Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisIn this inspiring story, Andreï Makine looks back on a childhood friendship which changed his life. Set in 1970s Siberia, in the declining years of the Soviet Empire, My Armenian Friend offers a poignant evocation of ordinary lives as well as a window into Makine's own evolution as a writer.In an orphan school, a young Russian boy befriends Vardan, an Armenian child who, because mature and sensitive, is tormented by schoolyard bullies. When the Russian boy meets Vardan's Armenian family, he falls under their spell. In his eyes, their home is a kingdom transported from afar, which is adorned, aromatic, and beautiful despite how little the family possesses. Their neighbourhood is in a place of exile but is one of community, made up of former prisoners, exhausted adventurers and others who have been uprooted from their homes. As he grows closer to Vardan, the Russian boy learns to recognise a people forced indefinitely to live on the margins, but who, despite persecution, hold on to their culture and cherish the memories they have of their homeland and its history. Even in a brutally inhospitable Siberia, they recreate a transformative "kingdom of Armenia".Trade ReviewPowerful, poignant, perfectly-pitched . . . Makine illuminates a fascinating corner of history - brings it to life through finely-drawn characters. It's a short tale of great significance. I found it unforgettable. . . a fine piece of writing -- Michael PalinA thoughtful coming-of-age story -- David Mills * Times *Andreï Makine's most moving novel * Figaro *My Armenian Friend is full of heartbreak, heroism, cruelty redeemed by friendships that live inthe memory forever, ravishing glimpses of nature, incredible courage. . . and above all, love -- Jilly CooperOne of Makine's best books; a wonderful novel on exile * France Inter *Vintage Makine: as limpid and beautiful as a deep mountain pool -- Kate McLoughlin, Professor of English Literature, Oxford UniversityMakine makes the ordinary resonate with meaning and significance, thereby enhancing the reader's life . . . [He] is a stylist of great precision, beautifully rendered by his long-time translator, Geoffrey Strachan * The Tablet *

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Book SynopsisThe irresistible literary debut about the hidden desires of church-going Black women 'Left me wanting more. Masterfully written' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie 'Joyous... It's a book in love with life' The Times 'Exquisite... delicious' Bolu Babalola, author of Love in Colour The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires, and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. There is fourteen-year-old Jael, who nurses a crush on the preacher's wife; the mother who bakes a sublime peach cobbler every Monday for her date with the married Pastor; and Eula and Caroletta, single childhood friends who seek solace in each other's arms every New Year's Eve. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be - and as free as they deserve to be.Trade Review'Tender, truthful... joyous... full of flawed, bruised, bold, complex, intensely human characters' - Sarah Waters'It's terrific. I'm savouring every story in it, reading them once, then again.' - Madeline Miller'Joyous... It's a book in love with life' - The Times'Left me wanting more. Masterfully written. Deesha Philyaw knows the craft of writing as well as she does the nuances of sex' - Candice Carty-Williams'Joyful, riotous... Philyaw's great triumph is to permit her characters to inhabit fully their rich and particular interior lives' - Alex Preston

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Book SynopsisV. S. Naipaul's meditative novel about a stranger in a strange land, republished as part of the Picador Collection.

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Book Synopsis'Brilliant' Bella The side-splitting new novel from the bestselling author The Women of Primrose Square, perfect for fans of Marian Keyes, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella. 'You've got someone in your life driving you nuts?I'll get rid of them for you.'Meg Monroe is a Fixer.Got a:Dodgy ex?Errant employer?Clingy former friend?Meg, using the time-honoured arts of charm, manipulation and persuasion, can make them disappear.Forever.In-demand and devilishly discreet, Meg has a 100% success rate. That is, until a previously-disappeared (or so she thought) case turns up on her doorstep, threatening to bring her entire operation crumbling down.There is not a single case that Meg cannot fix. Well, until now . . .'An immensely talented writer'Sinéad MoriartyTrade ReviewA Winner. Funny and engaging * Belfast Telegraph *Brilliant * Bella *

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Book SynopsisA joyful romantic comedy retelling of Jane Austen's Emma!This book is perfect. IF I LOVED YOU LESS is a deeply romantic, laugh-out-loud love story with sizzling tension and beautiful descriptions that made me wish I was in Long Island in the winter. The world Qureshi has written is a comforting, magical little bubble full of characters with such depth and love for each other, and I want to burrow into the pages like a bookmark and never leave. A thousand stars. Sarah Hogle, author of YOU DESERVE EACH OTHERI know what you're thinking: poor little rich girl, she has everything, what else could she possibly need? Well, I'm looking for the great love of my life, thank you very much.For Long Island native Humaira Mirza, it's always been about love and she has the matchmaking track record to prove it. Having successfully found the one' for both her aunt and her sister, the twenty-three-year-old is ready to claim a bit of romance for herself.The perfect candidate? The gorgeous Rizwan Ali. B

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Book SynopsisIn The New Tribe, pioneering author Buchi Emecheta tells the tale of a young Nigerian boy adopted by a white family. Life changes overnight for the Arlingtons when an abandoned baby girl, Julia, arrives unexpectedly on their doorstep. The couple take her in and settle into family life. But then, just two years later, their lives change once again when they are told a Nigerian mother is in desperate need of a loving home for her baby boy, Chester. Instantly marked as different from the other children in his school and even from his own family Chester''s pain and confusion at growing up an outcast ignites in him a desire to find out about his biological family.In this poignant, heartwarming story of Chester''s journey through childhood, Buchi Emecheta weaves together a tale of love and acceptance while illuminating the vital importance of self-discovery.''We are able to speak because [Buchi Emecheta] first spoke.'' Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Book Synopsis'Brilliantly unsettling and unsettlingly brilliant' Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of The ClubAddictively strange and disturbing, Flowers From the Void is a collection of delectably uncanny tales. A reaper readies herself for her next gruesome assignment and a bereaved African witch prepares for a showdown with a rigidly traditional white Salem coven while an outcast teenage boy is lured into a pact with a schoolfriend that will cost him far more than he ever imagined.Hauntingly macabre and piercingly insightful about loss and loneliness, these gothic short stories lead us into a labyrinth of other possible worlds, each one darker than the last and yet all fearfully close to our own. Living dolls serve as imperfect replacements for the deceased, a girl without a shadow finds her soulmate and spurned lovers' bodies begin falling to pieces. In this scintillating debut collection Gianni Washington explores the limit of intimacy and empathy with the vivid intensity of you

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Book SynopsisREADERS LOVE SCARLET FEATHER!''Fantastic read'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''Wonderful'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''Classic Maeve - just what I wanted!'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐''A book you will not put down'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather have decided to create the best catering company in Dublin. They have plenty of talent, the perfect premises, and even a few contacts. But not everyone is as pleased by the idea of ''Scarlet Feather'' as they are.Tom''s parents are disappointed that he has turned his back on the family business. Cathy''s mother-in-law believes Cathy should be at home. And Tom''s relationship with his beautiful, ambitious girlfriend is slowly disintegrating.As Cathy and Tom strive to maintain their emotional ties amidst catering triumphs and disasters, they find both support and opposition where the

