Many marketers spend their days continually reducing brand positioning into single sentences to answer questions such as ‘What is the brand message?’ or ‘What is the USP?’ This tendency to perpetually condense and simplify is a carry-over from a long-gone era when products and services remained static, and changes in platforms happened much more slowly. Today, however, the reality is that brands are infinitely more complex, and span territories, consumer groups and categories. Therefore, to boil a branding message down into a single sentence or USP severely limits a brand’s potential scope. After all, a brand is like a person, and a person could never be accurately described in a single sentence.

The Marketing Complex examines the current obsession with over-simplification, and fearlessly challenges marketers to consider whether they are blurring the line between simplifying and simplistic. By exploring the origins and appeal of simplification through some of the best-known literature, the book conclusively proves that endless simplification actually only serves to limit a brand’s appeal. By presenting a visionary new model, supported by examples, tools and expertly explained techniques, The Marketing Complex will enable marketers to recognise the important role that depth and multiplicity play in communicating a brand message, and to boldly embrace complexity when crafting their brands

Shakespeare’s Sonnets are among the most lyrical and moving pieces of poetry in any language, abounding with examples of his genius for wordplay, rhythm and metaphor and dealing with the eternal themes of love, memory, beauty and the ravishes of time. First published in 1609, after Shakespeare had written many of his most famous works, the Sonnets have been the subject of literary curiosity ever since, mainly concerning the identity of the two addressees, ‘Mr W.H.’ and the ‘Dark Lady’, and the light they could shine on Shakespeare’s life.

This collection constitutes one of English literature’s most profound poetic meditations on life and love, and is a vital complement to the plays, offering clues to Shakespeare’s own biography. Presented here in an edition that makes them accessible to twentieth-century readers, these poems are worth returning to again and again.

‘A luminous debut novel… This is a book that demanded to be written… With a light touch, Faye dramatises the terrible nostalgia of having lost not only a childhood but also a whole world to war’ Guardian

Burundi, 1992. For ten-year-old Gabriel, life in his comfortable expat neighbourhood of Bujumbura with his French father, Rwandan mother and little sister, Ana, is something close to paradise. These are happy, carefree days spent with his friends sneaking cigarettes and stealing mangoes, swimming in the river and riding bikes in the streets they have turned into their kingdom. But dark clouds are gathering over this small country, and soon their peaceful idyll will shatter when Burundi and neighbouring Rwanda are brutally hit by war and genocide.

A haunting and luminous novel of extraordinary power, Small Country describes a devastating end of innocence as seen through the eyes of a young child caught in the maelstrom of history. It is a stirring tribute not only to a time of tragedy, but also to the bright days that came before it

The inspiration for the epic MTV series, the world of Shannara is brimming with untold stories and unexplored territory. Now bestselling author Terry Brooks breaks new ground with a standalone adventure that’s sure to thrill veteran readers and recent converts alike.

‘A TSUNAMI OF A THRILLER. This may well be Gardner’s best work’ – DAVID BALDACCI
_______________
One death might be an accident.
Two looks like murder.

A man is shot dead in his own home, and his pregnant wife, Evie, is found with the gun in her hands.

Detective D.D. Warren instantly recognises her. Sixteen years ago, Evie also shot her own father. That killing was ruled an accident.

D.D. doesn’t believe in coincidences. But this case isn’t as open and shut as it first appears, and her job is to discover the truth.

Evie might be a victim.

Or she might be about to get away with murder again.

When did you last count how many followers you have on Instagram or Twitter? Have you noticed how obsessed politicians are with opinion polls? How many ‘likes’ did that post get you thought was so funny? What’s happening with that friend who keeps cancelling on you last minute? What does that little voice in your head say to you when you present to a room full of people? And are you aware just how much your behaviour today is driven by your experiences of popularity as a teenager?

We live in an era that is completely obsessed with popularity, both in the real and, increasingly, in the virtual world where hard data from our social media channels show us just how popular and visible we really are. Parents and teachers are becoming increasingly concerned about the high anxiety (especially amongst young girls) surrounding young people and their insatiable appetite for acceptance online – all at the expense of school work, real friends and healthy self-esteem.

The Popularity Paradox is a fresh and fascinating book about the science of popularity. Based on 20 years of research and written by popularity expert Mitch Prinstein, it investigates what popularity is, why we care about it so much – even if we don’t think we do – what kind of popularity is worth caring about and how we can get the popularity we want, even if we didn’t have it when we were younger. Although very much written for a general audience, the book will also appeal to parents wishing to support children through their formative years to ensure that their experience of popularity today shapes them positively as adults in the future.

