Sian Phillips
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Description
As night falls on the zoo and the gates close behind the last visitor, a world of adventure stirs to life. Herbert, a keen-eyed inhabitant, quickly discovers the unlocked enclosures.
Driven by curiosity, he ventures out, inviting fellow animals like Geoffrey and Ernie to join him. Together, they embark on a delightful exploration of their home after dark.
After Dark at the Zoo is a heartwarming tale of friendship and discovery, inviting readers...
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"When Miss Marple comes up from the country for a holiday in London, she finds what she’s looking for at Bertram’s Hotel: traditional decor, impeccable service, and an unmistakable atmosphere of danger behind the highly polished veneer. Yet not even Miss Marple can foresee the violent chain of events set in motion when an eccentric guest makes his way to the airport on the wrong day . . . " --publisher's website.
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Description
Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life.
In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to...
In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to...
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The second volume in Cliff McNish's bestselling debut trilogy.
Rachel and Eric have special gifts. She is a spell-maker who can fly, take any shape she pleases, see far, and wide with her many-coloured eyes. He is a destroyer of spells. When a party of Witches are despatched to Earth from the planet Ool, Rachel and Eric are tested to the limit. The High Witch will stop at nothing to destroy them and slay her old adversaries, the Wizards. A breathtakingly...
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Surreal and splendidly unconventional, The Hearing Trumpet is an apocalyptic fairytale quest about an occult old ladies' home and the spry nonagenarian who ends up there. After coming into possession of a hearing trumpet, 92-year-old Marian Leatherby discovers her son's plans to send her to a nursing home. But this is no ordinary place... Strange rituals, orgiastic nuns, levitating abbesses, animalistic humans, humanistic animals, a search for the...
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I Claudius volume 9
Description
Rome, 40-41 CE. Now totally mad, Caligula has turned the palace into a brothel, complete with gambling and orgies. His lame old uncle Claudius serves as doorkeeper. With the empire in financial ruin, conspirators plot an assassination. Later, as soldiers loot the palace, Claudius hides behind a curtain.
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I Claudius volume 3
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Rome, 9 CE. When Livia hears that Tiberius has a new rival, Julia's son Postumus, she quickly moves against him. Before he is banished, Postumus tells Claudius all he knows about Livia. Claudius is advised to keep playing the fool to ensure his safety; he weds in a marriage arranged by Livia.
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I Claudius volume 12
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Rome, 54 CE. Claudius marries Agrippinilla, mother of Nero and the deadliest woman in Rome. A prophecy has told him that Nero will be Rome's next ruler. Claudius knowingly seals his fate and that of his own son by naming Nero his heir. He finishes his book and buries a copy to be found centuries later.
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I Claudius volume 4
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Rome, 13-14 CE. After decades of deception, Augustus learns of Livia's plots and writes a new will naming Postumus his heir. Soon after Livia visits the temple of the Vestal Virgins, keepers of the emperor's will, Augustus suffers severe stomach pains. With Livia's hopes finally realized, she sends Sejanus to tie up loose ends.
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I Claudius volume 5
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Rome, 19-20 CE. Tiberius rules Rome with help from Sejanus. When Claudius's popular brother, Germanicus, dies under mysterious circumstances, the Roman people protest. A trial in the Senate is rigged to clear the emperor's name. Witnesses disappear, and Caligula, son of Germanicus, sets fire to the family villa.
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I Claudius volume 8
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Rome, 37-38 CE. On his deathbed, Tiberius names Caligula heir to the Roman throne. Caligula promises the people bread and circuses, and a new age of prosperity seems about to begin. Then Caligula falls into a coma, awakens, and proclaims himself a god. He fears just one thing: his unborn son by his own sister..
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I Claudius volume 7
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Rome, 30-31 CE. The ambitious Sejanus, commander of the guard, has destroyed nearly all of his enemies. Even Tiberius, now living on Capri, is in danger. When he receives a smuggled warning letter, he wonders how to stop Sejanus, who has the guard's loyalty. Caligula makes a suggestion, and the streets of Rome run red with blood.
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I Claudius volume 6
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Rome, 23-29 CE. Tiberius lives only for his perverted pleasures, encouraged by the monstrous young Caligula. Sejanus forces Claudius to marry his sister, solidifying his alliance with the imperial family. Livia, knowing that death is near, confesses her crimes to Claudius and reveals a prophecy claiming that he will be emperor one day.
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I Claudius volume 2
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Rome, 3-5 CE. With Tiberius in exile, it seems that Livia has lost-but everyone Augustus chooses to succeed him dies inexplicably. Livia forces the emperor to face the truth about his wanton daughter. An omen hints that Claudius-a dull, awkward child with a stutter and a limp-might be more than he appears to be.
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I Claudius volume 11
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Rome, 47-48 CE. While Claudius is away invading Britain, Messalina challenges a leading prostitute to a tournament of sex. She wins, scandalizing Rome, but Claudius remains in the dark. He is compelled to act when a final humiliation endangers his life. Soon after, Claudius learns that the British have made him a god.
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I Claudius volume 10
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Rome, 41-43 CE. Under Claudius's rule, the empire's finances are improving. His beautiful wife, Messalina-a marriage arranged by Caligula-bears him two children and urges him to make an alliance with Silanus, governor of Spain. A valued old friend warns Claudius to trust no one.
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I Claudius volume 1
Description
Rome, 24-9 BCE. Nearing the end of his life and surrounded by spies, Claudius, emperor of Rome, writes his family history. His tale begins during the reign of Augustus, with his treacherous grandmother, Livia, scheming to advance the career of her son, Tiberius. Her machinations prove deadly for many family members, but Tiberius's brother, Drusus, threatens her plans.
19) The murder room
Description
Commander Dalgliesh undertakes a highly sensitive murder investigation at the Dupayne Museum. The circumstances of the case bear an unsettling similarity to the historical cases commemorated in the museum's notorious Murder Room.
20) Murphy's war
Description
Murphy wages his own war against a German submarine in the Caribbean during World War II.