{"title":"Sandi Toksvig","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSandi Toksvig\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a varied literary experience, blending sharp humour with thoughtful reflections. Her works range from engaging fiction like \u003cem\u003eBetween the Stops\u003c\/em\u003e to insightful memoirs such as \u003cem\u003eFriends of Dorothy\u003c\/em\u003e, inviting readers into vibrant stories filled with wit and warmth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can also explore her playful yet intelligent takes on science and society, where curiosity meets comedy. Whether through anecdotal memoir or imaginative narrative, Toksvig's writing is rich in character and keen observation.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"peas-queues-by-sandi-toksvig-9781781250334","title":"Peas \u0026 Queues","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow do you get rid of unwanted guests? What do you do if there's a racket in the quiet carriage? How should you eat peas, and behave in queues? How to behave, like how to punctuate, is an aspect of life that many are no longer taught - and getting it wrong is the stuff of comedy at best and humiliation at worst.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThankfully, Sandi Toksvig has come to the rescue with her entertaining guide to modern manners, with tips on what to do whether you're talking to a bore, or forgot their name in the first place. (Just call them 'darling'.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe award-winning Radio 4 broadcaster and writer offers guidance on the social pitfalls of every phase of life, from christenings to condolence letters. With characteristic wit and perceptiveness, and revealing the trickiest of her encounters along the way, she highlights decency rather than convention and provides an essential guide to twenty-first century behaviour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow this down-to-earth, hilarious guide is available in perfect pocket-sized paperback size.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46550393913580,"sku":"9781781250334","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5203963482822.jpg?v=1749980393"},{"product_id":"between-the-stops-by-sandi-toksvig-9780349006406","title":"Between the Stops","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBetween the Stops\u003c\/em\u003e is a sort of memoir, my sort. It's about a bus trip really, because it's my view from the Number 12 bus (mostly top deck, the seat at the front on the right), a double-decker that plies its way from Dulwich, in South East London where I was living, to where I sometimes work at the BBC in the heart of the capital. It's not a sensible way to write a memoir at all, probably, but it's the way things pop into your head as you travel, so it's my way.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom London facts including where to find the blue plaque for Una Marson, 'the first black woman programme maker at the BBC', to discovering the best Spanish coffee under Southwick railway arches; from a brief history of lady gangsters at Elephant and Castle to memories of climbing Mount Sinai and, at the request of a fellow traveller, reading aloud the Ten Commandments; from the story behind Pissarro's painting of Dulwich Station to performing in Footlights with Emma Thompson; from painful memories of being sent to Coventry at a British boarding school to thinking about how Wombells Travelling Circus of 1864 haunts Peckham Rye and anecdotes about Prince Charles, Monica Lewinsky and Grayson Perry; from \u003cem\u003eBake-Off\u003c\/em\u003e antics to stories of a real and lasting friendship with John McCarthy, to the importance of family and the daunting navigation of the Zambezi River in her father's canoe; this Sandi Toksvig-style memoir is, as one would expect and hope, packed full of surprise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA funny and moving trip through memories, musings and the many delights on the number 12 route, \u003cem\u003eBetween the Stops\u003c\/em\u003e is also an inspiration to us all to get off our phones, to look up and to talk to each other because as Sandi says: 'some of the greatest trips lie on our own doorstep'.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46799102836972,"sku":"9780349006406","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6517583482312.jpg?v=1757219605"},{"product_id":"valentine-grey-by-sandi-toksvig-9781844088331","title":"Valentine Grey","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLondon, 1897, and a young girl, Valentine Grey, arrives in England. She's been brought up in the remote and sunny climes of India and finds being forced into corsets and skirts in damp and cold country insufferable. The only bright spot: her exciting cousin, Reggie.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReggie, and his lover Frank, seek out the adventure the clandestine bars and streets of London offer and are happy to include Valentine in their secret, showing her theatre, gardens—even teaching her how to ride a bicycle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThen comes the Boer War and Reggie's father volunteers him; the empire must be defended. But it won't be Reggie who dons the Volunteer Regiment's garb. Valentine takes her chance, puts on her cousin's uniform, leaving Reggie behind and heads off to war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a long while, it's glorious and liberating for both of the cousins, but war is not glorious and in Victorian London, homosexuality is not liberating...