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Book SynopsisOne toxic family. Eight suspicious guests. Everyone is guilty. But who is a killer?Welcome to the McAlpine Lodge: a secluded mountain getaway, it's the height of escapist luxury living.Except that everyone here is lying. Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.Then one night, Mercy McAlpine until now the good daughter threatens to expose everybody''s secrets. Just hours later, Mercy is dead.In an area this remote, it's easy to get away with murder. But Will Trent and Sara Linton investigator and medical examiner for the GBI are here on their honeymoon.And now, with the killer poised to strike again, the holiday of a lifetime becomes a race against the clockThe incredible new thriller an instant Sunday Times bestseller!Everything a thriller should be: dark, multilayered, suspenseful'?????Kept me guessing to the end'?????So twisted my head was spinning'?????One of those books you really don''t want to put down!' ?????The final reveal delivers an absolute j

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Book SynopsisThe Fourth Enemy is the sixth gripping instalment in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels from the pen of highly acclaimed crime writer and New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.A sensational fraud case provides Daniel Pitt with his greatest challenge yet . . .When a heart attack forces Marcus fford Croft to retire from his chambers, his daughter Miriam and son-in-law Daniel are relieved that he is stepping down and handing over to Toby Kitteridge. But Daniel and Toby are concerned that their new recruit, Gideon Hunter KC, who is a brilliant barrister with a penchant for taking risks, could jeopardise their chambers'' hard-won reputation . . .Daniel''s old friend Inspector Ian Frobisher then alerts him to the fact that one of England''s most influential newspaper tycoons, Malcolm Vayne, is about to be arrested for fraud. Hunter jumps at the chance to prosecute in such a high-profile and controversial case, and Daniel soTrade ReviewOne of her most teasing mysteries, this time with a courtroom finale that may be her strongest ever * Kirkus Reviews *A truly unusual mystery * Publishers Weekly *Elegantly constructed and nail-bitingly tense * Good Book Guide *Engrossing . . . The book gallops to a dramatic conclusion * Washington Times Daily *There is a freshness about [Perry's] writing which makes it truly exceptional * Eurocrime *Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries are marvels of plot construction * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisDuring a season of unprecedented success, Gary becomes increasingly fixated on the threat of nuclear war. Both frightened and fascinated by the prospect, he listens to his team-mates discussing match tactics in much the same terms as generals might contemplate global conflict. But as the terminologies of football and nuclear war – the language of end zones – become interchanged, the polysemous nature of words emerges, and DeLillo forces us to see beyond the sterile reality of substitution.This clever and playful novel is a timeless and topical study of human beings' obsession with conflict and confrontation.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *Nobody, it seems, could write better than this. No one could have a clearer vision of the micro-circuitry of post-modern life. * Evening Standard *Powerfully funny, oblique, testy, and playful, tearing along in dazzling cinematic spurts . . . A masterful novel. * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisFrom the International Booker Prizewinning translator and Women's Prize finalist, a propulsive, beguiling novel about eight translators and their search for a world-renowned author who goes missing. Eight translators arrive at a house in a forest on the border of Belarus. It belongs to the writer Irena Rey, and they are there to translate her magnum opus, Grey Eminence. But within days of their arrival, Irena disappears without a trace. The translators, who hail from eight different countries but share the same reverence for their beloved author, begin to investigate where she may have gone while proceeding with work on her masterpiece. They explore this ancient, wooded refuge with its intoxicating slime moulds and lichens and study her exotic belongings and layered texts for clues. But doing so reveals secrets and deceptions of Irena Rey's that they are utterly unprepared for. Forced to face their differences as they grow increasingly paranoid in this fever dream of isolation and obsession, soon the translators are tangled up in a web of rivalries and desire, threatening not only their work but the fate of their beloved author herself. This hilarious, thought-provoking second outing by award-winning translator and author Jennifer Croft is a brilliant examination of art, celebrity, the natural world, and the power of language. It is an unforgettable, unputdownable adventure with a small but global cast of characters shaken by the shocks of love, destruction, and creation in one of Europe's last great wildernesses.

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Book SynopsisA sparkling Christmas romance from bestselling author Lucy Coleman to curl up with in front of the fire this holiday season! With the business under her reign, Bella is ready to hit the ground running - until she's dealt a massive blow.

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Book SynopsisGet ready for small towns stirred by mystery and desire in The Eden series, sexy fourth story . . .Eloise is so close to her dream she can almost taste it. Eloise Eden always knew one day she''d take over her family''s hotel, The Eloise Inn, in Quincy, Montana. All she has to do is prove she''s responsible to her parents. And that her immature, gullible, and reckless ways are long gone. But now her ideal future is at stake following a weekend in Las Vegas when she comes home married to a stranger. Jasper must have put her under a spell with those soul-deep eyes because after a single night together, they woke up husband and wife. Her only hope is to keep this marriage a secret until it''s annulled. Then she''ll pretend it never happened. Except Jasper begs her to stay married. To fake it for just three months so she can accompany him to a wedding. Maybe she''s lost her mind to agree. But her brooding husband seems desperat

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Book SynopsisSong of the Sun God spans three continents and three generations of a family that remains dedicated to its homeland, whilst learning to embrace its new home. Nala and Rajan, a young couple, begin their married life in 1946, on the eve of Ceylon’s independence from Britain. Arranged in marriage, they learn to love each other and protect their growing family, against the backdrop of increasing ethnic tension. Funny, warm and tender, we see Nala and Rajan’s family navigate war, migration, old loyalties and new beginnings, relying on the philosophy of their religion, their ancestors and each other. As the country descends into a bloody civil war, Nala and Rajan must decide which path is best for their family; and live with the consequences of their mistakes. Over time, Nala and Rajan teach their family why some parts of their history and heritage are worth holding onto; and why some parts and people have to be left behind. Song of the Sun God is about the wisdom, mistakes and sacrifices of our past that enable us to live more freely in the future. PRAISE FOR SONG OF THE SUN GOD ‘an emotive and insightful read.’ – The Saturday Paper ‘a book that doesn’t look away from the brutality of the Sri Lankan conflict – torture, forced displacements and disappearances, cultural destruction and worse – but it also balances horror with humour, and indeed love.’ – Sydney Morning Herald ‘[Chandran] does not shy from the horror of war yet holds hope for mankind.’ – The Weekend Australian ‘a rich heritage tapestry to embrace’ The Australian Women's Weekly ‘a sweeping tale of love, duty and migration’ – The West WeekendTrade Review‘moving’ * The Age & The Sun Herald *‘mighty’ * The Weekend Australian *‘a book that doesn’t look away from the brutality of the Sri Lankan conflict – torture, forced displacements and disappearances, cultural destruction and worse – but it also balances horror with humour, and indeed love.’ * Sydney Morning Herald *‘an emotive and insightful read.’ * The Saturday Paper *

