saraband gb (495 risultati)

Paperback. Condizione: New. Winner of the inaugural Mslexia Novella Award (2019). She used to be someone else, but now she's arrived in Vegas, where she can start again. It won't do to let the past leak in. It's the Sixties now. She's going to become . Joan. She makes a list: Buy a new dress (fitted, floral). Dye her hair (dark). Curl it. Buy red lipstick. Buy cigarettes and a lighter, too: Joan, she decides, is a smoker. There's no need to dwell on why she's here, what went before. She is just moving forward, one foot in front of the other, becoming that new person. Joan. This city of flashing neon, casinos and shows is full of distractions. Finding a job will be quick and easy. Things to do. New people to meet. A clean sheet. She's certainly not thinking about Jack, or . No. Not any more. Her new life starts right here, right now.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Donald S Murray is widely recognised for his empathy and remarkable ability to convey emotion with restraint and poignancy. In this short collection of poems written during lockdown at his Shetland home, Murray explores the changing geography of the island and how it has, in turn, changed him.On his daily walks through the village, Murray found himself noting shifts in the wind and weather, the imperceptible widening of the sea, and the way time has slowed. Noting the way, too, in which flocks of sheep or birds congregated in a field in anticipation of the arrival of a storm.With beautiful imagery and lyricism, The Man Who Talks to Birds taps into a deep connection with nature, and its ability to ground us, that many of us have rediscovered during 2020.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Moving, poetic and quietly provocative' - The Independent. City life in the early nineteenth century was never short of drama: poverty and pollution preyed on all but the lucky few, and 'resurrection men' prowled the streets to procure corpses for anatomists to experiment on. Life is improving, however, for young William Lang, who begins courting Jenny, a fine needlewoman, and forms an unlikely friendship with botanist Dr Thomas Brown while working in the physic garden for a leading professor of surgery.At first, William relishes the opportunity to extend his knowledge of plants and their healing properties while foraging in the countryside in the service of his new friend. The young couple's relationship blossoms, until seeds of trouble threaten to grow out of control.

