Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
Little, Brown Book Group Hades Argentina
Book Synopsis''An astonishingly powerful novel about the complex nature of guilt'' Colm Tóibín''Remarkable . . . It will stay with me for a very long time'' Kamila ShamsieA decade after fleeing for his life, a man is pulled back to Argentina by an undying love.In 1976, Tomás Orilla is a medical student in Buenos Aires, where he has moved in hopes of reuniting with Isabel, a childhood crush. But the reckless passion that has long drawn him is leading Isabel ever deeper into the ranks of the insurgency fighting an increasingly oppressive regime. Tomás has always been willing to follow her anywhere, to do anything to prove himself. Yet what exactly is he proving, and at what cost to them both?It will be years before a summons back arrives for Tomás, now living as Thomas Shore in New York. It isn''t a homecoming that awaits him, however, so much as an odyssey into the past, an encounter with the ghosts that lurk there and a reckoning with the fata
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Under An English Heaven
Book Synopsis1943. The sleepy Suffolk village of Bedenham is jerked into the twentieth century and the harsh realities of war by the arrival on its doorstep of an American bomber base and its three thousand inhabitants. For Billy Street, fourteen, a London evacuee uneasily billeted with the village blacksmith, the American invasion is heaven sent - unlimited opportunities and acceptance at last within a community he loves. Yet a concealed past threatens his new happiness. Billy''s schoolteacher, Heather Garrett, awaits word of a husband missing for eighteen months. A stranger to Bedenham, Heather''s sense of isolation - and village suspicions - are heightened when troubled American pilot John Hooper, reaches for her friendship. And daily the skies fill with the bombers and their ten-man crews who, during that bleak autumn of 1943, suffered losses on a catastrophic scale. For Hooper, tormented by earlier loss, leading Misbehavin'' Martha and her disorderly crew safely through their 25 designated
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Otherworld Secrets
Book Synopsis''[A] fast-paced story.'' - Orlando Sentinel''A taut, sensual thriller that grips from the first page. Elena Michaels is at once sublime and sympathetic, a modern heroine who shows that real women bite back.'' - Karin Slaughter, The New York TimesKelley Armstrong captivated readers with her Sunday Times bestselling Women of the Otherworld series of supernatural thrillers. Now her characters return in this gripping anthology. The collection begins with a brand-new novella featuring werewolf Karl Marsden and half-demon Hope, in what might be Karl''s last heist. Meanwhile Elena and Clay are trapped in a wintry small town with a killer on the loose, in the fast-paced and atmospheric novella ''Forbidden''.In ''Angelic'', former black witch and part-time angel Eve is sent on a dangerous mission by the Fates, while necromancer Jaime tackles a ghost with a seriously bad attitude in ''The Ungrateful Dead''. Zoe Takano is forc
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Touch
Book SynopsisThe electrifying new thriller from the author of the acclaimed The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.Kepler is like you, but not like you. With a simple touch, Kepler can move into any body, live any life - for a moment, a day or for years. And your life could be next.SOME PEOPLE TOUCH LIVES. OTHERS TAKE THEM. I DO BOTH.''Just extraordinary'' Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go''North''s talent shines out'' Sunday Times''Dazzlingly imaginative'' Sunday Mirror''Breathless and brilliantly original'' Love Reading''Destined to be one of the biggest thrillers of the year'' Rick O''Shea, radio presenterDiscover the mesmerising new novel from one of the most original new voices in modern fiction.Also by Claire NorthThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry AugustThe Sudden Appearance of Hope (winner of the World FTrade ReviewTouch is little short of a masterpiece . . . both a thought-provoking literary treatise on what makes us human, and a genre-thriller that rattles on at a breakneck pace. Excellent. * INDEPENDENT *Poignant and intensely gripping * GUARDIAN *North's talent shines out * SUNDAY TIMES *The quality of the writing and the dazzlingly imaginative heart of this exciting book will seduce even scifi sceptics, and keep readers absolutely hooked to the dramatic conclusion * SUNDAY MIRROR *One of the cleverest, most compelling books I've read in a long time. The intoxicating voice, ingenious premise and intricate plot will have readers clamouring for a copy. Touch has bestseller written all over it and Claire North is one hell of a writer * C. L. Taylor, author of THE ACCIDENT *A work of sparkling originality that works both as mesmerising thriller and exploration of what it means, at the most profound level, to be human * Alex Marwood, author of THE WICKED GIRLS *I was totally and utterly gripped, it's just extraordinary. Absolutely mesmerising * Clare Mackintosh, author, feature writer and columnist *As intriguing and breathless as it is brilliantly original, constantly defying expectations and a step (or two) ahead of the reader. Featuring a troubled hero who can move from body to body just by grazing someone's fingertip and who becomes the subject of a sinister assassination attempt . . . Agile, unpredictable, this one will keep you awake at night in the search for