A RADIO 4 'BOOK OF THE WEEK' Sometimes it's hard to be a woman and sometimes it's time to be a hard woman . . . This is a book for all those times. Once upon a (very very) long time ago Jo Brand was what you might describe as 'a nice little girl'. Of course, that was before the values of cynicism, misogyny and the societal expectation that Jo would be thin, feminine and demure sent her off down Arsey Avenue. The plot thickened, when due to a complicated fusion of hormones, horrible family dynamics and a no-good boyfriend they hated, Jo ended up leaving home at 16. Now she's considerably further along life's inevitable bloody 'journey' - and she's fucked up enough times to feel confident she has no wisdom to offer anyone. But who cares? She's going to do it anyway... Born Lippy is a gathering of all the things Jo Brand wishes she'd known, all the things she's learnt, and all the things she hopes for the future. A century after women got the vote (albeit married women over the age of 28) it's time to take stock of exactly what it means to be female today. And if there's one thing women are entitled to, it's having a bloody good moan about things big and small - so here goes . . . HOW TO MANAGE A BULLY * YOUR FAMILY AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT * WHAT NO-ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT THE FEMALE BODY * BEING DIFFERENT * SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT SOCIABLE * HOW NOT TO FALL IN LOVE * FEMINISM: A RE-BRANDING * ADVENTURES IN YOUR HEAD * HAVING FUN * NOT HAVING FUN: WHAT TO DO WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG * STAYING SANE * YOU ARE NOT WHAT YOU WEAR * MODERN MANNERS* HOW TO DO WHAT YOU WANT: OR NOT DO WHAT OTHERS WANT * BEING HEALTHY * GETTING ON A BIT * THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES: MORE DEADLY THAN THE MALE?

'The perfect gift for quizzers' VAL McDERMID 'Outside of a dog, The Book Lover's Quiz Book is every bookworm's best friend -- inside of a dog . . . well, if you know the rest, you're going to love this book' PETER HANINGTON, author of A Dying Breed, peterhanington.co.uk 'Brilliantly inventive and entertaining questions from the bookworm's bookworm' MARK MASON, author of Walk the Lines, Question Time and many more 'A book quiz quiz book what more could lovers of books, quizzes and quizzes about books desire? And marvellous it is too, Wiggleworth proving himself quite the literary Magnus Magnussen of our social media age' TRAVIS ELBOROUGH traviselborough.co.uk 'This is the ultimate literary quiz book and Gary Wigglesworth is the quizmaster to end all quizmasters' DAVID QUANTICK davidquantick.com This is a literary quiz book with a difference. Rather than basic sets of questions, The Book Lover's Quiz Book mirrors the format of Gary's live quizzes, at the Betsey Trotwood in London and elsewhere. So, there are lots of multiple-choice questions, some amusing answers, clever red herrings, little-known facts about authors and some of the much-loved Say What You See picture round. Also, there are fixed and variable rounds - fixed ones include 'Blankety Books' (one word missing from the title - always with a theme), 'Literary Links and lists' (what connects/next in the list etc.) and '2 of a Kind' (name the character and the author that share the same initials). The changeable rounds keep the quizzes fresh and include 'What the Dickens?' (real or made-up Dickens names), 'RomeNo or JuliYess' (real or made-up Shakespearian insults) and 'Book Bingo!' (identify the correct number). There are also more standard rounds such as 'First Lines', 'Working Titles' and 'Banned Books'. The aim of all Gary's quizzes, and this book, is that people should have fun and be able to guess (if they don't know) as much as possible.

With a unique twist on stream of consciousness, Window Girl is flagrantly illuminating with lyrical abandon. Reddy unravels her most private thoughts about love, heartache, discovery, and triumph. The poems in this collection tell a story of a young woman who faces down the terrors of intimacy and the cataclysms of love and companionship. A poignant, intoxicating work that will lead you so deeply into you own nature.

