5ive Guys FC

82ASK

A A Gill

Andrew Swanston read law at Cambridge, but was inspired to write by his lifelong interest in early modern history. His Thomas Hill novels – The King’s Spy, The King’s Exile and The King’s Return – are set against the backdrops of the English Civil War, Cromwell’s Commonwealth and the early Restoration respectively. He is also the author of Waterloo: The Bravest Man and Beautiful Star and Other Stories. His first historical thriller set during the reign of Elizabeth I – Incendium (published in paperback as The Incendium Plot) – introduced readers to the academic, lawyer and intelligencer Dr Christopher Radcliff, whose adventures continue in Chaos. Andrew Swanston lives in Surrey.

A D Swanston

A E Langsford

A G Hopkins

A. J. BAIME is the New York Times best-selling author of The Arsenal of Democracy: FDR, Detroit, and an Epic Quest to Arm an America at War and Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans. Both books are in development for major motion pictures. Baime is a longtime regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Popular Science, and Men’s Journal. He lives in Granite Bay, California. Visit him at facebook.com/ajbaime and trumanbook.com.

A J Baime

A J Jacobs

A J P Taylor

Anthony James Pollard is a British medieval historian, specialising in the fifteenth century and in particular the Wars of the Roses. A leading authority in the field, he is profesor emeritus of Teesside University. His books include North-Eastern England during the Wars of the Roses, Richard III and the Princes in theTower, Imagining Robin Hood: the Late Medieval Stories in Historical Context and Warwick the kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame.

A J Pollard

A J Rochester

A K Benjamin is a clinical neuropsychologist and the author of Let Me Not Be Mad: A Story of Unravelling Minds.

A K Benjamin

A. L. Berridge read English at Oxford, and taught for ten years before moving into television, where her production credits range from period drama and thrillers to long-running soaps. She has written two previous novels, Top Ten besteller Honour and the Sword and In the Name of the King. Into the Valley of Death is her third novel.

A L Berridge

Alison Gaylin's first job was as a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, which sparked a lifelong interest in writing about people committing despicable acts. More than a decade later, she wrote and published her Edgar-nominated first novel, HIDE YOUR EYES. 
 
She's since published nine more books, including the USA Today and international bestselling Brenna Spector suspense series, which has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Thriller awards and won the Shamus award. 
 
She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, cat and dog.

A L Gaylin

A Maxwell-Hyslop

A McArthur

A P Wavell

A.S. Webb is the Sunday Times bestselling author of Daughter of Chaos, the first instalment of The Dark Pantheon Trilogy. She is inspired by stories rooted in history and mythology, that push the boundaries of imagination and urge us to reflect on what it means to be human.

A S Webb

A. A. Dhand is the author of six previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing. The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. For more information about A. A. Dhand and his books, follow him on X @aadhand, and on Instagram @aa_dhand.

A. A. Dhand

A. A. Gill

A. A. Milne

A. Anatoli

A. B. Poranek grew up sharing her time between Ontario, Canada and rural Poland, and eventually completed a veterinary degree at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. A lover of mythology and history, she enjoys exploring both in her writing. Her debut novel, Where the Dark Stands Still, an instant New York Times bestseller, is an ode to Poland's folktales, while A Treachery of Swans transports readers to a world inspired by 17th century France.

A. B. Poranek

A. Bradley

Professor A. C. Grayling is Principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy, history, science and current affairs. For several years he wrote columns for the Guardian newspaper and The Times and was the chairman of the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

A. C. Grayling

A.D. Miller is the author of Snowdrops, The Earl of Petticoat Lane and The Faithful Couple. Snowdrops was a bestseller and was shortlisted for many prizes including the Man Booker and the CWA Gold Dagger. It was translated into 25 languages. As Moscow Correspondent of The Economist A.D. Miller has travelled across the former Soviet Union and covered the Orange Revolution in Ukraine; he is now the magazine’s Culture Editor based in London. 
 
admillerbooks.com

A. D. Miller

A. E. Ellis

A. Humphreys

A. Igoni Barrett was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in 1979 and lives in Lagos. He is a winner of the 2005 BBC World Service short story competition, the recipient of a Chinua Achebe Center Fellowship, a Norman Mailer Center Fellowship, and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency. His short story collection, Love is Power, or Something Like That, was published in 2013. In 2014 he was named on the Africa39 list of sub-Saharan African writers under 40. Blackass is his first novel.