answers * LOVE READING *A brilliantly balanced knife's edge of a book - fast-paced and thrilling, it's somehow also languorous, thoughtful, intelligently intimate . . . I am left staggered into an awed slow-clap at everything North has accomplished here. Touch is touching, horrifying, magnificent; step into it, and it will step into you. * NPR *Touch is fast, smart, cinematic and with a cracking central idea. This is absolutely destined to be one of the biggest thrillers of 2015 . . . A very, very impressive second outing * Rick O'Shea, radio presenter *Claire North's second novel, Touch, is perfect for fantasy lovers wanting to lose themselves in a new world. Just as in her previous book, The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August, North explores questions of gender and identity through difficult relationships and complicated emotions, all set to vivid backdrops of a strange parallel universe. * MARIE CLAIRE *A dark thriller that asks readers to imagine whom they would be if they could be anyone. Literally . . . This fast-paced tale starts with a bang and continues with a bunch more of them . . . The high stakes and breakneck pace of the plot will draw readers in, and the meditations on what it means to be human and to be loved will linger long after the last shot is fired * KIRKUS *An intensely gripping cat and mouse game . . . Seriously I cannot get over how amazingly good Claire North is. I could have read this book forever. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August was so smart,Touch is beyond genius. This will be one of THE books of 2015. Mark my words * BITE THE BOOK *Powerful, disquieting, and provocative * PORNOKITSCH *The writing is stunning; the action . . . exhilarating; the depth and emotion - always - thought-provoking and touching * THE LITERARY TREE *Triumphant . . . This novel is utterly engaging, addictive, and thought-provoking . . . simply superb * CIVILIAN READER *Offers readers a fast-paced, action-packed, nerve-wracking plot centered around an intense game of "cat and mouse" . . . The writing is gorgeous. As I read, my fingers were itching to underline quotes on virtually every page. The characters are richly drawn and compelling. The plot is utterly riveting. The book is pretty much perfect, is what I'm saying. * BOOKTOPIA *Fast-paced, imaginative . . . There is plenty of conspiracy and intrigue in this deftly paced novel, but North also poses subtle questions about identity and love. In the end, it is not power that Kepler and its nemesis are fighting over but the right to be known. * WASHINGTON POST *Forget all the other thrillers, this is one of the biggest things this year. Make sure you read this one. * THE BOOK PLANK *
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Resistance Is Futile
Book SynopsisDiscover this summer''s most irregular love story . . .Connie''s smart. She''s funny. But when it comes to love, she''s only human.As a brilliant mathematician with bright red hair - Connie''s used to being considered a little unusual. But when she''s recruited for a top-secret code-breaking project, nothing can prepare her for working with someone quite as peculiar as Luke.From the Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan comes a charmingly quirky tale of love, friendship . . . and the possible obliteration of mankind.''Quirky, funny and romantic'' Sophie Kinsella''A riotous cocktail of geeks'' Matt Haig, author of The Humans''It''s not so often that I fall so completely in love with a book . . intelligent, funny, moving and beautiful'' Rowan Coleman, author of The Memory Book''Joyous, suspenseful, poignant, funny, heart-breaking, and above all else, a pleasTrade ReviewQuirky, funny and romantic * Sophie Kinsella *A riotous cocktail of geeks . . . Resistance really is futile * Matt Haig, author of THE HUMANS *It's not very often that I fall in love so completely with book . . . Resistance is Futile is bright, charming, intelligent, funny, moving and beautiful, full of wonderful imagination and expert storytelling * Rowan Coleman, author of THE MEMORY BOOK *Resistance is Futile manages to be so many things - joyous, suspenseful, poignant, funny, heart-breaking, and above all else, a pleasure to read * Claire North, author of THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST *Resistance is Futile is funny, romantic and just the right side of geeky. Set phasers to 'fun'... * Danny Wallace, comedian, author and presenter *A joyous genre mash-up that sweeps you off your feet at warp speed. Just amazing * M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS *A brilliant novel full of dark-edged humour about friendship and love and the strange forms they can take...some of them very strange. * Trisha Ashley, author of TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS *[A] beach-friendly tale of romance among the mathematicians . . . Ms Colgan's considerable comic gifts ensure the fun is always on your wavelength. * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The End of the Day
Book Synopsis***SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES / PFD YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD***''Funny, ambitious, immensely humane and full of philosophical panache'' Sunday Times''Extraordinary . . . wildly impressive Lucy Hughes-Hallett, BBC Radio 4''Wholly original and hauntingly beautiful'' Kirkus Sooner or later, death visits everyone. Before that, they meet Charlie.Charlie meets everyone - but only once. Sometimes he is sent as a courtesy, sometimes as a warning. Either way, this is going to be the most important meeting of your life.The End of the Day is the stunning new story from Claire North, the voice behind the word-of-mouth bestseller The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.''Reaffirms the passion and ambition that have made North such a consistently intriguing writer'' Locus''Every one of the chapters is shaped with philosophical panache'' Guardian
