August Books – serie

"Reminds me of why I love football - at its heart, it's a reflection of the communities that are built around it. A special book." - Jamie CarragherYou know when you’re in a Football City.The murals, the billboards, the graffiti, the colours on the bars and pubs. No two football cities are the same. That cross on the club badge, commemorating a 1st century fisherman martyr (Ajax). The ‘cemetery’ of graves dedicated to the club’s league rivals (Napoli). The guttural roar of fans chanting “Aupa Athletic, aupa Euskal Herria!” – a fierce declaration of Basque pride and identity, echoing through San Mamés like a battle cry (Bilbao).In a world of increasing corporate and homogenous sport, football cities preserve culture and exhibit the particular and the unique with glorious passion. Fandom in a football city is for everyone: for boys and girls, for elderly men and the infirm; for the fashionable, the outcasts and the hopeless: it gives their days meaning and clarity – it can unite divided cities and divide the otherwise united.This is Our Game is a celebration of these unique fan cultures. Part travel, part social history, giving voice to distinctive local experiences, revealing the atmospheres, attitudes, fables, fashions, tensions and triumphs of twenty-two unique places and communities across all continents. It was the Russian composer (and FC Zenit fan) Dmitri Shostakovich who said: “Football is the ballet of the masses.” This book takes us inside the dance.

When was the last time you felt guilty?Chances are, you don't even want to think about it most of us would rather not. Guilt is messy, uncomfortable and one of the most powerful emotions we experience as humans. As soon as we feel it, we want it gone.But, despite the discomfort, guilt contains an important purpose. It provides us with an opportunity to grow, make amends and strengthen our relationships. It holds us accountable and can influence huge social change. When we can acknowledge guilt in its truest form, we become emotionally healthier and happier.Guilt by Chris Moore is a deep dive into one of our most excruciating and underutilised emotions. Through extensive research in psychology, psychotherapy, philosophy, comparative religion and legal studies, as well as his own experiences with it, Moore takes the reader on an eye-opening journey through guilt and shows us that, by embracing it, we may improve our lives, our relationships and our mental health.So no matter who you are or what you have done, you can take comfort in the fact that our ability to feel guilt is a gift, not a burden.

In these nine life-fulfilling lessons, learn how your cat can bring you peace, comfort and a unique happiness.A home without a cat is just a house, as they say. There is something special about our feline friends the comfort they bring, their intuition, their famously comedic side that contributes to a household's average happiness index.In fact, just looking at your cat can ease anxiety and bring a sense of understanding and calm but why is that? What are these curious qualities that cats possess? And what lessons can we learn from them?The Healing Power of Cats takes a deep dive into all nine lives, to uncover the mysterious happiness that owning a cat can bring. By combining unique scientific research from cat experts and personal stories from cat-owners, Ulrica Norberg and Carina Nunstedt teach us how to use all of the most admirable cat qualities in our daily lives to reduce stress and anxiety, set boundaries and see the world as one big ball of yarn.Our cats bring out the best in us, so in order to live life to the fullest, let's tap into the rhythm of the cat with guaranteed good vibrations.

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the New York Times bestselling Kennedy historian and author of Jackie: Public, Private, Secret comes the other side of the story--her husband's: JFK: Public, Private, Secret.In this definitive portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy--one of America's most consequential and enigmatic presidents--J. Randy Taraborrelli delivers a deeply researched and authoritative biography. More than the story of a presidency, this is an intimate study of a man whose public triumphs were shaped--and at times overshadowed--by the complex realities of his private life, from his legendary family to his marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy.Drawing from hundreds of interviews conducted over twenty-five years--as well as candid, first-hand oral histories from the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library, rare internal reports from the Secret Service, detailed files from the National Archives, and intelligence documents from both the CIA and FBI. This is JFK as never before captured by history: brilliant yet fallible, revered yet human--a figure whose legacy continues to shape America and the world.The JFK presented in Taraborrelli's definitive biography is a complex and endlessly fascinating historical figure--despite, and perhaps even because of, his many flaws.

'Remarkable and unique' Daily Express'I never dreamed we'd go to war with Argentina.' Rear-Admiral John WoodwardOn 2 April 1982, Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands. Britain was quick to mobilise a task force to recover its territory, but the ensuing conflict, lasting over two months, would cost the British military 255 lives, seven ships and many aircraft.From the initial Argentine landing on South Georgia, to dynamic combat on land, sea and air, Britain faced extreme adversity. However, despite the harsh realities of battle, the British task force maintained morale through humour, camaraderie and the close bonds they formed in the crucible of war.Lost Voices of the Falklands War is the definitive oral history of the conflict, compiled by historian Max Arthur. Through a series of interviews, Arthur delivers a raw, unfiltered account of the violence and the emotional toll it took on the soldiers, sailors and airmen that fought.This is the true story of the heroes of the Falklands war, in their own words.'Nowhere will you read a record of more concentrated courage, and of the will to win' Manchester Evening News

The story of the greatest Special Forces unit the world has ever seen, told by the men who fought together.In 1941, maverick officer David Stirling adventurer, gambler, rake created the Special Air Service. The soldiers came from all walks of life: miners, desert explorers, Guardsmen, bored clerks in the pay corps. All felt frustrated by the conventional army and were determined to make their mark on the war. Together they created a tradition that would survive the capture of their leader, the death of so many of their comrades and even the disbanding of the SAS after the end of the war.With the co-operation of the regimental association, Gavin Mortimer interviewed nearly sixty veterans, including many of the desert 'Originals', many of whom had never before revealed their role. They spoke openly, with honesty and humour, about life in the SAS; the gruelling training that broke all but the toughest; the thrill of raiding desert airfields; the danger of parachuting into occupied France; and the fear of being caught by the Germans, knowing that Hitler had ordered the 'liquidation' of captured SAS soldiers.This is the SAS at war, in their own words.