A. Igoni Barrett

The short life of A.J.A. Symons (1900-41) was described by his biographer as an intricate and largely harmless confidence trick. His many interests included the collection of musical boxes and rare books as well as the study and practice of forgery; they left him time to edit an anthology of Edwardian verse and compose studies of H.M. Stanley and other notable figures. He is remembered for The Quest for Corvo, one of the most remarkable biographies ever written, and for co-founding the Wine and Food Society.

A. J. A. Symons

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M. Garand

These visually appealing, addictive puzzles drop solvers into immersive mini murder mysteries, combining the elegant simplicity of games like sudoku with the storytelling of classic logic problems. But Murdoku introduces its own unique element: full-colour visual representations of the characters’ environments, with each element playing into the investigation: rooms, furniture, plants, animals, and sometimes additional rules that add an extra twist. You’ll explore 80 crime scenes including a bakery, a casino, a chess tournament, a farm, an opera . . . the variety is endless. The puzzles start out easy and gradually increase in difficulty to expert level. Do you have what it takes to become a master detective?

Murdoku

80 Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles

Richard Coles

Charles Spencer

Cat Jarman

Join the trio behind the hit history podcast, The Rabbit Hole Detectives, Richard Coles, Charles Spencer and Cat Jarman in their first trivia book as they investigate weird and wonderful facts and stories rescued from obscurity. From the earliest recorded examples of practical jokes to a whistle-stop tour of the world's ghost towns to a history of red heads, The Rabbit Hole Book is a fascinating and entertaining dive into all the things you didn't know you wanted to know.

The Rabbit Hole Book

99 adventures into the history of stuff

Alan Connor

Test your wits with the ultimate game of cunning, logic and intuition 
 
'This book is brilliant' Zoe Ball, BBC Radio 2 
 
It's time to start your adventure. Get them before they get you 
 
Put your sleuthing skills to the test in a world of deception, betrayal, and strategy. Placed in a castle in the Scottish Highlands, you must figure out if your fellow players are Faithful or a Traitor. Can you trust Jorge, the dentist with an encyclopaedic memory and tendency to smile at everyone? Or Nina, the retiree who acts like the group's matriarch but has a knowing glint in her eyes..? Beware, for in this treacherous game, trust is a luxury you cannot afford. 
 
In the official book of the BAFTA-winning phenomenon, The Traitors: The Interactive Game Book, the decisions you make will decide what happens next. Take this thrilling journey on your own or with others, pooling your wisdom to make the right choices. With over 20 standalone games to play in a group - all with cunning Traitors twists - this is the perfect gift, guaranteed to unleash hours of mischief and fun. 
 
*Praise for The Traitors TV show* 
 
'Addictively fiendish, this treachery was the best thing on TV in 20 years' Daily Mail 
 
'By far and away the most compelling and engrossing reality show of 2022, if not all time' Rolling Stone 
 
'One of the hottest realities right now, The Traitors is an absolute phenomenon you can enjoy also in a book format. Now, this is not a normal book' Digital Spy

The Traitors

The Ultimate Game of Cunning, Logic and Intuition

Nate Silver

In the bestselling The Signal and the Noise, Nate Silver showed how forecasting would define the age of Big Data. Now, in this timely and riveting new book, Silver investigates "The River," or those whose mastery of risk allows them to shape—and dominate—so much of modern life. 
 
These professional risk takers—poker players and hedge fund managers, crypto true-believers and blue-chip art collectors—can teach us much about navigating the uncertainty of the 21st century. By embedding within these worlds, Silver offers insight into a range of issues that affect us all, from the frontiers of finance to the future of AI. 
 
The River has increasing amounts of wealth and power in our society, and understanding their mindset—including the flaws in their thinking—is key to understanding what drives technology and the global economy today. There are certain commonalities in this otherwise diverse group: high tolerance for risk; appreciation of uncertainty; affinity for numbers; skill at de-coupling; self-reliance and a distrust of the conventional wisdom. For the River, complexity is baked in, and the work is how to navigate it, without going beyond the pale. 
 
Taking us behind-the-scenes from casinos to venture capital firms to meetings of the effective altruism movement, On the Edge is a deeply-reported, all-access journey into a hidden world of powerbrokers and risk takers.

