Biting The Bullet

Bitten By The Bullet is the story of how Steve Krzystyniak and Lily, his partner - both long-time global wanderers who now live Waiheke Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf - came to set up and operate an innovative motorcycle tour company that takes small parties through the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan. One of the heroes of this story is the Royal Enfield Bullet, a classic fifties-style motorcycle that is still produced today in India and which is Steve and Lily's bike of choice. A fast-paced narrative with two storylines - the main one follows a particular tour group's adventures over a three-week period, which is underpinned by Steve Krzystyniak's account of how he and Lily took on the bureaucracy of India in order to achieve their dream - Bitten By The Bullet will be of enormous interest to armchair travellers and devotees of the colourful and dramatic Indian sub-continent, keeping them breathlessly involved until the very last page.

Throughout history, most dictionaries have served the purpose of preserving the purity of the language, usually preferring the erudite vocabulary of the affluent upper classes to the salty, constantly evolving slang of their working-class counterparts. That began to change in the early modern period, when several innovative lexicographers began publishing collections of slang terms used by particular subcultures, such as criminals. According to scholars, Francis Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue is one of the most important and complete of these early slang dictionaries. Spend some time with this fascinating volume to learn the slang definitions of words and phrases like "poisoned" (pregnant), "shooting the cat" (vomiting after excess alcohol consumption), and "snoozing ken" (a brothel).

Jaz Parks here. My latest mission has taken me to the ancient Greek city of Patras; but instead of soaking up its splendor, I'm here to infiltrate a Vampere Trust. Only two vamps have ever escaped the tightly bound communities and lived to tell the tale: Edward "The Raptor" Samos, the most reviled criminal mastermind in recent memory, and Vayl, the CIA's number one assassin who also happens to be my boss. The Raptor is trying to take over Vayl's former Trust. Unfortunately the Trust's new leader has her own plans. This job is going to be the death of me.

Simpson's uniquely long-lasting marriage to a key member of the SAS was an entry to a world of secrecy and danger that few outside can begin to imagine. This is a woman's eye view of the rivalry, pressure and excitement that lie behind the bravado.

Caspar Hare presents a bold and original approach to questions of what we ought to do, and why we ought to do it. He breaks with tradition to argue that we can tackle difficult problems in normative ethics by starting with a principle that is humble and uncontroversial. Being moral involves wanting particular other people to be better off.

A cinematic, thrilling, fictionalized, World War II adventure set in Amsterdam about a lock-picking boy caught between pleasing the Nazis to survive and loyalty to his countrymen. Tygo, a locksmith's son, is forced by the Nazis to loot abandoned Dutch homes for valuables. Known as "The Ferret," everyone despises him, but helping the Germans is the only way he can stay alive. When he discovers a girl with a diamond in a chimney, he refuses to give her up. Instead, he turns spy and uses the jewel to find out information about Hitler's ultimate weapon. He has one shot to stop the war. Can a ferret become a hero?

An ex-Marine captain shares his story of fighting in a recon battalion in both Afghanistan and Iraq, beginning with his brutal training on Quantico Island and following his progress through various training sessions and, ultimately, conflict in the deadliest conflicts since the Vietnam War.