Contemporary fiction: literary and general

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Book SynopsisOnefateful encounter upends the lives of two women in this tensedomestic thriller, a modern spin on Alfred Hitchcock'sStrangers on a Trainthat flips the script on race and gender politics. I'm a big believer that women should help each other, Tasha, she says. Don't you think? Tasha Jenkins has finally found the courage to leave her abusive husband. Taking her teenage son with her, Tasha checks into a hotel the night before their flight out of D.C. and out of Kordell Jenkins's life forever. But escaping isn't so easy, and Tasha soon finds herself driving back to her own personal hell. As she is leaving, a white woman pounds on her car window, begging to be let in. Behind the woman, an angry man is in pursuit. Tasha makes a split-second decision that will alter the course of her life: she lets her in and takes off. Tasha and Madison Gingell may have very different everyday realities, but what they have in common is marriages they need out of. The two women want to help each other, buTrade Review"Not So Perfect Strangers is a gripping, twisted ride! You think you know what's happening, but you don't. Chock full of surprises, this dark story unfolds perfectly right up to the last page." -Samantha Downing, #1 International Bestselling author of For Your Own Good. "I was delighted to be caught in the crosshairs of this deliciously devious cat-and-mouse game between two strikingly different, but equally magnetic women as they duked it out for justice, revenge, love, and power. This one keeps the reader guessing until the very end." --Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author of Whisper Network

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Book SynopsisThe new #1bestseller from the author of Normal People and Conversations with Friends, now in paperback.

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Book SynopsisFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe comes a #1 Sunday Times bestselling grumpy x sunshine Christmas romcom! ??A charming break from reality' Publishers Weekly????????Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.Kira North hates Christmas. Which is unfortunate since she just bought a Christmas tree farm in a town that's too cute for its own good.Bennett Ellis is on vacation in Dream Harbor trying to take a break from both his life and his constant desire to fix things.But somehow fate finds Ben trapped by a blanket of snow at Kira's farm, and, despite her Grinchiest first impressions, with the glow of the fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and the promise of a warming hot chocolate, maybe, just maybe, these two lost souls will have a Christmas they'll remember foreverThe Christmas Tree Farm is a spicy romantic mystery with a HEA guaranteed, perfect to curl up with this winter! Tropes:Grumpy x SunshineSmall TownForced ProximityOne BedReaders have fallen for Laurie Gilmore:Wonderful story with tears, laughter, mysteries, uncertainty and happiness' ?????Compelling, cozy and delightful narrative' ?????A charming small town romance with sizzling chemistry and plenty of spice' ?????I LOVED THIS SO BAD. The vibes of the small town were immaculate' ?????''This book makes my heart happy!' ?????The perfect kind of romance for me' ?????

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Book SynopsisIn The Last Wolf, a philosophy professor is mistakenly hired to write the true tale of the last wolf of Extremadura, a barren stretch of Spain. His miserable experience is narrated in a single, rolling sentence to a patently bored bartender in a dreary Berlin bar. In Herman, a master trapper is asked to clear a forest's last 'noxious beasts.' Herman begins with great zeal, although in time he switches sides, deciding to track entirely new game... In Herman II, the same events are related from the perspective of strange visitors to the region, a group of hyper-sexualised aristocrats who interrupt their orgies to pitch in with the manhunt of poor Herman... These intense, perfect novellas, full of Krasznhorkai's signature sense of foreboding and dark irony, are perfect examples of his craft.Trade ReviewThe Last Wolf reveals what a light-footed and lucid writer Krasznahorkai is, how he entertains as well as disturbs. The book is an excellent short introduction to his fiction, much as Metamorphosis is to Kafka ... Krasznahorkai's method is to examine reality "to the point of madness" and he does so with majestic style and black comedy. -- Luke Brown * Financial Times *Unforgettably visceral and beautiful * Observer *Together, The Last Wolf and Herman raise a set of spiritual questions that affirms their author as one of the most important - and eccentric - writers working today. * Spectator *Melancholy, fantastical and entirely original ... seductive and comical, too -- Adam Thirlwell * Guardian *Exquisite ... claustrophobic, exhilarating and tinged with fatal comedy * New Statesman *Wonderful ... perfectly judged -- David Mills * Sunday Times *A visionary writer of extraordinary intensity and vocal range who captures the texture of present day existence in scenes that are terrifying, strange, appallingly comic and often shatteringly beautiful ... magnificent works of deep imagination -- Man Booker International Prize citationThe Last Wolf is a great introduction to the world of László Krasznahorkai. Enter here and keep going. -- Sjón[Krasznahorkai has] a magnificently strange and hypnotic way of thinking. * TLS *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBy turns love letter to and critique of language itself, Greek Lessons is a brief yet, in its concision and finesse, lapidary work . . . one of Han's most intimate works * Financial Times *In Greek Lessons Kang reaches beyond the usual senses to translate the unspeakable . . . Han Kang turns the well-worn idea of the mind-body disconnect into something fresh and substantial * Los Angeles Times *This novel is a celebration of the ineffable trust to be found in sharing language . . . [Han] is an astute chronicler of unusual, insubordinate women * The New York Times *Han Kang is a writer like no other. In a few lines, she seems to traverse the entirety of human experience -- Katie KitamuraHan Kang's vivid and at times violent storytelling will wake up even the most jaded of literary palates * Independent *An elliptical, enigmatic book . . . Han's style creates mystery * The Economist *Han Kang's hypnotic Greek Lessons probes the limits of language * The Straits Times *Han Kang is what most writers spend their lives trying to be: a fearless, unsentimental teller of human truths . . . Han Kang is a genius -- Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious HeresiesAnother stunning gem: quiet, sharply faceted, and devastating * Kirkus *

