Bloomsbury

Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI PRIZE 2021 A Guardian Book of the Year ‘The highest talent at work’ Sebastian Barry ‘Beautiful … A masterpiece’ Attitude Poland, 1980. Shy, anxious Ludwik has been sent along with the rest of his university class to an agricultural camp. Here he meets Janusz – and together they spend a dreamlike summer falling in love. But with summer over, the two are sent back to Warsaw. Confronted by the scrutiny, intolerance and corruption of life under the Party, Ludwik and Janusz must decide how they will survive; and in their different choices, find themselves torn apart. ‘An affecting and unusual romance’ Observer ‘A new classic’ Evening Standard ‘A beautiful novel, and at its heart an amazing love story’ BBC Radio 4 Open Book, Editor’s Pick ‘Jedrowski is an authentic new international star’ Edmund White ‘A remarkable, beautiful tale, utterly new and entirely credible ... This book radiates sensuality, humour, and human truths’ Literary Review Trade ReviewMarvellous, precise, poignant writing; the reader is happy to be overwhelmed. The highest talent at work -- SEBASTIAN BARRYAn enthralling debut -- TASH AW * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *A remarkable, beautiful tale ... Utterly new and entirely credible ... This book radiates sensuality, humour, and human truths … Swimming in the Dark is sensual and immersive, and Ludwik’s sentimental education is so well described that the reader is left wanting more. You won’t want to miss it * LITERARY REVIEW *Elegant, compelling and full of melancholy beauty ... I will keep it on my shelves alongside novels by Alan Hollinghurst, Edmund White and other classics in the gay canon * EVENING STANDARD *One of the most astonishing contemporary gay novels we have ever read … extraordinarily beautiful, enrapturing and poignant … Erotic, mesmeric, heart-rending and brutal, this is a masterpiece * ATTITUDE *A young Polish author who writes rather miraculously in English, of which he has magisterial and frankly, Conradian command * Guardian, Books of the Year *New Year, New Writers … Swimming in the Dark is an unforgettable debut about youth, love, and loss - and the sacrifices we make to live lives with meaning -- Foyles.co.ukBeautifully judged, very moving, passionate ... I was completely gripped -- PATRICIA DUNCKERCaptivating both for its shimmering surfaces and its terrifying under-deep. I began reading, and soon realized I wouldn’t be doing anything else that day. I needed to see these boys, these lovers, through to the end. Tomasz Jedrowski is a remarkable writer, alive to the ramifications of history and politics, in which the violence of a corrupt state can never fully stamp out the flourishing of beauty, grace and resistance -- JUSTIN TORRES, bestselling author of We the AnimalsThe surprise of Swimming in the Dark lies in its intimate ambivalence - that it captures the pleasures of everyday life behind the Iron Curtain as well as the privations. A beautiful, captivating love story that deepened my understanding of life in communist era Poland -- Jessica Shattuck, New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the CastleA lyrical exploration of the conflict between gay love and political conformity. Jedrowski is an authentic new international star -- EDMUND WHITE

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Book SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Winner of the Whiting Award for Non-Fiction Selected by Emma Watson as an Our Shared Shelf Book Club Pick 'I loved it' Kate Tempest 'Astounding' Roxane Gay 'A sledgehammer' New York Times Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman's coming of age on an Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalised and facing a dual diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar II disorder, Terese Marie Mailhot is given a notebook and begins to write her way out of trauma. The triumphant result is Heart Berries, a memorial for Mailhot's mother, a social worker and activist who had a thing for prisoners; a story of reconciliation with her father – an abusive drunk and a brilliant artist – who was murdered under mysterious circumstances; and an elegy on how difficult it is to love someone while dragging the long shadows of shame. Memory isn't exact, but melded to imagination. In Heart Berries, Mailhot discovers her own true voice, seizes control of her story, and, in so doing, re-establishes her connection to her family, to her people, and to her place in the world.Trade ReviewA sledgehammer … A mixture of vulnerability and rage, sexual yearning and artistic ambition, swagger and self-mockery … A new model for the memoir * New York Times *I loved it ... Powerfully written, intricately executed. I felt like I read the whole thing in one breath -- Kate TempestAn astounding memoir in essays. Here is a wound. Here is need, naked and unapologetic. Here is a mountain woman, towering in words great and small ... What Mailhot has accomplished in this exquisite book is brilliance both raw and refined -- Roxane GayMailhot writes compassionately from deep within the Native experience, never losing sight of her responsibility towards its telling, never losing sight of herself … This is a slim book full of raw and ragged pain, the poisonous effects of sexual abuse, of racial cruelty, of violence and self-harm and drug addiction. But it is not without a wry, deadpan humour and clever derision … Mailhot alludes at one point to her desire and her felt duty as a Native writer to convey the humanity of her people and subvert stereotypes. She has succeeded by telling the ugly truth with rich and beautiful words and sumptuous imagery. This is a startling book * Guardian *Soul-baring ... A debut that showcases a gifted writer with a distinct literary sensibility’ * Observer *Perfect ... The writing is so good it’s hard not to temporarily be distracted from the content or narrative by its brilliance ... It feels right and vastly overdue to be reading a story from a First Nation woman with her perspective of a colonial world. I loved her keen observations of white people (like me) and their ways. It’s critical to be reminded that there are ways of thinking and seeing things that endure and have existed long before colonizers -- Emma WatsonRaw, emotional and powerful … [Mailhot’s] meditation on mental illness, motherhood and race is breathtaking * Stylist *Eloquent and seething … [A] precise, exquisite book -- Leslie Jamison * Paris Review *One of those books that demands a second read, and a third, and a fourth … Candid, honest, and sometimes, even strangely comical. I couldn’t put it down -- Summer Reads * Vogue *

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Book Synopsis#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas started a worldwide phenomenon when she published her debut novel, Throne of Glass. To date, Sarah’s books have spent more than 92 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and she has hit #1 on charts around the world. Her books have sold more than seven million copies and have been translated into 36 languages. Throne of Glass alone has sold over one million copies. Now you can own this epic fantasy classic in a deluxe hardcover collector's edition. ‘One of the best fantasy book series of the past decade’ TIME Enter the realm. Unleash the darkness. Live the legend. In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. Celaena Sardothien has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a deadly competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion. But something rotten dwells in the castle – and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival – and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world, and the people she has come to love. Now available in this gorgeous new package, the Throne of Glass Collector's Edition features unique foil-stamped cover art, a ribbon marker, beautiful new interior page designs, colour endpapers and a new map of Erilea.Trade ReviewA thrilling read * Publishers Weekly *Fans of Tamora Pierce and George R.R. Martin, pick up this book! * RT Book Reviews *An epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave * Starred Kirkus Reviews on CROWN OF MIDNIGHT *A thrill ride of epic fantasy proportions * USA Today on CROWN OF MIDNIGHT *Celaena is as much an epic hero as Frodo or Jon Snow! * New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce on HEIR OF FIRE *Maas shines as a brilliant storyteller ... The most exhilarating installment yet * RT Book Reviews on HEIR OF FIRE *Impossible to put down * Kirkus Reviews on QUEEN OF SHADOWS *Beautifully written prose and brilliantly crafted plots * SLJ on QUEEN OF SHADOWS *A compelling story of hard-fought growth and redemption * Kirkus Reviews on TOWER OF DAWN *Fans will delight in this gorgeous edition ... what a ride! * Booklist on THE ASSASSIN'S BLADE *

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Book Synopsis_______________ 'Poignant, powerful, just perfect' - Cathy Cassidy 'This poetic novel is sheer perfection ... I loved it' - Irish Examiner 'A compellingly beautiful, utterly seductive debut novel … Do not miss it' - The Scotsman _______________ Sarah Crossan's exquisite debut novel explores first love, friendship and quiet courage. It will leave you sad, happy and wanting more. Sometimes I want to tear off my clothes And show them I'm the same Underneath – Maybe better. Life is lonely for Kasienka. She misses her old home in Poland, her mother's heart is breaking, and at her new English school friends are scarce. But when someone new swims into her life, Kasienka learns that there is more than one way to stay afloat. This stunning novel from Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan explores how to pick up the pieces when everything you know is turned on its head and you have to start all over again. _______________ Experience every emotion with the finest verse novelist of our generation... Don't miss Sarah Crossan's other irresistibly page-turning books Moonrise, One, Apple and Rain, and Toffee.Trade ReviewPoignant, powerful, just perfect * Cathy Cassidy *Succinct, with a gentle lyricism, the poems are telling about immigration, prejudice, self-delusion, families and first love, on the way to a life-changing conclusion * Sunday Times Book of the Week *This poetic novel is sheer perfection – for adults as well as for teenagers. Being in Kasienka's head, the reader gains a new understanding of how alienation feels. I loved it * Irish Examiner *A compellingly beautiful, utterly seductive debut novel … Do not miss it, and press it upon your friends and acquaintances * The Scotsman *You’ve entered the young Polish girl’s voice with a heartfelt conviction. I felt like I was watching a movie of her life in present time and at the same time sharing in what’s happening inside her head. What I especially like is that nothing is overstated, but there are so many pregnant issues there – prejudice, migration, language bias – but what’s so disarming and charming is the way the girl reveals her inner self with a poetic and resonant simplicity * John Agard *