Paperback. Condizione: New. What do Zen masters, sixteenth-century Samurai, and the world's elite climbers have in common?   - They have perfected the art of awareness, of poise amidst chaos. Climbing is a sport of perception, and our level of attainment is a matter of mind as much as body. Written by philosopher, essayist, and lifelong climber Francis Sanzaro, The Zen of Climbing explores the fundamentals of successful climbing, delving into psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and Taoism. Awareness, Sanzaro argues, is the alchemy of climbing, allowing us to merge mental and physical attributes in one embodied whole. This compact volume, by the author of the classic The Boulder: A Philosophy of Bouldering, puts the climber's mind at the forefront of practice.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Understanding, loving and protecting butterflies-in all their enchantments.Butterflies have enchanted and intrigued us for centuries. From the eighteenth-century "aurelians", through the Victorian "golden age" of collecting, to the twentieth-century focus on conservation, humans have chased glimpses of these beautiful but elusive creatures. Winding through literature, art, music, and dreams, The Butterfly: Flights of Enchantment uncovers why butterflies continue to inhabit such a profound place in our imagination.A first of its kind in combining the history of human interest in butterflies with a guide to practical observation, this pocket guide encourages us to nurture our curiosity and head out into our local environment, focusing on edgeland habitats that are home to many species.It is perhaps because butterflies are so fragile and fleeting that we are so beguiled by them. But now, as numbers dwindle, they have never been more difficult to spot. The Butterfly paves the way towards observing, identifying and ultimately protecting them.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Northern Britain, c. 300 BC. Former slave, indomitable survivor and now matriarch Rian returns with her daughters to her Celtic homeland. She navigates everything from plundered riches and feuding warlords to betrayals and menacing curses. But when a disaster befalls her older daughter mirroring the cruellest events in Rian's own past, Rian finds herself conflicted. A beautifully written, engrossing tale, The Lyre Dancers takes place in a richly imagined world that, despite its distance from our own times, is peopled with characters whose emotions and circumstances we relate to instantly. This is a powerful narrative that challenges our modern views of family, social roles and our place in the environment. Above all, the storytelling soars as grudges, peril and passions take their turn across the pages of this early Celtic saga.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Inhabiting a landscape, walking a landscape, writing a place and timeFor Linda Cracknell, exposure to wind, rock, mist, and salt water is integral to her writing process. She follows Susan Sontag's advice to "Love words, agonise over sentences, and pay attention to the world," observing and writing her landscapes from the particulars of each moment. In this varied essay collection, Linda backpacks on a small island that is connected to the mainland only at low tide. In winter snow, she hikes the wooded hillside close to her home, a place she is intimately familiar with in all seasons. And she retraces over three days the steps of a trek made by her parents seven decades earlier. She explores her inspirations, in nature and from other artists and their work, and she offers thoughtful writing prompts. Reading this collection will take you to new places, open your eyes to the world, and suggest ways to take note and make notes as you go-to inspire your own attentive looking, journaling, and writing practice.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Poet and essayist Kenneth Steven takes us on a series of meditative quests in search of his "atoms of delight"-treasures, both natural and spiritual-through some of Scotland's most beautiful landscapes.The short pieces in this captivating collection, whose title pays homage to Scottish Renaissance writer Neil Gunn, invite readers to accompany Steven as he seeks out crystal-clear waters, a glimpse of an elusive bird, delicate orchids, plump berries, or pebbles polished by time and tide. Appreciative of the grace of silence and the value of solitude and simplicity, he takes journeys that prompt introspection and provoke memories as we pause, breathe, and discover alongside him the transformative power of nature's small gifts and wild places.This is an evocative book that will inspire you to pay close attention as you explore your environment and reflect on the fleeting moments of pure joy that nature has brought into your life. As you set out on your own pilgrimages, you will discover the extraordinary that can be found in the everyday when you take the time to look for it.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Permaculture needs all of us, and all of us need permaculture. Permaculture is a way of farming, gardening, or managing land that emphasises a reciprocal relationship with nature. It's a design process that works with wildness, not against it. And it's an essential resource in the fight of our lives: tackling the climate crisis.Here, permaculture practitioner and poet Maya Blackwell writes with expertise and personal experience of the transformative power of permaculture for both people and the planet. As well as tracing its evolution - from its roots in Indigenous societies to the important role it plays in urban allotments today - you will discover how the practice could nurture individual and collective wellbeing. There are opportunities throughout for reflection, creativity and connection. These present valuable lessons we can all learn from the principles of permaculture, to help us build resilience and lean into the long-term process of trying new things, adapting failures and reaping all that we sow.Whether you're completely new to permaculture or someone with years of experience wanting to reconnect with its history and core values, this book contains tools for growth that bring rewards far beyond the garden.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Learn from Britain's leading dragonfly expert how to invite dragonflies and damselflies into your garden and create the conditions for them to thrive.In this compact and accessible wildlife primer, 'Dragonfly Ambassador' Ruary Mackenzie Dodds shows how to set up a tranquil garden haven for dragonflies, with straightforward, easy-to-follow guidance on preparing your pond, what plants to include in it, and how to manage and enjoy it.With stunning colours and phenomenal flying abilities, dragonflies are beautiful creatures that are also vital to our ecosystem. This book outlines, too, how caring for something as specific and delicate as a dragonfly can provide a welcome respite from the everyday demands of life. We can, as always, learn so much from the natural world, even - and sometimes especially - from its smallest creatures.Learn how to transform your garden into a haven for dragonflies and damselflies, nurturing your own mental health and protecting the planet as you do so. Every pond counts!