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Book Synopsis''A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything'' New York Times''Wallace is a superb comedian of culture . . . his exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight'' James Wood, Guardian''He induces the kind of laughter which, when read in bed with a sleeping partner, wakes said sleeping partner up . . . He''s damn good'' Nicholas Lezard, Guardian''One of the best books about addiction and recovery to appear in recent memory'' Sunday TimesSomewhere in the not-so-distant future the residents of Ennet House, a Boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby Enfield Tennis Academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of Infinite Jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and expire in a state of catatonic bliss . . .Trade ReviewA writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything * NEW YORK TIMES *Wallace is a superb comedian of culture . . . his exuberance and intellectual impishness are a delight * James Woods, GUARDIAN *He induces the kind of laughter which, when read in bed with a sleeping partner, wakes said sleeping partner up . . . He's damn good * Nicholas Lezard, GUARDIAN *One of the best books about addiction and recovery to appear in recent memory. * SUNDAY TIMES *

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Book SynopsisErnest Hemingway was born in Chicago in 1899, the second of six children. In 1917, he joined the Kansas City Star as a cub reporter. The following year, he volunteered as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, where he was badly wounded but decorated for his services. He returned to America in 1919, and married in 1921. In 1922, he reported on the Greco-Turkish war before resigning from journalism to devote himself to fiction. He settled in Paris, associating with other expatriates like Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. He was passionately involved with bullfighting, big-game hunting and deep-sea fishing. Recognition of his position in contemporary literature came in 1954 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, following the publication of The Old Man and the Sea. He died in 1961.Trade ReviewIt is unsurpassed in Hemingway's oeuvre. Every word tells and there is not a word too manyA quite wonderful example of narrative art. The writing is as taut, and at the same time as lithe and cunningly played out, as the line on which the old man plays the fish * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisAn action-packed new novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of People of the Book and MarchTrade ReviewEveryone should read Geraldine Brooks * Guardian *I loved this book so much - an important book, gorgeous, full of love . . . a super smart book that will keep you up all night -- Ann PatchettIn telling the story of an antebellum racehorse, Geraldine Brooks balances two compelling timelines and explores the rotten legacy of American slavery... It richly transcends the category of 'for horse lovers' -- Maggie Shipstead, Books of the Year * Guardian *One of our most supple and insightful novelists . . . Brooks is as adventurous as a novelist as she once was a journalist . . . her journalistic sense of story has remained vibrant. -- Jane Smiley * The New York Times Book Review *Brilliantly varied and with a galloping pace * Mail on Sunday *A confident novel of racing and race... with tender precision, Horse shows us history in flux... the book returns Brooks to the terrain that won her a Pulitzer Prize... She brings the same archival confidence and sensory flair to the antebellum racetrack * Guardian *This is historical fiction at its finest, connecting threads of the past with the present to illuminate that essentially human something . . . Calling all horse girls: This is the story of the most important racehorse you've never heard of, but it's also so much more than that. * Good Housekeeping *Brooks is a master at bringing the past alive . . . in [her] skillful hands the issues of the past echo our own deepest concerns: love and loss, drama and tragedy, chaos and brutality. -- Alice Hoffman * Washington Post *There's something bordering on the supernatural about Geraldine Brooks. She seems able to transport herself back to earlier time periods, to time travel. Sometimes, reading her work, she draws you so thoroughly into another era that you swear she's actually lived in it. -- Matthew Gilbert * The Boston Globe *Thrilling . . . a book about the power and pain of words -- Alexandra Jacobs * New York Times *Horse isn't just an animal story - it's a moving narrative about race and art * Time *Few fiction writers travel across territory as vast as that staked out by the intrepid Geraldine Brooks . . . There's a romance between Brooks and the world, and her writing is as full of heart and curiosity as it is intelligence and judgement . . . her appetite for detail, her wanting to know how things work and why they happened, is enormous. -- Carrie Brown * The Boston Globe *The wonderful story of an extraordinary real-life racehorse... Brooks moves seamlessly between different times and places... the attention to historical details is impressive * Racing Post *Reveals the truth behind the spirit, obsession and injustice across American history * The Handbook *This deft novel moves between the present day and the Civil War era in a polyphonic examination of the fraught racial aspects of horse racing in US history * New Yorker *Brooks understands and empathises with all of her characters, and it is suspenseful and thoughtful - a masterpiece * Jane Smiley *Thrilling... Brooks has an almost clairvoyant ability to conjure up the textures of the past and of each character's inner life... Her felicitous, economical style and flawless pacing carries us briskly yet unhurriedly along... And the novel's alternating narratives, by suspending time, also intensify suspense * Wall Street Journal *Brooks is an accomplished writer... [She] has a talent and passion for research that is fully expressed here... The descriptions of 19th-century horse racing are thrilling * Atlantic *A thrilling story about humanity in all its ugliness and beauty... The care with which Brooks crafts each character's voice is a plea to look past the categorical labels and legends with which we describe each other, to truly see the individual. Paired with a compelling plot, the evocative voices create a story so powerful, reading it feels like watching a neck-and-neck race, galloping to its conclusion - you just can't look away * Oprah Daily *A sweeping tale... fluid, masterful storytelling... Brooks writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable... Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them * Washington Post *Horse mingles the past with the present, and history melds with well-informed invention... Brooks crafts an exceptionally sensitive portrayal of an enslaved groom and his special bond with Lexington * Smithsonian Magazine *Brooks demonstrates imaginative empathy [...] and provides some sardonic correctives to White cluelessness... Strong storytelling in service of a stinging moral message * Kirkus *You won't be able to contain yourself while reading this elegant story about three generations of people inspired by the story of America's greatest racehorse... This is a novel about love, anger, passion, and justice - unbridled and bursting * Lit Hub *A fascinating saga based on the true story of a famous 19th-century racehorse * Publishers Weekly *Brooks probes our understanding of history to reveal the power structures that create both the facts and the fiction... She has penned a clever and richly detailed novel about how we commodify, commemorate, and quantify winning in the United States, all through the lens of horse racing * Library Journal *Marvellous... Brooks structures the book like a mystery... Equestrian or no, readers will appreciate Brooks's invitation to linger awhile among beautiful and graceful horses, to see the devotion they engendered in her characters * Shelf Awareness *With exceptional characterizations, Pulitzer Prize-winner Brooks tells an emotionally impactful tale... The settings are pitch-perfect, and the story brings to life the important roles filled by Black horsemen in America's past * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisThe new novel from Thomas PynchonMilwaukee 1932, the Great Depression going full blast, repeal of Prohibition just around the corner, Al Capone in the federal pen, the private investigation business shifting from labour-management relations to the more domestic kind. Hicks McTaggart, a one-time strikebreaker turned private eye, thinks he's found job security until he gets sent out on what should be a routine case, locating and bringing back the heiress of a Wisconsin cheese fortune who's taken a mind to go wandering. Before he knows it, he finds himself on a transoceanic liner, ending up eventually in Hungary where there's no shoreline, a language from some other planet, and enough pastry to see any cop well into retirement and of course no sign of the runaway heiress he's supposed to be chasing. By the time Hicks catches up with her he will find himself also entangled with Nazis, Soviet agents, British counterspies, swing musicians, practitioners of the paranormal, outlaw motorcyclists, and the troubles that come with each of them, none of which Hicks is qualified, forget about being paid, to deal with. Surrounded by history he has no grasp on and can't see his way around in or out of, the only bright side for Hicks is it's the dawn of the Big Band Era and as it happens he's a pretty good dancer. Whether this will be enough to allow him somehow to lindy-hop his way back again to Milwaukee and the normal world, which may no longer exist, is another question.