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Book SynopsisSydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist 2022 SHORTLISTED for the INDIE AWARD for BEST FICTION SHORTLISTED for the ABIA for Literary Fiction LONGLISTED for the BookPeople Book of the Year for Fiction ‘This! Was! So! Good! ... Diana Reid you are in a total league of your own.’ - Zara McDonald, Shameless Podcast ‘Seeing Other People will be the book of the summer.’ - PedestrianTV‘An extraordinary new voice in Aussie lit.’ ― Zoë Foster Blake ‘a captivating read that feels made for racing through while lying on the beach.’ ― Vogue AustraliaCharlie’s skin was stinging. Not with heat or sweat, but with that intense, body-defining self-consciousness—that sense of being watched. She lowered her eyes from Eleanor’s loving gaze. Her throat taut with tears, she swallowed. ‘You’re a good sister, Eleanor.’‘Don’t say that.’ After two years of lockdowns, there’s change in the air. Eleanor has just broken up with her boyfriend, Charlie’s career as an actress is starting up again. They’re finally ready to pursue their dreams—relationships, career, family—if only they can work out what it is they really want. When principles and desires clash, Eleanor and Charlie are forced to ask: where is the line between self-love and selfishness? In all their confusion, mistakes will be made and lies will be told as they reckon with the limits of their own self-awareness.Seeing Other People is the darkly funny story of two very different sisters, and the summer that stretches their relationship almost to breaking point. PRAISE FOR SEEING OTHER PEOPLE: ‘a great summer read.’ - The Guardian ‘The prose sparkles on the page, as effervescent and drinkable as a glass of prosecco on a warm summer's evening.’ - The Australian ‘We absolutely adored this hotly-anticipated novel’ - The Shameless Bookclub ‘If you tore through Love & Virtue last year, you'll want to add Diana Reid's second novel to the top of your reading bucket list.’ - Marie Claire ‘I enjoyed this funny, charming and enormously readable novel a great deal, in large part due to the wit and authenticity with which Reid represents her characters and their world.’ - The West Australian ‘Reid hasn’t lost her skewering wit.’ - Sydney Morning Herald 'a compulsive read’ - Primer 'funny and engaging’ - ArtsHub ‘Reid's witty and insightful social observation is something to relish’ - ABC Radio National, The Bookshelf ‘There is a genuine warmth as well as capacious intelligence and sly humour to Reid’s writing, and a dynamic energy to the novel that’s always compelling’ - The GuardianTrade Review‘This! Was! So! Good! ... Diana Reid you are in a total league of your own.’ -- Zara McDonald * Shameless Podcast *‘An extraordinary new voice in Aussie lit.’ -- Zoê Foster Blake‘Reid is a young author to watch.’ * Marie Claire *‘funny, clever and addictive’ * Daily Mail UK *‘The prose sparkles on the page, as effervescent and drinkable as a glass of Prosecco on a warm summer's evening.’ * The Australian *‘Diana Reid will be called the new Sally Rooney’ -- Meg Mason‘Seeing Other People is another punchy and well-observed novel.’ * The Guardian *‘Diana Reid’s close third-person narration captures every gesture and thought, creating a strong sense of interiority for all her characters. She effortlessly documents the process of watching, the awareness of being watched, and the split-second analysis of social interactions. Like a more bubbly Sally Rooney, Reid’s work is full of interactions and interconnections, sex and conversations, friends and family. Part romance, part social commentary and part family saga, Seeing Other People questions what we owe each other and what we owe ourselves.’ * Books + Publishing *‘written in superb prose, this is the ultimate contemporary dramedy’ * InStyle *‘a story bathed in sisterhood and the oft complicated relationship sisters are forced to navigate.’ * Russh *‘if you’re heading to the beach and need a light, funny read, this book will deliver that for you.’ * The Canberra Times *‘Seeing Other People will be the book of the summer.’ * PedestrianTV *‘The snark is delicious, like the bright, citric fizz of popping candy. It’s a welcome reprieve from the novels of middle-class malaise that have been so painfully fashionable of late’ * Sydney Morning Herald *‘I enjoyed this funny, charming and enormously readable novel a great deal, in large part due to the wit and authenticity with which Reid represents her characters and their world.’ * The West Australian *‘funny and engaging’ * ArtsHub *‘Reid's witty and insightful social observation is something to relish’ * ABC Radio National, The Bookshelf *‘We absolutely adored this hotly-anticipated novel’ * The Shameless Bookclub *‘Snappy dialogue, sharp insights, interesting moral dilemmas and humour.’ * Sydney Morning Herald *‘If you tore through Love & Virtue last year, you'll want to add Diana Reid's second novel to the top of your reading bucket list.’ * Marie Claire *

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Book SynopsisTracing the Great War through the Millennium Bug, 1999 through 1900, Dadaism through Scientology through Sierra Leonean bicycle riding and back, award-winning Czech author Patrik Ourednik explores the horror and absurdity of the twentieth century in an explosive deconstruction of historical memory.Europeana: A Brief History of the Twentieth Century opens on the beaches of Normandy in 1944, comparing the heights of different forces’ soldiers and considering how tall, long, or good at fertilizing fields the men’s bodies will be. Probing the depths of humanity and inhumanity, this is an account of history as it has never been told: “engaging, even frightening.” At once recreating and uncreating the twentieth century, Ourednik explores the connections across the decades between the disparate figures, events, and politics we thought we knew.Patrik Ourednik’s Europeana merits the author’s reputation as a giant of post-1989 Czech literature. Now translated into 33 languages, the book is a masterwork of cubism, a polymorphic monologue of statistics and movements and fine print and discoveries that evokes the deadpan absurdity of Kafka and the gallows humor of Hašek. Ourednik has created a mesmerizing, maddening account of the past, and his interrogation of “truth” and objectivity resonates now more than ever.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Nisha Sharma's Dating Dr. Dil is what would happen if you put all my favorite romantic comedy tropes into a blender: a frothy, snarky, hilarious treat with a gooey, heartwarming center. The perfect addition to any rom-com lover's shelf." — Emily Henry "What a joy! Dating Dr. Dil is further proof that Nisha Sharma is a mega-talent who can do it all. Anything Nisha Sharma writes is an auto-buy for me." — Meg Cabot “Bursting with character, spicy tension and laughs, Dating Dr. Dil is the enemies to lovers dream book!” — Tessa Bailey “Buoyant … There’s a lot in this novel: best friends, demanding siblings, difficult parents, aunties on the rampage.” — New York Times “Sharma knows how to craft a tale with a blend of irresistible rom-com hijinks and real-world stakes that makes it easy to get lost in her work.” — Entertainment Weekly "Hilarious, swoony, and oh so sexy….Dating Dr. Dil will steal your heart. Take it from me, seeing a man utterly ruined by love has never been more satisfying!" — Adriana Herrera, USA Today bestselling author

