Showing titles in Biographies & Memoirs

Recently widowed, Winnie, 84, was in need of some companionship. Someone to help with the weekly food shop and offer tips on the crossword. Ben, 34, was looking for a new housemate. As the UK was locked down in 2020, Ben and Winnie's lives interwove, forming an unlikely friendship, where lessons were learnt (heat the red wine in the oven with the plates, preserve or pickle whatever you can, never throw anything away) and grief, both personal and that of a nation, was explored.

‘I never once attended a Sunday morning church service in Stanford. There was always the feeling that they weren’t aimed at families like ours.’ Pam Ayres was the sixth child in a hard-up family who lived in a council house, her parents’ generation were harrowed by the war. Yet they lived by the green in the village of Stanford in the Vale, where everything you needed was within walking distance and the sound of motorcars was rarely heard.

In this exceptional biography, Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Gabriel chronicles the meteoric rise and enduring influence of the greatest female pop icon of the modern era: Madonna. Deftly tracing the artist's life and influence from her Michigan roots through to her sold out concerts in Lisbon, Buenos Aires, London, and Malawi, Mary captures the inspiration, fame, and activism of one of the greatest pop icons of our time.

A podcast about all the things that make us wonder. Each week, we’ll tell you a true story that will fascinate and terrify you: a family who receive letters from a “Watcher” after moving into their new house, a hotel that’s seen so much death that it has to be cursed, UFO encounters, hauntings, Bigfoot sightings, and so much more. Written and hosted by Tony Award-winning actor and celebrated writer Daisy Eagan, “Strange and Unexplained” is a journey into the uncomfortable and the unknowable that will leave you both laughing and sleeping with the lights on.

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope. In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her...

Brought to you by Penguin. THE NO 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW FEATURING EXCLUSIVE MATERIAL ABOUT CHARLES III's CORONATION WITH ADDED PHOTOGRAPHS A personal account of the life and character of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, from the writer who knew her family best 'Compelling...

Hilariously read by the author, Adrian Edmondson. A Financial Times Best Audio of the Year The instant Sunday Times bestseller From brutal schooldays to 80s anarchy, through The Young Ones, Bottom and beyond, Berserker! is the one-of-a-kind, hilarious memoir from an icon of British comedy...

'A gloriously enjoyable read from start to finish' - Daily Express 'Here's a book to savour' - Mail on Sunday Miles Jupp (News Quiz presenter, star of Rev, I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The Thick Of It) delves into the mind of his comedy creation Damien Trench - urbane food writer and...

From its early beginnings in World War II, the Special Air Service (SAS) has won renown in some of the most dramatic, dangerous and controversial military special operations of the 20th century. It is a secretive and mysterious unit, whose operations and internal structures are hidden from the public eye. Now, one of its longest-serving veterans offers a glimpse into the shadowy world of the SAS. Rusty Firmin spent an incredible 15 years with 'The Regiment' and was a key figure in the assault of the Iranian Embassy in London in May 1980. 

Dark Downeast: Maine and New England's True Crime Podcast digs into the decades-old and modern day cases that prickle the history of Vacationland and beyond – the unsolved homicides, undetermined deaths, unexplained disappearances and other dark stories of New England. Investigative journalist and storyteller Kylie Low gets straight to the story with a mix of narrated episodes and documentary style production featuring interviews with surviving family and friends and insight on the investigations from detectives and sources who know these cases best. This is heart-centered, ethical true ...

The fourth volume of memoirs from the author who inspired the BBC and Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small. This audio edition is read by Nicholas Ralph, known for his role as James Herriot in the All Creatures Great and Small TV series. Finally home from London after his wartime...

One of Britain's most distinguished biographers turns her focus on one of the most vilified women of the twentieth century. Historian Anne Sebba has written the first full biography by a woman of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor. 'That woman', as she was referred to by the Queen Mother, became...

Bloomsbury presents Running on Air: From BBC Headlines to Life-Changing Finish Lines, written and read by Sophie Raworth *This audiobook features an exclusive conversation between Sophie and fellow ultra-marathon runner, Susie Chan* 'A cracking read' – Jojo Moyes From the BBC news to the...

Behind These Doors is a provocative, insightful and illuminating interrogation of what it is to live and to work in the UK's most infamous prisons. The individuals Alex introduces us to are, for the most part, living on the margins of society and the impact of the cycles of violence that so often accompany those lives is clear to see. Alex takes us by the hand to meet men who will surprise and shock us in equal measure, as well as prison officers who struggle to contain the challenges the job presents.

Once again, the legendary comedy duo unearth six vitally important subjects... and then tit about about them. From surviving on a desert island to being eaten by a cardboard crocodile, Dawn and Jennifer will entertain, inform and thoroughly tit about for your pleasure. (Batteries not included.)

Her role as Alexis Carrington Colby in Dynasty brought her to peak stardom, a role which might have been created for the tempestuous, strong-willed, and passionate woman that she is. As might be expected, in this memoir, she tells the truth; from her romantic adventures - sometimes desirable, sometimes disastrous - with some of the most famous and interesting men in the world, to the inside story of her fascinating and erratic acting career. Joan Collins candidly divulges her past imperfect in a book that is, like herself, outspoken, witty, daring, and full of life.

From the renowned iconoclast investor comes a brilliant account of sixty years spent hunting for value and sidestepping bubbles in a changing financial world When Jeremy Grantham entered the investment business in the 1960s, he brought the thrifty Quaker values and Yorkshire independence he had...

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY LIKE NO OTHER: SIR ALEX REFLECTS ON HIS RECORD-BREAKING CAREER AT ABERDEEN AND MANCHESTER UNITED 'Sometimes defeats are the best outcomes. To react to adversity is a quality. Even in your lowest periods you are showing strength . . .' For over two decades Sir Alex Ferguson...

A gripping collection of stories of human criminality at its most bizarre.

These unusual, sensational murders recall not only gruesome historical crimes, but also touch on shocking and macabre modern murders. Included are details of groundbreaking advances in crime detection, law enforcement, and forensic science. This is the top-secret report on the most grisly, and unusual, criminal activity of our time.

We share the triumphs and tragedies of a group of elite soldier trailblazers as they commit daring raids behind enemy lines in 1944, manage an against-the-odds escape to victory and then seek post-war retribution for the terrible murder of their captured comrades. SAS Band of Brothers is replete with action, peppered with great characters and features two of the most daring escapes of WWII. It ends with the hunted becoming the hunters - a group of men intent on seeking out the Nazis responsible for their brethren's deaths, on an ultra-deniable SAS mission to avenge a war crime.