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Book SynopsisC.S. Lewis's dazzling allegory about heaven and hell and the chasm fixed between them is one of his most brilliantly imaginative tales, as he takes issue with the ideas in William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell'.In a dream, the narrator boards a bus on a drizzly afternoon and embarks on an incredible voyage through Heaven and Hell. He meets a host of supernatural beings far removed from his expectations, from the disgruntled, ghostly inhabitants of Hell to the angels and souls who dwell on the plains of Heaven.This powerful, exquisitely written fantasy is one of C.S. Lewis's most enduring works of fiction and a profound meditation on good and evil.Trade Review‘The Great Divorce … helped me see the possibility of a really adult faith that did not avoid the toughest questions about failure and self-deception and pointed to a God absolutely and unconditionally loving and utterly, painfully, demanding in his truthfulness.’Rowan Williams ‘There is attractive imagery and amusing satire… There are exciting speculations… Mr. Lewis rouses curiosity about life after death only to sharpen awareness of this world.’ The Guardian

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for The Man Booker International Prize 2018 A Hungarian interpreter obsessed with waterfalls, at the edge of the abyss in his own mind, wanders the chaotic streets of Shanghai. A traveller, reeling from the sights and sounds of Varanasi, encounters a giant of a man on the banks of the Ganges ranting on the nature of a single drop of water. A child labourer in a Portuguese marble quarry wanders off from work one day into a surreal realm utterly alien from his daily toils. In The World Goes On, a narrator first speaks directly, tells twenty-one unforgettable stories, then bids farewell ('for here I would leave this earth and these stars, because I would take nothing with me'). As László Krasznahorkai himself explains: 'Each text is about drawing our attention away from this world, speeding our body toward annihilation, and immersing ourselves in a current of thought or a narrative...' The World Goes On is another masterpiece by the winner of the 2015 Man Booker International Prize. 'The excitement of his writing,' Adam Thirlwell proclaimed in the New York Review of Books, 'is that he has come up with his own original forms-there is nothing else like it in contemporary literature.'Trade ReviewOne of the great inventors of new forms in contemporary literature ... there is nothing else like it in contemporary literature -- Adam Thirwell * New York Review of Books *This collection - a masterpiece of invention, utterly different from everything else - is hugely unsettling and affecting; to meet Krasznahorkai's characters, to read his breathless, twisting sentences, is to feel altered. * Guardian *Stories of journeys that, whether undertaken or thwarted, arrive at transcendence. At the end there is only one way to go, in what has to be the most powerful page written so far this century. -- Paul Griffiths * TLS Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisONE OF BARACK OBAMA''S FAVOURITE READS OF THE YEAR ''If I could get policymakers and citizens everywhere to read just one book this year, it would be Kim Stanley Robinson''s The Ministry for the Future'' Ezra Klein, Vox ''A great read'' Bill GatesThe Ministry for the Future is a masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. Its setting is not a desolate, postapocalyptic world, but a future that is almost upon us. Chosen by Barack Obama as one of his favorite books of the year, this extraordinary novel from visionary writer Kim Stanley Robinson will change the way you think about the climate crisis.''A novel that presents a rousing vision of how we might unite to overcome the greatest challenge of our time'' TED.com''A breathtaking lookTrade ReviewBestseller Robinson again tackles climate change head-on in this gutsy, humane view of a near-future Earth careening toward collapse . . . Robinson masterfully integrates the practical details of environmental crises and geoengineering projects into a sweeping, optimistic portrait of humanity's ability to cooperate in the face of disaster. This heartfelt work of hard science-fiction is a must-read for anyone worried about the future of the planet * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *A breathtaking look at the challenges that face our planet in all their sprawling magnitude and also in their intimate, individual moments of humanity * Booklist *Steely, visionary optimism * Guardian *A panoramic epic, the best science fiction-nonfiction novel I've ever read * Jonathan Lethem, Vanity Fair *The Ministry for the Future is a great read. Robinson has written a novel that presents the urgency of this crisis in an original way and leaves readers with hope that we can do something about it. The next chapter in the story of our planet is still being written, and the ending is up to us * Bill Gates *Robinson is one of the world's finest working novelists, in any genre. New York 2140 is a towering novel about a genuinely grave threat to civilisation -- GUARDIANA masterpiece * The Times *A deeply realised world that feels more like a peep into our future than a work of fiction * New Scientist *Robinson seamlessly binds together characters and narrative strands . . . An immensely enjoyable reading experience * SciFiNow *Robinson's writing is so evocative that you can imagine that any one of his paragraphs could feature in the film of the book . . . a thoughtful, innovative page turner -- STARBURSTAny new novel by the great Kim Stanley Robinson is always an event and Red Moon doesn't disappoint * Independent *Even at 600-plus pages, there's a leanness to the prose that keeps the plot moving forwards . . . Robinson handles setpieces with aplomb -- SFXA wise and big-hearted novel to read and then, straight away, read again * SFX *Another stellar effort from one of the masters of the genre * Booklist *It's near impossible to capture the vibrance of the entire city in the span of one single novel, yet Kim Stanley Robinson manages to do just that and more -- NEWSWEEKLike all great sci-fi, New York 2140 is as much inward-looking as it is forward- . . . Robinson's work has a strong, intelligent social conscience -- GQThe lunar landscape is a source of beautifully described detail * Kirkus *A compelling vision of the future * Science *Starkly beautiful and fundamentally optimistic -- THE CONVERSATIONOnly sci-fi can drown Manhattan and make you want to live there -- BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEKOne of the finest writers of his generation * Locus *Beautiful descriptions of lunar landscapes * Guardian *This may well be Robinson's masterpiece and is surely the most important piece of sf in years -- MORNING STARSci-fi fans will love the detail and the optimism about humanity's future in space * Wall Street Journal *There have been more than a few environmental catastrophe tales set in a future New York, but possibly none of them have been this interesting -- LOCUSOne of the most exciting books in climate change fiction yet written... Both immensely readable and timely -- LITHUBUtterly immersive and unexpectedly hopeful -- RT BOOK REVIEWS