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL SHORT STORY PRIZE'Sensual, spiky, tender and utterly original' Pandora Sykes'A fierce and fascinating debut' Lily KingI was told of an older woman who was asked by her granddaughter, 'Granny, when was the happiest time of your life?''I don't know,' she replied, 'I may not have had it yet.'The stories found in this collection explore the worlds of thirteen older women, reframing their intellectual and emotional lives in intimate vignettes that will shock and comfort in equal measure. In elegant prose Jane Campbell ignites the voices of women who are fighting to live on their own terms, energised by the stuff of human living: a need for companionship, attachments to love-objects, freedoms, integrity and sense of self. Cat Brushing confronts the tragic misconceptions of ageing showing older women to be nothing less than courageous, fearless and defiant in the face of overwhelming odds.Trade ReviewCat Brushing is a fierce and fascinating debut. I loved these women who have taken off their gloves to fight life with their bare hands. -- Lily King, author of Writers & LoversI loved these fresh, wry, strange stories; by turns moving and unnerving, they disturb expectations of the longings, loves and ambitions of older women. -- Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From and The HarpyIt's not every day . . . that you encounter a debut as fresh, assured and fun as Jane Campbell's . . . Though her stories are frequently explicit enough to bring colour to your cheeks, Campbell maintains a cool, commanding tone that enhances the effect of her limpid prose . . . The stories are varied in approach without being showy about it, and consistently draw novel insight from a few major themes: aging, sexuality, memory, loneliness. Her work merits comparison with that of Edna O'Brien or Muriel Spark, while an uncanny streak running through several of the pieces . . . might bring Daphne du Maurier to mind. * New York Times *I laughed out loud in joy and admiration so many times in this original, surprising book. Cat Brushing is about aging, about sex, about the weirdness of technology, and about womanhood - these stories felt both deeply familiar to me and far too absent from many of our culture's stories. Jane Campbell is a refreshing, compelling new voice. -- Kate Reed PettyJane Campbell is a wonder! It's her clear-eyed vision, rendered in prose as crisp as bone china, that had me rapt. This book flings open a heretofore shuttered window, giving us an invigoratingly fresh and absolutely essential view of the psychology and emotions and appetites of aging women. Jane Campbell, where have you been? We've needed you for a very, very long time. -- Jamie Quatro, author of Fire SermonJane Campbell's Cat Brushing is the debut of the decade, an eighty year old woman laying out the physical and spiritual struggle of life at its very end. I was haunted by these stories of older women falling, having strokes, dying--subjects often flattened into sentimentality--but in Campbell's hands made both elegant and transgressive. We are striving creatures of intense desire, Campbell insists, until we are not. -- Darcey Steinke, author of Flash Count DiaryIn thirteen revivifying stories, thirteen candid, empathic portraits of aging women for whom desire yet smolders, Campbell proves aging is a complex sport. Some mental agility is required, some wit and wisdom. Befuddlement and remorse are a part of play, too, but the stories offer the solace of shared experience and company. -- Christine Schutt, Pure Hollywood and Other StoriesStepping into these stories by Jane Campbell feels like opening a door back into the world. The thrust of life, of longing and regret, of contempt and forgiveness, it's all here in such vivid, delicious phrasing. She reads like Eudora Welty's wicked British cousin, a lot of fun. -- John Freeman, Editor of The Penguin Book of the Modern American Short StorySensual, spiky, tender and utterly original short stories about the desire of women in their seventies and older. * Pandora Sykes *Cat Brushing offers a much-needed fresh perspective on the diverse realities of ageing. * Women's Own *An illuminating, funny and tender collection that affirms wisdom and experience as the basis for great storytelling * Sunday Business Post *Sensuous, strange and utterly original. * Sunday Independent Ireland (Book of the Year) *

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Book Synopsis**The bold, brilliant and buzzy new novel from Dawn O''Porter HONEYBEE is available to buy now***THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER and Richard & Judy book club pick*______________________________________________________________WHAT IF THE LIFE YOU'RE LIVING ISN'T THE ONE YOU WANT?Mia has made all the right choices. She's married, she has the nice house, the good career. But life isn't about fitting into a box. And there's another woman inside her who's just clawing to get out PRAISE FOR CAT LADY:Even speaking as a dog man, I thought Cat Lady was an absolute joy to read' Matt HaigMy book of the year' Reader review ?????A reminder to live your life your way. Cat or no cat' Fearne CottonReally gets the reader to think about what matters in life Unputdownable and completely wonderful!' Reader review ?????Witty, thought-provoking and hilarious, Cat Lady is a triumph' The Unmumsy MumDawn O'Porter challenges the stereotypes of the typical cat lady' with this beautiful and emotional read' Reader review?????An ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together' Emma GannonI absolutely adored this book!' Reader review?????Funny, heart-wrenching and full of warmth' Sarah MorganA beautifully written book that I''d recommend to anyone' Reader review?????A lovely onion of a book, layered with humour and emotion' Daisy HaggardA joyous, touching, funny, sharp story I cannot praise it enough. Purr-fection' Milly JohnsonDawn O'Porter''s book ''Cat Lady'' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 24-10-2022.Trade Review‘A reminder to live your life your way. Cat or no cat’ FEARNE COTTON ‘I love the way Dawn writes. Even speaking as a dog man, I thought Cat Lady was an absolute joy to read. It is warm, funny and challenges a few stereotypes along the way. I also now want a cat’ MATT HAIG ‘A perfect mix of moving, funny and a little bit bonkers, in Dawn's signature style. A love letter to pets everywhere, an ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together’ EMMA GANNON ‘I cried with laughter as much as sorrow . . . this engrossing and entertaining novel is the cat's whiskers’ SUNDAY EXPRESS ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh so hard. Witty, thought-provoking and hilarious, Cat Lady is a triumph’ THE UNMUMSY MUM ‘Beautifully written, heart-breaking and hilarious, often counter-intuitive and always thought-provoking’ DAILY MAIL ‘Funny, heart-wrenching and full of warmth. I adored this book’ SARAH MORGAN ‘A witty, tender novel’ I PAPER ‘Quirky, funny and unexpected’ ADELE PARKS ‘At last a kickass novel for us cat ladies. We are legion – and this book is FABULOUS. Purr-fection. I adored it’ MILLY JOHNSON ‘Cat lovers will rejoice in this tale of a woman who simply cannot, and maybe doesn’t want to, be tamed’ HEAT

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Book SynopsisThey thought it was a simple flight home. The pilot had other plansA moment of calmHeading home after a conference, the senior leadership of a global corporation relax on their private jet ahead of their Christmas break.A flash of fearBut their peace is shattered when they realise their jet isn't taking them home. Instead, it's heading eastout over the Atlantic Ocean.A journey of terrorAnd things go from bad to worse when their pilot tells them she is going to crash into the ocean if one of them doesn't confess to murderWhat readers are saying about Final CallHighly recommend if you want a fast moving gripping read' ?????This book is made for binging and it kept me up reading way past my bed time' ?????Very addictive, I whizzed through reading this' ?????Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole story' ?????So many twists and turns' ?????It tugged at your heart string at every turn' ?????This story kept me guessing right up until the big reveal' ?????Kept me reading for hours' ?????ThisTrade ReviewPraise for Alex Lake: ‘Relentlessly fast paced, a compelling plot and anxiety inducing finale. A cracking read’ John Marrs, bestselling author of The One ‘Opens with a nightmare scenario and races to a gripping, horribly tense ending – I think I actually stopped breathing several times. Loved it! Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple 'With an unrelenting sense of urgency, this brilliant book will get under your skin. Great hook, fast-paced, fully engrossing. Don't miss out – read it now!' Sam Carrington, author of The Missing Wife ‘This is creepy storytelling of the highest order: spine-chilling and difficult to put down’ Daily Mail ‘A superb read for suspense fans, this taut thriller will have you racing for the finish’ Heat ‘A gripping page turner’ Closer ‘An expert at crafting chilling scenes that will instantly capture a reader’s imagination, Alex Lake’s latest release is no exception…The emotional rawness will take you to dark depths, but the journey towards that last flicker of hope is one you can’t pull back from’ Woman & Home ‘Dark psychological thriller’ The i ‘Evocative writing and emotional rawness’ Woman’s Weekly ‘A lip-smackingly twisted tale’ Heat ‘A tense and twisty domestic noir that oozes with intrigue. Perfect for devouring in one sitting’ Woman & Home ‘A thoroughly entertaining, gripping read’ Cass Green, bestselling author of In a Cottage In a Wood ‘The very definition of a page-turner…a fast-paced, thrilling race to the end’ Sam Carrington ‘You’ll find it hard to fall asleep when the lights go out’ Evening Standard ‘A fast-paced and highly suspenseful read that will leave readers looking over their shoulders’ RT Book Reviews ‘A nail-biting psychological thriller … maintains high suspense to the very end’ Publishers Weekly ‘Superbly crafted…will keep you up all night’ Liz Loves Books ‘One of the best psychological thrillers I have read this year’ Rachel’s Random Reads