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Book Synopsis_______________ 'So beautifully written, so insightful, so thoughtful, so honest, so vulnerable, so intimate ... A gift' - Jesmyn Ward 'Wow. Just wow' - Roxane Gay 'Unflinchingly honest' - Reni Eddo-Lodge 'An act of truth-telling unlike any other I can think of' - Alexander Chee _______________ A TLS BOOK OF THE YEAR _______________ The story of the black male experience in America you’ve never read before Kiese Laymon grew up a hard-headed black son to a complicated and brilliant black mother in Jackson, Mississippi. From his early experiences of sexual violence, to his suspension from college, to his career as a young college professor, Laymon charts his complex relationship with his mother, grandmother, abuse, anorexia, obesity, sex, writing and ultimately gambling. In Heavy, by attempting to name secrets and lies that he and his mother spent a lifetime avoiding, Laymon asks himself, his mother, his nation and us to confront the terrifying possibility that few know how to love responsibly, and even fewer want to live under the weight of actually becoming free. A defiant yet vulnerable memoir that Laymon started writing when he was eleven, Heavy is an insightful exploration of weight, identity, art, friendship and family. _______________ 'Laymon's writing, as rich and elegant as mahogany, offers us comfort even as we grapple with his book's unflinching honesty ... Excellent' - New York TimesTrade ReviewSo beautifully written, so insightful, so thoughtful, so honest, so vulnerable, so intimate ... A gift -- Jesmyn Ward, TLS Books of the YearOh my god. Heavy is astonishing. Difficult. Intense. Layered. Wow. Just wow -- Roxane Gay, author of 'Hunger'Brilliant and ground-shaking -- Elizabeth GilbertUnflinchingly honest -- Reni Eddo-LodgeLaymon's writing, as rich and elegant as mahogany, offers us comfort even as we grapple with his book's unflinching honesty ... If this book succeeds as a thoughtful and hard-wrought examination of how a black man came into his own in a country determined to prevent that from happening, it's because of the painstaking manner in which Laymon walks the reader through the various perils and costs of striving ... Excellent * New York Times *Quite simply, Heavy is one of the most important and intense books of the year because of the unyielding, profoundly original and utterly heartbreaking way it addresses and undermines expectations for what exactly it's like to possess and make use of a male black body in America * Los Angeles Times *It’s a book aching with heart yet proffering no illusions. It’s raw and vulnerable and suffused with fiercest seeing. It’s masculinity it all its self-consuming threat and secret beauty. Kiese Laymon writes of his mother “You modeled a rugged love…. You demanded that we develop a radical moral intelligence.” In Heavy, this singular triumph of writing, he’s done the same -- David Chariandy, author of 'Brother'Tremendous. A searing excavation of trauma and memory that left me stunned. Heavy is a gift and Laymon one of the most important voices around. I cannot stop thinking about it -- Irenosen OkojieHeavy is an act of truth telling unlike any other I can think of in American literature, partly due to Laymon’s uniquely gifted mind—his ability to pursue the ways we lie to each other while also loving each other, or, not, and the humility he brings to bear while doing so, this consistently brings us back to life, to what matters in this world. Heavy is a gift to us, if we can pick it up—a moral exercise and an intimate history that is at the same time a story about America -- Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an Autobiographical NovelGorgeous ... This reckoning with trauma, terror, fear, sexual violence, abuse, addiction, family, secrets, lies, truth, and the weight of the nation and his body would be affecting in less capable hands, but with Kiese at the helm it is nothing short of a modern classic. These sentences that he so painstakingly crafted are some the most arresting ever printed in the English language -- Mychal Denzel Smith, New York Times bestselling author of 'Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching'In Heavy, Kiese Laymon asks how to survive in a body despite the many violences that are inflicted upon it: the violence of racism, of misogyny, of history — the violence of a culture that treats the bodies of black men with fear and suspicion more often than with tenderness and attentive care. In prose that sears at the same time as it soars, Kiese Laymon breaks the unbearable silence each of these violences, in their peculiar cruelty, has imposed. Permeated with humility, bravery, and a bold intersectional feminism, Heavy is a triumph. I stand in solidarity with this book, and with its writer -- Lacy Johnson, author of The Other Side and The ReckoningsHeavy heaves, sings, hums, and runs all night to make it clear that there's an alternative, that Black history's first premise is mutuality. That mutuality isn't perfect, ain't safe, it's dangerous, in fact, and Heavy moves in a terrible and beautiful and so gentle proximity to that--at crucial times our primary--danger, the ones we love and who love us the most. I was with Kiese the whole damn heavy-floating way, word for word in laughter and tears, in recognition, refraction and revelation. But, way more than any of those, sentence by sentence, I was with Kiese in thanks -- Ed Pavlic, author of Another Kind of MadnessHow appropriate Kiese Laymon’s stunning memoir is titled, Heavy. Not only are the stains and hurt highlighted here, heavy, but also the writer’s capacity to revive graveyards of ghosts who haunt and seemingly will continue to haunt the protagonist. Laymon is a fearless writer, our writer, who’s willing to expose and explore his most vulnerable interiors so that we might get closer to our truths. This is a southern book for backroads and cornbread, for Cadillacs and collard greens, for big mamas and moonshine. Heavy is full of our beautiful and ugly histories, and a declaration of how we might seek redemption. The colorful and complicated characters here speak a blues and poetry that is both nostalgic and familiar. This is the book we need right now. We should all be thankful for this ultramodern weighty testament of heartache, catharsis, and utter brilliance -- Derrick Harriell, author of Stripper in Wonderland and RopesYou do not just read Kiese Laymon's work. It does a reading of you too—one that unburies the stories you thought you would never be able to tell truthfully, and reminds you of your voice to tell them. Heavy marks this quality in its highest definition yet. Written with as much devastating poignance as a humor only the Black South could inspire, Heavy asks readers not just to observe Laymon's courageous journey to understand even the most frightening complexities of life in an anti-Black, sexist, fatphobic society, but to embark on it with him. In doing so, Laymon's gorgeous wordsmithing moves us beyond simple binaries of pleasure and pain, joy and trauma, toward a deeper love for communities too often flattened into one dimension. Heavy is a book for the ages -- Hari Zyad, author of Black Boy Out of TimeKiese Laymon is our most important urgent fiercest voice. To read Kiese Laymon is to be in awe -- Junot Diaz, author of 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao'A challenging, perceptive, powerhouse of a read * Monocle *

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Book Synopsis'A beautiful, deliberate and satisfying story spanning thirty years of Korean history' Publishers' Weekly 'Kim weaves a wonderfully nuanced historical portrait, rich in detail and resonant with meaning and wisdom' Independent In Korea, Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. Smart and headstrong, she is encouraged by her mother - but her stern father is determined to maintain tradition, especially as the Japanese steadily gain control of his beloved country. When he seeks to marry fourteen-year-old Najin into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives and instead sends her daughter to serve in the king's court as a companion to a young princess. But the king is soon assassinated, and the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end. In the shadow of the dying monarchy, Najin begins a journey through increasing oppression that will change her world forever. As she desperately seeks to continue her education, will the unexpected love she finds along the way be enough to sustain her through the violence and subjugation her country continues to face? Spanning thirty years, The Calligapher's Daughter is an exquisite novel about a country torn between ancient customs and modern possibilities, a family ultimately united by love and a woman who never gives up her search for freedom.Trade ReviewA beautiful, deliberate and satisfying story spanning thirty years of Korean history -- Starred Review * Publishers' Weekly *Kim weaves a wonderfully nuanced historical portrait, rich in detail and resonant with meaning and wisdom -- Anita Sethi * Independent *Kim opens a window into a vanished world in this sensitively rendered homage to her mother’s life … [an] achingly beautiful tribute to female perseverance and survival * Booklist *A bold, richly detailed story about the young daughter of a well-known calligrapher in turn-of-the 20th-century Korea ... [A] vivid, heartfelt portrait of faith, love and life for one family during a pivotal time in history -- Amy Scribner * Bookpage *Eugenia Kim's sensitive first novel, which depicts 30 years of Korea's modern history in light of its ancient past, is an illuminating prequel to present-day events. Set from 1915 to 1945, it's an intrinsically interesting account of the collisions of cultures [and] ... a poignant family history * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER BLACKWELL'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021 Essential lessons on the world we live in, from one of our greatest young thinkers – a guide to what everybody is talking about today ‘Unparalleled and extraordinary . . . A bracing revivification of a crucial lineage in feminist writing’ JIA TOLENTINO ‘I believe Amia Srinivasan’s work will change the world’ KATHERINE RUNDELL ‘Rigorously researched, but written with such spark and verve. The best non-fiction book I have read this year’ PANDORA SYKES ------------------------- How should we talk about sex? It is a thing we have and also a thing we do; a supposedly private act laden with public meaning; a personal preference shaped by outside forces; a place where pleasure and ethics can pull wildly apart. To grasp sex in all its complexity – its deep ambivalences, its relationship to gender, class, race and power – we need to move beyond ‘yes and no’, wanted and unwanted. We need to rethink sex as a political phenomenon. Searching, trenchant and extraordinarily original, The Right to Sex is a landmark examination of the politics and ethics of sex in this world, animated by the hope of a different one. SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2022 LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE 2022 LONGLISTED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE 2022Trade ReviewThe best book I’ve read recently … Incredible -- Emily RatajkowskiQuietly dazzling … A brilliant, rigorous book. [Srinivasan] coaxes our imaginations out of the well-worn grooves of the existing order * New York Times *I’ve thoroughly audited why anyone should skip The Right to Sex, and I couldn’t think of any reasons. Srinavasan’s work is too interesting to be perfect. It’s superb -- Naoise Dolan * Irish Times *A daring feminist collection . . . Srinivasan accomplishes what she sets out to do: deliver a treatise both ambivalent and discomfiting, one which reveals the inadequacies in what we had imagined to be solutions * Guardian *Sex has always been a minefield, but surely never more than now. In The Right to Sex, Srinivasan shows us mines I barely knew existed * Sunday Times *To say that Srinivasan’s challenging, complex, and – for some – controversial essays are a must-read is a colossal understatement * DAZED *With her debut book, The Right to Sex, a 36-year-old Oxford don is dazzling everyone * Observer *Srinivasan demonstrates how the feminist philosopher can emancipate our basic ethical concepts from the stranglehold of patriarchy, capitalism, and state racism – and this is a remarkable and promising effort -- Judith Butler, New Statesman[This] ambitious, magisterial work stands out in the ongoing tide of dull, girl boss feminism arguing for personal empowerment over collective liberation . . . In a world of easy, one-dimensional answers, [Srinivasan] is unquestionably the real deal * Vogue *Amia Srinivasan is the most brilliant feminist theorist writing today. Each essay in The Right to Sex is a masterpiece on its own; taken together, they show how learning to think carefully and precisely about the politics of desire is the preeminent ethical project of our time -- Merve EmreThe Right to Sex is absolutely extraordinary. Read it! -- Ash SarkarLaser-cut writing and a stunning intellect. If only every writer made this much beautiful sense -- Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of 'Three Women'Amia Srinivasan’s magnificent first book announces itself as a classic -- Professor Samuel MoynAmia Srinivasan reveals both the material opportunities and dead-ends of a century-long conscious trajectory towards female empowerment. The Right to Sex reminds us of the foundational complexities to Women's Liberation ideas and why we are still grappling with them -- Sarah SchulmanFascinating . . . Amia must be one of the leading thinkers around on the subject of sex and her work is both stimulating and challenging -- Helena Kennedy

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTIONWATERSTONES'' BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: HISTORYThe boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men.''Alluring, gripping, real: an astonishing insight into the lives of three queens'' ALICE ROBERTS''Takes us into the hearts and minds of three extraordinary women'' AMANDA FOREMAN''Conveys the vitality of the past as few books do. An enviable tour de force'' SUZANNAH LIPSCOMBCatherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois and Mary, Queen of Scots lived together at the French court for many years years that bound them to one another through blood and marriage, alliance and friendship, love and filial piety. When they scattered to different kingdoms, they would learn that to rule was to wage a constant war against the deeply entrenched m

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Book SynopsisThings matter. So why are we losing touch with them? From the former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York comes a timely and passionate case for the role of the well-designed object in the digital age. In this delightful exploration of craft in its many forms, curator and scholar Glenn Adamson explores how raw materials, tools, design and technique come together to produce objects of beauty and utility. A thoughtful meditation on the value of care and attention in an age of disappearing things, Fewer, Better Things invites us to reconnect with the physical world and its objects.Trade ReviewA powerful and personal account of the meaning and wonder of craft by one of its leading voices. Through a compelling mix of family lore and cultural history, Adamson explores the practice and purpose of craft with elegance and insight * Tristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum *Inspiring . . . Fewer, Better Things is deeply personal, full of stories about Adamson’s family that are by turns funny, eye-opening, and moving . . . Adamson invites readers to follow along on a series of thought experiments about the objects in our lives, our relationships to them, what they mean, and how we might go about distilling them so that our material footprint is greatly reduced. And this isn’t just an exercise -- the future of humanity might depend on it. * Architectural Digest *[Adamson] makes a powerful case for limiting our purchases to things (including food) that we find to be beautiful, meaningful, or useful. * Psychology Today *Adamson, a former director of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and author of several books on craft, views the suffering of the natural world through the prism of our increasingly tortured relationship with it. * New York Review of Books *Genial and elegant writing . . . Combining elements of memoir, reportage, material history, and curatorial studies, Fewer, Better Things is an erudite but accessible global survey of the contemporary material landscape and how we can be better informed to shape it . . . For the design-inclined, Fewer, Better Things will sharpen the way you think about the world around you. * Modern Magazine *If we are to navigate out of our cluttered and over-accessorized worlds, we need the kind of critical thinking that Fewer, Better Things beautifully and succinctly delivers. Reflecting a lifetime of study on material intelligence, Glenn Adamson’s remarkable book asks us to radically reconsider the objects we choose to surround ourselves with. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can see it becoming a manifesto for modern living. * Alexander Langlands, author of CROEFT: AN INQUIRY INTO THE ORIGINS AND TRUE MEANING OF TRADITIONAL CRAFTS *Rich with examples and stories of objects and their makers . . . Adamson’s crafty enthusiasm is infectious. * Kirkus Reviews *In Fewer, Better Things, scholar and former museum curator Glenn Adamson inspires readers to reflect on the physical items they encounter . . . Adamson argues that objects cross cultural barriers . . . and provide a shared understanding of culture and history. By creating meaningful connections to objects, we can move towards a sustainable world where we surround ourselves with fewer, but better, things. * Shelf Awareness *This new attention to craft, to work done through some close contact between hand and thing, has been enriched by the publication of The Craft Reader . . . Even readers who think they're not interested in craft will be more engaged than they expected, if they give the anthology half a chance. * Barry Schwabsky, The Nation on THE CRAFT READER *At a time when technical skill has been widely dismissed or outsourced in the production of art, Glenn Adamson crucially adds an entire spectrum of hand-crafted objects to the creative history of the post-war era. * Thomas Crow, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University on THINKING THROUGH CRAFT *[Adamson] is the best writer on craft since Peter Dormer . . . From the politics of labour to the intricacies of lacemaking, this is a superb book that covers a huge territory and is stuffed full of ideas and unexpected associations. * Edwin Heathcote, Icon Magazine on THE INVENTION OF CRAFT *