'Insightful, rigorously researched and splendidly written' Donald L. Miller, author of Masters of the Air During World War II, Allied bombing obliterated every major German and Japanese city. Before the dropping of the atomic bombs, conventional bombing had killed approximately 400,000 Germans and 330,00 Japanese, the vast majority civilians.Two-thirds of Germans who died under the bombs did so in 1944 and 1945, and in the last year of the war cities with little military were obliterated. In Japan, American bombers destroyed all but three major Japanese cities, and the people in them, after March 1945. These raids occurred, in other words, when Allied victory was assured and when precision bombing techniques were far more advanced than they were earlier in the war.Fire and Fury asks why.Based on extensive archival sources, interviews with bombing survivors, airmen, and published first-hand accounts, the book looks at the bombing campaign from an avowedly human perspective Allied, German and Japanese. It recreates the experience of living through the death of a city. It presents the complex personalities of the senior airmen, and explores why bombing campaigns that seem so excessive seventy-five years later seemed reasonable, to many, at the time. It explains why those campaigns became so murderous so late in the war. And it asks, with the full benefits of time's fullness, whether it was all worth it.Perfect for fans of Max Hastings, James Holland and Antony Beevor.'Outstanding' Margaret MacMillan, author of Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World'Clear, well-argued and grippingly told' Keith Lowe, author of Inferno: The Fiery Destruction of Hamburg, 1943

As Featured on the Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness podcast'I can't recommend this book highly enough' Dan Savage, author of Savage Love Butt Seriously is the first-of-its-kind guide to all things anal. Covering toys, training exercises, sex positions and offering helpful advice for when things go wrong, this book is designed to answer all of those questions you may have felt too embarrassed to ask before.Having had a lifetime of personal and professional experience, Dr Evan Goldstein has put together all the medically accurate, scientifically-backed information you need to get your peach healthy and maximise your pleasure, whilst busting the myths around anal sex that are holding you back.Refreshingly inclusive and sex-positive, Butt Seriously is the bum bible for anyone looking to uplevel their sex life and open the (back)door to new possibilities!'By far the most thorough manual on anal sex' Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto'This is the book I'll now be recommending to anyone ready to make anal pleasure a part of their life' Emily Morse, author of Smart Sex: How to Boost Your Sex IQ and Own Your Pleasure'No but(t)s about it, Evan Goldstein has written a definitive, personable and sorely needed guide to all-things anal!' Ian Kerner, PhD LMFT, NY Times best-selling author of She Comes First

“It has dad present written all over it…” — The SpectatorRaise a glass to the Great British tradition of booze, and the twelve drinks that made it what it is today. Cheers!The history of Britain, perhaps more so than any other country, is defined by its drinking culture. Built on a foundation of pubs, clubs and watering holes, the UK has remained in the global top five for alcoholic intake per capita since 1700. It doesn't matter how it comes nip, schooner, pint or yard we will always gladly have another.But of such a vast and varied drinks menu, which are Britain's favourites? Which have stood the test of time? And what do they say about our wider culture?Steven Parissien's Another Round? uncorks contemporary Britain's relationship with booze in twelve very different drinks. From the 1950's classic Babysham, to the house party favourite WKD, these flagship brands reflected and redefined British culture and politics.For better or worse, the story of postwar Britain can be found at the bottom of every glass.

"Empathetic and quietly profound." The New York TimesFrom celebrated investigative journalist Jordan Ritter Conn (The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN) comes a fascinating and challenging portrait of modern manhood – as seen through the lens of four American men with vastly different backgrounds and experiences.Between the weight of expectation and the restrictive force of the patriarchy pressing down on them, it is no wonder that so many men today feel stuck. But these debates on modern manhood often fail to consider the actual lives of men themselves: how do they live their lives day to day? Who do they love? What are their dreams?Written from the perspectives of four very different men, Ryan, Gideon, Joseph and Nate, American Men explores the male psyche as each of them experiences trauma and recovery, violence, sex, power and powerlessness, as well as the difficulties of forming relationships in the context of contemporary life.In part a condemnation of its faults, as well as a celebration of its virtues, American Men presents a truthful, balanced portrait of manhood and masculinity, as it exists today.'Wise, insightful, and harrowing, American Men will leave readers both shattered and inspired’ - Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us, and (with Jodi Picoult) Mad Honey

‘A masterclass in empathetic storytelling. With profound sensitivity and unwavering curiosity, he brings us into the lives of men grappling with the silent pressures of masculinity.' - Gilbert King, Pulitzer prize-winning author of Devil in the GroveFrom celebrated investigative journalist Jordan Ritter Conn (The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN) comes a fascinating and challenging portrait of modern manhood – as seen through the lens of four American men with vastly different backgrounds and experiences.Between the weight of expectation and the restrictive force of the patriarchy pressing down on them, it is no wonder that so many men today feel stuck. But these debates on modern manhood often fail to consider the actual lives of men themselves: how do they live their lives day to day? Who do they love? What are their dreams?Written from the perspectives of four very different men, Ryan, Gideon, Joseph and Nate, American Men explores the male psyche as each of them experiences trauma and recovery, violence, sex, power and powerlessness, as well as the difficulties of forming relationships in the context of contemporary life.In part a condemnation of its faults, as well as a celebration of its virtues, American Men presents a truthful, balanced portrait of manhood and masculinity, as it exists today.'Wise, insightful, and harrowing, American Men will leave readers both shattered and inspired’ - Jennifer Finney Boylan, author of Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us, and (with Jodi Picoult) Mad Honey