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Book SynopsisConfined to a prison cell, thrice-murderer Pascual Duarte recounts his journey from a violent childhood to a life of pain and misfortune; juxtaposing tableaus of country poverty against scenes of bare brutality, Nobel laureate Camilo José Cela crafts a powerful meditation on cruelty and anomie. The Family of Pascual Duarte follows his upbringing in the poor Spanish province of Extremadura to his eventual imprisonment—and impending death sentence. Death permeates Duarte’s world: his father’s grotesque death to rabies, his young brother’s drowning in an oil vat, and the loss of his children. But it is his wife’s sudden death that condemns him to the darkest path when, losing all faith and driven by blind revenge, he kills her souteneur. Now an alien to the world around him, Pascual Duarte resigns himself to his bloodied fate—yet never gives up his search for peace.Camilo José Cela has been recognized as one of the pioneers of Spanish literary realism, and his masterwork The Family of Pascual Duarte proves the power of his prose. The novel, which birthed the transgressive and groundbreaking tremendismo movement, roils with emotion and unflinching inhumanity, painting the Spanish countryside in bloodshed, eroticism, and an unshakeable feeling of grief. Blending the political with the personal with the philosophic, the result is an unparalleled exploration of the fraught relationship between man and society, and the past’s inescapable hold on the present.

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Book Synopsis“AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER”The Titanic was only the beginning. What she survived has become legend. Inspired by true stories of survival and resilience, Unsinkable entwines the lives of two women, one from World War 1 and another from World War 2, as they face adversity and take hold of the second chances given to them.Violet Jessop is Miss Unsinkable.After her mother becomes too ill to work, the responsibility to provide for the family falls to Violet as the oldest of nine. When the world enters the Great War, she serves as a nurse, helping men who could very well be her brothers. Working as a stewardess and wartime nurse, Violet not only survives a shipwreck but also two sinkings, one on the infamous Titanic. No one can understand why she would return to sea, but something keeps drawing Violet back to the tumultuous waters, where she struggles to put the tragedies of her p

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Book SynopsisA previously unpublished novel of the reflections of a deeply scarred and reclusive woman, from the cult icon Katherine Dunn, the author of Geek Love.Sally Gunnar has withdrawn from the world. She spends her days alone at home, reading drugstore mysteries, polishing the doorknobs, waxing the floors. Her only companions are a vase of goldfish, a garden toad, and the door-to-door salesman who sells her cleaning supplies once a month. She broods over her deepest regrets: her blighted romances with self-important men, her lifelong struggle to feel at home in her own body, and her wayward early twenties, when she was a fish out of water among a group of eccentric, privileged young people at a liberal arts college. There was Sam, an unabashed collector of other people's stories; Carlotta, a troubled free spirit; and Rennel, a self-obsessed philosophy student. Self-deprecating and sardonic, Sally recounts their misadventures, up to the tragedy that tore them apart.

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Book SynopsisThe perfect pick me up romcom for fans of Beth O'Leary, Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood!Not an expert, not even close, not in any of this. But nobody will try harder than me to make you happy.Sally is a classic romantic and Harry is a classic cynic, but when a drunken bet leads the new flatmates to (badly) recreate the lift' from Dirty Dancing, and the video goes viral (#EpicRomcomReenactmentFailure), they both realise there's potential financial benefit in blundering their way through the romcom lexicon for their suddenly vast social media following.Now, as Harry and Sally bring major romcom moments to new life including recreating that classic diner scene their faking it turns to makingout and suddenly they're living a real life romcom of their own! But like all the greatest love stories, the road to happily ever after is paved with unexpected challenges for this hero and heroineEveryone LOVES this book!Fuzzies, chills, goosebumps and more1000% the romcom of the year' ?????Gave me ALTrade Review Readers can’t get enough of The New Guy: ‘Seriously love this twist on an office romance’ Christina Parker, Netgalley ‘Their chemistry was off the charts’Mad Mom Life ‘Better than most rom coms I’ve watched and read!’ Jennifer Arnold, Netgalley ‘Reads like the perfect rom-com movie’ Sinead, Librarian ‘Very sexy and very sweet’ Morgan Shulman, Goodreads ‘Warmed my heart and read like a movie…What a beautiful sweet surprise this was’ Kelsey Peterson, Goodreads ‘You have yourself a page turning, don’t want it to end story, in essence an absolutely cracking read!’ Margaret Harris, Netgalley ‘A gorgeously sweet romance!’ From Rachael Claire ‘It's got laugh out loud moments, heart wrenching moments but most important that feel good factor’ Chantiece Bates, Goodreads

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Book Synopsis ‘Compelling, elegant and bitingly smart.’ Nell Stevens, author of Briefly, A Delicious LifeA Frankenstein for the twenty-first century by the Dylan Thomas Prize-shortlisted author of Trinity and Speak A woman begins work on a novel about Mary Shelley while pregnant for the first time. Recently married, she has just moved from New York to Montana. As the woman writes, fragments of Shelley’s story begin to detach themselves from the page. Moving through her reproductive years, Shelley endured a catalogue of losses painful beyond comprehension. Still, she wrote, conceiving Frankenstein in 1816. The woman’s experiences of pregnancy, miscarriage and labour are traumatic and disorienting, especially in the context of political upheaval, climate crisis, and an ongoing pandemic. Finally, she gives birth to a daughter and together they emerge into another w

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Book SynopsisFour Chinese women, four America daughters - can they learn to understand each other? In 1949 a group of Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, meet weekly to play mahjong and tell stories of what they left behind in China. United in loss and new hope for their daughters' futures, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Their daughters, who have never heard these stories, think their mothers' advice is irrelevant to their modern American lives until their own inner crises reveal how much they've inherited of their mothers' pasts.''Pure enchantment'' Mail on SundayHonest, moving and beautifully courageous' Alice Walker''An ambitious saga that''s impossible to read without wanting to call your Mum'' Stylist

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Book SynopsisThe latest electrifying thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author you won't be able to put down!Now you see herJulia Miller puts her teenage daughter on a plane, secure in the knowledge that she will see her again in a few days.Now you don'tBut when the plane lands, Anna is nowhere to be seen. She definitely got on the flight, but then she justvanished.Is she gone forever?Julia's world is about to be rocked. Because when the truth comes about what's really happened to Anna, nothing will ever be the same again. And time is running out to save her daughterFans of Alex Lake are in for a treat although Here One Minute is a fully standalone story, devotees might recognise Anna from the author's smash hit Top 10 Sunday Times bestseller After Anna!Praise for Alex LakeRelentlessly fast paced and an anxiety inducing finale' John Marrs, author of The OneI actually stopped breathing several times' Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple This brilliant book will get under your skin''

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Book SynopsisMeet Sofie. The history of her sexuality begins when she loses her virginity to Walter the recruitment consultant. So, naturally, she thought that things could only improve from there. But she was wrong. It seems Sofie's been wrong about a lot of things. First, she thought she was into men: wrong. Then she met Frida and thought she was set for life: wrong again. Turns out, facing up to everything she thought she knew about herself requires a lot of trial and error. Will Sofie ever be able to untangle the impossible knot of sex, love, loneliness, family relationships and grief that constitutes a life? Does it even matter? The History of My Sexuality is a frank, funny, exuberant journey through the highs and lows of your 20s, and making peace with getting it wrong again and again...Trade ReviewA fiery story... Unrelenting and funny * NRC Handelsblaad *An important literary announcement: here is Tobi Lakmaker. And he's here to stay. * De Standaard *