On the Edge

The Art of Risking Everything

Kelly Clancy

We play games to learn about the world, to understand our minds and the minds of others, and to make predictions about the future. They're also a lot of fun. But what happens when we mistake games for reality? 
 
Playing With Reality explores the riveting history of games since the Enlightenment, weaving an unexpected path through military theory, biology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, cognitive psychology and the future of democracy. As neuroscientist and physicist Kelly Clancy shows us, games have been deeply intertwined with the arc of history. War games shaped the outcomes of real wars in nineteenth and twentieth-century Europe. Game theory warped our understanding of human behaviour and brought us to the brink of annihilation - yet still underlies basic assumptions in economics, politics and technology. We used games to teach computers how to learn for themselves, and now we are designing games that will determine the shape of society and future of democracy. 
 
Lucid, thought-provoking, and masterfully told, Playing With Reality makes the bold argument that the human fascination with games is the key to understanding our nature.

Playing with Reality

How Games Shape Our World

Dan Blaskowitz

Put your general knowledge to the test with this interesting fact book for curious kids and adults alike! 
 
Need an easy gift idea? Looking to impress friends and family with your knowledge of random facts? 
 
Whether you're looking for a funny secret santa gift for work or a small present for kids, Squillions of Amazing Facts to Knock Your Socks Off! is the perfect book for you! 
 
Packed-full of general knowledge and random facts, this mind-blowing book will keep readers of all ages entertained for hours! 
 
Discover the answers to questions that you never knew you needed to know, including:<ul><li>Why were there so many poodles at the 1900 Olympics?</li><li>What did Romans wipe their bottoms with?</li><li>How much saliva does the average human produce in a lifetime? 
… and much, much more!</li></ul>With amazing facts for all ages, discover the perfect gift book for birthdays, stocking fillers and more!

Squillions of Amazing Facts to Knock Your Socks Off!

No Context Brits

Do you know what year the Harrier jump jet was developed? 
What about the name of the first king of Scotland? 
Surely you must know the contents of the 1969 Bill of Rights?! 
 
Don't know the answers? Sorry, according to the Home Office, you're clearly not cut out to be a British Citizen. These inane questions have been posed by the Life in the UK test, more commonly known as the British citizenship test. If only there was an alternative test that wasn't stuck revelling in past glories . . . one that was fun, irreverent and unafraid to offer a glimpse of real life in the UK. 
 
How to Really be Brit is the unofficial citizenship test from the beloved No Context Brits Twitter account. You'll find 500 questions taking in every aspect of UK life - from Wrexham to Windrush, Bake Off to Brexit, scotch eggs to the Spice Girls and more.

How to Really be a Brit

The Unofficial Citizenship Test

John Buckley

Spencer Jones

&lsquo;The Armchair General team has done it again. An absorbing read for Christmas.&rsquo; 
Peter Caddick-Adams 
 
&lsquo;Brilliant and immersive.&rsquo; 
Harry Sidebottom 
 
The second book in the Armchair General series, where YOU choose the fate of the First World War 
 
________________________________ 
 
HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS. WILL IT BE YOU? 
 
TAKE THE HOTSEAT 
Assume the role of real historic decision-makers: general, leaders, soldiers and intelligence officers of the Allied Forces during World War I. 
 
EXAMINE THE INTELLIGENCE 
Explore eight key moments from the First World War, using real contemporaneous intelligence: including the July Crisis, the Battle of the Somme, and the Russian Revolution. 
 
CONSIDER THE SCENARIO &amp; MAKE YOUR DECISION 
From battlefields to the Royal Courts, each tactical and strategic decision you make leads to a different outcome. 
 
Will you follow the path of the past - or shape a new history...? 
________________________________ 
 
PRAISE FOR THE ARMCHAIR GENERAL SERIES 
 
'An original and exciting approach...The Armchair General adds enormously to our understanding of the conflicts' JAMES HOLLAND 
 
'A reminder that history is a never ending now, a relentless and endless present that comes without the luxury of hindsight' AL MURRAY 
 
'Wonderfully original...putting readers at the heart of the decision-making process and allowing them, literally, to change the course of history. This is counterfactual history at its very best' SAUL DAVID

The Armchair General World War One

Can You Win The Great War?

