Over at Slough House, the last stop for washed up spies, the crew are struggling with personal problems: repressed grief, various addictions, retail paralysis, and the nagging suspicion that their newest colleague is a psychopath. But collectively, they’re about to rediscover their greatest strength – making a bad situation much, much worse.

The stepping stone between Europe and Africa, the gateway between the East and the West, at once a stronghold, clearing-house and observation post, Sicily has been invaded and fought over by Phoenicians and Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans, Goths and Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Germans, Spaniards and the French for thousands of years. It has belonged to them all – and yet has properly been part of none. John Julius Norwich was inspired to become a writer by his first visit in 1961 and this book is the result of a fascination that has lasted over half a century.

In tracing its dark story, he attempts to explain the enigma that lies at the heart of the Mediterranean’s largest island. This vivid short history covers everything from erupting volcanoes to the assassination of Byzantine emperors, from Nelson’s affair with Emma Hamilton to Garibaldi and the rise of the Mafia. Taking in the key buildings and towns, and packed with fascinating stories and unforgettable characters, Sicily is the book he was born to write.

A mountainous slither of land which creates a natural boundary between Europe and Asia, for centuries Chechnya had been a sharp bone in Russia’s throat. Three years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Yeltsin Administration, frustrated by the continued presence of the independence movement within Chechnya, Russia invaded.

It was a war of extraordinary brutality.

It turned Lana’s mother, Natalia Estemirova, from a teacher into a human rights investigator. As a member of MEMORIAL she was intent on exposing the kidnappings, bombings, torture and murders committed by Russian forces – and by Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen dictator now involved with the Russian army. Working hand-in-glove with Anna Politkovskaya and Stanislav Markelov, amongst many brave others, Natalia Estemirova also wrote for Novaya Gazeta, further focusing the world’s attention on what was happening.

Tragically, Anna Politkovskaya and Stanislav Markelov were each murdered in retaliation for their work, and on the 15th of July 2009 Natalia Estemirova was abducted from outside her Grozny apartment block and killed.

This is Lana’s story of growing up in a war. Of the intense bond between a mother and daughter, navigating a need to be together while knowing that safety meant living apart, often for months at a time. It is a book both about being brave and about being ordinary in extraordinary times.

It’s the fulfilment of a promise she made at her mother’s grave.

Change makes its way to Salt Point. The Kindred sisters – Ezra and Cinthy – grew up with an abundance of love. Love from their parents, who let them believe that the stories they tell on stars can come true.

Love from their neighbours, the Junketts, the only other Black family in town, whose home is filled with spice-rubbed ribs and ground-shaking hugs. And love for their adopted hometown of Salt Point, a beautiful New England village perched high up on coastal bluffs. But as the girls hit adolescence, their white neighbours, including Ezra’s best friend, Ruby, start to see their maturing bodies and minds in a different way.

And as the news from distant parts of the country fills with calls for freedom, equality, and justice for Black Americans, the white villagers of Salt Point begin to view the Kindreds and the Junketts as a threat to their way of life. Amidst escalating violence, prejudice, and fear, bold Ezra and watchful Cinthy must reach deep inside the wells of love they’ve built to commit great acts of heroism and grace on the path to survival. In luminous, richly descriptive writing, Promise celebrates one family’s story of resistance.

The course is structured in thematic units and the emphasis is placed on communication, so that you effortlessly progress from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations, to using the phone and talking about work. By the end of this course, you will be at Level B2 of the Common European Framework for Languages: Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started.

Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author’s many years of experience.
Easy-to-follow building blocks to give you a clear understanding.
Easy to find dictionary, to build a solid foundation for speaking.

Read and listen to everyday dialogues to help you speak and understand fast.
PRONUNCIATION Don’t sound like a tourist! Perfect your pronunciation before you go.
TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress.

Innovative exercises illustrate what you’ve learnt and how to use it. Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 80 years.