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Book SynopsisCollide is the first book in the Off the Ice seriesThe second novel, Spiral, is out now and the third, Revolve, will be out in October. You can pre-order Revolve now.''Equal parts spicy and sweet'' Peyton Corinne, author of UnsteadyWhen Summer Preston's professor issues her with an ultimatum, she finds herself on an unexpected collision course with hockey captain, Aiden Crawford.Summer hates everything about hockey, for good reason, but she isn't going to let that stand in the way of her becoming a sports psychologist.Aiden loves being the hockey captain, except when his team's reckless mistakes risk jeopardizing their entire season. When coach puts him forward for a research paper as punishment, he has no choice but to accept.Summer can''t stand his blasé approach to life, and Aiden doesn''t understand her uptight, scheduled one. They are off to a rocky start, and provoking each other it turns out is what they do best.But losing isn''t something either of them does well. Maybe there's a way for both of them to win?Now with a never-before-seen bonus scene from Summer and Aiden's love story as well as an extract from the next book in the Off the Ice series. Find out which of your favourite characters from Collide will be featured next!If you love...Ice hockeyCollege settingReverse grumpy meets sunshineForced proximityNo third act breakupMulti-racial charactersHe falls firstDual POV... you''re going to love CollideReaders are falling for Summer and Aiden...''The spice levels won''t disappoint'' ''Someone please point me in the direction of where I can get my own Aiden Crawford'' ''If you loved The Deal and Icebreaker, you'll love this!!! I could not put this book down!'' ''Bal Khabra is quickly becoming one of my favourite sports romance authors!''''Bal Khabra never disappoints. I will read anything she will write. PERIOD.''Spiral ranked No. 6 in the Sunday Times bestseller chart week ending 01/02/2025.

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING, BOOKER-SHORTLISTED AUTHORSHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE 2025''Stunning, deeply felt and profoundly intelligent'' Guardian It's autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer, Lucy Barton, who lives nearby in a house next to the sea. Together, Lucy and Bob talk about their lives, their hopes and regrets, and what might have been.Lucy, meanwhile, befriends one of Crosby's longest inhabitants, Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive's apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known unrecorded lives, Olive calls them reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning.Brimming with empathy and pathos, TELL ME EVERYTHING is Elizabeth Strout operating at the height of her powers, illuminating the ways in which our relationships keep us afloat. As Lucy says, Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love.''A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own'' Hilary Mantel''A terrific writer'' Zadie Smith''Strout's ability to reveal the wonder in unrecorded lives continues to astonish'' TelegraphOPRAH''S BOOK CLUB PICK: ''A beautiful read reminding us that there is extraordinary love in ordinary actions'' Oprah Winfrey Elizabeth Strout, Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, 2022

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Book Synopsis***The four-million-copy International Bestseller*** ‘If you love The Girl on the Train read Behind Closed Doors’ Elle ‘Twists our expectations of the entire psychological thriller genre’ Guardian Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do. You’d like to get to know Grace better. But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows. Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie. Readers love Behind Closed Doors: ‘Do whatever you can to get a copy of this book. It’s one that you just can’t miss.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is a truly gripping read. I was hooked from the very opening.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is honestly one of the best books of this genre that I have ever read… brutal yet brilliant.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This is THE ultimate psychological thriller. It is a horrifically dark, claustrophobic and tense read that will have your heart pounding and chill you to the bone… Believe all the hype.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A brutal depiction of insanity, love, deception and survival, Behind Closed Doors is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. I can’t wait to read more of B.A Paris.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Trade Review PRAISE FOR BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: ‘Twists our expectations of the entire psychological thriller genre’ Guardian ‘Behind Closed Doors is both unsettling and addictive, as I raced through the pages to find out Grace’s fate. A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night’ Mary Kubica, bestselling author of Local Woman Missing ‘The tension builds almost unbearably’ Good Housekeeping ‘This outstanding debut novel will leave you breathless’ Bella ‘It took me just an afternoon to read this book and by the end, my heart was pounding. If you like fast and frantic stories, you’ll love this’ The Sun ‘Brilliant, chilling, scary and unputdownable’ Lesley Pearse, bestselling author of Deception

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Book SynopsisAll books, no matter their binding, will fall to dust. The stories they carry may last longer. They might outlive the paper, the library, even the language in which they were first written.The greatest story can reach the stars . . .This is the start of an incredible new journey from the internationally bestselling author of Prince of Thorns, in which, though the pen may be mightier than the sword, blood will be spilled and cities burnedEvar has lived his whole life trapped within a vast library, older than empires and larger than cities.Livira has spent hers in a tiny settlement out on the Dust where nightmares stalk and no one goes.The world has never noticed them.That's about to change.As their stories spiral around each other, across worlds and time, each will unlock vast secrets about the world and themselves. This is a tale of truth and lies and hearts, and the blurring of one into another.