The National Archives

Gareth Moore

Laura Jayne Ayres

After Murdle comes Spydle… 
 
Following last year’s bestselling phenomenon, the National Archives and Britain’s leading puzzle master, Dr Gareth Moore, have teamed up to produce a brand new puzzle book, Spydle, which promises to perplex and excite with tales of espionage and intrigue drawn straight from official records of over five centuries of British spycraft and crpytography.

Spydle

Alzheimer's Society

Not just good for you. Hugely challenging and hugely enjoyable - Jeremy Vine 
 
Give your grey matter a workout with these memory-boosting exercises - The Telegraph 
 
Solve over 150 mind-bending puzzles - and boost your brain health at the same time! 
 
Challenge your memory, test your logic and sharpen your focus with brilliantly fun pictures, words, numbers puzzles. With regular practice, puzzles may help to improve brain function and prevent age-related cognitive decline. The Brain Health Puzzle Book offers a workout for a wide range of brain functions. Featuring over 150 puzzles of varying difficulty, this book aims to target different areas of the brain and improve cognition. This book includes a 7-day programme, plus practical tips and advice to keep your mind active and engaged. 
 
But The Brain Health Puzzle Book is more than just a collection of puzzles - this book will help you to create new habits to keep your grey matter active and healthy. Here, Dr. Tim Beanland, Head of Knowledge at Alzheimer's Society, provides expert insights into the science of brain health and the benefits of regular mental exercise. 
 
Whether you're looking to improve your memory, sharpen your focus, or reduce your risk of dementia, The Brain Health Puzzle Book will help you achieve your goals. With its comprehensive range of puzzles and expert guidance, this book is the ultimate resource to improve your brain health and enhance mental agility. 
 
*This book was previously published under the title, Mind Games 
 
Part of the proceeds of sale of this publication (estimated to be an amount of no less than &pound;50,000) will be paid to Alzheimer's Trading Limited (a registered charity, charity number 296645). Alzheimer's Trading Limited pays all of its taxable profits through 'gift aid' to Alzheimer's Society.

The Brain Health Puzzle Book

Over 150 Puzzles to Boost Your Memory and Train Your Brain

GCHQ

GCHQ is a top-secret intelligence and security agency which recruits some of the very brightest minds. Over the years, their codebreakers have helped keep Britain safe, from the Bletchley Park breakthroughs of WWII to the modern-day threat of cyberattack. So it comes as no surprise that, even in their time off, the staff at GCHQ love a good puzzle. Whether they're recruiting new staff or challenging each other to the toughest Christmas quizzes and treasure hunts imaginable, puzzles are at the heart of what GCHQ does. Here in this book they open up their archives to share decades' worth of codes, puzzles and challenges for everyone to try.

The GCHQ Puzzle Book

Perfect for anyone who likes a good headscratcher

GCHQ are back with a new collection of head-scratching, mind-boggling and brain-bending puzzles that will leave readers pondering for hours. 
 
For those who found themselves occasionally stumped with the first book, there will be even more starter puzzles to get those brains warmed up. Puzzle aficionados, meanwhile, can test themselves to the limit with an 'Even Harder' section. 
 
In celebration of GCHQ's over 100-year legacy the puzzles will be structured around vignettes of its history direct from the archives. providing exclusive snapshots into the organisation that keeps up all safe, making it a book to treasure.

The GCHQ Puzzle Book II

From the riddles of the ancients to puzzles that perplex the greatest minds of today, The Penguin Book of Puzzles is a glorious compendium of conundrums from throughout history, together for the first time in one collection. 
 
These challenges will require all the reader's wits to solve, but range from the easy to the brain-bending and are suitable for novice and veteran puzzlers alike. There is something here to suit every taste, including popular puzzles such as crosswords and sudoku, but also some surprising and intriguing types of puzzles that have been unearthed from centuries gone by.

The Penguin Book of Puzzles

Chris Yates

Sitting on a riverbank, with rod and line, must count as one of the most relaxing and enjoyable – yet occasionally frustrating – experiences known to man. 
 
Chris Yates discovered the joys of fishing early in life and was quickly hooked by its pleasures. Many years later, he is still content to sit, day after day, observing the quirks of different fish and losing track of time. For him, fishing is much more than just a question of technique; sometimes it’s about listening to nothing but your instincts, and at other times it’s about enjoying the perfect cup of tea. And it’s always about not knowing how the day is going to unfold . . . 
 
