Showing results by narrator "Tom Lawrence" in All Categories

This collection of writings by Mark Fisher, author of the acclaimed Capitalist Realism, argues that we are haunted by futures that failed to happen. Fisher searches for the traces of these lost futures in the work of David Peace, John Le Carré, Christopher Nolan, Joy Division, Burial, and many others.

John’s trip to India starts badly when he finds himself looking at the sharp end of a knife in a train station cubicle. His life is saved by the enigmatic Rick, who persuades John to abandon his mundane plans for the future for much, much more. Fast forward to the Thai island of Koh Pha-Ngan where they pose as millionaire aristocrats in a hedonistic Eden of beautiful girls, free drugs and wild beach parties. Soon pursued by Thai Mafia, they escape to Indonesia, Australia, and Hong Kong, facing danger at every turn.

Juliette and her husband have finally made it to France on the romantic getaway of her dreams—but as the days pass, all she discovers is quite how far they’ve grown apart. She’s craving a new adventure, so when she happens across a tiny, abandoned shop with a for-sale sign in the window, it feels fated. And she’s about to learn that the forgotten bookshop hides a lot more than meets the eye.

What exactly are the weird and the eerie? In this new essay, Mark Fisher argues that some of the most haunting and anomalous fiction of the 20th century belongs to these two modes. The weird and the eerie are closely related but distinct modes, each possessing its own distinct properties. Both have often been associated with horror, yet this emphasis overlooks the aching fascination that such texts can exercise. The weird and the eerie both fundamentally concern the outside and the unknown, which are not intrinsically horrifying, even if they are always unsettling.

An inspiring guide that teaches us how adversity can be an opportunity to make us into stronger, better people. Discover how to rebuild your life after it is broken, repair the cracks, heal emotional wounds, and embrace imperfection. Written by a psychologist, Tomas Navarro, this book explores the Japanese notion of Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with gold, leaving visible the repair as a symbol of fragility, strength and beauty.

Elsa, Leo and Max have always been best friends, a special team of three. Then the Nazis come. As a growing darkness descends around them, Leo and Elsa run for their lives, taking two very different paths across Europe. And Max, once their closest friend, now becomes the enemy as he is drawn into the Hitler Youth. Will the friends ever find their way back to each other? Will they want to?

The story is told by a young 'unknown soldier' in the trenches of Flanders during the First World War. Through his eyes we see all the realities of war: under fire, on patrol, waiting in the trenches, at home on leave, and in hospitals and dressing stations. Although there are vividly described incidents which remain in the mind, there is no sense of adventure here, only the feeling of youth betrayed and a deceptively simple indictment of war—of any war—told for a whole generation of victims.

Will is sleepwalking through life - he’s working in a dead-end job and volunteers at a crisis line, hiding behind the phone and helping others to avoid sorting out his own life, which is stuck in a rut. Annie thought she had a five-year plan all figured out with her steady job and even steadier boyfriend. But when everything starts falling apart, she reaches out for help and just needs someone to listen. Will enjoys talking to the woman who calls herself Pia, and together they start to encourage each other to do brave things and rebuild their lives.

France: An Adventure History is a profoundly original and endlessly entertaining history of France, from the first century BC to the present day, based on countless new discoveries and thirty years of exploring France on foot, by bicycle and in the library. Beginning with the Roman army’s first recorded encounter with the Gauls and ending with the Gilets Jaunes protests in the era of Emmanuel Macron, each chapter is an adventure in its own right. Along the way, listeners will find the usual faces, events and themes of French history.

Is it right to eat a pig that wants to be eaten...? Thought experiments are short scenarios that pose a moral or philosophical problem in a vivid and concrete way. In this book Julian Baggini presents 100 of the most intriguing thought experiments from the history of philosophy and ideas.

It was one of the most extraordinary takeovers British football has known. In February 2021, Ryan Reynolds joined with Rob McElhenney to buy Wrexham AFC, a non-league team in North Wales. Wrexham, a former coal and steel town dealing with its post-industrial legacy, suddenly found itself at the centre of global attention, with broadcast networks around the world descending to discover what was going on. Tinseltown tells the story of this extraordinary, unpredictable and often surreal football takeover and the remarkable events that followed.

In coaching, questions are the route to progress. Questions enable the people being coached to arrive at their own solutions and, crucially, to 'own' them as well. The effectiveness of this tool applies to anyone in a coaching role, whether as a leader, a professional coach or a people management executive. The audiobook explains the guiding principles behind great questions, as well as the pitfalls to avoid, serving as a practical guide to becoming a highly effective questioner. 

Primed for a life of ambition and achievement, Paul Richardson fled the conventions of his middle-class upbringing to learn to live on the land in a rough-and-tumble village on the edge of Europe. Immersing himself in the rural culture of his remote Spanish community, he learned the traditional arts of animal husbandry and vegetable growing, wine-making and home distilling, and made bread from the rye he sowed on the stone-walled terraces of his twelve-acre farm.

When renowned psychotherapist Malcolm Stern’s daughter, Melissa, committed suicide in 2014, he experienced most parents’ worst nightmare, and his grief made him challenge every aspect of his work and life. It thrust his growth and development forwards in ways he never thought possible, forcing him to confront his fears and work through his biggest blocks. The book, which includes many exercises, is the distillation of more than 30 years of experience in the therapy room and shows us that meaning can exist even in the worst tragedy. 

Dog behaviourist Nigel Reed reveals the secrets to a happy, well-behaved dog in his revolutionary new book, The Dog Guardian. Struggling to solve your dog's behavioural problems? Looking to achieve the perfect relationship with your dog? The Dog Guardian is here to help. Dog behaviourist Nigel Reed teaches emotional intelligence for dog owners, leading to confident, happy and well-behaved dogs.

With his supernatural ability to conjure spectacular illusions, Spook Williams knows he is destined for greatness. So when he's kidnapped by a celebrity magician claiming to be his real father, he can't help but be intrigued... Very soon, Spook is living the dream: bathing in a jacuzzi aboard a luxury yacht, rubbing shoulders with billionaires, and spending time with gorgeous magician's assistant, Kamilah.

Nazi Germany killed approximately 13 million civilians and other noncombatants in deliberate policies of mass murder, overwhelmingly during the war years. Almost half the victims were Jewish, systematically destroyed in the Holocaust, the core of the Nazis’ pan-European racial purification program. Alex Kay argues that the genocide of European Jewry can also be examined in the wider context of Nazi mass killing.

This selection of essays from K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished Writings of Mark Fisher (2004-2016) brings together the best of Fisher's political writing. In K-Punk: Music, Fisher seamlessly blends political theory with music analysis, discussing the impact of neoliberalism and related political ideologies on the music industry and major music events such as Glastonbury.

Luke is in trouble. Skin and the gang have a job for him. They want him to break into Mrs Little's house and steal her jewellery box. They want him to prove that he's got what it takes - that he's part of the gang. But Luke finds more than just a jewellery box in the house. He finds something so unexpected it will change his life forever....

Here is a powerful, rich novel of love, loss, and healing from award-winning author Tim Bowler.

Self-belief is vitally important, but when we are overconfident we miss important signals, misjudge situations and leave ourselves open to criticism from others. This profound book shows through simple practical advice and cutting edge research how to be confident without falling into the trap of arrogance. Often the only thing separating successful people from the crowd is the beliefs that they have running around inside their heads and their innate self-confidence.