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Book SynopsisTHE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLDA Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick''The real deal: one gorgeous read'' Stephen King''This book will change your life. An instant classic'' Daily Telegraph''A book lover''s dream'' The Times Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ''Cemetery of Lost Books'', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ''The Shadow of the Wind'' by Julian Carax.But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax''s work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind...''Marvellous'' Sunday Times''A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading'' Independent''Gripping and instantly atmospheric'' Mail on Sunday''Irresistibly readable'' Guardian''Diabolically good'' ElleTrade ReviewPart gothic mystery, past ribald comedy, part political thriller, part Borgesian parable, and all marvellous * Sunday Times *A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading * Independent *A magical tale -- Cecilia AhernOne of those rare novels that combine brilliant plotting with sublime writing * Sunday Times *A book lover's dream * The Times *Irresistibly readable...Walk down any street in Zafon's Barcelona and you'll glimpse the shades of the past and the secrets of the present * Guardian *Diabolically good * Elle *This gripping novel has the feel of a gothic ghost story complete with crumbling, ivy-covered mansions, gargoyles and dank prison cells...this is just the sort of literary mystery that would have found favour with Wilkie Collins * Daily Mail *A deeply satisfying, rich, full read * Sunday Telegraph *A page-turning exploration of obsession in literature and love * Sunday Express *An astounding critical success. There's an intricate plot, a gothic atmosphere and an elusive quest, as well as murders, intrigue and star-crossed lovers * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 'A strange, painfully tender exploration of the brutality of desire indulged and the fatality of desire ignored... Exquisite.' Eimear McBride Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people - dutiful wife and mild-mannered office worker. One day, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares, Yeong-hye decides to become a vegetarian. But in South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, it is a shocking act of subversion. Yeong-hye's passive rebellion rapidly manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, from sexual sadism to attempted suicide, and in increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks, as all the while she spirals further into her fantasies... Disturbing and beautiful by turns, The Vegetarian is a revelatory novel about modern day South Korea; a tale of shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others.Trade ReviewA strange, painfully tender exploration of the brutality of desire indulged and the fatality of desire ignored... Exquisite -- Eimear McBride, Baileys Women's Prize-winning author * A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing *The Vegetarian is a story about metamorphosis, rage and the desire for another sort of life. It is written in cool, still, poetic but matter-of-fact short sentences, translated luminously by Deborah Smith, who is obviously a genius -- Deborah Levy, author * Swimming Home *[The Vegetarian] is understated even in its most fevered, violent moments. It has a surreal and spellbinding quality. Enthralling -- Arifa Akbar * Independent *It's a bracing, visceral, system-shocking addition to the Anglophone reader's diet. It is sensual, provocative and violent, ripe with potent images, startling colours and disturbing questions. Sentence by sentence, The Vegetarian is an extraordinary experience. [It] will be hard to beat -- Daniel Hahn * Guardian *Shocking... The writing throughout is precise and spare, with not a word wasted. There are no tricks. Han holds the reader in a vice grip... The Vegetarian quickly settles into a dark, menacing brilliance that is similar to the work of the gifted Japanese writer Yoko Ogawa in its devastating study of psychological pain... [It] is more than a cautionary tale about the brutal treatment of women: it is a meditation on suffering and grief. It is about escape and how a dreamer takes flight. Most of all, it is about the emptiness and rage of discovering there is nothing to be done when all hope and comfort fails... A work of savage beauty and unnerving physicality. Mind-blowing -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *Entrancing and tense... the writing is spare and haunting... its crushing climax, a phantasmagoric yet emotionally true moment that's surely one of the year's most powerful... [This is] an ingenious, upsetting, and unforgettable novel -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)The Vegetarian is hypnotically strange, sad, beautiful and compelling. I liked it immensely -- Nathan Filer, author * The Shock of the Fall *A stunning and beautifully haunting novel. It seems in places as if the very words on the page are photosynthesising. I loved this graceful, vivid book -- Jess Richards, author * Snake Ropes *Poetic and beguiling, and translated with tremendous elegance, The Vegetarian exhilarates and disturbs -- Chloe Aridjis, author * The Book of Clouds *This short novel is one of the most startling I have read. Kang is well served by Deborah Smith's subtle translation in this disturbing book -- Julia Pascal * Independent *Kang belongs to a generation of writers that aim to discover secret drives, ambitions, and miseries behind one's personal destiny... [The Vegetarian] deals with violence, sanity, cultural limits, and the value of the human body as the last refuge and private space * Tiempo Argentino *Disturbing and beautiful, The Vegetarian is translated by Deborah Smith into poetic yet matter-of-fact prose -- Richard Eves * Big Issue in the North *A fine novel -- David Hebblethwaite * Shiny New Books *This off-kilter novel from Korea is simultaneously beautiful and sinister * Absolutely Dulwich *The Vegetarian is so strange and vivid it left me breathless upon finishing it. I don't think I've ever read a novel as mouth-wateringly poetic, or as drenched in hypnotic oddities, taboos and scandal. It seems to have been plucked out of the ether, ready-made to take us all by surprise. Exciting and compelling -- Lee Rourke * New Humanist *Elegantly translated into bone-spare English by Deborah Smith... The Vegetarian whispers so clearly, it can be heard across the room, insistently and with devastating, quiet violence -- Joanna Walsh * New Statesman *Fascinating and powerful. A really engrossing read * Guardian *Unsettling... [a] strange and ethereal fable, rendered stranger still by the cool precision of the prose -- Peter Brown * TLS *In The Vegetarian Han Kang ruthlessly targets South Korea's social codes, using the story of a simple, personal rebellion to expose a callous patriarchy. Sharply ironic -- Ruairi Casey * Totally Dublin *[A] heady, unsettling novel... Kang writes in a coolly unsentimental style, and achieves a delicate balance of restraint and passion in a story pulsing with desire, betrayal and destruction. Haunting -- Mireille Juchau * The Australian *Visceral and terrifying, The Vegetarian is a startling reminder of the utter unknowability of another's mind. Nonetheless, reading it, you will feel it in your flesh: the desire for peace, a plea for safety, for escape from your own inevitable mortality. It is artfully plotted yet reads like a fever dream, sweeping and surreal. It will leave you aching -- Sarah Gerard, author * Binary Star *Considering this book just as a story about a vegetarian is a mistake. It is rather a meticulously constructed and haunting novel. Right at the moment you turn the last page, you'll feel grateful for your ordinary life -- Kyung-Sook Shin, Man Asian Literary Prize-winning author * Please Look After Mom *Like a small seed, Han Kang's startling and unforgettable debut goes to work quietly, but insistently. Her prose is so balanced, so elegant and assured, you might overlook the depths of this novel's darkness - do so at your own peril -- Colin Winnette, author * Haints Stay and Coyote *Brutal and beautiful - the translation alone is a work of art - this is a book for anyone who believes that the novel's job is to turn its reader inside out -- Eimear McBride, ‘Summer Read’ * Guardian *Subtle, provocative... a beautiful book -- Chad W Post * Frankfurt Show Daily *Immediately absorbing...It's the kind of story where every word matters -- Lesley McDowell * Sunday Herald *An irresistibly weird and sensuous story -- Daniel Hahn, Books of the Year * New Statesman *Han Kang's vivid and at times violent storytelling will wake up even the most jaded of literary palates * Independent *A transformative fable about desire, frustration and individual will -- Best Books of 2015 * Guardian *Paradoxically, both enlightening and incomprehensible. It is a strange book, with overtones of Kafka, and a plot that has no resolution. And yet it continues its reader, turning the seeming banality of a woman's decision not to eat meat into a surreal psychological odyssey -- Xenobe Purves * Litro *This compact, exquisite and disturbing book will linger long in the minds, and maybe the dreams, of its readers. -- Boyd Tonkin, chair of judges for Man Booker International Prize 2016Split into three parts, Kang's narrative dances tantalisingly around her central character, the too-often silent Yeong-hye... As a character she appears the twisted product of the multitude of watchful eyes, the switching preoccupations, and the opinions of those around her. She herself remains mysteriously elusive, her own thoughts only ever revealed in sparing flashes interspersed throughout the narrative... Teetering between explanations both 'ordinary' and 'extra-ordinary', she leaves no room for certainty, constantly teasing the reader, and the ambiguity that remains both torments and delights. This masterpiece of Korean fiction is finally made available to English readers in Deborah Smith's achingly elegant prose, the first of Han Kang's novels to be translated. Thankfully I am certain it will not be the last. -- Thea Hawlin * London Magazine *While the narrative exposes the plight of women in a male-dominated Korean society, it also takes a broader, philosophical look at suffering and grief, loneliness and the death of hope. It explores the brutal power shifts in relationships. On all levels, artistic and moral, it is a remarkable meditation with universal resonance. At its heart is the individual trying, and failing, to live. Deborah Smith's translation, magnificently alert to the sensitive, sophisticated nuances and tonal variations, can only be described as inspired. -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *A truly memorable novel [with] visceral and unfaltering writing that is innately uneasy to read [...] Han Kang expertly structures the novel around the three long chapters that explore the voices around Yeong-Hye. Though the narrative is never hers, Yeong-Hye remains the focus of the novel throughout. Each chapter features dream sequences which blur the everyday and ethereal and provide the reader with rich and dynamic prose. The fact that these sequences work so well in The Vegetarian is a huge credit to the work of Deborah Smith who achieves a translation that is wonderfully readable in English whilst at the same time profoundly different to English language novels. * Words Shortlist *One of the most erotic literary novels of the season... The Vegetarian has been praised on both sides of the Atlantic as strange visionary and transgressive. * Economist *A haunting, hypnotic read, Han Kang's novel is a bold example of what world literature has to offer us here in Britain. -- Erica Wagner * Harper's Bazaar *The winner of the 2016 Man International Booker Prize is an unsettling, sensual and surreal novel about a dutiful wife who rebels against her stultifying marriage. * i *No blurb that I have read for this book does it justice. That's because the premise is peculiar; an unremarkable man meets an unremarkable woman and they get married. Their lives are ordinary, until one day she has a dream that compels her to become a vegetarian. At which point the tale goes nuclear. -- Summer books round up * The Times *Intriguing -- Charlotte Mendelson, summer books round up * Observer *At once dreamy and nightmarish, a beautiful horror and easily one of the best books I've read in years. -- Lisa McInerney * Guardian *[An] engrossing read which takes you deep into the fascinating and complex world of another culture, South Korea. The harrowing but beautifully told story of a woman who would not conform. -- Top ten books chart * Western Morning News *Fraught, disturbing and beautiful, The Vegetarian is a novel about shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others. * Western Morning News *Kang has crafted a wounding, unsettling book. The fantastical imagery of plants, trees and flowers reinforce Yeong-hye's purity. The book is a journey in trying to understand her and the reactions she inspires in others... Han Kang's great achievement is crafting a small tale from which great things grow * Irish Examiner *A violent, magical and surreal tale... Unforgettable -- Fiona Wilson, Best Books of 2016 * The Times *I loved this haunting [novel] -- Lionel Shriver, Best Books of 2016 * Observer *Visceral -- Best Books of 2016 * Financial Times *This slim novel from South Korea is one of the most erotic literary novels of the season -- Best Books of 2016 * Economist *[An] unsettling novel... This spare and elegant translation renders the original Korean in pointed and vivid English, preserving Han's exploration of whether true innocence is possible in a vicious and bloody world -- The Ten Best Books of 2016 * New York Times *Scary and sad, but also deeply tender. It made me question my autonomy, which is exactly what I look for in a book -- Brie Larson * Stylist *A disturbingly cerebral analysis of conformity, autonomy and patriarchy * Dumfries and Galloway Life *[An] eerie modern classic * Metro *

