Showing results by author "Diamond" in All Categories

In his earlier best sellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in the final audiobook in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crisis through selective change - a coping mechanism more commonly associated with personal trauma.

Having done field work in New Guinea for more than 30 years, Jared Diamond presents the geographical and ecological factors that have shaped the modern world. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology.

Josie, Nell and Lisa go back a long way - they were flatmates, soulmates and best mates back in their 20s when life was one long party. Five years later, things are different. Josie is married with kids in deepest suburbia, free-spirit Nell has travelled the world and Lisa is on the path to career glory (and the salary Premiership). A reunion weekend in London seems a great idea to Josie...until she discovers something which will change the course of her life forever.

It's New Year's Eve, and at a house party, three women bond over dodgy cocktails and fortune cookies, and vow to make this year their best one yet. But as the months unfold, Gemma, Saffron, and Caitlin find themselves tested to their limits. Under pressure, they are each forced to rethink their lives. But dare they take a chance on something new?

It's a beautiful day in Manchester, and four friends are meeting for a birthday lunch. But then they witness a shocking accident just metres away which acts as a catalyst for each of them. For Laura, it's a wake-up call to heed the ticking of her biological clock. Sensible Jo finds herself throwing caution to the wind in a new relationship. Eve, who has been trying to ignore the worrying lump in her breast, feels helpless and out of control. And happy-go-lucky India is drawn to one of the victims of the accident, causing long-buried secrets to rise to the surface.

The new arrivals are checking in to the Ionian Escape hotel on the sun-soaked island of Kefalonia, and they're all hoping for a complete break from their everyday lives. But some of them are bringing quite a lot of baggage . . .

Meet the women in love with the very different Jones brothers: Izzy is determined to escape her troubled past, but flirtatious Charlie is causing complications. Alicia’s been happily married to loyal Hugh for years but secretly craves excitement. Emma’s relationship with David was once fun and romantic but trying for a baby has taken its toll. As the future of the family’s B&B becomes uncertain, Izzy, Alicia and Emma are thrown together unexpectedly.…

When Patrick Sheppard suddenly and tragically dies, he leaves behind a family in pieces. Zoe has lost the love of her life. Ethan, Gabe and Beatrice have lost their larger-than-life dad. There’s a hole where Patrick should be, and none of them can see a way forward. For Patrick’s brother Dan, though: his mission is clear. He needs to help the Sheppards to find some sort of happy again, and he makes a promise to himself to try and come close to the man Patrick was.

Rachel and Becca are stepsisters living far apart, with little in common. Rachel is the successful one: happily married with three children and a big house. Becca, meanwhile, lurches from one dead-end job to another and has given up on love. The two of them have lost touch, but when Rachel doesn't come home one night, Becca is called in to help. As Becca begins to untangle Rachel's secrets, she is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths.

On moving to Brighton, Georgie finds throwing herself into the city's delights fun and exciting, but before she knows it, she's sliding into all kinds of trouble. Charlotte is in the city for a new start, hoping to keep her head down. A terrible revelation sent Rosa running from London, but could her passion for food lead her to more interesting places? As the three tenants find each other, it's as if a whole new chapter of their lives has begun....

Maddie's getting it from all sides. Her bitchy new boss at the radio station humiliates her live on air about her figure, her glamour-puss mum keeps dropping not-so-subtle hints that Maddie should lose weight, and her kids are embarrassed to be seen with her after the disastrous mums' race at their school sports day. Something's got to change. Maddie joins the local weight-watching group expecting more humiliation but instead finds two unlikely allies.

A seaside holiday at Shell Cottage in Devon has always been the perfect escape for the Tarrant family. But this year everything has changed. Following her husband's recent death, Olivia is struggling to pick up the pieces. Harriet's looking forward to a break with her lovely husband, Robert, and teenage daughter, Molly. But unknown to Harriet, Robert is hiding a secret - and so, for that matter, is Molly....

We human beings share 98 percent of our genes with chimpanzees. Yet humans are the dominant species on the planet - having founded civilizations and religions, developed intricate and diverse forms of communication, learned science, built cities, and created breathtaking works of art - while chimps remain animals concerned primarily with the basic necessities of survival. What is it about that two percent difference in DNA that has created such a divergence between evolutionary cousins?

Georgiana Darcy wants nothing more than to fall in love, yet her innate reserve as well as a traumatic event in her past makes her uneasy in company—particularly in the company of gentlemen. She desires a husband and family, but how is she to manage such a feat when she will not even consider partaking of a London Season? She cannot so much as hold a meaningful conversation with most men, which does not bode well for falling in love.

During his 28 years as a holistic practitioner and health expert on syndicated TV and radio, Dr. David Friedman has interviewed hundreds of world-renowned doctors and best-selling authors. From proponents of a vegan, paleo, mediterranean diet to a gluten-free and low-carb diet, the opinions are as different as night and day. After becoming frustrated with all the conflicting research and opinions, Dr. Friedman wrote Food Sanity, which explores all the fads, facts, and fiction.

How do you say 'I love you' in Italian? Anna's knows the father she's never met is Italian. Now she's baking focaccia and learning the language, determined to go and find him. After Catherine's husband walked out on her, and she's trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she discovers his deception runs even deeper than infidelity. As their Italian evening class gets underway, friendships form and love affairs blossom; it's going to be a year that they will never forget.

Polly has always been the high-flier of the family, with the glamorous city lifestyle to match. Clare is a single mum with two children, struggling to make ends meet in a ramshackle cottage. The two sisters are poles apart and barely on speaking terms. But then Polly's fortunes change unexpectedly and her world comes crashing down. Left penniless and with nowhere else to go, she's forced back to the village where she and Clare grew up, and the sisters find themselves living together for the first time in years.

The fourth book in the Players rockstar romance series.

Evie Flynn has always been the black sheep of her family - a dreamer and a drifter, unlike her over-achieving elder sisters. She's tried making a name for herself as an actress, a photographer and a singer, but nothing has ever worked out. Now she's stuck in temp hell, with a sensible, pension-planning boyfriend. Somehow life seems to be passing her by. Then her beloved aunt Jo dies suddenly in a car crash, leaving Evie an unusual legacy - her precious beach cafe in Cornwall.

I knew it was a mistake to kiss my best friend’s brother—especially behind my boyfriend’s back. In my defense, I had a crush on Johnny for years. But that was before I realized how much I hated him.