Why Awakening Experiences Occur and How to Make Them Permanent

'One of the best books on spiritual awakening I have ever come across. An important contribution to the shift in consciousness that is happening on our planet at this time'. Eckhart Tolle. How often do you stumble through the day on auto-pilot, half asleep and out of contact with yourself, instead of feeling connected and alive? In this astounding book, Steve Taylor suggests that our normal consciousness is really a kind of 'sleep' from which we sometimes 'wake up', into a more intense and complete reality. Waking from Sleep provides what is perhaps the first ever clear explanation of higher states of consciousness, or 'awakening experiences'. This book examines: the methods that human beings have used throughout history to induce awakening experiences, including meditation, sex, nature, sport, psychedelic drugs and sleep deprivation; how higher states of consciousness were normal and natural to some of the world's people (and still are in some cases); and, how we can make 'wakefulness' our normal state again. By fully explaining awakening experiences, this book makes them much more accessible, and may even lead to a revolution in our psychological development as human beings.

When Anita Blake meets with prospective client Tony Bennington, who is desperate to have her reanimate his recently deceased wife, she is full of sympathy for his loss. Anita knows something about love, and she knows everything there is to know about loss. But what she also knows, though Tony Bennington seems unwilling to be convinced, is that the thing she can do as a necromancer isn’t the miracle he thinks he needs. The creature that Anita could coerce to step out of the late Mrs. Bennington’s grave would not be the lovely Mrs. Bennington. Not really. And not for long.

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency

It is a troublesome fact on which even Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi agree: there are things that men know and ladies do not, and vice versa. It is unfortunate, for example, when Mma Ramotswe's newest client is the big-shot owner of the ailing Kalahari Swoopers, that one thing lady detectives know very little about is football. And when the glamorous Violet Sephotho sets her sights on Mma Makutsi's unsuspecting fiance, it becomes exasperatingly clear that some men do not know how to recognise a ruthless Jezebel even when she is bouncing up and down on the best bed in the Double Comfort Furniture Shop. In her attempt to foster understanding between the sexes and find the traitor on Mr Football's team, Mma Ramotswe ventures into new territory, drinks tea in unfamiliar kitchens and learns to trust in the observational powers of small boys. And, as wise and warm-hearted as his heroine, Alexander McCall Smith reminds us that we must dig deep to uncover the goodness of the human heart.

Why Everything We Thought About Children is Wrong

What if we told you...that dishonesty in children is a positive trait that arguing in front of your kids can make you a good role model and that if you praise your children you risk making them fail ...and it was all true? Using a cutting-edge combination of behavioural psychology and neuroscience, award-winning journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman have produced an innovative, counter-intuitive read that will change the way we interact with our children forever. They demonstrate that for years our best intentions with children have been our worst ideas, using break-through scientific studies to prove that our instincts and received wisdom are all wrong. "Nutureshock" is the Freakonomics of childhood and adolescence, exploring logic-defying insights that have far-reaching relevance for us all.

Also out on the 4th February:

Play BioShock 2 and win. Be prepared for anything with this incredible guide featuring bonus content and more! BioShock 2 Limited Edition Strategy Guide features a complete step-by-step walkthrough of the entire game. Find detailed maps with the locations of every secret, safe and enhancement, plus a complete breakdown of items and weapons along with tips on how to upgrade your weaponry. Every achievement and trophy is included and expert multi-player tactics will help you dominate online. Plus, includes bonus content and more. Covers PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

This adorable kit includes a hardback book with 25 easy-to-follow recipes from Tarek Malouf and his Hummingbird bakers and 100 Hummingbird Bakery branded paper cases for stylish baking. The book and cases come in a pink and chocolate-coloured box. Discover the magic of the Hummingbird Bakery with this delicious collection of recipes for irresistible cupcakes and muffins.

The perfect gift for every keen baker, this gorgeous range of stationery is inspired by the bestselling "The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook"

Talk radio host and celebrity werewolf Kitty Norville has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality show. What she's expecting is cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But what begins as a publicity stunt is all too quickly turning into a fight for her life. Kitty and her fellow housemates arrive at the remote mountain lodge where the show is set, but no sooner does filming start when violence erupts. It doesn't take Kitty long to suspect the show is nothing more than a cover for some nefarious plot. Then the cameras stop rolling, cast members start dying, and Kitty learns she and her monster housemates are not battling for a prize: they are, ironically enough, themselves the ultimate prize, in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in . . . before it kills them all.

Once a lacklustre organisation, BP became one of the world's biggest, most successful, and most admired companies in the new millennium. John Browne, the company's CEO for 12 years, invented the oil 'supermajor' and led the way on issues such as climate change, human rights and transparency. In Beyond Business, Browne brings to life what he learnt about leadership in a tough industry. His story encompasses the insights gained as he transformed a national company, challenged an entire industry, and prompted political and business leaders to change. He takes us across the world on adventures that include going toe-to-toe with both tyrants and elected leaders, and involve engineering feats which in many ways rival those of going to the moon. And he shares his views on the true purpose of business and the leadership needed to tackle the grand challenges of our era. It is also a story of failure and human frailty as Browne reveals how his private and public lives collided at frightening speed in full view of the world, prompting his abrupt resignation as CEO of BP. A rich memoir, Beyond Business is a must for anyone searching for a refreshing, inspirational and human view of business and leadership.

The Soviet Union 1956: after Stalin's death, a violent regime is beginning to fracture. Stalin's successor Khrushchev pledges reform. But there are forces at work that are unable to forgive or forget the past. Leo Demidov, former MGB officer, is facing his own turmoil. His adopted daughters have yet to forgive him for his part in the brutal murder of their parents. They are not alone. Leo, his wife, and their family are in grave danger from someone with a grudge. Someone transformed beyond recognition into the perfect model of vengeance. Leo's desperate mission to save his family will take him from the harsh Siberian Gulags, to the depths of the criminal underworld, to the centre of the Hungarian uprising - and into a hell where redemption is as brittle as glass.