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This year is the fiftieth anniversary of Waterloo (the song, not the battle) – a seminal moment in pop history which saw Swedish sensation ABBA burst on to the international music scene. How is it that half a century later this seventies Eurovision act is bigger than ever – reaching listeners of all ages and spinning off into musicals, museums and holograms? Giles Smith, writer and music fan, sets out to find out why.

<b>THE <i>SUNDAY TIMES</i> TOP TEN BESTSELLER</b><br/><b>WINNER OF THE 2017 PEN ACKERLEY PRIZE<br/>WINNER OF THE 2016 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE</b><br/><b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 ONDAATJE PRIZE</b><br/><b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 WELLCOME PRIZE</b><br/><br/>At the age of thirty, Amy Liptrot finds herself washed up back home on Orkney. Standing unstable on the island, she tries to come to terms with the addiction that has swallowed the last decade of her life. As she spends her mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, her days tracking Orkney's wildlife, and her nights searching the sky for the Merry Dancers, Amy discovers how the wild can restore life and renew hope.

<i>The saying goes that "God only gives you what you can handle." Well God didn't grow up in my atheist, Wiccan, fame-laden, oversexed, teetotalling, drug-free, cloistered, chaotic, non-communicative, workaholic, feral-feeling house.'</i><br/><br/>For Moon Unit, daughter of musician Frank Zappa and his 'manager', Gail, processing a life so unique, so punctuated by the whims of creative urges, the tastes of popular culture and the calculus of celebrity, has at times been eviscerating. But it is her deep sense of humour and unshakeable humility that keeps her - and this memoir - pinned to the ground.<br/><br/>A child-star at age 14 after her accidental international hit single (recorded with her father), 'Valley Girl', turned her into a reluctant celebrity, Moon Unit Zappa's life has been utterly extraordinary from her birth in 1967 into a family that was already blessed/cursed as music royalty thanks to the acknowledged genius of Frank. But what are the consequences of growing up in a family who spend most of their time naked arguing about sexual/extra-marital liaisons and practising white magic in a free-for-all state of nonconformist, virtuoso abandon?<br/><br/><i>Earth to Moon</i> is a reckoning with self-esteem, the ghosts of the past and a mother and a father who, in the process of leaving their mark upon on the world, scarred their first daughter on home soil. Brutally self-deprecating and funny as hell, it belies a rose-tinted perspective on the 70s and 80s west coast American scene, from within the belly of the beast of the rock and roll world.

&apos;Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.&apos; So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more. In an extraordinary story that only he could tell - and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it - Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he&apos;s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humour, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening - as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.

'An entertaining first-hand account of pure rock 'n' roll madness.' <i>The Daily Telegraph</i><br/><br/>'Hundreds of exclusive photos and brilliant one-liners make for a sensational read.' <i>the Sun</i><br/><br/>'We are the biggest band in Britain of all time, ever. The funny thing is, all that fucking mouthing off three years ago about how we were going to be the biggest band in the world - we actually went and did it.' Noel Gallagher<br/><br/>Oasis are one of the biggest bands the world has ever seen. Here, in <i>Supersonic, </i>they tell the story of their beginnings from dive-bar hopefuls to global superstars. They themselves talk us through the pivotal moments in their phenomenal trajectory, from the day Noel Gallagher joined his brother Liam's band, through their first crucial five years culminating at their landmark gigs at Knebworth Park in 1996 - the pinnacle of their success.<br/><br/>With over thirty hours of interviews with Liam, Noel and those closest to them, this book documents in unprecedented depth and with their trademark candour and humour, the story behind one of the world's greatest bands, all told in their own words and fully illustrated with exclusive photographs and ephemera throughout.

Sinéad O&apos;Connor&apos;s voice and trademark shaved head made her famous by the age of twenty-one. Her recording of Prince&apos;s Nothing Compares 2 U made her a global icon. She outraged millions when she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on American television. O&apos;Connor was unapologetic and impossible to ignore, calling out hypocrisy wherever she saw it. She has remained that way for three decades. Now, in Rememberings, O&apos;Connor tells her story - the heartache of growing up in a family falling apart; her early forays into the Dublin music scene; her adventures and misadventures in the world of sex, drugs and rock&apos;n&apos;roll; the fulfilment of being a mother; her ongoing spiritual quest - and through it all, her abiding passion for music.

<b>'Andrew North has a deep empathy and understanding for Afghanistan and has seen sides of it - both good and horrifying - that very few international observers have encountered' Rory Stewart</b><br/><br/><b>'By weaving personal stories into a modern history of Afghanistan, Andrew North provides a touching and intimate portrait of the country he grew to love. His beautiful illustrations add a unique perspective on how war has destroyed or transformed generations of Afghans' Lindsey Hilsum</b><br/><br/>In early 2022, veteran journalist Andrew North was kidnapped by the Taliban. By the time he found himself imprisoned in a jail cell, he had been reporting from Afghanistan for two decades, coming to know hundreds of Afghans along the way. This book brings together both his and their stories.<br/><br/>Farzana was banned from attending school as a child, but education would take her further than she could have imagined.<br/><br/>Bilal's dream of becoming a journalist came true, but at a cost.<br/><br/>While Abdul's ambition to become a doctor was thwarted, Jahan's prospects transformed radically for the better.<br/><br/>And in a quiet province, the life of a boy called Naqibullah was shattered.<br/><br/>Witness to both the country's transformation and the mistakes that eventually led to its collapse, in <i>War & Peace & War</i> North vividly evokes a country where foreign powers and internal forces have been on a collision course for over two centuries.