Japanese Gardens

Look around you - what do you see? You may discover to your surprise that the people who are most at peace with money are the ones who walk nimbly between having too little and having too much. They have found a balance between indulgence and austerity; between success and happiness; between motivation and inspiration; and between any number of other poles we tend to think of as either/or choices, but which in reality are simply posts on either side of a doorway through which we must pass.For many of us the subject of money is unavoidably stressful. Managing our personal finances is complicated, time consuming and often, particularly in the slow countdown to pay day, dispiriting. The good news is that in Japan - where a Zen approach to life is more widely practiced - a pathway to a better relationship with money is being carved, by Ken Honda.This beautifully written book will reinvent the way you see your personal finances. You will come to understand that money flows like water and arrives like a guest. You'll rethink your own attitudes and examine the way they were shaped by beliefs about money you were taught as a child. When we heal the fear and anxiety we have about money, we successfully achieve prosperity and peace. Take the zen path to financial security and happiness.

Influence is getting things done without coercion. It's strength without force-mindfulness in action. Master influencers walk lightly, talk softly and have no need of a big stick, yet collective success hinges on their words and deeds.Anyone can be a quiet influencer. Featuring twelve specific practices, twelve typical pitfalls and dozens of powerful stories and examples, The Art of Quiet Influence is a roadmap for the journey. Author Jocelyn Davis weaves together the timeless wisdom of Eastern thinkers-from Confucius to the Buddha, from Rumi to Gandhi-with research and insights from modern-day experts, revealing what's wrong with the Western view of influence as short-term persuasion and showing instead how to create trust-based collaborations with lasting impact.

Following his hugely celebrated debut novel, The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers returns to the battlefield and its aftermath, this time in his native Virginia, just before and during the Civil War and ninety years later. The novel pinpoints with unerring emotional depth the nature of random violence, the necessity of love and compassion, and the fragility and preciousness of life. It will endure as a stunning novel about what we leave behind, what a life is worth, what is said and unsaid, and the fact that ultimately what will survive of us is love.

From the bestselling author of One Hundred Ways For a Cat To Train Its Human comes a new guide on how to improve your own life by learning from your cat.Content, living in the moment, finding pleasure in small things - your cat knows exactly how to get the best out of life. So let your cat be your guru as Celia Haddon shows in 100 ways how adopting their outlook can lead to our own happiness. Stretch out, relax, find a warm spot - and enjoy purrfection.

'Another sizzling space epic to entice, excite and tease. 5 STARS' - StarburstDarrow was born a slave. He became a weapon.He ended centuries of Gold rule, broke the chains of an empire, and now he's the hero of a brave new republic. But at terrible cost.At the edge of the solar system, the grandson of the emperor he murdered dreams of revenge.In his hidden fortress in the oceans of Venus, the Ash Lord lies in wait, plotting to crush the newborn democracy. And, at home, a young Red girl who's lost everything to the Rising questions whether freedom was just another Gold lie.In a fearsome new world where Obsidian pirates roam the Belt, famine and genocide ravage Mars, and crime lords terrorise Luna, it's time for Darrow and a cast of new characters from across the solar system to face down the chaos that revolution has unleashed.**********Further praise for Iron Gold 'Fascinating . . . This is one you absolutely will have to read' - The BiblioSanctum '[Iron Gold] offers us both a continuation of the story Brown has been telling for years right alongside an eye-opening widening of his universe, as though we're watching it all through an exquisitely calibrated telescope that can slide on perfect bearings from one side of the solar system to the other without the slightest blur . . . Mature science fiction existing within the frame of blazing space opera' - NPR Books 'The books are an exhilarating fusion of The Hunger Games, Blade Runner and Dune. Amid a pulse-pounding narrative, they fearlessly tackle major issues like the fragility of democracy and the fallibility of human nature to betray its ideals even when freedom is attained' - Express '[A] thoughtful blend of action, intrigue, and prosaic human drama' - Publishers Weekly 'Iron Gold offers more of everything we loved about the first three books. Pierce Brown builds upon the foundations of the incredible universe and story he spun in the first trilogy, pivoting on his characters' flaws and fallibility to steer the narrative in unexpected directions. Suffice it to say, readers will be soon be dying to read the next one' - Barnes & Noble 'This book lives up to every expectation I have for Pierce Brown . . . you MUST read this, it will not disappoint!' - The Speculative Herald'Brown succeeds not only in writing a great book, but adding to the world and Red Rising's mythos . . . The mix of political intrigue, action and thematic journeys elevate this book from a simple sci-fi adventure into something more thought-provoking and rewarding. Fans of Brown and his series should really enjoy this latest addition to Red Rising' - FlickeringMyth.com