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Book Synopsis_______________ 'Historical fiction at its very best' - Waterstones' Guide to Kids' Books 'Prolific, erudite and consistently brilliant ... breathtaking' - Guardian 'Powerful, absorbing and unusual' - The Bookseller _______________ An updated edition of this outstanding historical novel, in a stunning new package to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its publication. When Mary sees her grandmother accused of witchcraft and hanged for the crime, she is silently hurried to safety by an unknown woman. The woman gives her tools to keep the record of her days – paper and ink. Mary is taken to a boat in Plymouth and from there sails to the New World where she hopes to make a new life among the pilgrims. But old superstitions die hard and soon Mary finds that she, like her grandmother, is the victim of ignorance and stupidity, and once more she faces important choices to ensure her survival. With a vividly evoked environment and characters skilfully and patiently drawn, this is a powerful literary achievement by Celia Rees that is utterly engrossing from start to finish.Trade ReviewI've saved the best for last. The prolific, erudite and consistently brilliant Celia Rees is justly renowned for her dizzyingly inventive plots, redolent of everyone from Angela Carter to Shakespeare. Sovay and Witch Child are two of her best-known books in the younger market, but she has written countless more, all equally breathtaking * Guardian *This is a powerful, absorbing and unusual novel * The Bookseller *The sort of historial novel eleven and twelve year olds will gobble up at a sitting * Nina Bawden *A gripping, thrilling novel that transports you to a time of paranoia and witch hunts. Witch Child and the sequel Sorceress are historical fiction at its very best * Waterstones' Guide to Kids' Books *Celia Rees herself, has always been a formidable force in the world of YA […] It’s important, as well as tremendously good entertainment. […] I will always put Celia and her books on the top rung of YA. The best books are not always those published in the last few months * BookWitch *Celia Rees is one of Britain's foremost writers for teenagers * Playdays and Runaways *

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Book Synopsis'So good I read it twice' - Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War 'This thrilling time-slip adventure oozes magic and heart' - Bookseller EDITOR'S CHOICE When Charlie’s longed-for brother is born with a serious heart condition, Charlie’s world is turned upside down. Upset and afraid, Charlie flees the hospital and makes for the ancient forest on the edge of town. There Charlie finds a boy floating face-down in the stream, injured, but alive. But when Charlie sets off back to the hospital to fetch help, it seems the forest has changed. It’s become a place as strange and wild as the boy dressed in deerskins. For Charlie has unwittingly fled into the Stone Age, with no way to help the boy or return to the present day. Or is there? What follows is a wild, big-hearted adventure as Charlie and the Stone Age boy set out together to find what they have lost – their courage, their hope, their family and their way home. Fans of Piers Torday and Stig of the Dump will love this wild, wise and heartfelt debut adventure.Trade ReviewThe Wild Way Home echoes Skellig and Stig of the Dump, with a bold, readable charm entirely its own ... Full of peril, sadness and wild joy, it’s a timeslip adventure with a difference. * Guardian *Underpinning this action-packed debut is a sensitive portrayal of how a child’s fear of illness and change can be overcome by helping others and facing up to the truth. * Daily Mail *This thrilling time-slip adventure oozes magic and heart * Bookseller EDITOR'S CHOICE *So good I read it twice * Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War *I loved this unique quirky story full of heart * Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha and the Spirit Bird *An enchanting debut * Mail on Sunday, best fiction of the year *With echoes of Skellig, this story is so smoothly told I barely stopped. A really powerful debut and definitely a must in every school library * Fleur Hitchcock for Waterstones Bookseller Reviews *Delivers in spades. It made me laugh, cry, gasp and turn the pages for one more chapter every time I had to stop * Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant *Reminiscent of Skellig and Stig of the Dump, The Wild Way Home is a lovely time-slip adventure full of heart, family and finding your feet when times are tough * Anna Fargher, author of Umbrella Mouse *An exciting debut that takes us on a timeslip adventure into the deep past, where survival is at the point of a spear and family is the only thing you have to hold onto * A.F. Harrold *Gorgeously magical and achingly real. I loved every character in this book and I devoured the whole story in a breathless rush because I couldn't stop reading (even when it made me cry) * Stephanie Burgis, author of The Dragon With a Chocolate Heart *A beautiful story of things ancient and eternal. Kirtley convincingly creates and navigates the difficult landscapes of both Stone Age Ireland and contemporary family life in this big-hearted, gripping debut. * Kelly McCaughrain *A tense, emotionally charged time-slip story … deeply moving and at times heart-breaking. Coming soon and eminently worth the wait * Irish Examiner *It is a heart-warming, magical book that has family, friendship and overcoming difficulties at its core. I couldn’t put it down! * NetGalley user *A captivating story of self-discovery and realising what is truly important in life * Scope For Imagination *Perfect for an UKS2 Stone Age topic, or for a nature or history lover, this world was immersive and believable and characters, settings and plot line were written with extraordinary attention to detail. Beautiful! * NetGalley Reviewer *Fans of Stig of the Dump or Michelle Paver’s Wolf Brother series will very much enjoy Sophie Kirtley’s vivid, exciting and heart-warming Stone Age timeslip story… Kirtley portrays the emotional truths of her story with equal skill, making that Charlie’s sense of loss, love and home as vivid and affecting as the encounters with wolves. This is Sophie Kirtley’s debut novel and very impressive. * Books For Keeps *A captivating story of self-discovery and realising what is truly important in life… It is also a magnificent portrayal of Stone Age life with opportunities for discussion about values, survival and family. -- Top 10 Summer Holiday Books for Children * True Education Partnerships *Enchanting debut about Charlie, who travels back to the Stone Age while running away from the feelings prompted by the arrival of a poorly baby brother. When Charlie saves a lost Stone Age boy from drowning, the pair brave storms, wolves and other dangers while trying to find their way home * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2021 WINNER OF THE KITSCHIES' 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE THE TIMES, GUARDIAN, OBSERVER, DAILY TELEGRAPH, FINANCIAL TIMES, i PAPER, NEW STATESMAN, SPECTATOR, TIME MAGAZINE, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, BBC CULTURE, NETGALLEY AND THE CHURCH TIMES The spectacular new novel from the bestselling author of JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL, ‘one of our greatest living authors’ New York Magazine Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has. In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone. Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims? Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous. The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite. ***** 'What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being … Piranesi is an exquisite puzzle-box' DAVID MITCHELL ‘It subverts expectations throughout … Utterly otherworldly’ Guardian 'Piranesi astonished me. It is a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling' MADELINE MILLER ‘Brilliantly singular’ Sunday Times 'A gorgeous, spellbinding mystery … This book is a treasure, washed up upon a forgotten shore, waiting to be discovered' ERIN MORGENSTERN ‘Head-spinning … Fully imagined and richly evoked’ TelegraphTrade ReviewReminds us of fiction’s power to take us to another world and expand our understanding of this one * Guardian, Autumn highlights *It has a daring and a grace that are quietly, transportingly spectacular. If you were looking for a book that distils the concept of wonder, this is the one: it feels like a work of pure generosity -- KATHERINE RUNDELL * GUARDIAN, Best summer books *It’s always great to have some fiction to heartily recommend, and while there’s been stiff competition this year, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke has won out in the end. A masterful work of weird fiction, it’s a novel that grips, perplexes and moves you, usually all at once! * Observer, The Best Books of 2020 *The fiction, nonfiction and poetry that deepened our understanding, ignited our curiosity and helped us escape … For fantasy readers often eager to get lost in mystical worlds and escape the complications of real life, Piranesi’s predicament deeply resonates * Time, Books of the Year *The long-anticipated second novel from the author of 2004’s best-seller Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a philosophical fantasy. Piranesi (the name is one of several allusions to the 18th century) spends his days interpreting coded messages left around a labyrinthine villa filled with seabirds and symbolic statues * Financial Times, Books of the Year *Susanna Clarke’s new novel is a beguiling study of isolation and exile ... To say more would be to ruin one of the year’s more unusual reading experiences * i paper, Books of the Year 2020 *This tale of weird enchanted halls is close to perfect * The Times, Books of the Year *A warm book about losing and finding oneself; about what humanity could have lost in the process of becoming rational * BBC.com *Purely joyful reading … a delight - as if Borges wrote a novel with a beginning, middle and satisfying end -- Naomi Alderman * Spectator, Books of the Year *My absolute favourite book of the year by miles ... it took root in me -- Jenny Colgan * Spectator, Books of the Year *Like Hilary Mantel, Clarke made the very notion of genre seem quaint ... Piranesi is a tenebrous study in solitude … A remarkable feat, not just of craft but of reinvention * Guardian *Susanna Clarke's first novel since 2004's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was more than worth the sixteen-year wait. Full of the magic and mayhem you might expect, Piranesi introduces a labyrinth to savour * NetGalley UK’s Top Ten Books of 2020 *Susanna Clarke's long-awaited Piranesi is utterly compelling – bewildering, intense, moving, shocking, combining a haunting fantasy with sharp insights about a culture of domination, hierarchy and rivalry and about how the imagination can survive in such a world -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman Books of the Year *Like a thriller … Compelling … A fever dream - disorientating, engrossing, persistently strange … It burrows into the subconscious, throwing out puzzles long after the final page … Brilliantly singular * Sunday Times *Exhilarating and hallucinatory, a mystery told backwards and inside-out. How she does it I've no idea; it's as though most minds are cameras, but Clarke's is a kaleidoscope -- Melissa Harrison * New Statesman, Books of the Year *Brilliantly peculiar … It subverts expectations throughout … Utterly otherworldly * Guardian *The publication of Susanna Clarke's Piranesi confirms her status as one of the greatest and most interesting writers of fantasy in the past hundred years or more * Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year *A gently comic, thoroughly beguiling read … The ‘House’ - its upper rooms lost in clouds, its lower chambers drowned by the sea - will haunt my dreams * Daily Mail *The most curious confection … Blending elements of mythology and fantasy, with nods along the way to CS Lewis and Tolkien … Genuinely moving climax that throws open the doors of the halls in more ways than one * i paper *Her prowess as a stylist is undiminished … Piranesi’s naively observant voice also nods to the narrators of those Enlightenment parables of flawed Reason lost amid marvels and monsters – think Defoe’s Crusoe, Swift’s Gulliver, Voltaire’s Candide * The Arts Desk *Close to perfect ... Full of wonders and an infectious ecstasy ... Clarke has the same skill Flann O’Brien poured into The Third Policeman for making insane worlds feel as solid as our own * Sunday Times *A dazzling fable about loneliness, imagination and memory * Spectator *Beautiful and bewitchingly strange * Mail on Sunday *This is a novel of exceptional beauty ... The cliché that this book is hard to put down is for once true; I can think of few recent books that keep the reader so passionately hungry to know what happens next and to understand the hints and guesses that appear in greater and greater profusion ... There is at the heart of her writing a rare capacity for the immediate: the stripped, wide-eyed descriptive simplicity of someone who, like her Piranesi, has gone through some sort of barrier and brought back news. -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *A novel to revisit - a house you can open again, with statues touched by quiet thoughts and strange tides ... To read Piranesi is to be the labyrinth and the traveller in the labyrinth, which is poetry and prose * Observer *Piranesi astonished me. It is a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling, at once a gripping mystery, an adventure through a brilliant new fantasy world, and a deep meditation on the human condition: feeling lost, and being found. I already want to be back in its haunting and beautiful halls! -- MADELINE MILLERA book that’s deliciously weird but meticulously constructed to achieve maximum suspense. Susanna Clarke doesn’t just write about magic; she channels it on to the page * Sunday Express *Enthralling and transcendent ... Clarke's writing is clear, sharp - she can cleave your heart in a few short words ... The mystery of Piranesi unwinds at a tantalizing yet lightning-like pace - it's hard not to rush ahead, even when each sentence, each revelation makes you want to linger * NPR *Plunges deep into those forbidden fortresses from which the un-mad and mortal among us are forever barred ... The only possible conclusion is: Clarke is writing from experience ... With great effort, Clarke has un-unpicked her personality and returned to this world, our Earth, so that the rest of us might know her exquisite burden. Welcome back, Fairy Mistress, if only for a spell! We are grateful to you, oh yes, but we mourn you a little, too—that you must work so hard to be human.” * Wired *Utterly brain-mangling … A creepy, expertly managed crime story * Metro *Close to perfect ... As a work of fiction, it’s spectacular; an irresistibly unspooling mystery set in a world of original strangeness, revealing a set of ideas that will stay lodged in your head long after you’ve finished reading * The Times *Why don’t you trip on the new Susanna Clarke book if you want to get your mind bent but don’t much care for drugs? * New York Magazine *A high-quality page-turner - even the most leisurely reader will probably finish it off in a day - but its chief pleasure is immersion in its strange and uncannily attractive setting ... A standout feat * Wall Street Journal *Could Piranesi match the hype? I’m delighted to say it has, with Clarke’s singular wit and imagination still intact in a far more compressed yet still captivating tale you’ll want to delve into again right after you read its sublime last sentence * Boston Globe *A short and beautiful novel that reads like a poem ... in its cumulative effect of expressing an emotion and state of being that is inexpressible. It’s a strange and lovely read * Buzzfeed *In terms of invention and beauty, it’s a fitting heir to Clarke’s first book … Clarke deftly weaves together highbrow and lowbrow so Piranesi as reader is both symbol and story. To read Piranesi is to be the labyrinth and the traveler in the labyrinth, which is poetry and prose … The end of the novel doesn’t exactly provide justice, and closure is only provisional. Piranesi is a gentle man, and a gentle book. It wants to leave doors open for its characters and its readers … Piranesi is a novel to revisit - a house you can open again, with statues touched by quiet thoughts and strange tides * Observer *What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being, what a tick-tock-tick-tock of reveals, what a pure protagonist, what a morally squalid supporting cast, what beauty, tension and restraint, and what a pitch-perfect ending. Piranesi is an exquisite puzzle-box far, far bigger on the inside than it is on the outside -- DAVID MITCHELLA wonder * Slate.com *Susanna Clarke has fashioned her own myth anew and enlarged the world again * New Republic *Piranesi is a gorgeous, spellbinding mystery that gently unravels page by page. Precisely the sort of book that I love wordlessly handing to someone so they can have the pleasure of uncovering its secrets for themselves. This book is a treasure, washed up upon a forgotten shore, waiting to be discovered -- ERIN MORGENSTERNOkay, now everyone listen. No, I mean it, shut up for a second. We need to talk about Piranesi. I don’t… I really do not know how to talk about this book beyond a very high pitched scream and an emphatic grabbing of your knee * Tor.com *As gloriously imaginative as its predecessor … A novel that could have been written by nobody else … Her prose is crisp, direct and unfussy … It’s a book about the tension between those who want to possess a world and those who delight in it, describe it, honour it. It’s an extraordinary book, well worth the wait * SFX Magazine *Fifteen years on from Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Clarke’s second novel finally sees the light * Sunday Times, What to watch out for next year 2020 *Susannah Clarke’s monumental masterwork Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell was one of the finest works of speculative fiction of the twenty-first century and now, with Piranesi, she once more mines a darkly fantastical vision with a tale of a very singular house and its mysterious inhabitants. Saturated in gothic atmosphere and supernatural lore, Piranesi is simply unmissable * Waterstones.com *Here is Clarke’s talent in full flower; Piranesi is the most purely enjoyable novel I’ve read in a long while * Literary Review *A magical house with labyrinthine halls and tides that thunder up staircases * The Times, Autumn highlights *Delightful, discombobulating … Piranesi is detective of his own existence ... Gripping * Psychologies *It’s 16 years since Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell – now Clarke is back with a new otherworldly fantasy * Guardian, 2020 in books: a literary calendar *Sixteen long years have passed since the publication of the magnificent Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Susanna Clarke returns at last in September with Piranesi … The eerie tale of a man who lives in a flooded house * Daily Express *The long-awaited new book from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell * Observer *Susannah Clarke’s much-anticipated follow-up finally arrives * SFX Magazine *Sixteen years after Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell, Susannah Clarke returns at last with the otherworldly tale of a man who lives in a flooded house * Daily Mirror *I wish I could read this again for the first time. Its atmosphere of beautiful, sad loneliness is the perfect lockdown companion. There are so many things to note about the book, but here is just one: Piranesi looks with loving attention at the world in which he finds himself, caring for everything that he encounters, and receiving everything as a loving gift. Other forces, however, see it very differently. The book is deeply satisfying, with a depth of sadness – or is it joy? * Church Times, Books of the Year 2020 *PRAISE FOR JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL: Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the last seventy years. It’s funny, moving, scary, otherworldly, practical and magical ... Closing Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell after 800 pages my only regret was that it wasn’t twice the length -- NEIL GAIMANThis is, in both the precise and the colloquial sense, a fabulous book ... a highly original and compelling work * SUNDAY TIMES *To be honest, my topic for a gathering, my page-turner, my mind-improver, my talking point and my train-reading are all one and the same book: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell…I am literally unable to put it down -- JULIAN FELLOWES * TATLER *Full of spells, bad weather, statues that talk, haunted ballrooms and sinister gentlemen with thistledown hair ... be enchanted! * ELLE *The language of the book is such a pleasure you’d probably want to go and read it anyway -- LAUREN LAVERNE, BBC 6 MUSICA literary event * Daily Telegraph, Autumn highlights *A sublime exploration of loss, isolation, and the power of the imagination * New York Magazine, Autumn picks *Infinitely clever ... None of Clarke’s enchantment has worn off - it’s evolved ... to abide in these pages is to find oneself happily detained in awe * Washington Post *Wondrous and moving ... Empathy opens new horizons in Susanna Clarke’s glorious new novel about occultists, lost ages, and the power of belief * Los Angeles Times *

