Most Popular Books by Kate Thompson

First published in 1998, this seventh volume of Social Attitudes in Northern Ireland reports the main findings of the Northern Ireland Social Attitudes survey carried out in 1996. In this survey, views were obtained on community relations in Northern Ireland; the growth of home ownership; attitudes to the countryside; the role of government in Northern Ireland; attitudes to the National Health Service; attitudes to the environment and belief and trust in the political process. The various chapters provide a measure of the feelings, attitudes and beliefs of the people of Northern Ireland on a wide range of matters. Many of the chapters chart trends from the early 1990s and analyse changes in attitudes over the period.

From glitzy LA to vibrant Dublin, three friends go through the pitfalls of aging, a dramatic romance, being replaced by a younger woman, and yearning for a baby.

Astronomy without a Telescope.

Many people interested in the history of their town or village want to undertake research into its past, and most need to use primary sources sooner or later. Nothing quite equates with the thrill of reading first-hand a letter, diary, set of accounts or other records written in the past. Some sources, such as parish registers and census returns, are well known, but others are undiscovered treasures. This new book introduces the reader to the enormous range of documents available. The authors convey their own enthusiasm for the material and explain the information it can reveal. Their unique background - working for The National Archives and for local record offices - gives them an unrivalled knowledge of archival sources, and both of them have used much of this material in their own research. The chapters deal with subjects such as the land, the people, poverty, health, crime and family life. An essential guide for the local or family historian needing to consult original documents.

''I absolutely love this fun, brilliantly illustrated book'' - Elizabeth Dale, children''s book author ''An important story for young readers, told in lively, dynamic rhyme, which matches the colourful and fun illustrations brilliantly'' - Clare Helen Welsh, children''s book author ''An action-packed, fun-filled story to reassure even the littlest of Superheroes'' - B B Taylor, author of The Vigilante Tooth Fairy Superheroes Don''t Get Scared... Or Do They? is an awesome rhyming tale about normalising fear and finding inner powers by realising there''s a hero inside of us all. Scared Maisie Brown dreams of being a fearless superhero because they never get frightened, right? But when Dad explains that even the strongest, boldest and bravest hero can sometimes feel afraid, and that''s perfectly fine, Maisie realises there''s superhero in all of us. With fun characters, rhyming text and a wonderfully relatable take-away message about normalising feelings, this heart-warming book is an amazing addition to any little hero''s bookshelf.

Golden girl Calypso O''Kelly is used to getting what she wants. As a powerful casting director, she calls the shots. Closet romantic Dannie Moore is mistress of her own destiny. Having had her fingers burned once by her war correspondent partner, she''s determined never to fall in love again. Devoted single mother Rosa Elliot dreams of a brand new life of freedom from tyrannical, sexist bosses. But she finds that casting caution to the wind isn''t necessarily the best way of making her dreams come true... Three strong women, working hard to make life as perfect as possible. Until Calypso relinquishes control to a demon lover, Dannie discovers that destiny lies in the stars, and Rosa''s dreams of freedom end up in the trash. Can they ever reassemble the shards of the lives they''ve so recklessly shattered?

When you''re burdened with the name of a goddess and your mother''s a flamboyant actress, the last thing you want from a theatrical career is to be under the spotlight. That''s why Aphrodite Delaney opts for a job backstage as a designer. But the bitchcraft rampant in the theatre world means that Aphrodite''s obliged to seek employment elsewhere, and she finds herself grafting as a stylist on television commercials, a forlorn Cinderella with no invite to the ball. Until - ping! - the handsome prince of Irish fashion, Troy MacNally, arrives on the scene. Suddenly this Cinderella is snowed under with fairy-tale threads and invites to the hottest events in town. Up against the most fiendish of divas, Aphrodite discovers a talent for wickedness herself...

''My name is Renee Salt. I am 94 years old, I am a witness to history. I am a survivor. This is my attempt to make sense of a story which I can scarcely believe happened to me. Some of these pages are drenched in horror, but every so often a little light of hope and humanity shines through. There is love, too - so much love.'' Renee and her mother Sala never left each other''s sides. From invasion to liberation, September 1939 to April 1945, as Renee was marched, herded and shoved from ghetto to camp, there was one constant. One hand which clutched hers - her mother''s. Every day for six years, mother and daughter were tangled together in hell. From ghettos to slave labour, from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen, they were a powerful source of solace and hope to one another. Renee knows that she is only alive today because of her mother, that it was the sheer force and power of her love that gave them both something fragile but beautiful to cling to in an ugly, depraved world. It was her mother who hid her, lied to the SS, went right when she was directed left - whose small actions had lifesaving consequences. Now, for Renee, the need to share has finally overcome the desire to forget. This is a love letter to a mother eighty years in the making.