A dog's guide to life - how to be a kinder, compassionate, more mindful and wiser human.Anyone who has ever fallen hopelessly in love with a dog will know dogs have the capacity to love us back unconditionally, welcome us home with unbridled excitement, forgive us endlessly for our impatience, comfort us when we're feeling low - and then play games with wholehearted contentment - bringing endless joy to our lives.Dogs' sheer zest for embracing life in all its fullness is something we humans can only marvel at. But can our dogs teach us to approach life in this full, technicolour way too? How to love and care for one another with unconditional acceptance; how to be fully present in someone's company; how to be more mindful of the beauty of the natural world around us; how to comfort each other when we're grieving or afraid; and, how to let excitement and joy bubble over in our hearts.Dogs do all these things instinctively and more naturally than their human friends - yet they love us just the same. And in this charming and entertaining story of his beloved canine companion, Jonathan Wittenberg shares with dog lovers everwhere his inability to resist the big, brown-eyed look which says, 'I'll melt your heart if you even think of going out without me', to the security he feels on a twenty-mile trek across the bleak Scottish Highlands with not a soul for a friend but his collie - and everything else he's learned along the way.(P)2017 John Murray Press

WINNER OF RICHARD AND JUDY AUTUMN BOOK CLUB 2017 - 'One of the most charming novels either of us has read. Don't lose it. Keep it' Richard & Judy**The perfect holiday read, recommended by thousands of readers**One of the Mail on Sunday's 'Best books for the beach this summer'*Meet the 'Keeper of Lost Things'...Once a celebrated author of short stories now in his twilight years, Anthony Peardew has spent half his life collecting lost objects, trying to atone for a promise broken many years before.Realising he is running out of time, he leaves his house and all its lost treasures to his assistant Laura, the one person he can trust to fulfil his legacy and reunite the thousands of objects with their rightful owners.But the final wishes of the 'Keeper of Lost Things' have unforeseen repercussions which trigger a most serendipitous series of encounters...'The first book I read in 2017 - and if another as good comes along in the next 12 months, I'll eat my special gold reviewing spectacles' Daily MailAnd if you loved The Keeper of Lost Things, don't miss Ruth Hogan's second novel The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, which is out now.

'Kanae Minato is a brilliant storyteller' Emily St John Mandel, author of Station ElevenWhen a group of young girls are approached by a stranger, they cannot know that the encounter will haunt them for the rest of their lives.Hours later, Emily is dead. The surviving girls alone can identify the killer. But not one of them remembers his face...Driven mad by grief, the victim's mother demands the girls find the murderer or else atone for their crimes. If they do neither, she will have her revenge. She will make them pay...From the critically acclaimed author of Confessions, Penance is a dark and disturbing tale of revenge that will leave you reeling.

Hi, Steph and Dom here ... Yes that's right, the posh couple from Gogglebox. We're here to tell you about this nifty little book we've done. In handy reference form the book contains our unique take on how to get the most out of pretty much everything life throws at you. Now before you think to yourself 'doesn't a book have to be more than one page long to actually be a book?' we'd like to reassure you we've learnt loads actually! Admittedly we've learnt most of it by accident ... but the point is, we would like to share it with you! Through the medium of hilarity we'll show you everything from how to make an Irish coffee without having a mental breakdown to learning how you and your partner can grow young together and endure more fun than you ever thought possible. Anyway, it's a bloody useful little thing with all the wisdom we've collected over the years - so sit back, pour yourself a drink and let us be your booze consultants, your style gurus, your pub lunch professionals and your maverick marriage counsellors. Chin chin x

Today there are many Buddhists in the West, but for 2000 years the Buddha's teachings were unknown outside Asia. It was not until the late 18th century, when Sir William Oriental Jones, a British judge in India, broke through the Brahmin's prohibition on learning their sacred language. Sanskrit, that clues about the origins of a religion quite distinct from Hinduism began to be deciphered from inscriptions on pillars and rocks.This study tells the story of the search that followed, as evidence mounted that countries as diverse as Ceylon, Japan and Tibet shared a religion which had its origins in India yet was unknown there. British rule brought to India, Burma and Ceylon a whole band of enthusiastic Orientalist amateurs - soldiers, administrators and adventurers - intent on investigating the subcontinent's lost past. Unwittingly, these men helped lay the foundations for the revival of Buddhism in Asia during the 19th century and its spread to the West in the 20th. Charles Allen's book is a mixture of detective work and story-telling, as this acknowledged master of British Indian history pieces together early Buddhist history to bring a handful of extraoridinary characters to life.

The Gingerbreadman - psychopath, sadist, convicted murderer and cake/biscuit - is loose on the streets of Reading. It isn't Jack Spratt's case. Despite the success of the Humpty Dumpty investigation, the well publicised failure to prevent Red Riding-Hood and her Gran being eaten once again plunges the Nursery Crime Division into controversy. Enforced non-involvement with the Gingerbreadman hunt looks to be frustrating until a chance encounter at the oddly familiar Deja-Vu Club leads them onto the hunt for missing journalist Henrietta 'Goldy' Hatchett, star reporter for The Daily Toad. The last witnesses to see her alive were The Three Bears, comfortably living out a life of rural solitude in Andersen's wood. But all is not what it seems. Are the unexplained explosions around the globe somehow related to missing nuclear scientist Angus McGuffin? Is cucumber-growing really that dangerous? Why are National Security involved? But most important of all: How could the bears' porridge be at such disparate temperatures when they were poured at the same time?