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Book SynopsisJean-Paul Sartre''s first published novel, Nausea is both an extended essay on existentialist ideals, and a profound fictional exploration of a man struggling to restore a sense of meaning to his life. This Penguin Modern Classics edition is translated from the French by Robert Baldick with an introduction by James Wood.Nausea is both the story of the troubled life of an introspective historian, Antoine Roquentin, and an exposition of one of the most influential and significant philosophical attitudes of modern times - existentialism. The book chronicles his struggle with the realisation that he is an entirely free agent in a world devoid of meaning; a world in which he must find his own purpose and then take total responsibility for his choices. A seminal work of contemporary literary philosophy, Nausea evokes and examines the dizzying angst that can come from simply trying to live.Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was an iconoclastic French philosopher, novelist, playwright and, widely regarded as the central figure in post-war European culture and political thinking. Sartre famously refused the Nobel Prize for literature in 1964 on the grounds that ''a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution''. His most well-known works, all of which are published by Penguin, include The Age of Reason, Nausea and Iron in the Soul.If you enjoyed Nausea, you might like Albert Camus'' The Outsider, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''One of the very few successful members of the genre Philosophical Novel ... a young man''s tour de force''Iris MurdochTrade ReviewA tour de force -- Iris MurdochJean-Paul Sartre dominated the intellectual life of twentieth-century France to an extraordinary degree ... heralded as the "pope" of existentialism, he ranked as an international superstar * The New York Times *