Paperback. Condizione: New. Maverick investigator Dominic Queste is on the trail of missing butcher Sam Price. But he soon uncovers links to a killer with a taste for games. What began as a simple favour for his girlfriend quickly descends into a battle for survival against an enemy who has no qualms about turning victims into prime cuts. Amidst a twisted game of cat and mouse, suspicious coppers, vicious crooks and a seemingly random burglary, Queste has to keep his wits about him. Or he might just find himself on the butcher's block.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The follow-up to The Walrus Mutterer, longlisted for the Highland Book Prize, 2018. Northern Britain, Iron Age. Pytheas of Massalia, the famed Greek explorer, roves the icy northern lands of Celtic Britain and beyond, in search of amber and other precious goods. He also craves another encounter with Rian, the slave he fell in love with during a previous voyage and who still haunts him. But Rian has other ideas. She has no desire to see Pytheas, and she won't give up her freedom without a fight. As Pytheas navigates a world of plundered riches, feuding warlords and ancient curses, will he succeed in finding what he set out for? In the second volume of this extraordinary, imaginative trilogy, Mandy Haggith takes us back to prehistoric times for an epic saga ranging from the subarctic to the Mediterranean. The Amber Seeker revisits the unforgettable cast of characters we met in The Walrus Mutterer, weaving another visceral tale of loss, longing and revenge in 320 BC.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Fifty-something librarian Shona is a proud former pupil of the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, but has a deep loathing for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, which she thinks gives her alma mater a bad name. Impeccably educated and an accomplished martial artist, linguist and musician, Shona is personally selected by Marcia Blaine herself to travel back in time for an important mission in fin-de-siecle France. But Shona finds this mission very confusing. Why, for example, have so many people been torn to death by wild animals, what are Maman and the mayor up to, and is the reclusive aristocrat really suffering from toothache? It's a race against time to solve the mystery. It is also a very tall order - but as Shona is wont to remind herself: Never underestimate a librarian!

Paperback. Condizione: New. An evocative journey through geology and landscape, seen through the eyes of one of Scotland's most beloved poets and storytellers. Blending lyrical prose with personal reflection, Kenneth Steven explores mountains, glens and shores in search of gemstones and crystals. He recounts his delight at discoveries of gold glinting in Highland burns, freshwater pearls embedded in mussel shells, and aquamarines, garnets, amber and agates hidden in the wild places where others rarely roam. Beguiled by their forms, colours, and sometimes glittering bril- liance, he finds the thrill of unearthing riches more precious even than the gems themselves. Stone by stone, he considers the origins and allure of these natural treasures, revealing not only their geo- logical stories but their place in history and imagination. Steven's deep connection to the land shines through as he interprets the meaning and magic, inviting readers to see both the landscape and its hidden gems with fresh wonder.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Learn how to create a garden that works both day and night for moths and butterflies, attracting stunning species and helping both flora and fauna to thrive.Moths are a crucial but forgotten pollinator, often overlooked in favour of their brighter cousin - the butterfly. But, by ignoring moths, we are missing out on gardens that could be filled with more joy, movement and biodiversity. If we could build gardens that pay both pollinators the attention they deserve, we might just be rewarded with healthier, more beautiful ecosystems.Lifelong gardener and author of Second Nature: The Story of a Naturalist's Garden, Susie White has spent over a decade constructing a lively, abundant wildlife haven at her Northumberland home. Her garden is a sanctuary for all creatures and values life, variety and growth, of which both moths and butterflies are a crucial part. In this compact volume, she teaches us how to find plants that attract moths and butterflies, how to support these insects through their larval stages, and how to identify and study them.As with so many insects, numbers of moths and butterflies have declined dramatically in recent years. Actively creating a beautiful garden that welcomes all forms of life is a simple but joyful step to take towards protecting them.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The darkness of the night represents something unknowable - even frightening - to many. But when we really look up and into it, we can find celestial light shows, whole ecosystems, and, perhaps, a new perspective. The night sky offers something essential - a connection to something bigger than ourselves that can, in turn, help us understand ourselves and each other better. Humans have recognised and tried to make sense of this feeling since ancient times. For so many - from physicists and astronauts to astrologists and artists - the night sky has been a source of inspiration, wonder and exploration.But now our relationship to dark skies is changing as our access to them is depleted. Light pollution all over Earth can be seen from space, altering the landscape and outlining the coasts. And if we look from Earth into space, we can see artificial light there, too. In this short volume, Anna Levin looks at how we can learn from and nurture our relationship with the night sky even and especially in the context of our changing world.As you learn how to see and treasure the night sky, a sense of wonder about the universe will help you to understand more about our own pale blue dot.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Approval follows would-be parents David and Cici through a series of forays into the past as they go through the motions of applying to adopt a child. Their story builds a picture of hope, vulnerability and fear as David is put under intense and intrusive scrutiny during their battle against faceless bureaucracy. From family background and early experiences to adult relationships, he is forced to revisit uncomfortable - sometimes painful - episodes, in the hope of meeting the authority's requirements. Confronting a lonely, difficult and uncertain path to family life, Approval is a brave novel told from a perspective rarely explored in fiction: a man's response to a couple's infertility. Approval follows would-be parents David and Cici through a series of forays into the past as they go through the motions of applying to adopt a child.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Approval follows would-be parents David and Cici through a series of forays into the past as they go through the motions of applying to adopt a child. Their story builds a picture of hope, vulnerability and fear as David is put under intense and intrusive scrutiny during their battle against faceless bureaucracy. From family background and early experiences to adult relationships, he is forced to revisit uncomfortable - sometimes painful - episodes, in the hope of meeting the authority's requirements. Confronting a lonely, difficult and uncertain path to family life, Approval is a brave novel told from a perspective rarely explored in fiction: a man's response to a couple's infertility. Approval follows would-be parents David and Cici through a series of forays into the past as they go through the motions of applying to adopt a child.

