's conversations with all the gifted (and often eccentric) creative people who actually make the games are full of such wholesome insights, as are her own superb analyses of favourite games, and of the general vibe of Nintendo'GUARDIAN'Heartfelt' FINANCIAL TIMES'Fascinating' MAIL ON SUNDAY'Affectionate' IRISH INDEPENDENT'Charming' SPECTATOR'Brilliant' MIRROR'If you want to learn about Nintendo, this is the book to do it'NINTENDOLIFEFEATURING CHAPTERS ONUltrahand, Donkey Kong, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Pokémon, Kirby's Adventures, Wii Sports, Animal Crossing, Nintendo Labo, Super Smash Bros, Splatoon

Featuring 200 black-and-white and colour images, this book includes her iconic portraits and extensive photojournalism from the Greenham Common evictions to the Iranian embassy siege. Bown's pictures allow us to walk back in time as she captured - with curiosity, respect and wit - the people of the UK: you'll find heroic strikers, soulful miners, proud dogwalkers, busy fishermen, dancing girls, picnicking postmen and excited daytrippers side by side with the Queen, Mick Jagger, Charlie Chaplain, Margot Fonteyn, Sinéad O'Connor, the Beatles and Spike Lee. This definitive collection not only presents Jane's well-known shots, it includes substantial material that has never been seen before. This book presents the most comprehensive collection of the photographer's work - created during the 1940s through the 2010s. The book will be edited by friend and curator Luke Dodd.A cloth bound, slipcased limited edition which includes a print of Samuel Beckett is available from The Guardian Bookshop (£150.00)

A moving account of life in Palestine in the wake of the events of October 7th.'Who Will Tell My Story? finds beauty and grace amongst the rubble while never shying away from the brutal realities of living through such relentless and cruel oppression.' NIKESH SHUKLAIt was a sleepless night full of tears and fear . . . I am not sure - if I make it out alive - if I will still possess what makes me, me. And I wonder: will I be there in the future, or will I be someone to be remembered in a diary or over a cup of tea by a friend after I am gone?Who Will Tell My Story? presents an ordinary existence interrupted by unfathomably seismic and unjust events. On the ground during the first months of the assault on Gaza following the events of 7 October, the author of this diary - first published in The Guardian - maps out the physical and psychological terrain of a life under siege.Traversing the bombed ruins of his country, we see him as he searches for foodstuffs and power to charge devices, maintaining contact with the outside world, checking in with his friends and family along the way; we see his heart swing between despair and faith, fear and optimism, his mind imagining different futures and confronting the brutal truth of his present.Shining a light on the fate of all those living through war and occupation, Who Will Tell My Story? conveys with astonishing clarity how seeds of hope might linger amid the most trying of times.

In 2006 Dr Adrian Owen and his team made medical history. They discovered a new realm of consciousness, somewhere between life and death, which they called the Grey Zone. The people who inhabit it are frequently labelled as irretrievably lost, with no awareness or sense of self. The shocking truth is that they are often still there, an intact mind trapped inside a broken body and brain, hearing everything around them, experiencing emotions, thoughts, pleasure and pain. But now, through Dr Owen's pioneering techniques, we can talk to them - and they can talk back.

'Probably the biggest story in football of the last decade ... Reads like a Cold War thriller.' - Best Football Books of 2019, FourFourTwo ***One anonymous football fan.18.6 million confidential documents. The explosive story of the shady underworld of modern football.In 2016, a whistle-blower known only as 'John' began leaking a treasure trove of top-secret files, revealing the clandestine dealings of clubs, players and agents at the highest levels of international football.From the eye-popping details of player transfers, to loopholes and opaque tax structures that ensure maximum earnings, this is a tale of rapacious greed and dodgy deals. It is also a gripping story of a fan who wanted to free football from corruption, but finds himself on the run.