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Book Synopsis#1 NEW YORK TIMES READERS BEST BOOK OF THE 21ST CENTURY A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTWICE WINNER OF THE WOMEN''S PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE MULTI-MILLION COPY SELLING AUTHORBOOK AT BEDTIME ON BBC RADIO 4AN OPRAH''S BOOK CLUB PICKWithout a doubt the best book I'll read this year.' KATE ATKINSONIt's EPIC. Righteously angry, DEEPLY moving and exquisitely written.' MARIAN KEYESDaring, entertaining and highly readable.' The TimesElectrifying.' Daily MailA blaze of a book.' RACHEL JOYCEA masterclass.' RICHARD POWERSMasterful.' Pulitzer PrizePowerful.' GuardianA work of genius.' KATE MOSSE____________Demon Copperhead is a once-in-a-generation novel that breaks and mends your heart in the way only the best fiction can.Demon's story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking like a little blue prizefighter.' For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn't an idea, it's as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn't an abstraction, it's neighbours, parents, and friends. Family' could mean love, or reluctant foster care. For Demon, born on the wrong side of luck, the affection and safety he craves is as remote as the ocean he dreams of seeing one day. The wonder is in how far he's willing to travel to try and get there.Suffused with truth, anger and compassion, Demon Copperhead is an epic tale of love, loss and everything in between.____________Readers love Demon Copperhead:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''Outstanding . . . I don''t know how someone can write a book like this: inhabit a totally different character and create it with such empathy, respect and fullness.''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''Powerful and brilliant. To immerse yourself in a Kingsolver novel is to put yourself in the hands of a master.''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''This was one of the greatest books I have read . . . Kingsolver is a magician with words, and her rage quietly seeps from each page.''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''Raw, angry, starkly beautiful . . . Genuinely one of the best books I''ve ever read.''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''An incredibly raw and moving read, with a big-hearted hero who will stay with me for a long time.''⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ''I cannot overstate how absorbing this book is. It is wonderful and has restored my faith in fiction and novels.''

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURYWINNER OF THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZEWINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES/PFD YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARDWINNER OF THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READER AWARDWINNER OF THE EUROPESE LITERATUURPRIJS''Amazing and unforgettable.'' THE TIMES''Dazzlingly good.'' ROBERT MACFARLANE''Unlike anything I''ve read before.'' GUARDIAN''Captivating, poetic, and surprising.'' CILLIAN MURPHY In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother''s sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness.In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him.In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness.In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him.As weeks turn to months and the pain of loss gives way to memories, the little unit of three starts to heal.Max Porter's extraordinary debut part novella, part polyphonic fable, part essay on grief marked the arrival of a thrilling new literary talent. Ten years on, readers continue to discover and fall in love with Grief is the Thing With Feathers.SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSMITHS PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD

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Book SynopsisI felt very still and empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.Sylvia Plath's groundbreaking semi-autobiographical novel offers an intimate, honest and often wrenching glimpse into mental illness.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review'The much loved comic proves adept at noirish fiction in a debut whose surrealist humour sets it apart ... Off the wall doesn’t quite cover it ... Fans of Mortimer’s surrealist turns on Would I Lie to You? or his internet sketch show Train Guy won’t be disappointed. Nor will crime fiction devotees, if only they can get over the talking squirrels.' * Observer *'Funny, clever and sweet – and the "Richard Osman effect" will make it a bestseller ... The good news is that there is a lot of Mortimer’s ridiculousness in all this. Gary loves a regular chat with a squirrel in his playground, and his favourite chat-up lines include, “Have you ever needed to use a tourniquet in your work environment?”' * Sunday Times *'As in his television work, Mortimer conveys an infectious joy in his own oddity, and, as his recent bestselling memoir And Away… showed, there is a sweetness to his worldview that makes his writing gently poignant. And although I can’t imagine non-fans emerging anything other than baffled, those who are used to his brand of weirdness will find that the book works well as a thriller, too. Like Spike Milligan, the only vintage comic whose fiction is still read, Mortimer has managed to use a novel as a vehicle for his distinctive comedic voice.' * The Telegraph *'An offbeat romantic thriller, as if Salvador Dali scripted a Hitchcock film... It's as a comic novel that the book is most memorable. It contains the funniest description of somebody having a bath that you're ever likely to read… But there is genuine tension at times, and I came to believe in and care about the central characters. More than just a tour of the wonderfully weird mind of Mortimer, it works - for the most part - as a novel.' * Daily Express *'I’m delighted to report it’s as hilarious and surreal as you would expect… stuffed with laugh-out-loud moments.' * Daily Mail *'With Mortimer’s self-mocking wit, plus an audio version read by Sally Phillips, alongside the man himself, what’s not to love?' * Saga, Book of the Month *'The first novel from comedy legend Bob Mortimer is as funny, idiosyncratic and full of squirrels as you’d expect. It’s also really rather lovely.' * HEAT, Book of the Month *'Mr Clown Shoes. Lassoo the dog. The corn cob dongle. Just three hilarious elements of The Satsuma Complex – a surprisingly serious debut novel from Would I Lie To You? and Gone Fishing comedy star Bob Mortimer. The stellar success of his surreal and semi-truthful autobiography And Away… caused clamour for a fully fictional follow-up, and Mortimer fulfils the brief with a remarkably dark and gritty tale of sink estate murder, law and order mystery, and honey-trap romance. His distinctive tone and bizarrely British humour sing from every page, with the story swinging from side-splitting set-pieces to moments of real pathos and high drama. It’s a bit unusual, but you’ll love it.' * Independent *