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Book Synopsis*A GUARDIAN BEST TRANSLATED NOVEL OF 2023**A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS 2023 FINALIST**A WORDS WITHOUT BORDERS BEST TRANSLATED BOOK OF 2023*"A powerful story of mothers and daughters" Guardian"A haunting, mysterious tour de force" Lucy Scholes, Prospect"I was hypnotised from the first word to the last" Tess Gunty, author of The Rabbit Hutch"[A] fiercely intelligent story: everyone is complex and full of shadows, as life is" Mariana Enríquez, author of The Dangers of Smoking in BedWhen Gilles Principaux walks into Maître Susane's legal practice seeking representation for his wife, his presence triggers memories from her childhood she had long buried. Gilles' wife is charged with drowning their three children, a case that will be splashed across the news media in Bordeaux and beyond. So why has he entrusted his wife's fate to her small, unremarkable practice?Maître Susane can't shake the feeling that she has met him before, that something happened between them one afternoon when she was barely ten and he was fourteen, something sinister she has never known how to remember. But Gilles seems so at ease her in presence that Maître Susane begins to believe that her memory must be playing tricks on her.Haunted by a past that both escapes and consumes her, Maître Susane fights to hold on to her memory, her identity and the chance she's been given to avenge herself.Translated from the French by Jordan Stump.Trade ReviewA novel of concentric haunting, summoning ghosts into the room with prose that shimmers, cuts, and sings. Unflinching and restrained, Vengeance is Mine sails its readers into uncharted psychological waters. I was hypnotised from the first word to the last -- Tess Gunty, author of The Rabbit HutchIn this disquieting, quietly beautiful novel, Marie NDiaye writes about an unimaginable crime placing around it a world of confusion, trauma, and memories of a past that cannot be trusted. There's more questions than answers in this fiercely intelligent story: everyone is complex and full of shadows, as life is -- Mariana Enríquez, author of Our Share of NightNDiaye balances external and internal revelations to create a powerful story of mothers and daughters, and of what happens when a parent's unconditional love breaks down -- John Self * Guardian *[NDiaye] is a master at agitating, probing and upending expectations...In 'Vengeance Is Mine,' NDiaye circles a familiar configuration of ideas: trauma and memory, class anxiety, isolation and otherness, the warped savagery of domestic life, the rupture between parents and their children. But she also considers the texture of justice - what it means, how it's determined and who enacts it...Appreciating this moody, sensual and sometimes feverish prose requires submission - to the grooves of language, the performance of storytelling -- Lovia Gyarkye * New York Times Book Review *The magnificence of [NDiaye's] writing, in all its shocks of perception, makes you feel that by rights her name should come with the same pantheonic glow that attends, say, Annie Ernaux or Elena Ferrante -- Hermione Hoby * 4Columns *The central ideas in "Vengeance Is Mine" are, thrillingly, as difficult to pin down as the identities of its characters. In one light, it's a scathing look at the simmering desperation provoked by France's rigid structures of authority and power. But it's also an uber-feminist rewriting of a plot made familiar by texts from "Medea" to Leïla Slimani's bestseller "The Perfect Nanny" (2018) [published as "Lullaby" in the UK], in which oppression, writ large, drives a woman to horrifying violence against the children in her care. And, read in a less outraged mood, it's just a quiet book about a quiet woman, quietly fragmenting - no more, no less...[NDiaye] is a poet of uncertainty. Her ability to simultaneously embody all the fractured parts of a character's mind makes aspects of Susane's spiral that might otherwise seem unbelievable - can she really not know whether she is the mother of Rudy's child? - come across as engrossingly, utterly human * Washington Post *In her novels, Ndiaye plunges her characters, usually women, into a visceral experience of difference, often without naming what that difference is... her texts still inspire a paranoia about how to read her protagonists, catching us in a game of complicity * Vulture, New York Magazine *A haunting, mysterious tour de force -- Lucy Scholes * Prospect *Vengeance Is Mine might present an answer to how the "trauma plot" - in which a character works through a damaging experience from their past - can remain fresh * Financial Times *The result is a complex knot of guilt, fear and obsession, which compresses a great deal into 240 pages without ever seeming clotted -- John Self * Guardian *NDiaye's award-winning writing is dreamy, elusive, and brilliant, shifting genres and forms...Vengeance is Mine is, to my mind, one of NDiaye's very best novels, with a devastating plot and a continual sense of surprise. It rewards repeat reading and careful attention -- Adam Dalva * Words Without Borders *NDiaye's award-winning writing is dreamy, elusive, and brilliant, shifting genres and forms...Vengeance is Mine is, to my mind, one of NDiaye's very best novels, with a devastating plot and a continual sense of surprise. It rewards repeat reading and careful attention -- Adam Dalva * Words Without Borders *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER!'There’s nothing quite like a Karen Swan novel to get you in the festive mood - Seasonal escapism at its best' - Woman & HomeSnowed in for the holidays, old truths rise to the surface. Christmas by Candlelight is a cosy Christmas story from Karen Swan, bestselling author of The Stolen Hours. It’s three days before Christmas and starting to snow when high-flier Libby and her new boyfriend reluctantly attend her university reunion.Hosted by Archie Templeton – the heartbreaker of their group – at his grand family estate in Yorkshire, the night is a great success until they go to leave: the road is now blocked with snow.At first, being snowed in together is fun. But as hours pass everyone grows restless.Then the power goes out . . .Hunkered down together by candlelight, they reminisce about old times – and tensions soon start to rise. Secrets from the past begin to unravel and Libby is confronted with a truth she has long tried to deny.Reviews for Christmas By Candlelight:'You know that the festive season is well and truly here when a Karen Swan Christmas cracker appears . . . Sprinkled throughout with Swan’s trademark twists and turns, insight, cosy charm, and eye for comedy, this is the perfect warm-up for the Christmas holiday.' - Yorkshire Post'An author loved for her cosy, escapist, festive fiction' Prima'With well-drawn characters and plenty of romance and drama, this page-turner will leave you with a warm festive glow.' - The Mirror'Seasonal escapism at its best' - Women's Weekly'A cosy Christmas read with plenty of twists' - Woman's Own'This escapist, uplifting story explores old friends and fractured relationships . . . With relatable characters, plenty of secrets and a sprinkle of feel-good cosiness, this is the perfect winter read.' - My WeeklyWhat readers are saying about Christmas by Candlelight:'a Christmas/Winter read at its best. Dive in and escape any Winter Blues!''Christmas isn't Christmas without a Karen Swan book!''Perfect ingedients for a lovely Christmas read!'Trade ReviewFeel-good stories to curl up with over Christmas . . . escapist romance at its best * Heat *There’s nothing quite like a Karen Swan novel to get you in the festive mood . . . Seasonal escapism at its best * Woman & Home *With well-drawn characters and plenty of romance and drama, this page-turner will leave you with a warm festive glow. * The Mirror *With likeable characters, entertaining dialogue, twists and a satisfying denouement, this emotional read is one of Swan’s best. Excellent escapism for a frazzled Christmas. * Sussex Life *This escapist, uplifting story explores old friends and fractured relationships . . . With relatable characters, plenty of secrets and a sprinkle of feel-good cosiness, this is the perfect winter read * My Weekly *You know that the festive season is well and truly here when a Karen Swan Christmas cracker appears . . . Sprinkled throughout with Swan’s trademark twists and turns, insight, cosy charm, and eye for comedy, this is the perfect warm-up for the Christmas holiday. * Yorkshire Post *

