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The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater is a memoir about life truths learned through crafting.

People who craft know things. They know how to transform piles of yarn into sweaters and scarves. They know that some items, like woolen bikini tops, are better left unknit. They know that making a hat for a newborn baby isn't just about crafting something small but appreciating the beginnings of life, which sometimes helps make peace with the endings. They know that if you knit your boyfriend a sweater, your relationship will most likely be over before the last stitch.

Alanna Okun knows that crafting keeps her anxiety at bay. She knows that no one will ever be as good a knitting teacher as her beloved grandmother. And she knows that even when we can't control anything else, we can at least control the sticks, string, and fabric right in front of us.

Okun lays herself bare and takes readers into the parts of themselves they often keep hidden. Yet at the same time she finds humor in the daily indignities all crafters must face (like when you catch the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome and can't possibly finish the second in a pair). Okun has written a book that will speak to anyone who has said to themselves, or to everyone within earshot, \"I made that.\"

the daily indignities all crafters must face (like when you catch the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome and can't possibly finish the second in a pair). Okun has written a book that will speak to anyone who has said to themselves, or to everyone within earshot, \"I made that.\"the daily indignities all crafters must face (like when you catch the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome and can't possibly finish the second in a pair). Okun has written a book that will speak to anyone who has said to themselves, or to everyone within earshot, \"I made that.\"the daily indignities all crafters must face (like when you catch the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome and can't possibly finish the second in a pair). Okun has written a book that will speak to anyone who has said to themselves, or to everyone within earshot, \"I made that.\"",{"_813":829,"_815":839,"_789":840},{"_813":829,"_815":842,"_789":1015},"Flatiron Books",{"_813":829,"_815":820,"_789":845},{"_813":829,"_815":847,"_789":848},{"_813":829,"_815":1019,"_789":1020},"language","English",{"_813":829,"_815":850,"_789":1022},"KNITTING & CROCHET",{"_813":829,"_815":853,"_789":1024},"2019-03-26",{"_813":829,"_815":856,"_789":1026},"256",{"_813":859,"_815":731,"_789":860},{"_813":859,"_815":862,"_789":863},{"_813":859,"_815":865,"_789":863},{"_813":859,"_815":867,"_789":1031},"25/06/2026",{"_813":859,"_815":870,"_789":1033},"51.0",{"_813":859,"_815":872,"_789":1035},"1",{"_813":875,"_815":876,"_789":1037},"Essays,Literary Biography",{"_813":875,"_815":731,"_789":1039},"Essays;Literary Biography",{"_813":875,"_815":880,"_789":1041},"ESSAYS,LITBIO",{"_813":875,"_815":882,"_789":1043},"ESSAYS;LITBIO",{"_813":875,"_815":884,"_789":1045},"ESSAYS,LITERARY BIOGRAPHY",{"_813":875,"_815":886,"_789":1047},"ESSAYS;LITERARY BIOGRAPHY",{"_813":875,"_815":888,"_789":1049},"ESSAYS & REFERENCE,BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR",{"_813":875,"_815":891,"_789":1051},"ESSAYS & REFERENCE;BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR",{"_813":875,"_815":893,"_789":894},{"_813":875,"_815":896,"_789":1054},"NON FICTION;NON FICTION",{"_813":875,"_815":898,"_789":899},{"_813":875,"_815":901,"_789":899},{"_766":1058},[1059],{"_769":116,"_770":-5,"_130":1060,"_209":1061,"_780":1065,"_786":1066,"_17":990,"_790":1068,"_792":1069},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/46367123407045",{"_773":1062,"_775":776,"_130":1063,"_35":993,"_778":1064},"The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/42864236691653",1361,{"_782":783,"_784":1033},[1067],{"_751":752,"_789":990},"9781250095633",{"_794":1070},[1071],{"_797":1072},{"_799":116,"_133":1073},{"_751":729},{"_130":1075,"_17":1076,"_742":1077,"_761":1078,"_810":1080,"_764":1165},"gid://shopify/Product/8865276526789","My Book of Treasures","my-book-of-treasures",{"_35":1079},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-1-3997-4161-3.jpg?v=1779851587",[1081,1082,1084,1086,1088,1091,1093,1094,1095,1097,1099,1101,1102,1104,1106,1108,-5,1109,1111,1113,-5,1115,1116,1117,1119,1120,1121,1124,1126,1129,1131,1133,1135,1137,1138,1140,1142,1144,1146,1148,1150,1152,1153,1155,1157,-5,1158,1159,1161,1164],{"_813":814,"_815":17,"_789":1076},{"_813":814,"_815":817,"_789":1083},"LUMLEY JOANNA",{"_813":814,"_815":820,"_789":1085},"HB",{"_813":814,"_815":823,"_789":1087},"HODDER",{"_813":814,"_815":1089,"_789":1090},"supplier_auckland","ADS",{"_813":814,"_815":826,"_789":1092},"GARD",{"_813":829,"_815":830,"_789":831},{"_813":829,"_815":17,"_789":1076},{"_813":829,"_815":1007,"_789":1096},"National Treasure Dame Joanna Lumley's Collection of Favourite Writings",{"_813":829,"_815":817,"_789":1098},"Joanna Lumley",{"_813":829,"_815":836,"_789":1100},"'I welcome you with open arms to my book of treasures. It's a book for all seasons and for all occasions; and it comes to you from me, with armfuls of effusive greetings and salutations, trailing clouds of glory and affection, this offering of treasures made specially for you.' Joanna Lumley