The first and only comprehensive examination of the universal but widely misunderstood practice of grudge-holding that will show you how to use grudges to be your happiest, most optimistic, and most forgiving self. Shouldn’t we just forgive and move on? Wrong, says self-appointed grudge guru Sophie Hannah, in her groundbreaking and irreverent self-help guide. Yes, it’s essential to think positively if we want to live happy lives, but even more crucial is how we get to the positive. Denying our negative emotions and experiences is likely to lead only to more pain, conflict, and stress.

With contributions from expert psychotherapists as well as extracts from her own extensive catalog of grudges, Sophie Hannah investigates the psychological origins of grudges and also offers not-so-obvious insights into how we should acknowledge—and embrace—them in order to improve the quality of our interpersonal relationships and senses of self. happier people—for our own benefit and for the sake of spreading good and limiting harm in the world.

In 2010 world-renowned innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen gave a powerful speech to the Harvard Business School’s graduating class. Drawing upon his business research, he offered a series of guidelines for finding meaning and happiness in life. He used examples from his own experiences to explain how high achievers can all too often fall into traps that lead to unhappiness.

The speech was memorable not only because it was deeply revealing but also because it came at a time of intense personal reflection: Christensen had just overcome the same type of cancer that had taken his father’s life. As Christensen struggled with the disease, the question “How do you measure your life?” became more urgent and poignant, and he began to share his insights more widely with family, friends, and students.

In this groundbreaking book, Christensen puts forth a series of questions: How can I be sure that I’ll find satisfaction in my career? How can I be sure that my personal relationships become enduring sources of happiness? How can I avoid compromising my integrity—and stay out of jail? Using lessons from some of the world’s greatest businesses, he provides incredible insights into these challenging questions.

How Will You Measure Your Life? is full of inspiration and wisdom, and will help students, midcareer professionals, and parents alike forge their own paths to fulfillment.

It’s time for a reunion

Lindsey hasn’t spoken to Rachael in twenty years, not since her brother’s 18th birthday party at their parents’ remote country house. A night that shattered so many friendships – and left Rachel’s father dead.

Now Thornbury Hall is up for sale, and the old gang are back there, together again. A weekend to say goodbye to the old place, to talk about the past. But twenty years of secrets aren’t given up lightly. Some won’t speak about what happened that night. While others want to ensure that no one does. Surviving the weekend is going to depend on whether you can keep a secret . .

Extinction Rebellion are inspiring a whole generation to take action on climate breakdown.

Now you can become part of the movement – and together, we can make history.

It’s time. This is our last chance to do anything about the global climate and ecological emergency. Our last chance to save the world as we know it.

Now or never, we need to be radical. We need to rise up. And we need to rebel.

Extinction Rebellion is a global activist movement of ordinary people, demanding action from Governments. This is a book of truth and action. It has facts to arm you, stories to empower you, pages to fill in and pages to rip out, alongside instructions on how to rebel – from organising a roadblock to facing arrest.

By the time you finish this book you will have become an Extinction Rebellion activist. Act now before it’s too late

‘Bruce Daisley is on a mission to change the world of work.’ The Times
__________________________
From the creator of hit podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat comes a revolutionary re-envisioning of how to enjoy your job.

In the course of a career that has taken him from some of the world’s biggest media companies to Twitter, via Google and YouTube, Bruce Daisley has become fascinated by what makes great companies tick. And in his hugely popular podcast Eat Sleep Work Repeat, he has dug right into the DNA of work, talking to leading experts about how we can make our jobs more fulfilling, more productive – and much more enjoyable.

Now, in The Joy of Work, he shares the fruits of his discoveries in 30 succinct tips that range across all aspects of 21st-century office life and that combine inspiration, empirically tested insight and down-to-earth practical answers in equal measure. Are lunch breaks for wimps, or do they actually make us more productive? Is it true that you can improve team performance simply by moving the location of the kettle or coffee machine? Why are meetings so often a waste of time, and how can they be fixed? And what are Monk Mode Mornings and Hack Weeks, and why do people swear by them?

If you’re not happy with the status quo, if you want to find out how things could be done better, if you’re seeking greater fulfilment at work and a life that is less fraught, The Joy of Work will point the way.

2015 World Poetry Slam Champion and Woman of the World co-Champion Emtithal “Emi” Mahmoud presents her hauntingly beautiful debut poetry collection.

Brimming with rage, sorrow, and resilience, this collection traverses an expansive terrain: genocide; diaspora; the guilt of surviving; racism and Islamophobia; the burdens of girlhood; the solace of sisterhood; the innocence of a first kiss.  Heart-wrenching and raw, defiant and empowering, Sisters’ Entrance explores how to speak the unspeakable.