Books published by publisher Penguin Group UK

For something that happens every year of our lives, we really don't know much about Christmas. We don't know that the date we celebrate was chosen by a madman, or that Christmas, etymologically speaking, means "Go away, Christ." Nor do we know that Christmas was first celebrated in 243 AD on March 28—and only moved to December 25 in 354 AD. We're oblivious to the fact that the advent calendar was actually invented by a Munich housewife to stop her children pestering her for a Christmas countdown. And we would never have guessed that the invention of Christmas crackers was merely a way of popularizing sweet wrappers. Luckily, Mark Forsyth is here to unwrap this fundamentally funny gallimaufry of traditions and oddities, making it all finally make sense—in his wonderfully entertaining wordy way.

Marian Keyes' ALL-NEW novel . . . 'Classic Marian Keyes: a blizzard of wit and wisecracks. Mercilessly funny' The Times ------------------------ Amy's husband Hugh has run away to 'find himself'. But will he ever come back? 'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.' 'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?' If only. Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her. He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in South East Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it. Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . . However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge. For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? Will Amy be the same woman? Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then so is she . . . The Break is a story about the choices we make and how those choices help to make us. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best. 'Just brilliant' Sunday Times 'Girl-power at its best. I laughed . . . I cried' Daily Mail 'Another belter. Full of brilliantly fun characters, genuine emotion and heaps of charm. We loved it!' Heat 'Keyes writes extremely well about modern women. A breezy, candid and deeply felt account of a wife, mother and career woman rediscovering herself' Metro 'Fabulously entertaining. Classic Keyes. The queen of intelligent women's fiction' Sunday Mirror 'A glorious life-affirming novel with Keyes on top form' Woman & Home 'When it comes to writing page-turners that put a smile on your face and make you think, Keyes is in a class of her own' Daily Express

The first Doctor is trapped on Vortis by the Zarbi, in a new facsimile edition of the long-out-of-print original 1960s edition. The Zarbi, huge ant-like creatures with metallic bodies and pincer claws, are waiting for TARDIS when it materializes on the cold and craggy planet Vortis. They capture the Doctor, Ian, and Vicki and take them to their weird headquarters, a city of web-like organic matter. In the final thrilling chapters, the Doctor and his crew encounter thepower which controls both the Zarbi and the living Web City. How can they defeat this strange bladder of dazzling light which draws in and absorbs all who come into its presence?

Aliens have crash-landed in the Wild West and they're ready for a showdown in The Good, the Bad and the Alien! Can the Doctor, Rory, and Amy work out which are the good guys and which are the bad? The Doctor finds himself trapped in a virtual world in System Wipe. As he tries to save the characters of the virtual world from being destroyed by a deadly virus, Amy and Rory must fight to keep the Doctor's body in the real world safe from the mysterious entity known as Legacy.

The Doctor treats Rory to a trip to the Wild West, where they find a ghosttown full of sleeping people and the Black Hand Gang; outlaws intent onrobbing the local bank. But it's not quite the same as the films Rory's seenon TV. They soon discover they're not the only visitors to Mason City,Nevada and find themselves in a showdown against a deadly foe . . .

One of the bestselling memoirs of all time, David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon is an account of one of the most remarkable lives Hollywood has ever seen. Beginning with the tragic early loss of his aristocratic father, then regaling us with tales of school, army and wartime hi-jinx, Niven shows how, even as an unknown young man, he knew how to live the good life. But it is his astonishing stories of life in Hollywood and his accounts of working and partying with the legends of the silver screen - Lawrence Oliver, Vivien Leigh, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and dozens of others, while making some of the most acclaimed films of the last century - which turn David Niven's memoir into an outright masterpiece. An intimate, gossipy, heartfelt and above all charming account of life inside Hollywood's dream factory, The Moon is a Balloon is a classic to be read and enjoyed time and again..

Learn all about our solar system in this fascinating nonfiction book, perfect for young readers ready to begin reading independently. For more than years, the bestselling Read it Yourself with Ladybird has helped children learn to read. All stories feature essential key words. Story-specific words are repeated to practice throughout. Designed to be read independently at home or used in a guided reading session at school. All titles include comprehension puzzles, guidance notes, and book band information for schools. This Level 4 title is ideal for children who are ready to read longer stories with a wider vocabulary and are keen to start reading independently.

This Ladybird treasury of eight classic, traditional tales is perfect for bedtime listening. Each favorite fairy tale or story has been sensitively retold for modern readers and the mix of amazing animals, magical marvels and classic characters is perfect for both boys and girls. The stories include Chicken Licken, Rapunzel, The Enormous Turnip, The Wizard of Oz, The Emperor's New Clothes, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Rumpelstiltskin and Heidi.