Paperback. Condizione: New. April 21, 1923. The SS Metagama is inching out of Stornoway harbour on the Isle of Lewis, bound for Canada. On board are Finlay and Mairead; they are young and hopeful, leaving behind a community that has been touched by tragedy to change their lives forever.On the other side of the Atlantic, though, they face the realities of an uncaring industrial society. The effects of the Great Depression are inescapable, prejudice and division are rife, and though they remain bound by a shared past, their own lives soon diverge.In an adopted country that is tense with both opportunity and loss, social progress and violent backlash, can Mairead and Finlay keep their promises to one another, to look only forward, and resist the constant pull of home?From the author of the prize-winning As the Women Lay Dreaming comes a poignant and deeply evocative novel of the 20th-century emigrant experience in the New World. With lyrical prose and masterful storytelling, Murray paints a vivid portrait of the resilient Hebrideans-in-exile who struggled between holding on and letting go.

Paperback. Condizione: New. In the small hours of January 1st, 1919, the cruellest twist of fate changed at a stroke the lives of an entire community. Tormod Morrison was there that terrible night. He was on board HMY Iolaire when it smashed into rocks and sank, killing some 200 servicemen on the very last leg of their long journey home from war. For Tormod - a man unlike others, with artistry in his fingertips - the disaster would mark him indelibly.Two decades later, Alasdair and Rachel are sent to the windswept Isle of Lewis to live with Tormod in his traditional blackhouse home, a world away from the Glasgow of their earliest years. Their grandfather is kind, compassionate, but still deeply affected by the remarkable true story of the Iolaire shipwreck - by the selfless heroism and desperate tragedy he witnessed.A deeply moving novel about passion constrained, coping with loss and a changing world, As the Women Lay Dreaming explores how a single event can so dramatically impact communities, individuals and, indeed, our very souls.