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Book Synopsis_______________ 'Original, compulsive, uplifting: this is another triumph for Balen' - Alex O'Connell, The Times Children's Book of the Week 'Balen's best book yet: ambitious, funny, spirited, moving, heartfelt and bold all at once. She's a force to be reckoned with' - Ross Montgomery _______________ From the author of October, October, winner of the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022, comes a life-affirming story about blended families and learning to find room in your heart for new life and new love. Tom is still quiet and timid, even though his dad has been gone for nearly two years now. Zofia has a raging storm that makes her want to fight the whole world until she gets what she wants. And what she wants is for scaredy-cat Tom to get out of her life. Tom hates loud, unpredictable Zofia just as much, but he’s moving into Zofia’s house. Because his mum and Zofia’s dad are in love... and they’re having a baby. Tom and Zofia both wish the stupid baby had never happened. But then Tom’s mum gets ill, and it begins to look horribly like their wish might come true... A story of learning to trust, trying to let go and diving into the unknown with hope in your heart, with a stunning cover illustrated by CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal winner Sydney Smith. _______________Trade ReviewI love Katya Balen’s clear-eyed, poetic writing style, first encountered in The Space We’re In and October, October. She has a special ability to dig deep into the emotional lives of the children she writes about; she is always privy to their darkest thoughts, always on their side. Original, compulsive, uplifting: this is another triumph for Balen. -- Alex O'Connell * The Times Children's Book of the Week *This is Balen's best book yet: ambitious, funny, spirited, moving, heartfelt and bold all at once. She's a force to be reckoned with * Ross Montgomery *This story literally took me by storm. A brave heart-dive into the deep emotions of Tom and Zofia, it’s beautifully told with care and tenderness * Jasbinder Bilan *I loved this book. The deftness with which Katya creates such passionate, funny, broken, brave characters. What an achievement. Katya Balen can break your heart and make you snort with laughter in the same sentence * Natasha Farrant *Katya Balen is rapidly becoming one of my favourite writers. This is a beautiful book that will capture you from the first page. An incredible book by an incredible writer. I loved it * Lisa Thompson *A bold, bright story of blended families, and how two remarkable children cope when their lives change dramatically. Katya Balen’s writing fizzes with her trademark originality and voice. This is another stunningly good read from one of my favourite authors * Emma Carroll *I loved this book * Hilary McKay *Heartbreaking and heart-warming in equal measure – warm, compassionate, insightful, lyrical, beautiful and uplifting * Catherine Bruton *I absolutely LOVE all Katya's writing and I adored reading this book. It's such a beautiful, subtle story which just transported me into the worlds of Zofia and Tom and like all the very finest stories, it has left a little shard of those lives within it lodged deep in my heart * Sophie Kirtley *A sensitive story about stitching a new family together from frayed pieces. So vividly imagined you can taste the salt in the air * Aisha Bushby *The Light in Everything is a moving, truthful, unflinching close up of a story, that proves how difficult it can be being a human among other humans, but how rewarding too when you allow yourself the space to breathe * A.F. Harrold *Katya Balen’s October, October is a very special new addition to the shelf and deserves classic status * Times Children's Book of the Week *Quite simply one of the most beautiful books I've ever read * Kiran Millwood Hargrave on OCTOBER, OCTOBER *October, October is fierce with a wild love. It draws you in to its heart, shakes you with a fury, wraps you in a spell of storytelling. In lyrical prose, Katya Balen gives us a modern day heroine filled with courage. I loved every page * Jackie Morris *Wise and bright - I loved it. * Hilary McKay on OCTOBER, OCTOBER *It's EXQUISITE. Read it. Wild yourself. Open your heart to it. Written with the pen of a poet and the soul of Mother Earth. Glorious. It's like nothing else I've ever read. Liz Hyder on OCTOBER, OCTOBER * Liz Hyder on OCTOBER, OCTOBER *The most wonderful, original treasure of a story * Emma Carroll on OCTOBER, OCTOBER *I’ve also just been introduced to the first two stunning children’s books by Katya Balen, both published by Bloomsbury: The Space We’re In and October, October. If you have a middle-grader, or know one, or are one ... treat yourself -- Daniel Hahn * Books of the Year, The Spectator *One of the most beautiful children’s books I’ve ever read * Natasha Farrant on OCTOBER, OCTOBER *A tear-jerker about family that shows us things that are important and true, and promotes compassion -- Nicolette Jones * The Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week *This sensitive, heartbreaking story boasts a wonderful narrative voice and secret codes that add another layer of intrigue * Guardian on THE SPACE WE'RE IN *Now and then, and only now and then, a book changes us. The Space We’re In does that. It’s ferocious and it’s visionary * Kevin Crossley-Holland *

