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Mysticism is about existential ecstasy - an experience of heightening one's senses and self into a sheer feeling of aliveness. Mystical experiences offer us a practical way to open our thoughts and deepen the sense of our lives, whether through a mainstream connection to God or by taking part in mind-altering experiences. Here, Simon Critchley explores the history and practice of mysticism, from its origins in Eastern and Western religion, through its association with esoteric and occult knowledge, and up to the ecstatic modernism of T.S. Eliot and others. Through a discussion of the lives of famous mystics, like Julian of Norwich and Jesus Christ, Critchley reveals how embracing the spectrum of mystical experience can refresh our thinking and help us live deeper and freer lives.Philosophical and playful, analytical and inventive, On Mysticism is a definitive account of humanity's quest to understand the divine, and a call to thinkers everywhere to broaden our minds to life larger than our selves.

** FROM THE WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS CRIME AND THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR *** THE SMASH-HIT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ** AN INSTANT TIMES BESTSELLER ** A GUARDIAN BEST BOOK OF 2023 *'A Christmas treat' - OBSERVER'A great deal of festive fun' - GUARDIAN'Sharp, witty and suspenseful' - SUNDAY EXPRESSOne dead Santa. A town full of suspects. Will you discover the truth?Christmas in Lower Lockwood, and the Fairway Players are busy rehearsing their festive pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. But there's not much good will among the amateur dramatics enthusiasts. Sarah-Jane is fending off threats to her new position as Chair, the beanstalk might be full of asbestos, and someone is trying to ruin the panto before the curtain even goes up.Plus, there's the small matter of the dead Santa. Who had the victim on their naughty list? Read the round robins, examine the emails and pore over the police transcripts to discover the truth. Will the show go on?'A perfect stocking filler' - INDIA KNIGHT'Hallett is as good as ever' - OBSERVER

Poisoned mince pies. A Christmas Eve ghost story that comes suddenly, horribly true. A locked-room puzzle on a train steaming through the winter's night. All these, and many more, tales of mystery and malice await in Murder by Candlelight.As the nights draw in and the old year slips away, these ten classic stories - from the greatest writers of the crime genre - will baffle your mind and chill your blood in equal measure. From a cunningly-disguised killer to a country house with a lethal secret, the mood might be festive ... but the motive is murder.

'Shockingly real, twisty and dark' - INDEPENDENT'Tense, thrilling and darkly comedic' - HEAT'The feminist update to Rosemary's Baby we all needed' - ANDREA BARTZI wanted this baby so badly.But she may be the death of me...Anna Alcott is desperate to have a family. But as she tries to balance her public life as an actress with a gruelling IVF regime, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure that never happens. Medicines are lost. Appointments are moved. She's sure she's being followed. And when she finally does get pregnant, someone steals the precious ultrasound photograph of her baby. But despite everything she's gone through, not even her husband is willing to believe that someone is playing twisted games with her.Then her doctors tell her she's lost the baby. Despite her grief, Anna ignores them - because she can still feel the baby moving, can see the toll it's taking on her body. Isolated in a remote snowbound town, Anna is sure that whoever has been following her is closing in on her and her unborn child. As her symptoms become more terrifying, she can't help but wonder what exactly is growing inside her. And why no-one will listen when she says that something is horribly wrong...'A timely, terrifying, heartfelt thriller' - CHRIS WHITAKER'Perfectly terrifying & terrifyingly perfect' - JANICE HALLETT'A thrilling, visceral read' - HEATHER DARWENT

The truth about work is: no one can do it alone. Even lone warriors need a team. Even in professions that revolve around individual superstars, collaboration is crucial.Yet most of us have never learned how to collaborate. How to form a team. How to work with people you don't like. How to motivate yourself and others. How to handle a conflict with grace. How to come to a decision in a group. How to master crises, how to deal with defeat, how to celebrate success (and how to build on it). Here, the bestselling authors of The Decision Book will help you learn all these things and more by bringing together 41 of the world's best methods for teamwork. From solving problems to achieving your goals to creating the trust necessary to do both, they offer tried-and-tested tools, techniques and advice. Big ideas, distilled to their essence, that will help you find success - no matter the team.

* FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GIRL IN TRANSLATION * 'Kwok is an impressive talent' - KARIN SLAUGHTER'A beautiful, propulsive story' - LAURA DAVE'A hugely atmospheric and suspenseful mystery' - LUCY FOLEY'I will find my daughter. No matter the cost...'Jasmine Yang thought her daughter was dead at birth. But five years after she was taken from her arms, she learns that her controlling husband sent the baby to America to be adopted, a casualty of China's one-child-policy. Fleeing her rural Chinese village, Jasmine arrives in New York City with nothing except a desperate need to find her daughter. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she's forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her child.Meanwhile, Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardise not only Rebecca's job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble. Two women in a divided city, separated by wealth and culture, yet bound together by their love for the same child. And when they finally meet, their lives will never be the same again...'Propulsive and engrossing' - GUARDIAN'A suspenseful family drama' - NEW YORK TIMES'A compelling and moving mystery' - OBSERVER

A BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week''Fascinating ... you'll never look at a Hello Kitty or a Pokémon the same way again' Mail on SundayWhy are some things cute, and others not? What happens to our brains when we see something cute? And how did cuteness go global, from Hello Kitty to Disney characters?Cuteness is an area where culture and biology get tangled up. Seeing a cute animal triggers some of the most powerful psychological instincts we have - the ones that elicit our care and protection - but there is a deeper story behind the broad appeal of Japanese cats and saccharine greetings cards.Joshua Paul Dale, a pioneer in the burgeoning field of cuteness studies, explains how the cute aesthetic spread around the globe, from pop brands to Lolita fashion, kids' cartoons and the unstoppable rise of Hello Kitty. Irresistible delves into the surprisingly ancient origins of Japan's kawaii culture, and uncovers the cross-cultural pollination of the globalised world. Understanding the psychology of cuteness can help answer some of the biggest questions in evolutionary history and the mysterious origins of animal domestication.This is the fascinating cultural history of cuteness, and a revealing look at how our most powerful psychological impulses have remade global style and culture.

Not everything that goes bump in the night brings gifts... From the mysterious occupant of an ancient tomb to the Christmas visitor who is troubled by violent dreams, these are ten ghost stories from the masters of the genre that will chill your blood and haunt your dreams through the darkest months of the year.

'Disher is the gold standard for rural noir' CHRIS HAMMER'The equal of Joseph Wambaugh and James Lee Burke' THE TIMES'A superb chronicler of cop culture' SUNDAY TIMESWHEN HATE RUNS DEEP, THE INNOCENT SUFFERConstable Paul Hirschausen's rural beat in the low hills of South Australia is wide. Daybreak to day's end, dirt roads and dust. Every problem that besets small towns and isolated properties, from unlicensed driving to arson. But now, just as Hirsch has begun to feel he knows the fragile communities under his care, the isolation and fear of the pandemic have warped them into something angry and unrecognisable. Hirsch is seeing stresses heightened and social divisions cracking wide open. His own tolerance under strain; people getting close to the edge. Today he's driving an international visitor around: Janne Van Sant, whose backpacker son went missing while the borders were closed. They're checking out his last photo site, his last employer. A feeling that the stories don't quite add up. Then a call comes in: a roadside fire. Nothing much - a suitcase soaked in diesel and set alight - but two noteworthy facts emerge. Janne knows more than Hirsch about forensic evidence. And the body in the suitcase is not her son's.From the multiple Ned Kelly Award-winning author of Consolation comes a stunning new thriller, for readers of Jane Harper, Ian Rankin and Chris Hammer.

'Brilliant...as entertaining and interesting as it is practical' - Graham Allcott, author of How to be a Productivity Ninja We are surrounded by feedback, whether we're being asked to like, rate or otherwise comment on products, services or even people. At work, the right kind of feedback delivered at the right time and in the right way can help us all to learn and improve. On the ground, though, that's easier said than done. Help is at hand. Margaret Cheng's six golden rules and Giving Good Feedback Framework offer a clear guide to what feedback is, how we can master the things that get in the way and deploy some simple techniques to make feedback a more routine - and less emotionally charged - part of our routine work communications.