Over the years Joanna Lumley has kept private notebooks, filled with her favourite writings, thoughts and quotes. Now, for the first time, she opens her Book of Treasures to share some of her many and varied jottings with readers.

This collection of favourite writings, interspersed with narration from Joanna, features the lines of her favourite authors, from Shakespeare to Emily Dickinson, pearls of wisdom that she has heard or read, and nuggets of trivia and miscellanea that have made her happy.

The book is full of surprise and variety: the wistful keeps company with the acerbic, the sincere slips in besides the absurd. And the result is a jewel box of delights, filled with fabulous titbits.",{"_813":829,"_815":839,"_789":840},{"_813":829,"_815":842,"_789":1103},"Hodder & Stoughton",{"_813":829,"_815":820,"_789":1105},"Trade Cloth",{"_813":829,"_815":847,"_789":1107},"Hardback",{"_813":829,"_815":1019,"_789":1020},{"_813":829,"_815":850,"_789":1110},"HUMOUR",{"_813":829,"_815":853,"_789":1112},"2025-10-02",{"_813":829,"_815":856,"_789":1114},"176",{"_813":859,"_815":350,"_789":860},{"_813":859,"_815":731,"_789":860},{"_813":859,"_815":1118,"_789":863},"onorder_auckland",{"_813":859,"_815":862,"_789":863},{"_813":859,"_815":865,"_789":863},{"_813":859,"_815":1122,"_789":1123},"last_received_auckland","09/06/2026",{"_813":859,"_815":867,"_789":1125},"27/05/2026",{"_813":859,"_815":1127,"_789":1128},"price_auckland","42.0",{"_813":859,"_815":870,"_789":1130},"64.0",{"_813":859,"_815":1132,"_789":1035},"stock_auckland",{"_813":859,"_815":872,"_789":1134},"0",{"_813":875,"_815":876,"_789":1136},"Biography",{"_813":875,"_815":350,"_789":1136},{"_813":875,"_815":731,"_789":1139},"Essays;Humour",{"_813":875,"_815":880,"_789":1141},"BIOGRA",{"_813":875,"_815":1143,"_789":1141},"codes_auckland",{"_813":875,"_815":882,"_789":1145},"ESSAYS;HUMOUR",{"_813":875,"_815":884,"_789":1147},"BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR",{"_813":875,"_815":1149,"_789":1147},"sub_auckland",{"_813":875,"_815":886,"_789":1151},"ESSAYS;HUMOUR, PUZZLES & GAMES",{"_813":875,"_815":888,"_789":1147},{"_813":875,"_815":1154,"_789":1147},"main_auckland",{"_813":875,"_815":891,"_789":1156},"ESSAYS & REFERENCE;ESSAYS & REFERENCE",{"_813":875,"_815":893,"_789":894},{"_813":875,"_815":896,"_789":1054},{"_813":875,"_815":898,"_789":1160},"MUS,REF",{"_813":875,"_815":1162,"_789":1163},"department_auckland","MUS",{"_813":875,"_815":901,"_789":899},{"_766":1166},[1167],{"_769":116,"_770":-5,"_130":1168,"_209":1169,"_780":1173,"_786":1174,"_17":1076,"_790":1176,"_792":1177},"gid://shopify/ProductVariant/46282687021253",{"_773":1170,"_775":776,"_130":1171,"_35":1079,"_778":1172},"My Book of Treasures Cover Image","gid://shopify/ProductImage/42573426655429",1273,{"_782":783,"_784":1128},[1175],{"_751":752,"_789":1076},"9781399741613",{"_794":1178},[1179,1182],{"_797":1180},{"_799":116,"_133":1181},{"_751":347},{"_797":1183},{"_799":33,"_133":1184},{"_751":729},{"_130":1186,"_17":1187,"_742":1188,"_761":1189,"_810":1191,"_764":1261},"gid://shopify/Product/8583681999045","Silent Catastrophes : Essays in Austrian Literature","silent-catastrophes-essays-in-austrian-literature",{"_35":1190},"https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/6679/3413/files/978-0-14-103702-8.jpg?v=1769026181",[1192,1193,1195,1196,1198,1200,1201,1202,1204,1206,1208,1210,1211,1213,1215,1216,1217,-5,1220,1222,1224,1226,1227,1228,1229,1230,1231,1233,1234,1236,1237,1238,1239,1241,1242,1244,1246,1247,1249,1250,1251,1253,1254,1255,1256,-5,1257,1258,1259,1260],{"_813":814,"_815":17,"_789":1187},{"_813":814,"_815":817,"_789":1194},"SEBALD W. G.",{"_813":814,"_815":820,"_789":821},{"_813":814,"_815":823,"_789":1197},"PENGUI",{"_813":814,"_815":1089,"_789":1199},"UBD",{"_813":814,"_815":826,"_789":827},{"_813":829,"_815":830,"_789":831},{"_813":829,"_815":17,"_789":1203},"Silent Catastrophes",{"_813":829,"_815":1007,"_789":1205},"Essays in Austrian Literature",{"_813":829,"_815":817,"_789":1207},"W. G. Sebald; Jo Catling (Translator)",{"_813":829,"_815":836,"_789":1209},"