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eValentine Grey\u003c\/em\u003e offers a captivating exploration of identity, freedom, and the challenges posed by societal norms at the turn of the century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846954701036,"sku":"9781844088331","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5dabe31b5c100efb2e5f7cd8f87b05ca.jpg?v=1758965580"},{"product_id":"the-chain-of-curiosity-by-sandi-toksvig-9781847443458","title":"The Chain Of Curiosity","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSandi Toksvig — broadcaster, writer, actor, and seeker of all things whimsical, has turned her probing mind to many of the most intriguing questions of our times in the pages of the Sunday Telegraph for many years. Now, for the very first time, these musings have been collected in one hilarious collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Chain of Curiosity\u003c\/em\u003e, Sandi takes the reader on a side-splitting journey through life’s peculiarities in a book packed with wit, wisdom, and wonderment. From pondering the joys of World Pencil Day to examining the intricacies of applause etiquette, and from tip-toeing around the delicate art of school report vocabulary to researching the oddest way to meet a sticky end, the tickling tidbits and intriguing revelations contained within the book will delight Sandi’s fans, both old and new.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854917325036,"sku":"9781847443458","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781847443458.jpg?v=1759259247"},{"product_id":"friends-of-dorothy-by-sandi-toksvig-9780349018997","title":"Friends of Dorothy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNOW IN PAPERBACK - THE FUNNY, WISE AND BRILLIANT NOVEL FROM THE STAR OF \u003ci\u003eQI\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003e'Warm, witty and wise . . . the perfect balm for these turbulent times'\u003c\/b\u003e — GRAHAM NORTON\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter much searching, the happily married young couple, Amber and Stevie, think they have found the perfect spot in Grimaldi Square. Despite the rundown pub across the way, the overgrown garden, and a decidedly nosy neighbour, number 4 is the house of their dreams. Stevie, a woman who has never left anything to chance, has planned everything so nothing can spoil their happiness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut upstairs in their new home, seated on an old red sofa, is the woman they bought the place from—eighty-year-old foul-mouthed, straight-talking, wise-cracking Dorothy—who has decided that she's not going anywhere. It turns out that Dorothy will be only the first in a line of life-changing surprises.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFriends of Dorothy\u003c\/i\u003e is a touching, funny novel about a family that is not biological, but logical; a story close to Sandi Toksvig's heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003eReaders can't get enough of \u003ci\u003eFriends of Dorothy:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Superb. Buy this book . . . Enjoyed it so much that I feel like starting at the beginning again' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'I absolutely adored this book! I hope to be half as hilarious as Dorothy when I reach my 70s' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'I literally read this in 24 hours and really could not put it down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'It's a rare thing to find a novel that's warm and funny, but in no way cheesy or predictable . . . can't wait to re-read!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'A great big warm hug of a book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'I would give this six stars if I could' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47596441239788,"sku":"9780349018997","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780349018997-friends-of-dorothy.jpg?v=1777925552"},{"product_id":"silver-lining-by-sandi-toksvig-9781350038240","title":"Silver Lining","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow unbelievably dull my life was. I did everything I was supposed to. I was such a good girl. I lived in the house he chose and cleaned a dead woman’s furniture. I bought hats, who the hell wears a hat? And all the time I wanted to scream because I was so bored.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn one dark and stormy night in the upper day room of the Silver Retirement Home, five elderly women are trading stories of their remarkable (or sometimes unremarkable) lives. With the storm floods rising and no rescue team in sight, the ladies are faced with the sudden realisation that in order to survive they are going to have to do what they have done for their entire lives – do it themselves!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSilver Lining\u003c\/i\u003e is a hilarious comedy by Sandi Toksvig. It tells the tale of a group of extraordinary yet forgotten women, who come together one treacherous night to recreate The Great Escape – senior-citizen style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt received its world premiere at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, on 3 February 2017 in a production by English Touring Theatre and Rose Theatre, Kingston.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47598268907756,"sku":"9781350038240","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5d1045e0bf3f78874dfcf401e7dc04b2.jpg?v=1778026613"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/sandi-toksvig.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}