Paperback. Condizione: New. From the author of The Zen of Climbing and The Craft of Bouldering, a manifesto for a new approach to connecting meaningfully with the wildness around and within us.As we live increasingly urbanised lives, we seek out wilderness and green space in times of hardship and turmoil, or simply during our leisure time. In the process of exploring and understanding more about the benefits of being in nature, many of us have taken up swimming, forest bathing, cycling, hiking and running in the open air. But when we spend this time in the wild, are we really connected to it?Francis Sanzaro argues that we often obscure opportunities for real connection through our attachment to screens, our anxieties about our "everyday" lives, or simply through our egos. When we observe nature, we rarely do so without subconsciously filtering out the parts that don't fit into the perfect snapshot we crave.To foster a genuine connection with the natural world, and to better protect it, we must embrace its contradictions as well as the surface beauty. Through deeper engagement with our environment, we can discover the wild within ourselves, too.

Paperback. Condizione: New. A collection of concise and enlightening essays and reflections on the art of bouldering, from the author of bestseller The Zen of Climbing.More than a sport, bouldering is a craft that demands equal fine-tuning of the mind and body. It calls for total commitment and attentiveness. Here, climber, writer, and philosopher Francis Sanzaro brings the discipline into conversation with other sports and arts including architecture, dance, skateboarding, painting, parkour, martial arts, and gymnastics.Sanzaro shows how the pursuit of bouldering is akin to developing a philosophy - something that can be nurtured and strengthened like a muscle, benefitting both body and soul.The Craft of Bouldering will enrich and enhance your climbing and encourage you to appreciate the natural physicality and artful play of bouldering.

Paperback. Condizione: New. "If you have been still enough for long enough, your eyes will have attuned and begun to read the sea-surge fluently, so you recognize the blunt curve and flourished tail of a diving otter. Home your eyes in on that portion of the sea, permit nothing else to move, and you will see the otter eel-catching, resurfacing."It is a special privilege and a richly rewarding experience to observe a wild animal hunting, interacting with its young or its mate, exploring its habitat, or escaping a predator. To watch wildlife, it's essential not only to learn an animal's ways, the times and places you may find it, but also to look inward: to station yourself, focus, and wait. The experience depends on your stillness, silence, and full attention, watching and listening with minimal movement and if possible staying downwind so that your presence is not sensed. With decades of close observation of wild animals and birds, Jim Crumley has found himself up close and personal with many of our most elusive creatures, studying their movements, noting details, and offering intimate insights into their extraordinary lives. Here, he draws us into his magical world, showing how we can learn to watch wildlife well, and what doing so can mean for our ability to care for it, and care for ourselves.

Paperback. Condizione: New. IN 2020, BRITAIN IS AT BREAKING POINT.In a country sorely divided, what happens to empathy and tolerance, to generosity of spirit? And can hope survive? In 2020, years of economic turmoil, bitter debates over immigration, and anger at the political elites have created a maelstrom, a dis-United Kingdom. The country is a bomb waiting to explode. Then it does. As the nightmare unfolds, a myriad of voices - from across the political and social spectrum - offer wildly differing perspectives on the chaotic events.and unexpectedly reveal modern Britain's soul with 20/20 acuity. Thoughtful, compassionate and sometimes provocative, Kenneth Steven's 2020 is a parable for our times.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Discover the extraordinary in every day with Nature's Almanac, by renowned wildlife and biodiversity gardener Susie White.This beautifully compact book invites you to pause and notice one remarkable phenomenon of the natural world each day, drawing inspiration from the Japanese tradition of microseasons-seventy-two poetic intervals that celebrate nature's subtle shifts. With her signature blend of lyrical observation, experience and insight, Susie guides readers through fleeting moments: the first snowdrop buds of spring, the song of larks on the wing, or the golden turning of leaves as the days shorten once more. Each entry is enriched by Susie's deep expertise as a gardener and naturalist, offering practical wisdom and gentle encouragement to engage more closely with the world around us. Let this book be your companion for mindful living, helping you rediscover the joy of nature's ever-changing beauty, one day at a time.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Donald S Murray is widely recognised for his empathy and remarkable ability to convey emotion with restraint and poignancy. In this short collection of poems written during lockdown at his Shetland home, Murray explores the changing geography of the island and how it has, in turn, changed him.On his daily walks through the village, Murray found himself noting shifts in the wind and weather, the imperceptible widening of the sea, and the way time has slowed. Noting the way, too, in which flocks of sheep or birds congregated in a field in anticipation of the arrival of a storm.With beautiful imagery and lyricism, The Man Who Talks to Birds taps into a deep connection with nature, and its ability to ground us, that many of us have rediscovered during 2020.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Shortlisted in Scotland's National Book AwardsBy the time she reached her fifties, Catherine had experienced period pain, childbirth, and early menopause, alongside love and laughter, a career in journalism, and raising two daughters. Like many of her peers, along the way she'd dieted, jogged, sweated, tanned, permed, and plucked-always attempting to conform to prevailing standards of "acceptable womanhood." But when a medical crisis comes along, she can no longer pummel her body into submission and is forced to take stock. From growing up on a farm where veterinarians were more common than doctors, and where illness was "a nuisance," she now faces the nuisance of a lifetime.One Body is the demystifying, relatable, often hilarious, and sometimes hair-raising story of how Catherine navigates her treatment and the emotions and reflections it provokes. And how she comes to drop the unattainable standards imposed on her body, and simply appreciate the skin she is in.