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Book SynopsisMikhail Bulgakov (1891 - 1940) was born and educated in Kiev where he graduated as a doctor in 1916. He rapidly abandoned medicine to write some of the greatest Russian literature of this century. After a lifetime at odds with the stultifying Soviet regime, he died impoverished and blind in 1940, shortly after completing his masterpiece, The Master and Margarita. None of his major fiction was published during his lifetime.Trade ReviewThis book is absorbing, brilliant slapstick, and looks deep in to the heart of fantasy and longing * Sunday Times *Stunning, superb...Bulgakov is one of the greatest Russian writers, perhaps the greatest * Independent *

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Book SynopsisHe's on edge while she's en pointe in this fake-dating sports romance from the author of the smash hit Collide. If you loved The Striker by Ana Huang, you'll love this... Fake-dating goodness filled with delicious tension' Lana Ferguson, author of The NannyElias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight. Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina whose lack of popularity online has put her at a major disadvantage for securing the roles she dreams of. When Sage finds herself with the chance to change her luck by fake-dating Elias, she takes her shot. Soon enough, the flimsy rules they set in place fall away. But before things can spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they're willing to take the leap together or if they'll have to call it quits. Bal Khabra is a master of swoon, and lovable characters. I dare you to try and read one of her novels in more than one sitting they're simply unputdownable.' Hannah Bonam-Young, author of Out on a LimbReaders love Spiral... I absolutely adored this book' *****Intoxicating' *****Perfect, it was just perfect' *****Everyone should have an Elias' *****I was gripped from the first page until the last' *****I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!' *****A five star read' *****The banter and chemistry was everything in this book' *****

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Book Synopsis''A major talent'' Hilary MantelShortlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize Whether seeking knowledge, riches, or a better life, the characters in these stories are united by a quest for lasting value, as they ask how we should treat our world, our work, our selves, and each other. A vainglorious mine owner dreams of harnessing all of nature to the machinery of commerce. Two ladies of a certain age hunt rare butterflies in a pre-First World War Europe already experiencing the first bites of biodiversity loss. A climate campaigner must choose between personal happiness and political action. A rural Welsh community is fascinated and angered by glimpses of its invisible, wealthy neighbours.Exact and lyrical, compassionate, and full of wit and truth, this debut collection from Jo Lloyd, winner of the BBC National Short Story Award, announces a fresh new voice with a sensibility all her own.

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Book SynopsisOn losing her father, Teresa returns to a small town on the Greek coast the same place she visited when grieving her mother nine years ago. She immerses herself again in the life of the town, observing the inhabitants going about their business, a quiet backdrop for her reckoning with herself. An episode from her first visit resurfaces vividly her encounter with John, a man struggling to come to terms with the violent death of his nephew. Soon Teresa encounters some of the people she met last time around: Petros, an eccentric mechanic, whose life story may or may not be part of John's; the beautiful Niko, a diving instructor; and Xanthe, a waitress in one of the cafés on the leafy town square. They talk about their longings, regrets, the passing of time, their sense of who they are. Artfully constructed, absorbing and insightful,One Boatis a brilliant novel grappling with questions of identity, free will, guilt and responsibility.

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Book SynopsisA global phenomenon, The Alchemist has been read and loved by over 62 million readers, topping bestseller lists in 74 countries worldwide. Now this magical fable is beautifully repackaged in an edition that lovers of Paulo Coelho will want to treasure forever.Every few decades a book is published that changes the lives of its readers forever. This is such a book a beautiful parable about learning to listen to your heart, read the omens strewn along life's path and, above all, follow your dreams.Santiago, a young shepherd living in the hills of Andalucia, feels that there is more to life than his humble home and his flock. One day he finds the courage to follow his dreams into distant lands, each step galvanised by the knowledge that he is following the right path: his own. The people he meets along the way, the things he sees and the wisdom he learns are life-changing.With Paulo Coelho's visionary blend of spirituality, magical realism and folklore, The Alchemist is a story with the pTrade Review‘His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people.’ THE TIMES ‘One of the few to deserve the term Publishing Phenomenon.’ INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY ‘Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts… he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face.’ DAILY EXPRESS ‘I love The Alchemist.’ OPRAH WINFREY ‘The Alchemist is a beautiful book about magic, dreams and the treasures we seek elsewhere and then find on our doorstep.’ MADONNA "I feel like the luckiest man on the planet. It's a dream come true for me," to be able to direct and star and bring Coelho's book to the screen." LAURENCE FISHBURNE on the upcoming film adaptation of The Alchemist "One of my favourite books is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and I just believe that…I can create whatever I want to create. If I can put my head on it right, study it, learn the patterns…I feel very strongly that we are who we choose to be." WILL SMITH "When I'm on the set with young actors and sometimes you meet people in life who you feel they are a little confused and they want to be re-centered, there are two books that I always recommend. One of them is Siddhartha, and the other is The Alchemist. RUSSELL CROWE

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