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Book SynopsisA moving novella about a misunderstood young girl, from the author of The Woman in the Purple Skirt - part of Pushkin's second Japanese Novella series Meet young Amiko. She's one of a kind-full of life and good intentions, but with no filter or boundaries. She happily inhabits a world of her own making, oblivious to offences given or taken. But when it comes to expressions of love, where conflicting signals are hard to grasp and a heart is easily broken, there can be unintended consequences. An aching, tender depiction of belonging and loss, This is Amiko, Do You Copy? is a portrait of childhood through the eyes of an irrepressible young girl.Trade ReviewImamura definitely has a rare talent for depicting people who are a little out of the ordinary -- Yoko Ogawa, author of 'The Memory Police'

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis*#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* *#1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER*Escape to Hotel Nantucket for a summer of sunshine, secrets and scandal... The ultimate summer page-turner from the internationally bestselling Queen of Beach ReadsReeling from a bad break-up, Lizbet Keaton is desperately seeking a fresh start. When she''s named the new general manager of the Hotel Nantucket, a Gilded Age gem whose glamour has been left to tarnish, she hopes that her local expertise and charismatic staff can transform the hotel''s fortunes - and her own.All she needs to do is win over their new billionaire owner from London, Xavier Darling - and the wildly popular Instagram influencer, Shelly Carpenter, who can help put them back on the map. But behind the glossy façade, complete with wellness centre and celebrity chef-run restaurant, a perfect storm is brewing.Hotel Nantucket can''t seem to shake off the scandal of 1922, when a tragic fire killed ninetee

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Book SynopsisWATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH'A truly original, brilliant novel' Daily Mail'Very special indeed . . . your world will be a better place for reading this story' Joanna CannonEveryone deserves a second chance.You just have to take the first step.Rocked by a terrible accident, homeless Kelly needs to escape the streets of Glasgow. Maybe she doesn't believe in serendipity, but a rare moment of kindness and a lost ring conspire to call her home, returning to the small town she fled so many years ago.Trade ReviewPaper Cup is very special indeed. Not only is it exquisitely written - and I mean catch-your-breath exquisite - the story is so real and told with such grace and compassion... Trust me (trust me), your world will be a better place for reading this story -- JOANNA CANNONA rough romance written in rich language and a truly original, brilliant novel * * Daily Mail * *[A] poignant and harrowing read. Campbell gambles on our empathy when she shows Kelly at her worst, and she wins because she has written, without judgment or criticism, an original and memorable protagonist; one who moves through a landscape described with love and care, and whose interior voice will continue to ring in the reader's head even after the long journey's end is reached -- CLAIRE FULLER * * Guardian * *Glowing with empathy and wry intelligent wit. Let Kelly into your life. She'll change you, and you won't forget her -- KIRSTIN INNES[A]mbitious . . . picturesque . . . generous and often wryly comic novel: a nice variety of incident and characters, fine descriptions of street life in Glasgow and of Kelly's journey - a quest that is both physical and spiritual, offering the prospect of recovery and redemption . . . readers are surely likely to find pleasure and satisfaction in the humanity of Campbell's treatment of people who have led difficult lives -- Allan Massie * * Scotsman * *Big-hearted and poignant, Paper Cup is a joyous read -- SARA SHERIDAN[A]n exquisitely written and compassionate novel of addiction, shame, hope and kindness * * Essential Magazine * *Wonderful, empathetic, timely and moving . . . With every page I shivered with love and warmth and nostalgia * * Bella Caledonia * *Full of compassion and hope * * Dumfries & Galloway Life * *Terrific -- Morag Kuc * * Galloway Gazette * *

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Book SynopsisHow can you live in the present when you're trying to bury the past?

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Book SynopsisTHE TIE-IN EDITION FOR THE AMAZON PRIME TV SERIES STARRING SAM CLAFLIN, RILEY KEOUGH AND CAMILA MORRONEFrom the author of CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO and the bestselling MALIBU RISING'I LOVE it . . . I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so fun' DOLLY ALDERTONEverybody knows Daisy Jones and the Six.Their sound defined an era. Their albums were on every turntable. They sold out arenas from coast to coast.Then, on 12 July 1979, Daisy Jones walked barefoot onto the stage at Chicago Stadium. And it all came crashing down.Everyone was there.Everyone remembers it differently.Nobody knew why they split. Until now . . .'The verdict: Daisy Jones steals the limelight' STYLIST'New obsession, incoming' TELEGRAPH'I didn't want this book to end' FEARNE COTTON'Utterly believable . . . fantastically enjoyable' THE TIMES'Pitch perfect' SUNDAY TIMES'Reads like an addictive Netflix documentary meets A Star Is Born - despite being utterly fictional. It's also a call-to-arms that when you find your niche, don't doubt, embrace it' EMERALD STREET'Well observed, sensitively told . . . a great read' BBC'A tremendously engaging, and completely believable tale of rock and roll excess... inventive, persuasive and completely satisfying' DYLAN JONES'I spent a lost weekend in this book. Daisy Jones is an instant icon' ERIN KELLY'DAISY JONES & THE SIX is a transporting novel - at once a love story, a glimpse into the combustible inner workings of a rock-and-roll band, and a pitch-perfect recreation of the music scene of the Fleetwood Mac era. You'll never want it to end' CECILIA AHERN'Once in a blue moon you get to discover a book you end up pressing upon many other people to read. Taylor Jenkins Reid has got every nuance, every detail exact and right. I loved every word' PAUL REES'So brilliantly written I thought all the characters were real . . . I couldn't put it down' EDITH BOWMAN'Explosive . . . a gorgeous novel and a ravishing read' SUNDAY EXPRESS'The characters leap off the page, seducing you with their dramas, and making you wish the band was real' HEAT'The heady haze of the 70s music scene, and a perfectly flawed Daisy, combine to create a fresh, rock n roll read. I loved it' ALI LAND, author of Good Me Bad Me