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Book SynopsisThere has been a terrible mistake. Instead of having thirty classrooms side by side, Wayside School is thirty storeys high! (The builder said he was sorry.) Perhaps that's why all sorts of strange and unusual things keep happening – especially in Mrs Jewls's classroom on the very top floor. There's the terrifying Mrs Gorf, who gets an unusually fruity comeuppance; Terrible Todd, who always gets sent home early; and Mauricia, who has a strange ice-cream addiction. Meanwhile, John can only read upside down, and Leslie is determined to sell her own toes. From top to bottom, Wayside is packed with quirky and hilarious characters who are all brought to life in this new edition with delightful illustrations by Aleksei Bitskoff throughout. This is an unmissable, irrepressible story of mixed-up mayhem from Louis Sachar, the bestselling author of Holes.Trade ReviewLouis Sachar is one of the few masters of American fiction * Independent on Sunday on Louis Sachar *Thirty clever, fast-moving stories that describe the bizarre events at Wayside School … each story is refreshingly different * Guardian *Magic and hard realism come crashing together. This is an extraordinary and unconventional novel * Observer on HOLES *

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Book Synopsis***A Guardian Best Children's Book of 2022*** ***Shortlisted for Children’s Book of the Year: STEM The Week Junior Book Awards*** "Top-notch nonfiction from a profoundly accomplished author, it’s the sort of book that could ignite lifelong scientific curiosity." Guardian "The perfect present for any inquisitive child." The Sunday Times Why are bubbles always round? Could I ever touch a rainbow? Why can't I remember being a baby? Have you ever not been able to concentrate because there are SO many questions buzzing round your brain? The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions will offer answers to the most bamboozling questions and curious queries that you can think of. How many stars are in the night sky? Why don't animals wear clothes? Do plants have feelings? This book will define, debunk and demystify the trickiest of questions and even open your eyes to questions you have never even thought of! With engaging and accessible text and accompanied by exciting, inviting illustrations, The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions is the perfect bedside companion to delve into when you are wondering if there really is an answer to everything.Trade ReviewTop-notch nonfiction from a profoundly accomplished author, it’s the sort of book that could ignite lifelong scientific curiosity. * The Guardian *Full of insightful facts and curious conundrums, this is the perfect present for any inquisitive child. Queries such as "Can you touch a rainbow?", "How do planes fly?" and more are answered in witty, informative ways. I'd advise reading it yourself so you can act smug when the answers finally come! * The Sunday Times *Super-smart, witty and full of wide-eyed wonder. Every page is a delight. Be prepared to have your mind boggled! * Ben Hoare Author of An Anthology of Intriguing Animals *This is a delightful book to read with a child. Isabel's clear and succinct answers, combined with the gorgeous illustrations make this a perfect addition to our regular bedtime reading. * Alom Shaha, physics teacher and author *With a toddler who asks me why, dozens of times a day, I'm relieved to have found the perfect book to satisfy her curiosity! The range of topics and breadth of science covered is breathtaking, and the illustrations bring a beautiful warmth. Forget my child, I'm learning loads too. * Roma Agrawal engineer and author of How Was That Built? *Certain to appeal to the always and the sometimes curious, this is a book you’ll want to return to again and again. * Books for Keeps *Isabel Thomas offers snappy, perfectly pitched scientific answers, while illustrator Aaron Cushley gives an energetic and fun feel to the lot. * Irish Independent *This is a go-to bedside read for when the most outlandish of questions pops into your head keeping you up at night. Or if you simply want to reignite that wonderful sense of childlike curiosity and innocence. * Irish Examiner *

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Book Synopsis'It is absolutely brilliant, I think every woman should read it' PANDORA SYKES, THE HIGH LOW ‘My wish is that every white woman who calls herself a feminist will read this book in a state of hushed and humble respect ... Essential reading' ELIZABETH GILBERT All too often the focus of mainstream feminism is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. Meeting basic needs is a feminist issue. Food insecurity, the living wage and access to education are feminist issues. The fight against racism, ableism and transmisogyny are all feminist issues. White feminists often fail to see how race, class, sexual orientation and disability intersect with gender. How can feminists stand in solidarity as a movement when there is a distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others? Insightful, incendiary and ultimately hopeful, Hood Feminism is both an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux and also clear-eyed assessment of how to save it.Trade ReviewRequired reading for any feminist, Kendall explores why mainstream feminism neglects to see how race, class, sexual orientation and disability intersects with gender with a clear-eyed assessment of how to fix it * Evening Standard, The best books to look forward to in 2020 *In expertly tying the racial justice and feminist movements together, Kendall’s is one of the most important books of the current moment * Time, 100 Must Read Books of 2020 *My wish is that every white woman who calls herself a feminist (as I do) will read this book in a state of hushed and humble respect ... It’s long overdue that we drop our defenses, listen to her arguments carefully, and then change our entire way of thinking and behaving ... Essential reading -- Elizabeth GilbertIn Hood Feminism, author and activist Mikki Kendall looks at how feminism is neglecting marginalised communities, and what can be done to challenge and confront those inequalities from within the feminist movement * Stylist, The 29 best non-fiction books out in 2020 *Poignant and page-turning ... Marks Kendall as an original addition to the black feminist canon * AnOther *Blistering ... A fresh new and necessary Black voice in feminist literature * Refinery29 *It is absolutely brilliant, I think every woman should read it. -- Pandora Sykes * The High Low *A searing indictment of feminism, how to modernise it, and ultimately how to save it. * Cosmopolitan *Compelling and timely ... A searing indictment of feminism, how to modernise it and ultimately, how to save it. * Cosmopolitan, Books by black and POC authors you’ll be reading in 2020 *This is the feminist intervention we have all been waiting for. -- Fatima BhuttoThis book is an act of fierce love and advocacy, and it is urgently necessary -- Samantha IrbyEvery white lady should have this book assigned to them before they can talk about feminism. -- Linda TiradoMikki’s book is a rousing call to action for today’s feminists. It should be required reading for everyone -- Gabrielle UnionMikki Kendall tells it like it is, and this is why she has long been a must-read writer for me: incisive, clear-eyed, and rightly willing to challenge readers when necessary. Her exploration of how feminists’ fight for liberation has too often left poor people, Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color behind is critical reading for anyone who is or wants to be involved in work addressing complex and longstanding inequalities -- Nicole ChungMikki has been writing for years about protection, "problem children", the limits and the usefulness of different kinds of anger, and the way sisterhood can be wielded as a demand. She’s here for her community, and this book has everything to do with expanding access to it -- Daniel Mallory OrtbergMikki Kendall has established herself as an important voice in current feminist discourse, and Hood Feminism cements that place. With a compelling, forceful piece, Kendall has written the missive that feminists - especially white feminists - need to remember the racist history of who we are as a movement and to move forward with an intersectional and deliberately anti-racist focus -- Dianna AndersonA critical feminist text that interrogates the failings of the mainstream feminist movement and gives us the necessary expertise of Black women. Kendall skillfully illuminates the many intersections of identity and shows us the beauty and power of anger -- Erika L. SanchezKendall offers a fresh voice in black feminism. She argues that mainstream feminism focuses on increasing privilege for the few rather than ensuring the basic needs – food security, education, safety, medical care, a living wage – needed by the many. * Suitcase, Your Reading List For 2020 *

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Book SynopsisWhat will your 100-year life look like? A new edition of the international bestseller, featuring a new preface 'Brilliant, timely, original, well written and utterly terrifying' Niall Ferguson Does the thought of working for 60 or 70 years fill you with dread? Or can you see the potential for a more stimulating future as a result of having so much extra time? Many of us have been raised on the traditional notion of a three-stage approach to our working lives: education, followed by work and then retirement. But this well-established pathway is already beginning to collapse – life expectancy is rising, final-salary pensions are vanishing, and increasing numbers of people are juggling multiple careers. Whether you are 18, 45 or 60, you will need to do things very differently from previous generations and learn to structure your life in completely new ways. The 100-Year Life is here to help. Drawing on the unique pairing of their experience in psychology and economics, Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott offer a broad-ranging analysis as well as a raft of solutions, showing how to rethink your finances, your education, your career and your relationships and create a fulfilling 100-year life. · How can you fashion a career and life path that defines you and your values and creates a shifting balance between work and leisure? · What are the most effective ways of boosting your physical and mental health over a longer and more dynamic lifespan? · How can you make the most of your intangible assets – such as family and friends – as you build a productive, longer life? · In a multiple-stage life how can you learn to make the transitions that will be so crucial and experiment with new ways of living, working and learning? Shortlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award and featuring a new preface, The 100-Year Life is a wake-up call that describes what to expect and considers the choices and options that you will face. It is also fundamentally a call to action for individuals, politicians, firms and governments and offers the clearest demonstration that a 100-year life can be a wonderful and inspiring one.Trade ReviewBrilliant, timely, original, well written and utterly terrifying -- Niall Ferguson * Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History, Harvard University *A fascinating and thought-provoking book … a brilliant read for individuals, but should be mandatory reading for our politicians -- Shirley Cramer CBE * Chief Executive Officer, Royal Society for Public Health *This timely, important, easy-to-read and intriguing book will make you pause and think, as well as better plan your life … Gratton and Scott’s book is a wake-up call for individuals, organizations, governments and societies -- Boris Groysberg * Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School *The authors understand implicitly that not only is the world as we know it changing beyond all recognition, but the way we lead our lives too. This book could not be more timely or necessary -- Julia Hobsbawm * Founder and CEO, Editorial Intelligence Ltd, and Honorary Visiting professor in Networking, Cass Business School *This playfully original book … makes a compelling case that as our lives become longer and healthier, the future might just be very, very different from what we have known until now -- Daron Acemoglu * Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *[This] wonderful new book prepares us for the possibilities of this brave new world of longevity, and teaches us what it will take to thrive in it. -- Professor Herminia Ibarra * INSEAD *Too many books bemoan the economic problems facing ageing societies. This splendid book is quite different … it should be read by anyone who wants to understand how life chances and choices will be transformed in a world where living beyond 100 will become the norm -- Lord Adair Turner * Senior research Fellow of the Institute for new Economic Thinking, and previously Chairman of the UK Pensions Commission *To understand how and why things might change, there can be nowhere better to start than with the fascinating The 100-Year Life -- Baronness Alison Wolf * Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management at King’s College, London *