10th Anniversary EditionFrom neuroscientist and internationally bestselling author Dean Burnett comes The Idiot Brain, an accessible, witty examination of how our brains get things wrong - and why that's absolutely fine.WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION AND AFTERWORD'A great read.' JON RONSON'A wonderful introduction to neuroscience.' INDEPENDENTHave you wondered why we recognise people's faces but forget their names?Or why we get motion sickness? Or jet lag, too, for that matter.And why do we overthink even the smallest things in our lives? For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett celebrates the imperfections of the human brain in all their glory, and the impact of these quirks on our daily lives.Covering anxiety, memory, intelligence and personality, this expertly researched and entertainingly written book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain seems to get things wrong, and what on earth it's really up to.

MOSCOW, July 1987. Real-estate tycoon Donald Trump visits Soviet Russia for the first time at the invitation of the government.LONDON, December 2016. Luke Harding meets former MI6 officer Christopher Steele to discuss the president-elect's connections with Russia. Harding follows two leads; money and sex.WASHINGTON, January 2017. Steele's explosive dossier alleges that the Kremlin has been 'cultivating, supporting, and assisting' Trump for years and that they have compromising information about him. Trump responds on twitter, 'FAKE NEWS.'In Collusion, award-winning journalist Luke Harding reveals the true nature of Trump's decades-long relationship with Russia and presents the gripping inside story of the dossier. It features exclusive new material and draws on sources from the intelligence community.Harding tells an astonishing story of offshore money, sketchy real-estate deals, a Miss Universe Pageant, mobsters, money laundering, hacking and Kremlin espionage. He shines a light on powerful Russian players like Aras Agalarov, Natalia Veselnitskaya and Sergey Kislyak, whose motivations and instructions may have come from Vladimir Putin himself. The special prosecutor, Robert Mueller, has already indicted several of the American protagonists, including Trump's campaign manager, Paul Manafort. More charges are likely as the crisis engulfs Trump's administration. This book gets to the heart of the biggest political scandal of the modern era. Russia is reshaping the world order to its advantage; this is something that should trouble us all.

**The instant Sunday Times bestseller, from the co-host of the smash hit podcast The Rest is Entertainment**'Our funniest, sharpest writer on the great British unraveling' Jon Ronson'Enthralling, devastating, hilarious, envy-inducing prose' Sathnam Sanghera'You gobble it up far too quickly and then feel a bit guilty about how delicious it was' Dawn French'She's a genius, and there should be a statue of her in every town in the land' Dominic SandbrookMarina Hyde has been one of Britain's favourite columnists for over two decades. What a Time to Be Alive! is her final Guardian column collection and a welcome blast of humour and sanity in an unhinged era.Welcome to the dystopian soap opera of modern times. Travel to space with Lauren Sanchez and Katy Perry, let the waters close over you as Bear Grylls baptises Russell Brand in the Thames, and experience the full body impact of the Gwyneth Paltrow ski massacre trial. Lettuce also remember Liz Truss, meet - and bid farewell to - the guy they called 'No-Drama Starmer', and celebrate the inaugural winner of the Fifa Peace Prize as he threatens to annex countries and follows all the way through on starting wars. Experience the magic of Donald Trump's cavalcade of henchmen, watch with nothing but optimism as our Silicon Valley overlords hit their imperial phase - and let your jaw drop as Brooklyn secedes from the Beckhams.Truly, these are times that make you want to put your hands over your eyes, even when your hands are already over your eyes. The only thing to do is read Marina Hyde's Guardian columns and howl with laughter.'This country's foremost living satirist' Vogue'Hyde's columns are the solid-silver lining of Britain's political shitstorm' Caitlin Moran

'Hilarious, informative, enlightening, instructive ... It's the funniest book I've read all year' - Chris EvansYou're About to Die. What Would Your Final Meal Be?This question has long troubled Jay Rayner. But why wait for death? Why not eat your 'last meal' now, when you can enjoy it? So, he had a simple plan: he would embark on a journey through his life in food in pursuit of the meal to end all meals. It's a quest that takes him from necking oysters on the Louisiana shoreline to forking away the finest French pastries in Tokyo, and from his earliest memories of snails in garlic butter, through multiple pig-based banquets, to the unforgettable final meal itself. This is the story of one hungry man, in eight courses. 'Witty, wise, and, obviously, delicious.' Guardian'A raucous, joyous celebration of life.' Irish Times