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Book SynopsisLiverpool: a suburban crime family grips a whole city with fear.And their ambition reaches further still.Galicia: an entire community waits on the windswept edge of Europe for the delivery of four tonnes of cocaine, brought across the ocean in an almost unbelievable craft.London: Jonas Merrick, grey and quiet, alone in a small office, seems an unlikely character to be tasked with bringing down an international drug network.But while Jonas's colleagues regard him as scratchy, fastidious, old, he is also ruthless, cunning and brutally pragmatic. And he has a man on the inside: a would-be money-launderer on that wild Spanish coast. A man who has been undercover for so long, he has almost forgotten who he really is.And he is due to come home. Has to. For he will be given no mercy if he is caught.But Jonas needs him to stay.The superb Jonas Merrick is fast becoming one of the great figures of British spy fiction. In At The Kill may be his most compelling story yet.Trade ReviewSeymour orchestrates the build-up to his denouement as masterfully as Merrick co-ordinates his Spanish sting * The Sunday Times on In At The Kill *This is a Jonas Merrick novel with a satisfying protagonist, a cast finely etched and deployed well by a master writer, and a series of milieux that underline the strength of criminals. A thriller of note, it is particularly interesting for capturing the tensions between police and the security services and within the latter * The Critic on In At The Kill *You don't read Gerald Seymour, you commit to it totally. His stories have amazing detail, yet you still fly through them. And your effort is well rewarded * Sun on In At The Kill *As ever, the great strength of Seymour's writing lies in his depiction of the poor bloody infantry of crime and policing * The Times on In At The Kill *Seymour's portrayal of the city's crime dynasty, and its inner rivalries and tensions, is masterful * Financial Times *Seymour has produced a tingling and compulsive story * On Yorkshire Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'Gabe is alone at the cliff's edge. His arms are outstretched, palms facing the empty air.'He said she jumped. He wouldn't lie.Before the woman went over the cliff, Pippa and Gabe were happy. They have the kind of marriage that everyone envies, as well as two sweet young daughters, a supportive family, and a picturesque cliff-side home - which would have been idyllic had the tall beachside cliffs not become so popular among those wishing to end their lives.Gabe has become somewhat of a local hero since they moved to the cliff house, talking seven people down from stepping off the edge. But when Gabe fails to save the eighth, Amanda, a sordid web of secrets begins to unravel, pushing bonds of loyalty and love to the brink.What wouldn't you do for your soulmate?Trade ReviewPraise for The Younger Wife -Smart, suspenseful, brimming with secrets. This is Sally Hepworth at her unputdownable best * Kate Morton *At once familiar, wonderfully unpredictable and riveting. My kind of story * Rosalie Ham *Completely compulsive. Sally Hepworth delivers with this stay-up-late one-more-chapter gem * Jane Harper *This beauty I read in a morning... Expect a lot of secrets and revelations. * Belfast Telegraph *Another knockout - unputdownable and completely thrilling -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of Daisy Jones and the Six[An] appealing domestic suspense novel from bestseller Hepworth [with a] fast-moving plot. This often funny and affecting outing should win Hepworth new fans * Publishers Weekly *A warped tale [that] boasts Jane Harper's multilayered characters and Liane Moriarty's wealthy suburban world saturated with lies and deceit. With each domestic thriller, best-selling Hepworth shines brighter and draws in more readers * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisNew edition of the Sunday Times bestseller - winner of the RNA Novel of the Year Award''A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad'' TelegraphThe Gardens of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the Lake Como area of Italy. For Lucy, the chance to go to Italy offers more than just gardens. Lake Como is where her father lives, and the last time she saw him was when she was just a teenager. Recently married Helen and her wealthy husband have just moved into the Old Rectory. With her husband spending so much time away from home, Helen throws herself into caring for the garden. But Helen needs help - and friends - and so decides to take the plunge and join the local Garden Club. Conrad isn''t the least bit interested in gardening. Widowed for five years, his life revolves around work and humouring Mac, his elderly uncle who lives with him, and who has

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Book SynopsisPerfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses and Uprooted, this standalone fantasy romance about a human girl and her marriage to the Elf King is impossible to put down!The elves come for two things: war and wives. In both cases, they come for death.Three-thousand years ago, humans were hunted by powerful races with wild magic until the treaty was formed. Now, for centuries, the elves have taken a young woman from Luella''s village to be their Human Queen.To be chosen is seen as a mark of death by the townsfolk. A mark nineteen-year-old Luella is grateful to have escaped as a girl. Instead, she''s dedicated her life to studying herbology and becoming the town''s only healer.That is, until the Elf King unexpectedly arrives... for her.Everything Luella had thought she''d known about her life, and herself, was a lie. Taken to a land filled with wild magic, Luella is forced to be the new queen to a cold yet blisteringly hand

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Book SynopsisThe twenty-fourth book in the multi-million copy bestselling and perennially adored No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency series.If you are the founder and Managing Director of the No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency you may expect complete strangers to approach you with their problems when they see you having dinner with your husband in a peri-peri restaurant. And if you are Precious Ramotswe, you are a kind and helpful person who will be willing to take on a quest to find the relatives of a man who, many years ago, left the country for the uncertainties and dangers of a distant conflict.While that is going on, though, there may be other things that claim your attention - such as the shocking news that a club that calls itself the Cool Singles Evening Club is encouraging married men to pretend to be single and meet women under false pretences. Who can be behind such a distasteful venture? Mma Ramotswe shows great tact in dealing with this situation, and avoids h

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Book Synopsis‘Hypnotic and very moving’ Beth Morrey Enid isn’t clear about much these days. But she does feel a strong affinity with Olivia, a regular visitor to her dementia home in a small coastal town. If only she could put her finger on why. Their silent partnership intensifies when Enid, hoping to reconnect with her husband Roy, escapes from the home. With help from an imaginary macaw, she uncovers some uncomfortable truths about Olivia’s marriage and delves into her own forgotten past. A deeply touching story of love, age and companionship, evoking the unnoticed everyday moments that can mean the world to the people living them, Tim Ewins’ second novel will delight fans of his acclaimed debut, We Are Animals.Trade Review‘A powerful and poignant story about love and loss, frailty and courage. Beautifully imagined and peopled with strong, endearing characters, this book both gripped me and touched my heart" Hazel Prior; ‘A poignant, poetically fractured tale of two women trapped by circumstance, the bittersweet circle of life and love. I found it strangely hypnotic and very moving’ Beth Morrey; ‘One of the most beautiful portrayals of love I’ve ever read. I will always remember Enid and Roy’ A.J. West; ‘A wonderful, poignant and powerful read. I absolutely loved it. There’s such tenderness there, and great clarity too’. Matson Taylor; ‘He’s done it again. Tiny Pieces of Enid is warm and moving and full of heart. If it doesn’t make you cry more than once, I don’t know what’s wrong with you’. Frances Quinn; ‘Compelling and sad and hopeful, but never sentimental. A warm hug of a book, as comforting as chicken soup and just as nourishing’ Polly Crosby; ‘A beautiful, sensitive, lyrical portrait of the reality of living with dementia, and the twists and turns our lives take, up until the very end’ Victoria Scott; ‍‘A moving and thoughtful examination of memory and ageing, with a central character you can’t help but root for. A wonderful story about love and friendship and the ‘tiny pieces’ that make us who we are’‍ Rebecca Ley; ‘I was deeply moved by this delicate, beautiful book. A sensitive and poignant story’ Victoria Dowd‍; ‘A poignant, warm, and thought-provoking story’ Susan A. King‍; ‘A powerful and moving story about dementia and love that lasts a lifetime. Unflinching and heartbreaking. I loved it’ Nicola Gill‍; ‘Moving and timely. Brilliantly evokes the drama of the everyday that may go unnoticed by others, but for those involved takes on Titanic proportions. Superb’‍ Tom Benjamin‍; ‘A beautiful book, its pages suffused with warmth and humanity. It truly moved me and will stay with me a long, long time’‍ Louise Fein; ‘Tim Ewins brings his own brand of quirky to something very different. Tiny Pieces of Enid is a tender, poignant, and elegiac portrayal of love and loss and the indomitable nature of the human spirit. If you don’t love Enid like a member of your own family after reading this book then you have no soul!' Cat Walker; ‘Enid is a delight. Her story tells of a love that defies everything, while the rendition of her mental decline is drawn with sensitivity and compassion. I couldn’t put this down’ Paula Greenlees; ‘Like a bird layering twigs to build a nest, Ewins has woven together past and present, memory and reality to create a startlingly beautiful novel with complex characters walking the fine line between fragility and strength. An absolute delight’ Laura Besley;

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