There’s no better guide for the uninitiated – and no better companion for those already familiar with the satisfactions of fishing – than Chris Yates. And immersing yourself in How To Fish is almost as delightful an activity as fishing itself.

How to Fish

Francis Bourgeois

The adventure filled memoir from the world's most beloved trainspotter, TikTok sensation Francis Bourgeois. 
 
'Francis is one of the kindest, most genuine people I've met in a long time. His passion and unadulterated happiness is inspiring. I can't wait for more magical adventures with him.' - Joe Jonas 
 
'A National Treasure Of The TikTok Age.' - Grazia 
 
'Thrashing builds and builds. I look down and pull up my sleeve: I've got goosebumps, making all the hairs on my arm stand on end. I'm absolutely buzzing.' 
 
From sleeping in a car to get a good shot of 73962 Dick Mabbutt to trainspotting with Niall Horan, Francis Bourgeois has been on one hell of a ride over the past year. Bringing joy to millions, his epic journeys have highlighted the importance of connecting with your passions. 
 
In The Trainspotter's Notebook, Francis shares his greatest trainspotting adventures and takes you with him across the fields and footbridges of Britain, passing through historic terminals and backwater stations in pursuit of tones, thrash and locomotive perfection. Told in his inimitable style, these hilarious and heart-warming tales take you behind the scenes of his most popular videos, and celebrate the places and people of the railway. 
 
Are you ready to depart? 
 
'Oh for goodness sake, I'm on the wrong platform!'

The Trainspotter's Notebook

TAKE THE HOTSEAT 
Assume the role of real Generals, Leaders, Soldiers and Intelligence Officers in the Allied Forces during WWII, including Winston Churchill and President Eisenhower. 
 
EXAMINE THE INTELLIGENCE 
Explore eight key moments of the war with real contemporaneous intelligence: Britain's Darkest Hour, 1940; The War in North Africa; Stalin's War on the Eastern Front; The Pacific Battle of Midway; The Dresden Bomber Offensive; Casablanca; Arnhem and Operation Market Garden; The Bomb and Hiroshima. 
 
CONSIDER THE SCENARIO &amp; MAKE YOUR DECISION 
From battlefields to war cabinets, each tactical and strategic decision you make leads to a different outcome. 
 
Will you follow the path of the past - or shape a new history?

The Armchair General

Can You Defeat the Nazis?

Daisy Upton

Ideal for children (little and big) to keep them busy and having fun on the go, whether you are travelling, on holiday, at family get-togethers or even waiting at restaurant tables. 
 
Daisy Upton gets difficulties of having kids when you're on the go. So, to help you (and herself!) she's created quick, easy games that keep children interested, learning and out of mischief - they take 5 minutes to set up and 5 minutes to tidy up. And as Daisy was a teaching assistant, your little ones will be learning while they play! What could be better? 
 
Packed with 80 games to keep little ones happily - and quietly! - occupied while you're out and about, ON THE GO is the perfect companion for anyone who wants five minutes peace when they're on the move with their kids. 
 
"I love Five Minute Mum. She's managed to come up with a huge array of activities for kids that are fun and educational yet don't require an Art degree or Diploma in Patience to execute." Sarah Turner, aka Unmumsy Mum 
 
Also available: 
Five Minute Mum: Give Me Five 
Five Minute Mum: Time for School

Five Minute Mum: On the Go

From long journeys to family gatherings, easy, fun five-minute games to entertain children whenever you're out and about

Garry Kasparov

*THE STRATEGIES BEHIND A SUCCESSFUL LIFE FROM THE LEGENDARY GRANDMASTER, NOW WITH A NEW FOREWORD* 
 
'In this book, chess is a teacher, and I aim to show it is a great one.' 
 
For over twenty years, Garry Kasparov dominated the world of chess. As the youngest ever undisputed World Champion, known for confounding his opponents at every move and breaking record after record, Kasparov was asked the same question time and time again: what makes a champion? 
 
Drawing on a wealth of revealing and instructive stories, from the most intense moments of his greatest games to the world-changing decisions of history's greatest strategists such as Winston Churchill and Steve Jobs, Kasparov reveals the strategic ways of thinking that always give a player - in the game of life as well as chess - the edge. 
 
