Runaway

Alice Munro

The matchless Munro makes art out of everyday lives in this dazzling new collection.  At its centre are three stories connected into one marvellously rich narrative about Juliet - who escapes from teaching at a girls' school and throws herself into a wild and passionate love match.    Here are men and w...

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer: Popular Penguins

Patrick Suskind

Patrick Süskind's Perfume follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, abandoned at birth in the slums of eighteenth-century Paris, but blessed with an outstanding sense of smell. This gift enables Jean-Baptiste to master the art of perfume making, but one scent evades him- that of a virgin, whom he mu...

The Happiness Hypothesis: Putting Ancient Wisdom to the Test of Modern Science

Jonathan Haidt

Every culture rests on a bedrock of folk wisdom handed down through generations.The pronouncements of philosophers are homespun by our grandmothers, and find their way into our common sense: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Happiness comes from wi...