'Just trust me when I say that My Christmas Number One will be unlike any other Christmas read you have picked up.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ There’s nothing quite like a Christmas love story, to get you in the mood for celebrating... Cara doesn’t do sexy and she only does ‘Happy Christmas’ under duress. She is, after all, a serious musician, and her stubborn streak is born from her struggle to recover from a serious injury. Javi lives for escapist fun - in his music, and in his life - especially since he’s always failed at life’s more serious challenges, including marriage and fatherhood. Javi and Cara are forced to record a Christmas single together, but neither of them have plans to spend any more time with each other than they absolutely have to. With Christmas traditions that couldn’t be more different, and outlooks on life that are worlds apart, the chemistry just shouldn’t work. But the magic of Christmas can bring even opposites together... From the snowy beauty of London at Christmas, to the candle-lit magic of Javi’s traditional family celebrations, let Leonie Mack whisk you away on a memorable festive adventure. Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Mandy Baggot and Holly Martin. What readers are saying about My Christmas Number One: 'Just trust me when I say that My Christmas Number One will be unlike any other Christmas read you have picked up.' 'I read a lot of romance books and I have to say this book is one of the best in terms of chemistry. Readers - we’re talking red hot!' 'A hot and sizzling read!' 'An uplifting, intelligent novel with a lot of substance and of course, plenty of romance' 'I can't stop thinking about this book!' 'A festive, feel-good book with great lightness and vast emotional depth' 'Beautifully written and with a gorgeously heartwarming Christmas romance this book is a tale of love overcoming adversity and self-doubt.' 'Beautifully written, this is a great take on the opposites attract theme.' 'Leonie Mack's debut is a joy from start to finish and My Christmas Number One is a surefire hit; I can't wait to read more!' 'A delight to read with lots of fun, romance and funny bits along the way.'

The modern Christmas was made by the Victorians and rooted in their belief in commerce, family and religion. Their rituals and traditions persist to the present day but the festival has also been changed by growing affluence, shifting family structures, greater expectations of happiness and material comfort, technological developments and falling religious belief. Christmas became a battleground for arguments over consumerism, holiday entitlements, social obligations, communal behaviour and the influence of church, state and media. Even in private, it encouraged reflection on social change and the march of time. Amongst those unhappy at the state of the world or their own lives, Christmas could induce much cynicism and even loathing but for a quieter majority it was a happy time, a moment of a joy in a sometimes difficult world that made the festival more than just an integral feature of the calendar: Christmas was one of British culture's emotional high points. Moreover, it was also a testimony to the enduring importance of family, shared values and a common culture in the UK. Martin Johnes shows how Christmas and its traditions have been lived, adapted and thought about in Britain since 1914. Christmas and the British is about the festival's social, cultural and economic functions, and its often forgotten status as both the most unusual and important day of the year

1980 was an important year for Top of the Pops: it was the year it began to transform from a light entertainment show into essential viewing for pop music aficionados. The transition didn't happen overnight, but when a Musicians' Union strike forced the programme off air for the whole of June and July, producer Michael Hurll took the opportunity to restructure the show. As a result the latter half of 1980 was often bizarre, occasionally quite grim, but always fascinating as Hurll threw all sorts of new formats at the screen to see what would stick. This transitional year is documented here. Hopefully you will find it a breathtaking rollercoaster of good and bad decisions made in the pursuit of television excellence. Or maybe it will just inspire you to dig out some old records you'd forgotten. Either's good.

The official UK charts started in November 1952 with Al Martin's Here's In My Heart at the top. Since then, there have been over 50 years of changes and we have now reached the 1,000 number one.

Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened To Record Shops? documents the sad disappearance of a cultural icon from our high streets. Once a thriving industry, the UK has gone from having over 2000 independent record shops in the 1980s to just 269 in 2009. Written by Graham Jones, who has worked in the distribution industry for over 25 years as a record company salesman, this book presents a snapshot of a business that is under threat of going the same way as the stamp shop, the coin shop and the candlestick maker. Jones’ speaks to 50 record shop owners to see why they have survived while nearly two thousand others have closed. These interviews form the basis of the book, which celebrates the rich social history in which the record shop is steeped. In 2012 Last Shop Standing was made into an award winning 50 minute film, featuring interviews with Johnny Marr, Norman Cook, Richard Hawley, Paul Weller and Billy Bragg, alongside many of the record shop owners featured in the book. Given a new tagline – ‘the rise, fall and rebirth of the independent record shop’, the film has been screened around the globe and was an official selection at the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival in 2013.