I wonder, my little one, who will you be when you''re out in this world, big and wide? A bundle so precious and tiny and loved, you will carry my heart by your side . . . A beautiful and inspiring letter of hope and love to a child taking their first steps into the big, wide world. This heartwarming book expresses every parent or carer''s hope that their child will grow to be kind, true to themselves and, above all else, happy. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this is the perfect rhyming book to share together to help children find their way in the world with confidence and kindness as they grow. With stunning, dreamy artwork by new illustrator Kitty Harris, and words by an exciting new voice in picture books, Kate Thompson.

The Wedding Girls is a heartwarming story of love and friendship in the East End, by Kate Thompson, the bestselling author of Secrets of the Singer Girls. If a wedding marks the first day of the rest of your life, then the story starts with the dress. It''s 1936 and the streets of London''s East End are grimy and brutal, but in one corner of Bethnal Green it is forever Hollywood . . . Herbie Taylor''s photography studio is nestled in the heart of bustling Green Street. Tomboy Stella and troubled Winnie work in Herbie''s studio; their best friend and hopeless romantic Kitty works next door as an apprentice dressmaker. All life passes through the studio, wishing to capture that perfect moment in time. Kitty works tirelessly to create magical bridal gowns, but with each stitch she wonders if she''ll ever get a chance to wear a white dress. Stella and Winnie sprinkle a dusting of Hollywood glamour over happy newly-weds, but secretly dream of escaping the East End . . . Community is strong on Green Street, but can it stand the ultimate test? As clouds of war brew on the horizon, danger looms over the East End. Will the Wedding Girls find their happy ever afters, before it''s too late?

"Four years after It Means Mischief, Deirdre O''Dare is now an established actress with a long-running slot in the soap Ardmore Grove. When Deirdre learns that she''s to be killed off, she retires to the beautiful Irish countryside for a few weeks to try her hand at producing a screenplay, and is surprised to discover that she has a talent for writing. ith her love life as tangled as ever, and still angry at her on-off actor boyfriend, the seductive but faithless Rory McDonagh - now on the verge of success in Hollywood - she falls into a passionate relationship with the young lord of the manor, the gorgeous Gabriel Considine. But will the course of true love run smooth?"

Nell Gunn, Snowball and Esther will be back, along with more characters from Britain''s biggest beauty factory, as they battle the twists and turns of war in Stratford. Will Nell find lasting love? Will Snowball reveal what forced him onto the streets? And will Esther be able to tame the wild child she takes under her wing as part of her new bursary? As flowers and vegetables blossom in the Shoot''s new Dig for Victory allotment, can the inhabitants really bury their pasts?

Orphan Flossy Brown arrives at Trout''s garment factory in Bethnal Green amidst the uncertainty of the Second World War. In 1940s London, each cobbled street is strewn with ghosts of soldiers past, all struggling to make ends meet. Dolly Doolaney, darling of the East End, and infamous tea lady, gives her a particularly warm welcome and helps Flossy settle into wartime life. Dolly sets up a sewing circle and the ladies arm themselves with their needles and set about stitching their way to victory. But when the full force of the Blitz rains down on London, the women of the sewing bee are forced to bear unimaginable horrors.

Lottery winner Cleo Dowling is living her dream, running a bookshop in the sleepy village of Kilrowan and larking around with her gorgeous painter husband, Pablo. But the dream turns into a nightmare when Pablo accepts a commission to paint a portrait of a Dublin 4 princessa Bestselling author Pixie Pirelli is a media consultant''s dream, running the treadmill of red carpets, chat shows and book signings. But Pixie''s big smile masks a hurt so bad she''s forced to trade in her glittering career for a quiet life in the sticks. She can run, but she can''t hide: who is La Londonista u red in tooth and claw u and why is she trying to sabotage Pixie''s career? Sussed city girl Hazel MacNamara has a list of celebrities with ex-directory, top secret phone numbers on her organiser. Which of these luminaries will dazzle obligingly and make the Kilrowan Arts Festival the must-attend event of the Irish social calendar? Will it be film star Rory McDonagh? Will it be literary diva Colleen? Or will it be - shhh! From the number one bestselling author of THE BLUE HOUR comes a tale of high jinks, betrayal, intrigue, romance and revenge. And sex.

A 100 page journal for you to record your own Bigfoot adventures. Discover the Bigfoot Hunters Code. In the novel Bigfoot Hunters Never Lie by Kate E Thompson, Charlee Radcliffe and Noah Cathcart created a Bigfoot Hunters Journal when they were 10 and were told that only Bigfoot Hunters who are pure in heart can see Bigfoot. They created a Bigfoot Hunters Code together and it became the foundation of their life-long friendship.

