Kate Petty

#2

'I wonder if it hurts them to shed their skins,' she said. She didn't feel afraid standing in the darkness, imagining snakes, even with the smell of death in the air. Bea and Dan, recently married, rent out their tiny flat to escape London for a few precious months. Driving through France they visit Bea's dropout brother Alex at the hotel he runs in Burgundy. Disturbingly, they find him all alone and the ramshackle hotel deserted, apart from the nest of snakes in the attic. When Alex and Bea's parents make a surprise visit, Dan can't understand why Bea is so appalled, or why she's never wanted him to know them; Liv and Griff Adamson are charming, and rich. They are the richest people he has ever met. Maybe Bea's ashamed of him, or maybe she regrets the secrets she's been keeping. Tragedy strikes suddenly, brutally, and in its aftermath the family is stripped back to its rotten core, and even Bea with all her strength and goodness can't escape.

#3

Looking through an atlas has always been a fascinating way to explore the world. Around the World is a contemporary evolution of an atlas tailored to our information age. With eye-catching graphics, current topics, and clear texts, the book is for anyone who is curious about the state of our planet and how we live today. Alongside classic facts about nature, history, population, culture, and politics, Around the World's compelling information graphics thoroughly explain complex processes that impact our lives such as global trade and changing demographics. The book gives added insight into our modern world through its visual exploration of subjects such as eating habits, overfishing, and internet providers, as well as events that have left indelible marks on our collective conscience including September 11, the Olympic Games, Japan's Fukushima disaster, and the sinking of the Titanic. Enthralling, attractive, and revealing, Around the World is a rich cornucopia of information about local peculiarities of global relevance that bring home the little differences--as well as the astoundingly large similarities--among the citizens of our world.