Showing results by narrator "Stephen Perring" in All Categories

From earth's nations and inhabitants, through the fuels and foods that energise them, to the transportation and inventions of our modern world - and how all of this affects the planet itself - in Numbers Don't Lie, Professor Vaclav Smil takes us on a fact-finding adventure, using surprising statistics and illuminating graphs to challenge lazy thinking.

Low self-esteem can make life difficult in all sorts of ways. It can make you anxious and unhappy, tormented by doubts and self-critical thoughts. It can get in the way of feeling at ease with other people and stop you from leading the life you want to lead. It makes it hard to value and appreciate yourself in the same way you would another person you care about.

DI Ben Kitto needs a second chance. After 10 years working for the murder squad in London, a traumatic event has left him grief-stricken. He’s tried to resign from his job, but his boss has persuaded him to take three months to reconsider. Ben plans to work in his uncle Ray’s boatyard, on the tiny Scilly island of Bryher, where he was born, hoping to mend his shattered nerves. His plans go awry when the body of 16-year-old Laura Trescothick is found on the beach at Hell Bay. Her attacker must still be on the island because no ferries have sailed during a two-day storm.

Many of us have a tendency to worry unnecessarily about our health. For some, the anxiety becomes severe and persistent. It is distressing for them and for everyone around them. In fact, health anxiety can be very successfully treated with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)—the approach taken in this self-help guide. Using a structured step-by-step approach, the authors explain how the problem develops, how to recognise what feeds it and how to develop effective methods of dealing with it.

As the scorching summer sun covers the small Scilly island of St Mary’s, DI Ben Kitto and his team are training for the annual Swimathon. But their morning session comes to a climactic end when they discover a body hanging from Pulpit Rock. The victim has been dressed up in a bridal gown, and Ben quickly realises that a dark and sinister killer is at large on the island. To prevent the killer from escaping, Ben has no choice but to lock down St Mary’s, yet in doing so he is unwillingly trapping the killer’s next victim.

Are you plagued by a recurring thought or idea that just won't go away, or feel the need to wash your hands repeatedly, to hoard things or to repeatedly check all appliances in the house have been turned off before you leave? These are common symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition that causes distress to hundreds of thousands of people.

As the sun sets on a cold November evening, the tiny community of St Agnes prepares for their annual Fifth-of-November festivities. Moments before the fireworks are scheduled to commence, an islander discovers a charred body left on the bonfire, and quickly it becomes clear that a killer is at large. Ben Kitto is the Deputy Chief of Police for the Scilly Isles, and with a killer on the loose, he has no choice but to forbid all residents from leaving the island. With a population of just 80 people, everyone is a suspect and no one is safe.

Tim Hannigan undertakes an epic east–west journey on foot through his own homeland, from the woodlands of the Tamar Valley to the remote western region of Penwith. As he walks, he explores how the Cornwall of the popular imagination has been constructed by writers, artists and others, and how myths, projections and tropes intersect with the real Cornwall – its landscapes, histories, communities and sense of self.

Aboard the confines of an ancient space hulk, Seth and his Flesh Tearers engage in a brutal struggle against a horde of alien genestealers and their own natures. A hunger drives these warriors of the Blood, one matched by their alien aggressors. Hope remains while the Flesh Tearers can hold on to their honour, but what is the truth that lurks at the heart of this derelict ship, and will Seth manage to stave off the rage long enough to discover it?

The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, whose responsibility it is to keep the gears of the empire turning. That’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation. Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.

Welcome to the economy of algorithms. It’s here and it’s growing. In the past few years, we have been flooded with examples of impressive technology. Algorithms have been around for hundreds of years, but they have only recently begun to ‘escape’ our understanding. When algorithms perform certain tasks, they’re not just as good as us, they’re becoming infinitely better, and, at the same time, massively more surprising. We are so impressed by what they can do that we give them a lot of agency. But because they are so hard to comprehend, this leads to all kinds of unintended consequences.

Long ago, the primarch Lorgar was humbled by his brother Guilliman for his belief in the Emperor's divinity. Led down a dark road by this shaming, Lorgar embraced Chaos. Now, he and his Word Bearers rampage across Guilliman's realm, burning his 500 worlds in the name of their new gods. But on such world, Lorgar finds a mystery that brings his past into the present and shines a new light on his endeavours. It seems that Lorgar's legacy may be greater than even he could have ever imagined....

The mighty Unbak lodge is beheaded. Runefather Aruk-Grimnir and his heir, Angruk, have been assassinated in their hearth by a vile and mysterious foe. To restore the honour of the Unbak and determine who will take up the mantle of Grimnir, the fearsome Runesons declare that whoever can slay the killer of their kin will be declared Runefather. It is a perilous task that will take the Fyreslayers into the heart of enemy lands, battling the most ancient foes of the duardin: the accursed skaven and fiendish grots.

After a disastrous mission leaves their ranks decimated, Sergeant Zachariah must rapidly train a fresh batch of recruits to restore the 158th Elysian. The regime is harsh, lethal, and only the best will survive to become full-fledged drop troopers. But when a savage feud with a high-ranking officer threatens the 158th and Zachariah and a handful of men barely out of training are sent on a deadly reconnaissance mission, he begins to wonder if his life might also be in jeopardy.

Poor sleep is one of the most common health problems and can leave you feeling exhausted, stressed and run-down. While prescribed medications and over-the-counter remedies rarely offer lasting benefits, cognitive behavioural therapy can help enormously and is the treatment of choice for insomnia.

Kitto made many enemies in his time working as an undercover officer for the Met police, none more ruthless and calculating than kingpin Craig Travis. Travis always knew he would make Kitto pay for the role he played in getting him convicted—and that day has finally arrived. Now, a dark and twisted killer is headed for the isles of Scilly, with only one goal in mind: revenge.

Twenty years ago, Tatia was adopted into a well-off home where she seemed happy, settled. Then the youngest boy in the family dies in an accident, and she gets the blame. Did she do it? Tatia is cast out, away from her remaining adopted siblings Joel and Poppy. Now she yearns for a home to call her own. So when she see families going on holiday, leaving their beautiful homes empty, there seems no harm in living their lives while they are gone. But somehow, people keep ending up dead. Did she kill them?

The Economics of Belonging argues that we should step back and take a fresh look at the root causes of our current challenges. In this original, engaging book, Martin Sandbu argues that economics remains at the heart of our widening inequality and it is only by focusing on the right policies that we can address it. He proposes a detailed, radical plan for creating a just economy where everyone can belong. Sandbu demonstrates that the rising numbers of the left behind are not due to globalization gone too far.

When a young child goes missing on the Isles of Scilly, the community rushes to help DI Ben Kitto and his team with the search. Her twin brother, Ethan, was there when she was taken. But the shocking events of her disappearance have rendered him mute. Another person on the island knows exactly where the girl is. Someone with a deep-seated anger for Jade's family. To find the truth, Kitto must investigate the lives of the people he has known all of his life.

When Jez Cardew’s boat is found drifting empty on the Atlantic Ocean, DI Ben Kitto and his fellow lifeboat crew members immediately fear the worst. After an extensive search yields no results, the team are forced to retreat to dry land as darkness sets in. But Kitto can’t let it go. Why would Jez – an experienced sailor – get into difficulty when the sea has been calm for weeks? Unless his disappearance was no accident. The gruesome discovery of a hand washed ashore on the beach confirms his hunch.