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Book SynopsisCelebrate all things Gryffindor with this glorious collection of beautifully crafted House Editions in hardback. The sumptuously foiled presentation case emblazoned with the Gryffindor lion contains all seven novels from J.K. Rowling's classic series in a spectacular alternating colour scheme, with cover artwork and illustrations by artistic wizard and Kate Greenaway Medal winner Levi Pinfold. Home to the brave at heart, Gryffindor house has produced some of the most famous witches and wizards in history, not least the great wizard Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter himself. The seven lovingly designed covers are individually decorated with enchanting details that capture favourite house themes from each novel. Charming vignettes of the Gryffindor lion in a series of playful poses across the seven book spines complete the decoration scheme. An exclusive artwork print depicting house founder Godric Gryffindor holding the Sword of Gryffindor makes for a highly collectable keepsake. Th

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Book SynopsisWINNER of the Sunday Times Children’s Sports Book Prize 2023 "Every page is guaranteed to grab the imagination and it's the perfect thing for dipping into at half time." Love Reading 4 Kids A hilarious fact and fiction hybrid from bestselling author and stand-up comic James Campbell, who has visited over 3,000 primary schools to tell stories and encourage children to write their own. Want to know why OCTOPUSES can’t play football? And how to play the game across multiple DIMENSIONS? How about learning the REAL RULES of how football is played, why Henry VIII banned it, plus where it came from and who the greatest players of ALL TIME are? Whether you love a game of TABLE FOOTBALL, can’t get enough of BACK-GARDEN BALL, only enjoy the game from your SOFA or would sooner swim with sharks than play it, if you LOVE to LAUGH – then this is the book for you! But be warned - this is NOT a normal book. You can read it forwards, backwards, sideways and in approximately 861,000 different ways in between. From comedian extraordinaire James Campbell, get ready to laugh your BUTT off to a silly book filled with funny stories, partly-true facts and hilarious pictures that will make you think twice about the game everyone thinks they know so well.Trade ReviewEvery page is guaranteed to grab the imagination and it’s the perfect thing for dipping into at half-time or while you’re waiting for a VAR decision. With brilliant black and white illustrations throughout by Rob Jones, it looks great too. For fans and non-believers alike, football has never been so funny. * Love Reading 4 Kids *Packed with information, comments and observations which will keep the reader amused for hours. Though it's aimed at children aged 7 upwards, people of all ages will find plenty to chuckle about here! * More About Books *

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Book Synopsis_______________ Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year _______________ In difficult times, what children really need is hope. And in that spirit, bestselling author Katherine Rundell emailed some of the children's writers and artists whose work she loved most: 'I asked them to write something very short, fiction or non-fiction, or draw something that would make the children reading it feel like possibility-ists: something that would make them laugh or wonder or snort or smile. The response was magnificent, which shouldn’t have surprised me, because children’s writers and illustrators are professional hunters of hope … I hope that the imagination can be a place of shelter for children and that The Book of Hopes might be useful in that, even if only a little.' This collection, packed with short stories, poems and pictures from the very best children’s authors and illustrators, aims to provide just that. Within its pages you'll find animal friends from insects to elephants, high-flying grandmas, a homesick sprite, the tooth fairy, and even extra-terrestrial life. There are 133 contributions from authors and illustrators, including Anthony Horowitz, Axel Scheffler, Catherine Johnson, Jacqueline Wilson, Katherine Rundell, Lauren Child, Michael Morpurgo and Onjali Q. Raúf. A donation from the sale of each book will go to NHS Charities Together, in gratitude for the incredible efforts of all those who worked in hospitals over the quarantine period. _______________ 'An anthology on the theme of hope … it includes a rich range of images, poetry, stories and non-fiction' - Sunday Times, 'Stories to charm on endless days' Proceeds from this book will be donated to NHS Charities Together. In respect of UK sales, this will be £2.10 and in respect of sales in other territories this will be 16% of net receipts (at least 62p). NHS Charities Together is a charity registered in England and Wales (registered charity no. 1186569).Trade ReviewWe need happy endings now more than ever ... This book will sustain you * Sunday Times CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK *Rundell is as persuasive as she is talented ... These joyous gobbets, all beautifully snappy, are perfect for a bus journey to school or a golly-is-that-the-time bedtime literary scamper * The Times CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK *This is a tasting menu of small but sumptuous confections, all uplifting in simple or complex ways * TLS *Hope is needed as never before so three cheers too for Katherine Rundell and the children’s authors and artists who contributed to her anthology The Book of Hopes * Books for Keeps *An anthology on the theme of hope … it includes a rich range of images, poetry, stories and non-fiction * Stories to charm on endless days, Sunday Times *The stories and poems celebrate animals, nature, courage, kindness and books. They include tales about finding friends or overcoming fears, and many have surprising twists or jokes, with illustrations that suggest anticipation or happiness... This book will sustain you * Children’s Book of the Week, The Sunday Times *Hope is needed as never before so three cheers too for Katherine Rundell and the children’s authors and artists who contributed to her anthology The Book of Hopes * Book For Keeps *It has something for almost every young reader * The Herald *a gorgeous collection of words and pictures that gifted many readers a ray of sunshine to move forward, to make sense of the world, or to get through the day * Waterstones *An outstanding anthology with contributions from over 100 contemporary children’s authors and illustrators, The Book of Hopes should be on bookshelves in every home and school. * LoveReading4Kids *uplifting * 30 best children’s books for Christmas 2020, iNews *These stories show that imagination can be a shelter, provide hope, make us laugh, smile and help us to see some light - much needed! * Books for Giving 2020, Books for Keeps *a book full of comforting words and pictures to inspire and entertain ... it’s one for your bookshelf, now and always * Best Ever Christmas *a handsome hardback full of treats. With its sprightly poems and pictures, fairytales and furry friends, it’s the perfect place to take shelter when the outside world feels dark and overwhelming * Books of the Year, Guardian *no child should be without The Book of Hopes * Sweet dreams guaranteed, The Daily Telegraph *A glorious collection of stories written by some of our favourite authors and illustrations as a way to get us all through it ... Should be on every family's Christmas list * Dandelion *a handsome Christmas hardback * The best children's books of 2020 for all ages, Observer *This collection of stories, poems and pictures is full of possibility, optimism and joy ... This special book will make you smile, not least because it is helping to raise money for NHS Charities Together * 5 Books For Your Christmas List, The Week Junior *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Essential reading' SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE 'A book of hope' OBSERVER 'A marvellous tour of insights' THE TIMES 'A must-read . . . I couldn't recommend it higher' MICHAEL BALL What can a diseased brain tell us about being human, living our own lives better and helping those with dementia get the best from theirs? When Wendy Mitchell was diagnosed with young-onset dementia at the age of fifty-eight, her brain was overwhelmed with images of the last stages of the disease — those familiar tropes, shortcuts and clichés that we are fed by the media, or even our own health professionals. But her diagnosis far from represented the end of her life. Instead, it was the start of a very different one. Wise, practical and life affirming, What I Wish People Knew About Dementia combines anecdotes, research and Wendy Mitchell’s own brilliant wit and wisdom to tell readers exactly what she wishes they knew about dementia.Trade ReviewAn engaging and hopeful read. Mitchell’s signature warmth and optimism shine through on almost every page * Irish Times *Essential reading for those living with dementia, those who support them, professionals working in the field and any ‘curious individual’ . . . Her message for those given a dementia diagnosis is to never give up on themselves * Sunday Times Magazine *This is a book whose purpose is to convert despair into hope . . . A kind of how-to manual for people with the condition and those who support them. It proceeds by a practical and calming formula: take a difficulty and find a way to overcome it. Running under all the commonsense pieces of advice is a deeper and more existential message, one for all of us, young and old, in health or frailty: be kind, be attentive, be resilient, bend with change rather than be broken by it, connect, forgive, accept, embrace. Live. * Nicci Gerard, Observer *A compelling blend of how-to manual and manifesto for a more sympathetic and informed approach to the disease. Even those whose own lives have yet to be touched by Alzheimer’s and other forms of the condition . . . will surely respond to this uplifting depiction of the survival of the human spirit in the most testing of circumstances * Financial Times *A must-read . . . It offers readers a practical and really honest guide to life after a diagnosis of dementia . . . For anyone who's beginning this journey, I couldn't recommend it higher’ -- Michael Ball, BBC Radio 2Revelatory . . . There are many books about dementia that focus on its biology, its clinical subtypes, its social dimension, its effect on carers and loved ones. But there are few memoirs written by the people with dementia themselves. Mitchell’s joins a burgeoning literature of medical memoirs that, like the finest travel writing or reportage, transport the reader to another world that they may or may not visit one day * The Times *Currently 50 million people worldwide live with dementia; it is estimated this will increase to 152 million by 2050. So we’d better all buy this godsend of a book . . . Wendy Mitchell is a life-saver’ -- Frances Wilson * The Oldie *An inspirational follow-up which shows that not all is lost when people lose their memories * Mail on Sunday *Full of wisdom, honesty and warmth . . . It taught me so much about what it's like to live with dementia and what it means to be part of a community . . . An absolutely essential read -- Jan CarsonUsing her impressive range of contacts, [Mitchell] augments her own experience with stories of other patients to paint a comprehensive picture of this unforgiving illness * Tablet *

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Book Synopsis‘One of the best fantasy book series of the past decade’ TIME Never trust an assassin. Celaena’s story continues in this second book in the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become the King’s Champion. But she is far from loyal to the crown. Though she goes to great lengths to hide her secret, her deadly charade becomes more difficult when she realises she is not the only one seeking justice. Her search for answers ensnares those closest to her, and no one is safe from suspicion — not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a princess with a rebel heart. Then, one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie ... and what she is willing to fight for. The second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series returns readers to a land destroyed by liars, where one woman’s truth is the only thing that can save them all.Trade ReviewAction-packed ... What a ride! -- Booklist on The Assassin’s BladeA thrilling read. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Throne of GlassAn epic fantasy readers will immerse themselves in and never want to leave. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on Crown of MidnightCelaena is as much an epic hero as Frodo or Jon Snow! -- New York Times bestselling author Tamora Pierce on Heir of FirePacked ... with brooding glances, simmering sexual tension, twisty plot turns, lush world building, and snarky banter. -- Booklist on Queen of ShadowsTightly plotted, delightful escapism. -- Kirkus Reviews on Empire of StormsTurns a corner from sprawling epic to thrilling psychological fantasy. -- HuffPost on Tower of DawnA worthy finale to one of the best fantasy book series of the past decade. -- Time on Kingdom of Ash