PRAISE FOR GARRY KASPAROV 
'I've never seen someone with such a feel for dynamics in complex positions' - Magnus Carlsen, World Chess Champion 
 
'There is nothing in chess he has been unable to deal with' - Vladimir Kramnik, Chess Grandmaster 
 
'Mr. Kasparov is not only one of the world's smartest men, he is also among its bravest.' - Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch

How Life Imitates Chess

Phonics! Number sentences! Reading schemes! School uniforms! 
 
Getting your child ready to start school and then supporting them in their learning can feel overwhelming, can't it? 
 
Bestselling author and social media superstar, Daisy Upton, is here to help. In Time For School, Daisy will walk you through what is really expected from your little ones in their first years at school, and, with her simple to set-up easy, fun five-minute method, help you support them at home without tearing your hair out or wanting to bang your head against the kitchen table. Five minutes here and there, with fun and games together, it doesn't have to just be homework - it becomes quality family time. 
 
Packed full of games and activities designed to help children feel confident and excited about learning, Time For School will support them - and you! - with letters, numbers and everything in between.

Five Minute Mum: Time For School

Easy, fun five-minute games to support Reception and Key Stage 1 children through their first years at school

Henry Eliot

Quibe

As a rule, we take care not to get lost, so why should we willingly enter a maze? Illustrated with a single red line, Follow This Thread traces dozens of real and historical mazes, and their uses in literature, art and film, from Pac-Man and Picasso to Kubrick and Kafka. 
 
Henry Eliot reveals our abiding, ancient relationship with mazes and labyrinths, and unpicks the paradoxical psychology involved in walking them, combining the myth of the Minotaur with a quest for the legendary Maze King, who disappeared in 1979. The text coils around the pages, recreating the experience of walking a labyrinth, with its twists and turns, frights and fantasies.

Follow This Thread

A Maze Book to Get Lost In

This short book all based around the maths your child will be learning in their first few years at school will bring some some much-needed laughter to your at-home education and, if nothing else, give you five minutes where you feel like you are getting it right. 
 
Five-minute, quick, easy and fun maths-based games and activities using stuff you probably have at home already. 
 
Taken from Five Minute Mum: Time for School- the ultimate handbook to support your child through Early Years, Reception and KS1 - publishing April 2021.

Time For Home School: Maths

Five minute fun games and activities to support early years and KS1 children with number sentences, counting and times tables

Dimitris Chassapakis

The Cypher Files is an utterly unique reading experience. In this brain-bending interactive game, you'll solve puzzles on every page, and obtain keys to move forward by submitting answers online. To solve each puzzle, you'll need to think outside the book. 
 
You are an agent of CY.P.H.E.R., the secret international agency working on 'unsolvable' code-based cases. Called upon to investigate cryptic clues discovered in the wake of a series of mysterious disappearances, the clock is ticking to crack the codes before it's too late. 
 
To escape this book, you must write, draw, search, fold and cut pages, explore virtual escape rooms and think laterally to identify the perpetrator and solve the mystery. 
 
All you need to play is a pencil, a pair of scissors, an internet connection, and a curious mind.

The Cypher Files

An Escape Room… in a Book!

Liza Tarbuck

I am genuinely distracted by everything, and I don't think I'm alone in this. I consider my love of distraction a thing to be cherished. 
 
Like the annuals of my youth, this book is filled with puzzles, activities and mental musings. I hope that every page tickles your fancy. This book might be a perfect conversation starter at a dinner table, or the last thing you're flipping through before bed. I promise that you'll laugh at least once. 
 
So here we go. I am passing my distractions on to you.

I An Distracted by Everything

"I love Five Minute Mum. She's managed to come up with a huge array of activities for kids that are fun and educational yet don't require an Art degree or Diploma in Patience to execute. Her blog makes these kinds of games accessible to everyone and for that, I am grateful!" Sarah Turner, aka Unmumsy Mum 
 
 
Daisy Upton has two little kids. She loves them - but they drive her mad. To stop the endless 'what's next, mum?' when they were really tiny, she started to come up with quick, easy games using stuff from around the house. And @FiveMinuteMum was born. 
 
This book is a collection of over 150 fun games that take five minutes to set up and, even more crucially five minutes to tidy up again: a recipe book for guilt-free parenting. From pasta posting to alphabet knock down, all of the ideas draw on Daisy's time as a teaching assistant to sneak some learning into the fun, and help those who spend time with little kids feel like the daunting is doable! 
 
GIVE ME FIVE is the perfect companion for anyone who wants five minutes peace.