'A profoundly affirming book about the potential for literature . . . One of the few essential writers of this generation' The Scotsman

From acclaimed critic, novelist and academic W. G. Sebald, author of Austerlitz and The Rings of Saturn, a collection of essay on the Austrian writers who inspired him

Appearing for the first time in English, Silent Catastrophes brings together W. G. Sebald's essays on the Austrian writers who meant so much to him.

The evolution of Austria from vast empire to diminutive Alpine republic, followed by its annexation by Nazi Germany, had a profound traumatic impact on the literary output of the nation. Essays on the writings of Kafka, Handke, Bernhard and more, explore the concepts of 'home/land', 'borderland' and 'exile' with deep compassion and insight.

A revelation to Sebald's English-language readers, Silent Catastrophes traces many of the themes which animate Sebald's own work and illuminates how melancholy - the contemplation of disaster in progress - is itself a form of resistance.

'One of Europe's most mysterious and best-loved literary imaginations' Evening Standard

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The national bestseller, Phosphorescence is a beautiful, intimate and inspiring investigation into how we can find and nurture within ourselves that essential quality of internal happiness - the 'light within' - which will sustain us even through the darkest times.

Over the last decade, we have become better at knowing what brings us contentment, well-being and joy. We know, for example, that there are a few core truths to the science of happiness. We know that being kind and altruistic makes us happy, that turning off devices, talking to people, forging relationships, living with meaning and delving into the concerns of others offer our best chance of achieving happiness. But how do we retain happiness? It often slips out of our hands as quickly as we find it. So, when we are exposed to, or learn, good things, how do we continue to burn with them?

And more than that, when our world goes dark, when we're overwhelmed by illness or heartbreak, loss or pain, how do we survive, stay alive or even bloom? In the muck and grit of a daily existence full of disappointments and a disturbing lack of control over many of the things that matter most - finite relationships, fragile health, fraying economies, a planet in peril - how do we find, nurture and carry our own inner, living light - a light to ward off the darkness?

An intimate, achingly beautiful and inspiring exploration of the ways we can pursue awe, wonder and purpose, from one of our best, most perceptive writers.

'Like spending an evening with a wonderful friend, with unlimited time and a glass of good wine in hand ... A beautiful and rallying read' The Australian

'Julia Baird's new, beautiful consideration of the things that glow through the murk ... a book such as this one - one that aims to provoke delight and wonder and comfort, that is at its heart trying to find answers or modes of connection, or light - is of the moment in the best possible way' The Guardian

'Intelligent and emotionally astute ... Many will find sustenance in reading it' Sydney Morning Herald

'That is the beauty of this profound book. It transports you into all the deep, inner yearnings you've had for a long time, and then articulates them for you ... I could rave about this gem of a book forever. We need this book. You need this book. It is the perfect gift for us all right now. It is perfect' Better Reading

'Julia Baird is an alchemist, turning the dross of her life's harshest blows into shimmering prose. Both timeless and timely, this is a book of wisdom and wonder.' Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March and Caleb's Crossing

'This book is a love letter to the world by a brilliant writer who nearly left it. Julia Baird has gone into the depths of human experience-her own, and others'-and come back with this luminous and profound celebration of people and the planet. Phosphorescence is a treasure to read and re-read your whole life.' Anna Funder, author of All That I Am and Stasiland

'I loved this book. A cupped hand full of light in a darkened world. A collection of glittering curios. I'll hold it close in trying times.' Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

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Africa's Tarnished Name

by Chinua Achebe