The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (Song of Ice & Fire) - George RR Martin et al

The never-before-seen history of Westeros and the lands beyond. With hundreds of pages of all-new material from George R.R. Martin.

If the past is prologue, then George R.R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE.

George R.R. Martin, in collaboration with Elio M. García, Jr. and Linda Antonsson, has written a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, featuring the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead up to the events in the bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Collected within this volume is the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers, including over 170 full-colour illustrations and maps, family trees for the Houses Stark, Lannister and Targaryen, and in-depth explanations of the history and culture of Westeros.

This is the definitive companion volume to George R.R. Martin’s dazzlingly conceived universe; THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.

A Million Ways to Die in the West - Seth MacFarlane

Mild-mannered sheep farmer Albert Stark is fed up with the harsh life of the American frontier, where it seems everything and anything can kill you: Duels at high noon. Bar-room brawls. Poisonous snakes. Tumbleweed abrasions. Something called 'toe-foot'. Even a trip to the outhouse. Yes, there are a million ways to die in the wild, wild West, and Albert plans to avoid them all.

Some people think that makes him a coward. Albert calls it common sense. But when his girlfriend dumps him, Albert decides to fight back - even though he can't shoot, ride, or throw a punch. Fortunately, he teams up with a beautiful gunslinger who's tough enough for the both of them. Unfortunately, she's married to the biggest, meanest, most jealous badass on the frontier. Turns out Albert has just discovered a million and one ways to die in the West.

Arguably - Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was a matchless writer, debater and humanist. Throughout his life he shone the light of reason and truth into the eyes of charlatans and hucksters, exposing falsehood and decrying hypocrisy wherever he found it. With his passing, the world has lost a great soul, the written word one of its finest advocates and those who stand for freedom everywhere have lost one of their clearest voices. 

Arguably collects Hitchens' writing on politics, literature and religion when he was at the zenith of his career; it is the indispensible companion to the finest English essayist since Orwell.

Too Much Information - Dave Gorman

Nowadays, the world is full of people trying to tell us things. So much so that we have taught our brains not to pay much attention. After all, click the mouse, tap the screen, flick the channel and it’s on to the next thing. But Dave Gorman thinks it’s time to have a closer look, to find out how much nonsense we tacitly accept.

Suspicious adverts, baffling newspaper headlines, fake twitter, endless cat videos, insane TV shows where the presenters ask the same questions over and over…

Can we even hear ourselves think over the rising din? Or is there just too much information?

Closing Time - Joseph Heller

Forty-two years ago Joseph Heller wrote the 20th century masterpiece CATCH-22, capturing the hilarious and tragic insanity of the times and galvanising the conscience of a generation. In the sequel, CLOSING TIME, he revisits many of the characters - now older, if not wiser - that made CATCH-22 so unforgettable: Yossarian, Milo Minderbinder, Chaplain Tappman, Sammy Singer and giant Lew, all linked in uneasy peace and old age, fighting not the Germans this time, but The End. CLOSING TIME is a stunning achievement; a chilling, darkly funny depiction of the moral collapse of the Western world.

Casino Royale - Ian Fleming

The story details James Bond, Agent 007 of the "Secret Service", travelling to the casino at Royale-les-Eaux in order to bankrupt a fifth-columnist, Le Chiffre, the treasurer of a French union and a member of the Russian secret service. Bond is supported in his endeavours by Vesper Lynd, a member of his own service, as well as Felix Leiter of the CIAand René Mathis of the French Deuxième Bureau.

In the Interests of Safety - Tracey Brown and Michael Hanlon

Does an airline pilot really need to surrender his tweezers at airport security when he's about to board an aircraft equipped with an axe on the back of the cockpit door?

Can a mobile phone really cause a major explosion at a petrol station?

And is there really a good reason why you should be prevented from swimming in a lake more than a foot deep?

These rules exist, and they exist in the name of our own protection. But in this engrossing dissection of global safety rules and security regulations, authors Tracey Brown and Michael Hanlon dig a little deeper to discover the real reasons behind many of the instructions we obey without questioning their creators' motives. Their conclusions range from the startling to the staggering, and in presenting them the authors seek to empower readers to question the people and organisations who come up with them in the first place.