Books published by publisher Piatkus books

A modern guide to connecting with the other side, Signs is full of stories of hope. It teaches us how to recognise and interpret the life-changing messages from loved ones and spirit guides, by a renowned psychic medium.Laura Lynne Jackson is a psychic medium and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Light Between Us. She possesses an incredible gift: the ability to communicate with loved ones who have passed, convey messages of love and healing, and impart a greater understanding of our interconnectedness. Though her abilities are exceptional, they are not unique, and that is the message at the core of this book. Understanding 'the secret language of the universe' is a gift available to all. As we learn to ask for and recognise signs from the other side, we will start to find meaning where before there was only confusion, and see light in the darkness. We may decide to change paths, push toward love, pursue joy, and engage with life in a whole new way.In Signs, Jackson is able to bring the mystical into the everyday. She relates stories of people who have experienced uncanny revelations and instances of unexplained synchronicity, as well as others drawn from her own experience. There's the lost child who appears to her mother as a deer that approaches her unhesitatingly at a highway rest stop; the name written on a dollar bill that lets a terrified wife know that her husband will be okay; the Elvis Presley song that arrives at the exact moment of Jackson's own father's passing; and many others. This is a book that is inspiring and practical, deeply comforting and wonderfully motivational, in asking us to see beyond ourselves to a more magnificent universal design.

'Thank you for the perfect blend of nostalgia-drenched humour, wit, and heartbreak, Nora' Mandy Moore'This story will compel you to both laugh and cry, just as the title promises. May we all bring Nora's honesty, passion and hope to our lives' Lena Dunham'It is funny, and it is sad, and it is real, and if you've ever been through anything in your life . . . you are going to love this book' Jennifer Weiner, New York Times Bestselling author of Who Do You Lovecomedy = tragedy + time/roséTwenty-seven-year-old Nora McInerny Purmort bounced from boyfriend to dopey 'boyfriend' until she met Aaron - a charismatic art director and comic-book nerd who once made Nora laugh so hard she pulled a muscle. When Aaron was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, they refused to let it limit their love. They got engaged on Aaron's hospital bed and had a baby boy while he was on chemo. In the period that followed, Nora and Aaron packed fifty years of marriage into the three they got, spending their time on what really matters: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, each other and Beyoncé. A few months later, Aaron died in Nora's arms. The obituary they wrote during Aaron's hospice care revealing his true identity as Spider-Man touched the nation. With It's Okay to Laugh, Nora puts a young, fresh twist on the subjects of mortality and resilience. What does it actually mean to live your 'one wild and precious life' to the fullest? How can a joyful marriage contain more sickness than health? How do you keep going when life kicks you in the junk? In this deeply felt and deeply funny memoir, Nora gives her readers a true gift - permission to struggle, permission to laugh, permission to tell the truth and know that everything will be okay. It's Okay to Laugh is a love letter to life, in all its messy glory; it reads like a conversation with a close friend and leaves a trail of glitter in its wake.

The enthralling history of one of the most controversial and infamous Olympic Games ever staged, replete with doping scandal and international uproarIn the summer that saw the first successful zeppelin flight, a 140 acre site of scrubland in West London was transformed into the White City, which housed a state-of-the-art stadium built for the first London Olympics. The Olympics were organized by volunteers in just 18 months and at a fraction of the cost of the modern Olympics, and yet, just as today, the sport was overshadowed by doping scandals—with accusations that the Canadian favorite for the marathon had been dosed with strychnine—and caused international uproar. The ferocious competitiveness of a U.S. team dominated by New York Irish Americans led to a succession of "scandals" culminating in the historic marathon when Italian confectioner baker Dorando Pietri's heroic efforts at the limits of exhaustion so entranced onlookers that track officials helped him across the finish line. This delightful social and sports history provides a thought-provoking contrast to the 2012 Olympic Games.

Far too many parents face an ongoing struggle to get their kids to eat well, so why is it that French children gladly wolf down all the things our kids hate - the dreaded spinach or broccoli, fish, olives, salad...? In French Kids Eat Everything, Karen Le Billon shares her experience of moving to France and finding the inspiration to transform her family's approach to eating.If you've ever tried hiding healthy foods in your kids' meals, bribing them to finish - or even start - something healthy, or simply given up in exasperation at your child's extensive list of banned foods, this book will strike a chord. It charts the author's enlightening journey from stressed mum of picky eaters, to proud - if somewhat surprised - parent of healthy, happy eaters. Along the way, you'll discover the 'food rules' that help the French foster healthy eating habits, why it's vital to get kids to try the same food many times over, the value of educating your children about food from an early age, why how you eat is just as important as what you eat - and much, much more.With tips, tricks, rules and routines for happy, healthy eaters - plus some fast, tasty recipes to try - this isn't just another tale of Gallic gastronomic superiority but a practical guide to instilling in your kids healthy eating habits that will last them a lifetime (and ensure less stressful mealtimes for you too!).

Have you ever felt out of your depth in a social situation? Not known what cutlery to use or how to fend off your boss's advances? This fun but essential 21st Century guide tells the modern girl what to do and how to behave in every situation. A Modern Girl's Guide to Etiquette gives tips, guidance and case studies on how to be cool calm and collected when entertaining, when out and about or simply meeting and communicating with others. Packed full of common dilemmas and advice as well as secrets of success and experience, this book is a must-have for every woman. Topics covered include: Basic rules for everyday manners, How to be a cool companion, The art of conversation, Success in the workplace, Sending out the right messages, Eating out, Being the hostess with the mostest, Being the perfect guest, and Handling the rude, crude, and undesirable.