Five Minute Mum: Give Me Five

Five minute, easy, fun games for busy people to do with little kids

James Walton

Which Haruki Murakami novel shares its title with a Beatles song? In Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, what is Charlie's surname? What is heavy-drinking Rachel Watson known as in the title of a 21st-century bestseller? And what do you get if you add the number of Bennet sisters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice to the number of Karamazov brothers in Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov? 
 
With four hundred questions covering books from literary classics to modern bestsellers, through iconic children's books and books you say that you've read but really you haven't, The Penguin Book Quiz is as appropriate for making you look well-read at a party as it is for a book-loving family to tuck into after Christmas dinner: it's as enjoyable to read as it is to play. 
 
Featuring the work of everyone from Antony Beevor to Zadie Smith, books from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Ulysses, and with movie, music, television, theatre and literary references abounding, this entertaining quiz tickles the fancy (and the brains) of light and heavy readers alike. 
 
Answers: 
- Norwegian Wood 
- Bucket 
- The Girl on the Train 
- Eight (five sisters, three brothers)

The Penguin Book Quiz

From The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Ulysses

Henry Dudeney

"Regular exercise is supposed to be as necessary for the brain as for the body. Many of us are very apt to suffer from mental cobwebs, and there is nothing equal to the solving of puzzles for sweeping them away." - Henry Dudeney (1847-1930) 
 
First published in 1907, Dudeney's The Canterbury Puzzles is a classic of the genre, based on characters from Chaucer's Tales. The book contains 114 puzzles suitable for young enthusiasts, recreational mathematicians and veteran puzzlers alike. As challenging today as it was over a century ago, this ingenious book will provide hours-worth of puzzles to keep your brain alert.

The Canterbury Puzzles

Hans Eysenck

Originally published in 1962, this classic book was the first that permitted readers to determine their own I.Q. 
 
It includes an introduction by Hans Eysenck, describing what an I.Q. is and how it can be applied, followed by a range of easy to difficult I.Q. challenges. At the back of the book you can find the answers and your personal I.Q. rating.

Know Your Own IQ

In 1938 Britain started to quiz. Since then, quizzes have become ubiquitous entertainment from pubs to primetime, suffered major criminal investigations, created unlikely folk heroes and been subjected to the rigours of question checkers. The Joy of Quiz tells the history of quiz and its makers, wonders how we came to make a game out of remembering scraps of information, looks at the tactics of professional quizzers and reveals the shadowy worlds of setters and checkers. Along the way, it asks questions such as 'What is a fact, anyway?' and 'Whatever happened to prizes like sandwich toasters?'

The Joy of Quiz

Lizzie Mary Cullen

Join Lizzie Mary Cullen on a magical expedition around the world, with her brand new colouring book. 
 
For the past few months, Lizzie has been travelling the world, exploring some of our planet's most beautiful landscapes and fascinating cities. Inspired by the places she discovered, she has created a stunning new colouring adventure. 
 
This is an epic trip that will transport you from the depths of the Brazilian rainforest to the dizzying heights of the New Zealand mountains. Join Lizzie and faithful friend Paddy the Pug as they trek, fly, sail and swim through the wonders of the world, discovering hidden objects along the way. 
 
Suitable for children.

The Magical Journey

A Colouring Book

The Magical City is a brand new colouring book by talented young illustrator Lizzie Mary Cullen. Lizzie has gained a cult following for her distinctive swirling pen-and-ink drawings of beautiful cities. Colouring and doodling on these re-imaginings of famous landmarks will help you to see the familiar in a fantastical new way and open your mind to the hidden wonder of urban landscapes across the world. Follow cobbled pavements through winding streets, look up to the skyscrapers soaring into the skies, and gaze over rooftops and dreaming spires. Inspiring as well as therapeutic, this is the book that fans of mindfulness and colouring have been waiting for. 
 
Suitable for children.

The Magical City

The year is 1Q84. This is the real world, there is no doubt about that. But in this world, there are two moons in the sky. Discover the 1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami.

1Q84

365 Days of Art

A BBC Christmas

A Black Book Thriller

A Box Full of Murders

A Cal Leandros Novel

A Christmas Mystery

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series

A Daisy Story

Chronicling the lives of over three hundred characters, unrivalled for its scope and humour, this is a unique evocation of life in twentieth-century England.

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