Includes Le Cinq, Beast and Farm Girl Café, and a new introduction by the author.Jay Rayner isn't just a trifle irritated. He is eye-gougingly, bone-crunchingly, teeth-grindingly angry. And admit it, that's why you picked up this book, isn't it? Because you aren't really interested in glorious prose poems celebrating the finest dining experiences known to humanity, are you? You want him to suffer abysmal cooking, preferably at eye-watering prices, so you can gorge on the details and luxuriate in vicarious displeasure.You're in luck. Revel in Jay's misfortune as he is subjected to dreadful meat cookery with animals that died in vain, gravies full of casual violence and service that redefines the word 'incompetent'. He hopes you enjoy reading his reviews of these twenty miserable meals a damn sight more than he didn't enjoy experiencing them.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Marina Hyde's new book, What a Time to be Alive! is available now***** From the co-host of the hilarious podcast with Richard Osman, The Rest is Entertainment *** Now includes ELEVEN new columns and a whole THREE new prime ministers.Relive the delusional fever-dream of the modern era.'Thank f*ck for Marina Hyde: the most lethal, vital, screamingly funny truth-teller of our time.'PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE'The most brilliantly funny columnist of our time.'GARY LINEKER'It's a scientific FACT: Marina Hyde is Britain's funniest writer.'CAITLIN MORANDrawn from her spectacularly funny Guardian columns, What Just Happened?! is a welcome blast of humour and sanity in a world where reality has become stranger than fiction. Join Hyde as she revisits every moment of magic, from David Cameron to Theresa May to Boris Johnson to Rishi Sunak. Did we miss anyone? Boggle at the cast of characters: Hollywood sex offenders, populists, sporting heroes (and villains), media barons, reality TV monsters, police officers, wicked advisers, philanthropists, fauxlanthropists, frostbitten princes and (naturally) Gwyneth Paltrow. It's the full state banquet of crazy - and you're most cordially invited.'A joyous rallying voice in British journalism.'GRAYSON PERRY'An infinite number of gag-writers, working all day in a gag factory, couldn't come up with any of the perfectly-formed one-liners that populate Marina Hyde's hilarious writing . . . But behind the wit lurks real anger, argument, exasperation and intelligence. Her writing is more than a gentle poke in the ribs: it's a well-wrought and deftly aimed smash in the teeth.'ARMANDO IANNUCCIMarina Hyde's book What Just Happened!? was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 08-10-2022

Why do you lose arguments with people who know MUCH LESS than you? Why can you recognise that woman, from that thing... but can't remember her name?And why, after your last break-up, did you find yourself in the foetal position on the sofa for days, moving only to wipe the snot and tears haphazardly from your face?Here's why: the idiot brain. For something supposedly so brilliant and evolutionarily advanced, the human brain is pretty messy, fallible and disorganised. For example, did you know that your memory is egotistical? That conspiracy theories and superstitions are the inevitable effects of a healthy brain? Or that alcohol can actually improve your memory?** In The Idiot Brain, neuroscientist Dean Burnett tours our mysterious and mischievous grey (and white) matter. Along the way he explains the human brain's imperfections in all their glory and how these influence everything we say, do and experience. Expertly researched and entertainingly written, this book is for anyone who has wondered why their brain appears to be sabotaging their life, and what on earth it is really up to.**Editor's note: please read the book before testing this conclusion.

**The instant Sunday Times bestseller, from the co-host of the smash hit podcast The Rest is Entertainment**'Our funniest, sharpest writer on the great British unraveling' Jon Ronson'Enthralling, devastating, hilarious, envy-inducing prose' Sathnam Sanghera'You gobble it up far too quickly and then feel a bit guilty about how delicious it was' Dawn French'She's a genius, and there should be a statue of her in every town in the land' Dominic SandbrookMarina Hyde has been one of Britain's favourite columnists for over two decades. What a Time to Be Alive! is her final Guardian column collection and a welcome blast of humour and sanity in an unhinged era.Welcome to the dystopian soap opera of modern times. Travel to space with Lauren Sanchez and Katy Perry, let the waters close over you as Bear Grylls baptises Russell Brand in the Thames, and experience the full body impact of the Gwyneth Paltrow ski massacre trial. Lettuce also remember Liz Truss, meet - and bid farewell to - the guy they called 'No-Drama Starmer', and celebrate the inaugural winner of the Fifa Peace Prize as he threatens to annex countries and follows all the way through on starting wars. Experience the magic of Donald Trump's cavalcade of henchmen, watch with nothing but optimism as our Silicon Valley overlords hit their imperial phase - and let your jaw drop as Brooklyn secedes from the Beckhams.Truly, these are times that make you want to put your hands over your eyes, even when your hands are already over your eyes. The only thing to do is read Marina Hyde's Guardian columns and howl with laughter.'This country's foremost living satirist' Vogue'Hyde's columns are the solid-silver lining of Britain's political shitstorm' Caitlin Moran

A FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITINGThe first book of reportage from the front line of the Ukraine war. This is a powerful, moving first draft of history written by the award-winning Guardian journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Collusion and Shadow State.'An excellent, moving account of an ongoing tragedy.' ANNE APPLEBAUM'Compelling, important and heartbreaking.' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE'Essential reading.' ELIOT HIGGINS, founder of Bellingcat'Brilliant.' ANDREY KURKOVFor months, the omens had pointed in one scarcely believable direction: Russia was about to invade Ukraine. And yet, the world was stunned by the epochal scale of the assault that began in February 2022. It was an attempt by one nation to devour another.Invasion is Luke Harding's compelling chronicle of the war that changed everything. For this breathtaking work of reportage he spent months reporting on the ground during the build up to the conflict and afterward; his book tells of the initial days of shock and panic, the grim reality of this ongoing war, and the unheard human stories behind the headlines. Invasion also offers insightful portraits of the the war's two great personalities. One, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is an actor-turned-president who rallied support on a global stage. The other, Vladimir Putin, is a dictator who dwells in a strange and unreachable realm. Harding examines the ideological, religious and personal reasons behind Putin's decision to invade. And he confronts a crucial question: which side will prevail in this terrible war?With the ripple effects of the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945 already being felt beyond Ukraine and Russia's borders, it is more vital than ever to understand how the situation on the front line will have profound effects for us all. Written in Luke Harding's starkly transfixing style, Invasion makes for essential reading.*Includes a brand new chapter for the paperback edition****Author royalties from this edition will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Having surveyed post-war British drama in State of the Nation, Michael Billington now looks at the global picture. In this provocative and challenging new book, he offers his highly personal selection of the 101 greatest plays ranging from the Greeks to the present-day. But his book is no mere list. Billington justifies his choices in extended essays- and even occasional dialogues- that put the plays in context, explain their significance and trace their performance history. In the end, it's a book that poses an infinite number of questions. What makes a great play? Does the definition change with time and circumstance? Or are certain common factors visible down the ages? It's safe to say that it's a book that, in revising the accepted canon, is bound to stimulate passionate argument and debate. Everyone will have strong views on Billington's chosen hundred and one and will be inspired to make their own selections. But, coming from Britain's longest-serving theatre critic, these essays are the product of a lifetime spent watching and reading plays and record the adventures of a soul amongst masterpieces.

This updated edition of the bestselling and wildly popular I Am the Secret Footballer features a new introduction and an additional chapter. The anonymous writer of The Guardian's "Secret Footballer" column gives Premiere League fans an insider's look into the unseen world of professional football.It is often said that 95% of what happens in football takes place behind closed doors. Many of these stories I shouldn't be telling you. But I will.Who is The Secret Footballer? Only a few people know the true identity of the man inside the game. Whoever he is-and whatever team he plays for-TSF is always honest, fearless and opinionated. Here he takes readers past the locker-room door and reveals the inner-workings of a professional club, the exhilarating highs and crushing lows and what it's really like to do the job most of us can only dream of doing.TSF chronicles the exploits of his Premiership colleagues with a gimlet eye and frank humour. Managers, agents and players are not spared from his observations-their mindsets, their relationships with those outside the sport, their behaviour good and bad. In his inimitable style, TSF recounts entertaining and eyebrow-raising vignettes, naming names and dropping colourful details along the way.