The fascinating and funny origins of everyday objects-bliss for history hounds, language lovers and trivia buffs.Who hasn't wondered:· Whether Thomas Crapper really invented the toilet· What accident led to the invention of the microwave· Why it took nearly twenty years for someone to finally decide to slice bread· How laziness resulted in the invention of the dishwasher· Which discovery made the milkshake possible· Which ...

Let's "cut to the chase" and "make no bones about it"-this book will have you "pleased as punch."Sowing your wild oats, throwing in the towel, painting the town red...Harry Oliver reveals the fascinating stories behind these and other strange turns of phrase steeped in the weird and wonderful history and traditions of everyday life. From quirky terms to street and city names and more, this book answers the questions you never thought to ask.? What ancient e...

We have all touched wood to ward off misfortune, or seen a bride throw a bouquet over her head at a wedding, but how often do we stop to think about where such customs come from, or why we still use them? The truth is that behind many of our daily rituals and beliefs lies a fascinating history of weird and wonderful notions, some rational, others fanciful, that provide a rich and entertaining addition to our lives. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, best-selling author Harry Ol...

Cross your fingers, knock on wood, and clutch your rabbit's foot a little tighter.In this charming and endlessly diverting book, Harry Oliver delves into the stories behind the traditions and superstitions that permeate our everyday lives, unearthing the fascinating histories of these weird and wonderful notions. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under any ladders, dip into this amazing tome ...

This is the story of a Métis soldier fighting for Canada on the Western Front of Europe during World War I. Vancouver 1914: a young Indigenous man named Jonathon Woodrow, desperate to prove himself as a warrior, enlists to fight in the Canadian army. Relying on his experience in hunting and wilderness survival, Private Woodrow quickly becomes one of the most feared trench raiders in the 1st Canadian Division. But as the war stretches on, with no end to the fighting in sight, Woodrow begins...

Sean Harris Oliver's The Fighting Season is a searing investigation into the Afghan War through the eyes of a Canadian field medic (Kristy), an OR surgeon (Terry), and a recovery room nurse (Karine). When all three medical professionals experience a life changing event in the operating room of the NATO controlled Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield, they are sent back to Canada for further evaluation. Through Kristy, Terry and Karine’s interwoven monologues we b...

**AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2020“An absorbing, superbly written novel likely to stand as one of the best spy novels of the year.”**—Kirkus, starred reviewElliot Kane reflects the dark side of MI6. He is the instrument of an agency that puts two years and more than £100K into training recruits to steal cars, hack bank accounts, strip weapons, and employ everything from blackmail to improvised explosives in service of Crown and Country. After fiftee...

'Makes the capital as eerie as Le Carré's Berlin' Evening StandardMonday 10 June, end of a hot day. The city had started drinking at lunchtime and by 3 or 4pm crime seemed the only appropriate response to the beauty of the afternoon...At quarter to five he felt his contribution to law and order had been made. He parked off the high street, sunk two shots of pure grain vodka into iced Nicaraguan espresso and put his seat back. In an hour he'd be off dut...

'Here's a novel to make the great and the good quake.... Harris writes with compassion or satirical glee, depending on which his characters deserve, and this third Kane novel puts him firmly in the Mick Herron class' Jake Kerridge, Daily Telegraph'Captivating and horrifying... Oliver Harris is squarely in the territory of the greats: Greene and le Carré but also the modern masters, Mick Herron and Adam Brookes. There can be no high...

Ascension: the most remote island in the world . . .Elliot Kane, former spy, trying to leave the world of espionage behind.Kathryn Taylor: a stalled career in MI6, running the South Atlantic desk.Rory Bannatyne: covert technical specialist. Dead, apparently of suicide.Three friends from a mission many years ago reconnect when one of them dies on Ascension Island. Rory Bannatyne had been tasked with tapping a new transatlantic data cable, but a...

'Mazy, pacy London noir' Ian RankinTen days after the station closed, he was informed he'd been officially suspended pending a hearing over allegations of gross misconduct. No details. A few hours after that, he got a call from a man who wouldn't give his name but told him he was under surveillance...They were bracing themselves for a shit-storm. Stay safe, the caller said, and hung up.Amber Knight is hot property - pop star, film star, front-page ...

'A twisting spiral of lies and corruption' Val McDermidFrom the hilltop he could see London, stretched towards the hills of Kent and Surrey. The sky was beginning to pale at the edges. The city itself looked numb as a rough sleeper; Camden and then the West End, the Square Mile. His watch was missing. He searched his pockets, found a bloodstained serviette and a promotional leaflet for a spiritual retreat, but no keys, phone or police badge.Detecti...