1942. Sixteen-year-old Poppy Percival turns up at the gates of Trout''s clothing factory in Bethnal Green with no idea what her new life might have in store. There to start work as a seamstress and struggling to get to grips with the noise, dirt and devastation of East London, Poppy can''t help but miss the quiet countryside of home. But Poppy harbours a dark secret - one that wrenched her away from all she knew and from which she is still suffering . . . And Poppy''s not the only one with a secret. Each of her new friends at the factory is hiding something painful. Vera Shadwell, the forelady, has had a hard life with scars both visible and concealed; her sister Daisy has romantic notions that could get her in trouble; and Sal Fowler, a hardworking mother who worries about her two evacuated boys for good reason. Bound by ties of friendship, loyalty and family, the devastating events of the war will throw each of their lives into turmoil but also bring these women closer to each other than they could ever have imagined.

Big, friendly eyes will delight children as they read the amusing story about a little kitten! In addition to fun googley-eyes, the rhyming text and bright, friendly illustrations will ensure that this adorable book becomes a bedtime favorite.

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Maddie Godard: chief copywriter, The Complete Works advertising agency. Smart. Sussed. Scared. Because when your self-esteem''s been trampled and your world is overturned, you have to act fast. Maddie escapes from busy Dublin to seemingly tranquil Saint-Géyroux, an idyll in rural France. There, she is led into temptation by beautiful, roguish Sam, cajoled into becoming a life model by renowned artist Daniel Lennox, and haunted by a portrait of a mysterious beauty with a secret to share. Can she help Maddie exorcise her demons? In this moving, bittersweet, joyously romantic tale, Maddie Goddard confronts her innermost fears, makes new friends, and learns that life really is worth living...

Ella Nesbit is young, good-looking and has a wicked way with the violin. She also has a great job working in a Dublin recording studio. So why isn''t life more fun? Could Julian, the trainee from hell, have something to do with it? Or is it really due to Ella''s unreciprocated passion for her boss? When Ella''s granny wins a holiday for two in Jamaica, things start to look up. Intrepid Ella dons a wetsuit, discovers scuba, and learns something about life from Rastafarian Raphael. But closer to home, a dark horse is coming up on the outside... In this brilliant, bubbly and sexy tale from the bestselling author of More Mischief, Ella eventually discovers what she really, really wants - and finds a sensational way to get it.

FRIDAY was his birth name, Noah was what he was called, and he was terrified. Because of "crimes" he had committed against his adopted family in America, he found himself abandoned back in his birth country of Liberia, waiting, hoping someone from his birth family would rescue him from this terrible aloneness. The three weeks he roamed the streets, spending his money from America on food, became an endless fear as he faced a gun held to his head, and witnessed the relentless crushing poverty that was daily life on the streets of Monrovia. His great aunt finally came and took him to the depths of the African interior where almost immediately he became sick with malaria, and tackled other challenges he was ill prepared to handle. After nearly five months, he woke up to the news that another family was bringing him back to America. Terror flooded him again, because his first adoptive father had threatened him never to return. FRIDAY''S trust in anyone was shattered, and he silently vowed he would always keep control of his life. Finding Friday is the story of a boy''s movement from hopelessness to hope, the challenges a loving foster family encountered in helping him along his life''s journey, and the unexpected door God opened for him

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Home is where the heart is... Free spirit Rio Kinsella finds herself settled in the picture-postcard village of Lissamore on Ireland''s West Coast. It''s where she took her first step, had her first kiss and conceived her beloved son Finn. But now Finn''s spread his wings and flown the nest, what''s to keep her here? An old flame and a new prospect may provide the answer... City girl Dervla is poles apart from her bohemian sister. A businesswoman with a quick mind, a hard heart and a nose for a good deal, she has no time for love. But is there anywhere she can really call home? And will the arrival of a new client throw her glossy magazine life-style into disarray? Torn apart by a long-standing feud, the Kinsella sisters are reunited upon the death of their wayward father. But on clearing the family home, they discover a secret so intriguing it could change their lives forever... Welcome to blissfully unpredictable Lissamore. It''s guaranteed you''ll never want to leave...

A book about programming, improving skill, and avoiding mistakes. The author spent two years researching every bug avoidance technique she could find. This book contains the best of them. If you want to program faster, with fewer bugs, and write more secure code, buy this book! "This is the best book I have ever read." - Anonymous reviewer "Four score and seven years ago this book helped me debug my server code." -Abraham Lincoln "Would my Javascript have memory leaks without this book? Would fishes fly without water?" -Socrates "This book is the greatest victory since the Spanish Armada, and the best about programming." -Queen Elizabeth http: //www.zerobugsandprogramfaster.net