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award Longlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 'Unputdownable … An extraordinary book … as insightful and as premonitory as Orwell’s 1984’ Litro 'With echoes of Emily St John Mandel and Megan Hunter' Elizabeth Macneal ‘Stylish and thoughtful … The eerie claustrophobia of the setting will stay with the reader for a long while.' Literary Review ___________________________________________________ Not all that is hidden is lost… For twelve years Aina and Whitney have been in exile on an island for a crime they committed together, tethered to a croft by pills they take for survival every eight hours. They’ve kept busy - Aina with her garden, her jigsaw, her music; Whitney with his sculptures and maps - but something is not right. Shipwrecks have begun washing up, supply drops have stopped and on the day their punishment is meant to end, the Warden does not come. Instead a sheep appears; but sheep can’t swim. Aina becomes convinced that they’ve been abandoned, and that Whitney has been keeping secrets. As she starts testing the limits of their prison, investigating ways she might escape, she is confronted by decisions that haunt her past. Little does she realise that her biggest choice is yet to come… 'Taut, unsettling and so completely charged with both tension and emotion' Naomi Ishiguro 'As moving as it is chilling' Emma Stonex Reader Reviews 'An original and gripping read' 'Addictive and atmospheric' 'A haunting and original dystopian story' 'Compelling and absorbing' 'A refreshing change from the norm'Trade ReviewTaut, unsettling and so completely charged with both tension and emotion, I found myself captivated by Metronome. I loved the clarity of its vision and the clean intensity of its prose, and I know that its vivid characters and the bleak, brutal beauty of the world they inhabit will haunt my dreams for a long time now, in the absolute best of ways -- Naomi IshiguroWith echoes of Emily St John Mandel and Megan Hunter, this haunting literary thriller is about survival, loss and the binds that unite and break us. Chilling, eerie and powerful -- Elizabeth MacnealA pure, tender, terrifying vision that had me gripped to its beat from the first page. Cleverly imagined and beautifully creepy, it’s a story as moving as it is chilling -- Emma StonexEchoes the likes of Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven … A compellingly crafted debut, rich in tension and atmosphere * Living Magazine *Imagined with an impressively detailed three-dimensional solidity * Sunday Times *I loved it … You could feel the chill of the wind … Fantastic; it’s a great book -- Sara CoxStylish and thoughtful … The setup is delicious … A talented writer. The eerie claustrophobia of the setting will stay with the reader for a long while. The relationship between his characters is memorably, and often wittily, drawn * Literary Review *A great debut novel that tells a story of survival and mistrust with skill and craft * Storgy *Unputdownable … An extraordinary book … Metronome might well be a brave new world created by Tom Watson, as insightful and as premonitory as Orwell’s 1984 * Litro *Tom Watson has conjured a relationship corroded by compromise and capitulation, and worked it into an extraordinary love story — or rather, a story of what love looks like when affection and trust have fallen away * The Times *Dystopian island drama that packs a punch … A bold debut * Observer *Atmospheric … Watson’s use of language is nuanced and sensitive, with landscape writing especially a sensory highlight * Guardian *An element of 1984 and Big Brother is watching you … I found myself squirreling off just so I could get another quick chapter in … It’s such a page-turner -- Adrian ScarboroughIt really gave an insight to the human psyche, the power of the mind -- Emeli SandeThe rhythm of the book is what struck me -- Kate Bottley

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Book SynopsisTired of FREAKING OUT about climate change? Want to stop being an eco-WORRIER and start being an eco-WARRIOR? And do you absolutely, positively LOVE laughing? Then this hands-on and hilarious guide to saving the world is for YOU! Written by award-winning author James Campbell - who lives off-grid and owns a compost loo - find out how cow-farts are wrecking the world, what a fossil fuel even is and why 'earthships' (and not spaceships) are the future! This book will help you understand what climate change is and how on Earth we can stop it TOGETHER! A hilarious and light-hearted look at the problems facing planet Earth, perfect for educating and comforting children who are worried about climate change.Trade ReviewPacked with information, comments and observations which will keep the reader amused for hours. Though it's aimed at children aged 7 upwards, people of all ages will find plenty to chuckle about here! * More About Books on THE FUNNY LIFE OF FOOTBALL *Praise for The Funny Life of Pets: James Campbell is the funniest man I know. Read this book to your cat! -- Chris Riddell

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL _______________ 'A beautiful and profound retelling' - Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles and Circe 'Gives the serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity' - Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Elektra _______________ If I told you that I’d killed a man with a glance, would you wait to hear the rest? The why, the how, what happened next? Monster. Man-hater. Murderess. Forget everything you’ve been told about Medusa. Internationally bestselling author Jessie Burton flips the script in this astonishing retelling of Greek myth, illuminating the woman behind the legend at last. Exiled to a far-flung island after being abused by powerful Gods, Medusa has little company other than the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. Haunted by the memories of a life before everything was stolen from her, she has no choice but to make peace with her present: Medusa the Monster. But when the charmed and beautiful Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is blown apart, unleashing desire, love... and betrayal. Adapted from the hardback illustrated by Olivia Lomenech-Gill, this paperback edition is perfect for readers who loved Circe and Ariadne, as Medusa comes alive in a new version of the story that history set in stone long ago. _________________ '… a must-read for women of all ages' - Red magazine 'Utterly transporting' - Guardian Books of the Year '… an impressive addition to the shelves of feminist retellings, balancing rage with beautiful storytelling' - Irish TimesTrade ReviewA beautiful and profound retelling ... a powerfully feminist, elegaic and original twist on this old story. The book tackles pain and trauma without flinching, but its message is ultimately one of joy and hope * Madeline Miller *Utterly transporting * Guardian Books of the Year *A beautiful and compassionate retelling that gives the serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity ... Medusa's vulnerability, strength and journey of self-acceptance is one that will stay with me * Jennifer Saint *[A] beguiling, lyrical, but also relatable retelling of the myth of Medusa ... [that] reclaims her both as an ordinary teenage girl who was exploited, brutalised then punished and also as a feminist icon who refuses to be a victim when she can be a proud survivor ... Medusa is a must read for women of all ages * Red Magazine 'Best Books to Read This October' *Destined to become as much an artefact of our own age as it is an illumination of the ancient past [...] bracing and powerful * Guardian *Immerse yourself in Jessie Burton's poetic, powerful reclamation of Medusa's story * Harper's Bazaar *This book is a beautiful excavation, uncovering the girl beneath the gorgon, the power within the punished. Exquisitely told, Medusa stole my heart from its first fierce lines * Mary Watson *Easily my read of the year. Sheer perfection from start to finish * Catherine Doyle *A thought-provoking and gorgeously illustrated retelling * Daily Mail Christmas Roundup *Filled with vulnerability, raw emotion, betrayal and self-acceptance, this is a story that transcends its ancient time into a surprisingly relevant tale for girls today * i *Fierce and tender and full of heart; the reclamation of self that Medusa is owed, the version of the myth that deserves to be told, passed girl to girl, painted across walls and screamed from rooftops * Melinda Salisbury *I loved this story of survival, healing and bravery of all kinds. A moving retelling that will hold so much appeal for teens but also captivate adult readers of Circe and Ariadne * Amy McCulloch *This glorious retelling of MEDUSA will stay with me for a very long time. The writing is stunning, as one might expect with Jessie Burton, and the story feels searingly, heartbreakingly relevant for the world we live in. It’s a work of art * Louise O’Neill *[Medusa] refreshes an ancient myth in a way that empowers young women. If you enjoyed Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls, this is one for your Christmas List * Woman&Home *Medusa is an impressive addition to the shelves of feminist retellings, balancing rage with beautiful storytelling * Irish Times *A magnificent retelling of the Gorgon we know the most - Medusa - this title shows you the woman behind the myth * Buzzfeed *Burton turns one of Greek mythology's most contested figures into a heroine fit for modern fiction * Emily Bearn, Oldie *[A] haunting reimagining ... Burton’s take on the traditional adversaries humanizes both characters, blurring boundaries between hero and monster * Publisher's Weekly *A gorgeous gift. The writing is beautiful, the story heartbreakingly relevant * Louise O'Neill, Irish Examiner *A fiercely feminist undercurrent fuels Medusa's unflinching voice * Shelf Awareness *

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Book SynopsisA stunning new edition of the second novel in the bestselling Bone Season series with gorgeous new cover artwork and updated text, by the bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree.Paige Mahoney has escaped the secret prison city of Oxford. Now a fugitive in London, she nurtures a new taste for revolution. Oxford may be behind her, but the Republic of Scion is undefeated. As Scion turns its all-seeing eye on Paige, she is forced to return to Jaxon Hall, her charismatic and brutal employer, to keep her foothold in the underworld. But Paige will bow to only one now, and not even Jaxon will stop her exposing the corruption in the syndicate. As she plots to with the fabled Rose Crown, both sides of an ancient conflict seek her talents for themselves.

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Book SynopsisA stunning new edition of the fourth novel in the bestselling Bone Season series with gorgeous new cover artwork and updated text, by the bestselling author of The Priory of the Orange Tree.Paige Mahoney has eluded death again. Snatched from the jaws of captivity and sent to a safe house in the Scion Citadel of Paris, she finds herself caught between factions that seek Scion's downfall and those who would kill to protect the puppet empire.The mysterious Domino Programme has plans for Paige, but she has ambitions of her own in this new citadel. With Arcturus Mesarthim at her side, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her from the catacombs of Paris to the glittering hallways of Versailles. As Scion widens its bounds and the free world trembles in its shadow, Paige strives to understand her bond with Arcturus, which grows stronger by the day. But just as the revolution began with them it could end with them too...

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Book Synopsis'I'll always love you no matter what …' 'No matter what?' Small asks. But what if he turns into a bug, or a crocodile, or even a grizzly bear? Small has all sorts of questions about love, and his mummy must reassure him that her love will never, ever run out – no matter what. A heartfelt story about the unconditional love each parent feels for their child, beautifully told and exquisitely illustrated by Kate Greenaway-shortlisted Debi Gliori and repackaged for a new generation to enjoy. _______________ 'An instant childhood classic' – Independent on Sunday 'A brilliant gem of a book' – Guardian 'The literary equivalent of a big hug' – The TimesTrade ReviewA treat for kids – and a tear-jerker for carers * The Sun *An instant childhood classic * Independent on Sunday *A brilliant gem of a book * Guardian *The literary equivalent of a big hug * The Times *

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Book SynopsisDangerous is Michael Jackson's coming of age album. Granted, that’s a bold claim to make given that many think his best work lay behind him by the time this record was made. It offers Jackson on a threshold, at long last embracing adulthood—politically questioning, sexually charged—yet unable to convince a skeptical public who had, by this time, been wholly indoctrinated by a vicious media. Even though the record sold well, few understood or were willing to accept the depth and breadth of Jackson’s vision; and then before it could be fully grasped, it was eclipsed by a shifting pop music landscape and personal scandal—the latter perhaps linked to his assertive new politics. This book tries to cut through the din of dominant narratives about Jackson, taking up the mature, nuanced artistic statement he offered on Dangerous in all its complexity. It is read here as a concept album, one that offers a compelling narrative arc of postmodern angst, love, lust, seduction, betrayal, damnation, and above all else racial politics, in ways heretofore unseen in his music. This record offered a Michael Jackson that was mystifying for a world that had accepted him as a child and as childlike and, hence, as safe; this Michael Jackson was, indeed, dangerous.Trade ReviewVirtually all of his creative moments were moments of transition, and Ms. Fast makes a strong argument that “Dangerous” was among his most disruptive. In this book, the 100th entry in Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series, each one devoted to a single album, Ms. Fast employs close readings of lyrics, musical production choices and video presentations to underscore little discussed aspects of Jackson’s creative output. So she breaks “Dangerous” into thematically rich sections: Jackson breaking with his old self, then switching to familiar modes to make bold political statements and then coming full circle. -- Jon Caramanica * The New York Times *Throughout this book’s 144 pages Fast certainly makes plenty of compelling arguments as to why ‘Dangerous’ represents a true coming of age album for Jackson as well as perhaps his most ambitious and experimental collection, but one that didn’t really get a chance to be appreciated or properly understood before it was eclipsed by the media circus that soon engulfed Jackson’s entire life. -- Chris Downton * Cyclic Defrost *As a musicologist, [Fast] is quite capable of writing about the complexity of Jackson's music, offering a clear insight into his process. By placing the work in a cultural context: racism, politics, gender and sexuality, she also offers the non-musician an excellent read and good critical insight. Mostly because she makes crystal clear that Jackson knew exactly what he was doing as a writer and performer, his versatile voice and body combining high and low art to convey a serious message. Fast's analysis also makes it clear that Jackson was able to ingeniously communicate his message through the compilation of the album itself. This book offers a much-needed in-depth analysis of Jackson's music and art…Highly recommended. -- Karin Merx * Cultural Studies *Susan Fast's new monograph on Michael Jackson's Dangerous album is an utterly compelling, utterly intelligent reassessment of Jackson's oft-maligned record of 1991 and a challenge to anyone who thinks that they have a grasp on Jackson's controversial art. Fast has an arsenal of literary theorists to help her support her claim (Gates, Foucault), but her writing style-like the Jackson album that is her subject-is dangerous. I can't think of a 33 1/3 book that's written with so much verve, so much life that the deployment of tough theory and philosophy is swept away in the author's passionate prose. -- Paul Gleason * Stereo Embers *Fast has provided a model for how to reach a broader audience with scholarly writing. * Journal of the Society for American Music *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction. Telling Stories About Michael Jackson Chapter One. Noise Chapter Two. Desire Chapter Three. Utopia Chapter Four. Soul Coda: Dangerous Notes