The stereotype-laden message, delivered through clothes, music, books, and TV, is essentially a continuous plea for girls to put their energies into beauty products, shopping, fashion, and boys. This constant marketing, cheapening of relationships, absence of good women role models, and stereotyping and sexualization of girls is something that parents need to first understand before they can take action. Lamb and Brown teach parents how to understand these influences, give them guidance on how to talk to their daughters about these negative images, and provide the tools to help girls make positive choices about the way they are in the world. In the tradition of books like Reviving Ophelia, Odd Girl Out, Queen Bees and Wannabees that examine the world of girls, this book promises to not only spark debate but help parents to help their daughters.

'Dogs are better than men, because?' So says the poster on Izzy Palmer's fridge, and she's only half joking. At a long-planned murder party, Izzy has to play scheming little tart Emerald without her boyfriend, Leo, who's let her down yet again. Cast in fiendish skullduggery with Nick, who would have been improved by a spot of murder himself, Izzy can only grit her teeth and play along. Not content with insulting her dog and telling her to hold her stomach in, Nick then has the gall to turn halfway human just as Izzy's decided she can't stand him. Still, at least he makes Leo just a little bit jealous at last, but that's all that can be said for him. Until she faces the one heartbreak she'd never imagined...

The MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant represents the international ideal of beauty, and this unique beauty guide has the inside tips from all over the world that only members of this very exclusive club can tell. Beauty writer Cara Birnbaum and former Miss Universe winners bring together the diverse tips, insights, and secrets that have set these women apart and brought them to the pinnacle of beauty. Former title holders will share their beauty regimens as will the professionals who work with contestants to achieve the Miss Universe look. Readers with busy schedules will benefit from tips that will take them from daytime looks to ultraglamour in a matter of minutes. Because Miss Universe is international, all races, skin tones, hair types, and body types will be included. Former title holders of different ages will address how personal care and beauty regimens change over time to continue to achieve a fantastic appearance.

‘The bookiest book about books you’ll ever read – I loved it’ Lucy Mangan ‘Truly delightful...I couldn’t have had more fun’ Benjamin Dreyer ‘Very funny, erudite and profound. A delight!’ Nina Stibbe This is the outside story of books. From blurbs to titles, quotes to (checks jacket) cute animal designs – via author feuds, writing tricks, classic literature, bonkbusters, plot spoilers and publishing secrets – discover why it’s good to judge a book by its cover. Maybe even this one…

Mara Brennan is about to unravel. Three days after 28th birthday, her boyfriend dumps her, leaving her with nothing but a basement apartment, a futon, and a pile of unpaid bills. On top of that, her job, working as a receptionist at a cosmetic surgery clinic, is a nightmare, her boss is a tyrant, and her friends have gotten ahead of her in the game of life. She realizes it’s time for an identity makeover and devises the OM List—a personal pathway to perfection inspired by her best friends, Olivia and Mitz. Mara hilariously tries and fails at all the things she thinks will make her the sophisticated grown-up she wants to be. Navigating the dueling worlds of yoga and cosmetic surgery, gourmet dinners and Frankenberry cereal, etiquette handbooks and too-helpful loved ones, this is an unforgettable comic debut about how to get unstuck when caught in a rut.

The crooks, the grafters, all of New York's underworld kept telling themselves that they never had it so good as they would now, with Johnny Devereaux retiring from the force after 21 years. Devereaux was a tough cop, tough to encounter and impossible to bluff. Devereaux was doing a little chortling of his own. He was still young enough to enjoy life; he wanted to read some books, take a little trip, fulfill a few dreams. He was sitting in his car that evening, thinking about his beautiful future, when his beautiful future -- in the form of Jennifer Phillips -- opened the door of the car, sat down, and said, "Please hurry!" So she was twenty years his junior -- so what? She was very, very beautiful, she was in trouble, and Devereaux was ripe for romance. Or call it an automatic reflex, if you prefer to think of him as a tough cop; say he had been on the force so long that he responded mechanically to a try for assistance. "Roeburt returned in his fourth to the tough-guy genre and a character modeled on the later Bogart." -- Mike Nevins