Paperback. Condizione: New. Everything we use started life in the earth, as a rock or a mineral vein, a layer of an ancient seabed, or the remains of a long-extinct volcano.Humanity's ability to fashion nature to its own ends is by no means a new phenomenon. Silica-rich rocks have been flint-knapped by Stone Age people, transformed into stained glass in medieval times, and made into silicon chips for computers in the Digital Age. Our trick of turning rocks rich in malachite and chalcopyrite into copper has taken us from Bronze Age Minoan vases to the wiring that powers modern-day machinery.Today, we mine, quarry, pump, cut, blast and crush the Earth's resources at an unprecedented rate. We shift many times more rock, soil and sediment each year than the world's rivers and glaciers, wind and rain combined. Plastics alone now weigh twice as much as all the marine and terrestrial animals around the globe. We have become a dominant, even dangerous, force on the planet.In EXTRACTION TO EXTINCTION, David Howe traces our environmental impact through time to unearth how our obsession with endlessly producing and throwing away more and more stuff has pushed the planet to its limit. And he considers the question: what does the future look like for our depleted world?

Paperback. Condizione: New. 'I'd always known that I was Brown. Black was different though; it came announced. Black came with expectations, of rhythm and other things that might trip me up.'Imani is a foundling. Rescued as a baby and raised by nuns on a remote Northumbrian island, she grows up with an ever-increasing feeling of displacement. Full of questions, Imani turns to her shadow, Amarie, and her friend, Harold. When Harold can't find the answers, she puts it down to what the nuns call her "greater purpose".At nineteen, Imani answers a phone call that will change her life: she is being called to Accra after the sudden death of her biological mother.Past, present, faith and reality are spun together in this enthralling debut. Following her transition from innocence to understanding, Imani's experience illuminates the stories we all tell to make ourselves whole.

Paperback. Condizione: New. The personal collides with the political in this literary tour-de-force. In the 1950s, an eminent British writer pens a novel questioning the ethics of the nuclear destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki-but soon he's trying to outrun his own past. Hakone, Japan, 2003. An eminent British writer in his seventies, Sir Edward Strathairn, returns to a resort in the Japanese mountains where, in his youth, he spent a beautiful, snowed-in winter. It was there he wrote his best-selling novel, The Waterwheel, accusing America of being in denial about the horrific aftermath of the Tokyo firebombings and the nuclear destruction at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. London, England, 1952. A young Edward falls in love with an avant-garde American artist, Macy. After their tumultuous relationship and breakup, he heads for Japan, where he meets someone else and becomes smitten again as he writes the novel that makes him famous. This is as much a thrilling romance as it is a sensitive exploration of blame, power and guilt in post-war America, Japan and Britain. With a narrator whose behaviour strikes the national conscience as much as his own, An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful will stay with readers long after the final page is turned.