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of A More Beautiful Question, hundreds of questions that harness the magic of inquiry to tackle challenges we all faceat work, in our relationships, and beyond.When we're confronted with almost any demanding situation, the act of questioning can help guide us to smart decisions in the face of uncertainty. But the questions must be the right ones; the ones that cut to the heart of complexity or enable us to see an old problem in a fresh way.In The Book of Beautiful Questions, expert questionologist Warren Berger shares illuminating stories and compelling research on the power of inquiry. Drawing from the insights and expertise of psychologists, innovators, effective leaders, and some of the world's foremost creative thinkers, he presents the essential questions readers need to make the best choices when it truly counts, with a particular focus in four key areas: decision-making, creativity, leadership, and relationships.The powerful questions in this book can help you: - Identify opportunities in your career or industry - Generate fresh ideas in business or in your own creative pursuits - Check your biases so you can make better judgments and decisions - Do a better job of communicating and connecting with the people around youThoughtful, provocative, and actionable, these beautiful questions can be applied immediately to bring about change in your work or your everyday life.

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Book SynopsisNo masters. No limits. No regrets.Aelin Galathynius takes her place as queen in the fourth book of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.Celaena Sardothien has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.Everyone Aelin loves has been taken from her. Everything she holds dear is in danger. But she has the heart of a queenand that heart beats for vengeance. In this fourth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, no one will escape the queen's wrath.

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Book SynopsisA glorious empire. A desperate quest. An ancient secret.The search for allies extends to a new land in the sixth book of the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea's last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold. After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child at the hands of Adarlanian soldiers, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need, and she will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries his own dark past, and Yrene soon realizes that those shadows could engulf them both. Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience to overcome the danger that surrounds them. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, long-awaited answers slumber deep in the mountains, where warriors soar on legendary ruks. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival . . . or doom them all.The final battle looms in this sixth book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

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Book SynopsisNever trust an assassin.Celaena's story continues in this second book in the #1 bestselling Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become the King's Champion. But she is far from loyal to the crown. Though she goes to great lengths to hide her secret, her deadly charade becomes more difficult when she realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. Her search for answers ensnares those closest to her, and no one is safe from suspicionnot the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a princess with a rebel heart. Then, one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie . . . and what she is willing to fight for. The second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series returns readers to a land destroyed by liars, where one woman's truth is the only thing that can save them all.

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Book SynopsisA Thousand Plateaus is the second part of Deleuze and Guattari's landmark philosophical project, Capitalism and Schizophrenia - a project that still sets the terms of contemporary philosophical debate. Written over a seven year period, A Thousand Plateaus provides a compelling analysis of social phenomena and offers fresh alternatives for thinking about philosophy and culture. Its radical perspective provides a toolbox for ‘nomadic thought' and has had a galvanizing influence on today's anti-capitalist movement.Table of ContentsTranslator's Foreword: Pleasures of Philosophy Notes on the Translation and Acknowledgements Author's Note 1. Introduction: Rhizome 2. 1914: One or Several Wolves? 3. 10,000 BC: The Geology of Morals (Who Does the Earth Think It Is?) 4. November 20th, 1923: Postulates of Linguistics 5. 587BC-AD70: On Several Regimes of Signs 6. November 28th, 1947: How Do You Make Yourself a Body Without Organs? 7. Year Zero: Faciality 8. 1874: Three Novellas, or "What Happened?" 9. 1933: Micropolitics and Segmentarity 10. 1730: Becoming Intense, Becoming-Animal, Becoming Imperceptible... 11. 1837: Of the Refrain 12. 1227: Treatise on Nomadology - The War Machine 13. 7000BC: Apparatus of Capture 14. 1440: The Smooth and the Striated 15. Conclusion: Concrete Rules and Abstract Machines Notes Bibliography List of Illustrations Index

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Book SynopsisThis compelling guide uncovers Sicily's multi-faceted personality through famous literary figures. Rising up from the heart of the Mediterranean, Sicily has a rich and ancient history spanning over 2,000 years. A bounty prized by invaders from the Greeks, Romans and Vandals to the Byzantines, Arabs and Normans, Sicily's beautiful landscapes are haunted by a vibrant mix of cultures and her soil has always been fertile ground for the literary and artistic imagination. This compelling guide uncovers the influence of those literary figures who have managed to get under the island's skin - from Pindar, Cicero and Aeschylus to Shakespeare and Cervantes; DH Lawrence, Coleridge and Oscar Wilde to Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, Ezra Pound and Lawrence Durrell; as well as local writers who have defined the modern Italian novel - Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and Leonardo Sciascia. Through their words and lives, we witness the beauty, pain and power of the Sicilian cultural landscape and discover how the potent mix of influences on the island's society has been preserved forever in literature.Trade Review...a wonderful text on the literary diversity of the island. -- Giles Foden * Conde Nast Traveller *Sicily: A Literary Guide for Travellers takes you into Sicily’s real personality, with fascinating insights into the character, history and culture of this enigmatic island. And it’s also one hell of a reading list! * Sicily Inside & Out *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Map Introduction 1 Palermo and Surroundings: Peeling the Onion 2 The Tyrrhenian Coast: Castles in the Air 3 Messina, Taormina and the North-East Coast: A Playground for the Literati 4 Catania and Mount Etna: Under the Shadow of the Volcano 5 Syracuse and the South-East: The Sybaritic South 6 Agrigento and the South Coast: Sulphur Spirits and Greek Temples 7 Enna and the Interior: Sicily’s Bread Basket 8 Trapani and the West: Salt, Wine and the Misty Goddess Author Profiles Chronology Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA wacky theatrical adapation of the classic children's novel The House That Sailed Away.

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Book SynopsisCHRISTINE BIGBY is Professor in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, La Trobe University, Australia. She qualified in the UK and then worked in intellectual disability services in Australia. Since 1996 she has been researching policy issues and the practice of working with people with intellectual disabilities. She is the Editor of Australian Social Work, the author of three previous books and numerous journal articles and book chapters. PATSIE FRAWLEY has a PhD from the School of Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University, Australia. Patsie trained as a teacher and has worked extensively in the field of intellectual disability as a researcher, educator, policy advisor and self advocate supporter.

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Book SynopsisJILL REYNOLDS isSenior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.ROSEMARY MUSTON is Course Manager in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.TOM HELLER is Senior Lecturer in Health Studies at the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.JONATHAN LEACH isLecturer in health and social care at The Open University, UK.MICK MCCORMICK isLecturer in social work with The Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.JAN WALLCRAFT is a freelance consultant.MARK WALSH is a writer, teacher and mental health nurse.

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Book SynopsisJohn Davies is Emeritus Professor of Civil Engineering at Coventry University. He has 8 years of practical experience as a civil engineer and 30 years of academic experience at the University of Westminster and Coventry University and was Head of Department at Coventry from 2001 to 2010.

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Book SynopsisThis important new book argues that at the root of the contemporary crisis of climate, energy, food, inequality, and meaning is a certain core presupposition that structures the ways in which we live, think, act and design: the assumption of dualism, or the fundamental separateness of things. The authors contend that the key to constructing livable worlds lies in the cultivation of ways of knowing and acting based on a profound awareness of the fundamental interdependence of everything that exists what they refer to as relationality. This shift in paradigm is necessary for healing our bodies, ecosystems, cities, and the planet at large. The book follows two interwoven threads of argumentation: on the one hand, it explains and exemplifies the modes of operation and the dire consequences of non-relational living; on the other, it elucidates the nature of relationality and explores how it is embodied in transformative practices in multiple spheres of life. The authors provide an

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Book SynopsisEssentials of US Politics and Government is the latest book in the Essentials of series for A-Level Politics, which maps on to the Edexcel specification. It covers all the knowledge required to tackle paper 3 of the A level; United States politics, as well as Comparative US-UK politics. Author Andrew Colclough is head of politics at an independent school in Oxford and a Team Leader examiner at Edexcel, so brings a wealth of experience in supporting both students and teachers. All of the core chapters in the book are organized around the series' signature Key Debates' feature, which explain the vital arguments, with supporting evidence, clearly and concisely. These aid students in constructing persuasive arguments in their essays. Summary tables at the end of each debate ideal both to gain a quick overview of the topic and as a tool for revision. The book also offers:- An abundance of contemporary political examples and case studies - A un

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Book SynopsisA quiet, anxious class can be an uncomfortable learning experience for all concerned, yet it can be a situation language educators regularly face. This volume offers a range of activities which teachers can use with both classes and individual students to reduce their anxiety and increase their confidence for speaking. Drawn from a variety of theoretical backgrounds and educational contexts, the activities are presented in a clear and easy-to-follow format, allowing educators to choose according to the needs of their students and style of instruction. By describing the theories, reasons and events which gave rise to the development of the activities, readers will be able to recognise their own experiences and easily realise how they might put the activities into practice in their own situations. Theories and practices explored include: mindfulness, flow practices, self-esteem theory, Stoic philosophy, attribution retraining, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and positive

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Book SynopsisConstruction Technology 1: House Construction offers a highly accessible introduction to the key stages of domestic house construction from planning to internal finishes. Its student-friendly layout uses detailed figures, photos and case studies from real-life building sites to aid a practical understanding of construction techniques, providing clear step-by-step guidance in learning the basic principles of low-rise residential construction.This textbook is a vital resource for students in construction, property and architecture, BSc and MSc, including any student taking courses in building surveying, quantity surveying, real estate and construction management, as well as those studying at the HNC/HND level.New to this Edition:- The sections on off-site manufacture and modular approaches to construction have been significantly updated and expanded. The nature of house construction utilising panelised and volumetric approaches is explained with supporting case study examples and

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Book SynopsisPug and his faithful companion, Lady Miranda, are going to be cowboys for the day and first of all they're going horsetrading! But with their noble steed Horsey safely acquired, it's not long before they find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Can Pug the reluctant hero overcome his fears and save the day once more?Cowboy Pug is the second book in Laura James''s beloved illustrated series about roly-poly Pug and his human, Lady Miranda. It is is perfect for fans of Claude and Squishy McFluff.A great book with lovely pictures and typography for five- to seven-year-olds who are starting to read for themselves and like dogs with multiple chins - The Times on COWBOY PUGTrade ReviewGorgeous funny young fiction. * The Bookseller on CAPTAIN PUG *Highly entertaining, wittily illustrated and fun to read alone. * Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading4Kids on CAPTAIN PUG *Captain Pug ... is another great new book for those who are ready for something meatier than a picture book. * Irish Independent on CAPTAIN PUG *Captain Pug is easy to read and the layout and typography is lovely ... it’s a fantastic read! * A Mum Reviews on CAPTAIN PUG *[A] wonderful, very funny, story … My little boy was laughing out loud every chapter as Pug becomes an accidental adventurer. * Home By Teatime on CAPTAIN PUG *

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