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group Notes from the Burning Age
Book Synopsis''ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I''VE READ IN RECENT YEARS . . . PACKS A HELL OF AN EMOTIONAL PUNCH'' Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of TimeFrom one of the most imaginative writers of her generation comes an extraordinary vision of the future.Ven was once a holy man, a keeper of ancient archives. It was his duty to interpret archaic texts, sorting useful knowledge from the heretical ideas of the Burning Age - a time of excess and climate disaster. For in Ven''s world, such material must be closely guarded, so that the ills that led to that cataclysmic era can never be repeated.But when the revolutionary Brotherhood approaches Ven, pressuring him to translate stolen writings that threaten everything he once held dear, his life will be turned upside down. Torn between friendship and faith, Ven must decide how far he''s willing to go to save this new world, and how much he is willing to lose.Notes from the Burning AgeTrade ReviewOne of the best books I've read in recent years. Thought provoking, imaginative and packs a hell of an emotional punch * Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of CHILDREN OF TIME *A gripping, utterly involving, dystopian eco-thriller that balances the intimacies of betrayal against global climate collapse * DAILY MAIL *A riveting tale . . . North's convincing view of post-apocalyptic society captivates, and the political intrigues will keep readers hooked right up until the explosive close * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *An impassioned, urgent and compelling new work that burns as bright as the fires of our own burning age. This is not to be missed -- Lavie Tidhar, World Fantasy Award-winning authorClaire North depicts a startling, richly developed postapocalyptic world in this beautiful and riveting novel * BUZZFEED *Notes is compelling because it is beautiful . . . It felt seamless . . . When North was done and Notes reached its explosive conclusion, I just wasn't ready to leave. Her world was such a fragile, beautiful, doomed place, I felt like I should stick around just to make sure it would all be okay * NPR *A passionate and committed vision of what we do to nature, and what it can do to us * LOCUS *Mesmeric, terrifying and wonderful. North is practically her own genre at this point. -- M. R. Carey, author of THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTSAn irresistible, haunting thrill * Joe Hill, author of HORNS and LOCKE AND KEY *A clever and thought-provoking conceit * GUARDIAN *North's latest once again displays her mastery of lyrical prose . . . The author presents a fascinating testament to humanity's fallibility and tendency towards denial, merged with the potency of truth and the power of love * BOOKLIST *Claire North's most ambitious novel to date * LOCUS *Remarkable . . . one of the most moving, horrifying and gut-wrenching novels of the year * NPR *A suspenseful tale of the truths that lie hidden in the human heart . . . This is a world-spanning cat-and-mouse chase that tackles big questions about the nature of truth and whether we can ever really know one another or ourselves. True love, life, and death, what's worth dying - or killing - for: It's all here in this gripping, bloody, and haunting novel * KIRKUS *In rich, compelling prose, North weaves together the threads of imperial control, ideological conviction, love and the thrill of power . . . A lyrical and sometimes surreal approach to espionage and its thrills * SHELF AWARENESS *North's talent shines out -- SUNDAY TIMESClaire North is a true original, a master of ingenious plotting and feats of imagination -- Alex Marwood, author of THE WICKED GIRLSClaire North's writing is terrific, smart and entertaining -- Patrick NessNorth demonstrates skill in creating a terrifying setting that feels rooted to the present day . . . Every aspect of life in Theo's Britain is imbued with a menace that feels both recognizable and urgent, and the decisions the characters make as a result feel uncomfortably real. * RT BOOK REVIEWS on 84K *The truly scary thing about 84K is how convincing this dark, brutal class-divided Britain is * SFX (4 1/2 stars) *North is an original and even dazzling writer, and fans of her work will enjoy this grim tale of capitalism taken to a terrifying extreme * KIRKUS on 84K *Another captivating novel from one of the most intriguing and genre-bending novelists * BOOKLIST on 84K *An extraordinary novel that stands with the best of dystopian fiction, with echoes of The Handmaid's Tale -- Cory Doctorow on 84K
£17.09
Little, Brown Book Group Wild and Wicked Things
Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERIn the aftermath of the First World War, a young woman gets swept into a glittering world filled with illicit magic, romance, blood debts and murder in this lush and decadent debut novel.On Crow Island, people whispered, real magic lurked just below the surface. But Annie Mason never expected her enigmatic new neighbour to be a witch.When she witnesses a confrontation between her best friend Bea and the infamous Emmeline Delacroix at one of Emmeline''s extravagantly illicit parties, Annie is drawn into a glittering, haunted world. A world where magic can buy what money cannot; a world where the consequence of a forbidden blood bargain might be death.''Brimming with romance and gilded with danger, Wild and Wicked Things is a heady, lyrical gem of a book'' Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf''A lush and evocative story that transports reaTrade ReviewBrimming with romance and gilded with danger, Wild Wicked Things is a heady, lyrical gem of a book -- Hannah Whitten, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of FOR THE WOLFViciously enchanting, with a spell woven onto every page. Francesca May has given us a cast of wild and wicked women who dare to hold a mirror to the darkest, and most tender, parts of our souls. I couldn't get enough! -- Heather Walter, author of MALICEWild and Wicked Things ticked all my boxes. . . . I couldn't put it down -- Genevieve Gornichec, author of THE WITCH'S HEARTAn intoxicating blend of secrets and glamour, romance and scandal, blood magic and dark pasts. If you've ever thought the Jazz Age would have been better with witchcraft, this book is for you -- H. G. Parry, author of THE UNLIKELY ESCAPE OF URIAH HEEPHaunting, immersive and seething with dark magic, Wild and Wicked Things cast it's spell on me -- Alexis Henderson, author of THE YEAR OF THE WITCHINGEven after the last page is turned, this intoxicating story lingers like a deep dark wine. Sparkling and deadly, Wild and Wicked Things enchanted me, and if you're feeling dangerous, it will enchant you too -- Lucy Holland, author of SISTERSONGEntrancing, seductive, and decadently beautiful, Francesca May weaves an intoxicating spell. Here is a deep, sensuous exploration of the bonds between three very different, complex women that readers won't soon forget -- Gwenda Bond, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling authora lush and evocative story that transports readers far away from reality and into a witchy world full of damning secrets, unbreakable bargains, intoxicating love and found family. Add to this a little murder cover-up and you've got yourself the perfect Spring/Summer read -- CULTUREFLYThe extravagance and extremes of the Roaring Twenties combines with witchcraft, corruption and violence in this heady, absorbing read -- LoveReading
£9.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Ballad of Perilous Graves
Book SynopsisA vibrant and imaginative debut contemporary fantasy set in a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic; perfect for readers of N. K. Jemisin and P. DjÃlà ClarkTrade ReviewWild, witty, and profound. . . a cosmic storm of talent -- Victor LaValleA hallucinatory wonder of a debut' -- Walter MosleyJennings weaves a brilliant tapestry . . . The Ballad of Perilous Graves is a remarkable debut -- BOOKLISTHugely infectious fun -- SFXThe two worlds of this gripping and inventive fantasy are so vividly depicted that reading it is a bit like taking a fabulous city break -- GUARDIANAn enchanting, energetic, wild ride of a story set to a staccato melody. The electric prose leaps off the page in a riot of colours and sounds -- Leslye PenelopeA wild, dark and joyful love song to New Orleans, the power of stories, and hope in the face of destruction -- H. G. ParryHis lyrical prose dances to a rhythm all its own -- Stina LeichtAn unforgettable story -- Rion Amilcar ScottScary, sweet, lyrical, and real -- Poppy Z. BriteI ached to live in their world. A stunning debut that is sure to become a classic -- Elizabeth HandAlex Jennings writes with an energy and a profusion of imagination and vividness that carries you off. Brilliant! -- Katherine AddisonA beautiful song full of magic and rhythm, darkness and delight. A profoundly gorgeous debut -- Christina HenryA slice of delightfully disorientating and whimsical magic -- CultureFlyThe Ballad of Perilous Graves is not only an engrossing adventure but a potent homage to the beating heart of one of the world's most magical cities -- Ladee HubbardA beautiful song full of magic and rhythm, darkness and delight. A profoundly gorgeous debut -- Christina Henry
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Big Dog and Little Dog Board Book
Book SynopsisFrom Dav Pilkey, creator of the New York Times best-selling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series: a funny board book for toddlers about best friends Big Dog and Little Dog.Trade Review"This day in the life of two dogs is a perfect choice for children just starting to read." — School Library Journal
£5.99
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Godsend
Book SynopsisInspired by the story of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban, Whiting Awardwinning author John Wray explores the circumstances that could impel a young American to abandon identity and home to become an Islamist militant.Like many other eighteen-year-olds, Aden Sawyer is intently focused on a goal: escape from her hometown. Her plan will take her far from her mother's claustrophobic house, where the family photos have all been turned to face the wall; far from the influence of her domineering fathera professor of Islamic studiesand his new wife.Aden's dream, however, is worlds removed from conventional fantasies of teen rebellion: she is determined to travel to Peshawar, Pakistan, to study Islam at a madrasa. To do so, she takes on a new identity, disguising herself as a young man named Suleyman. Aden fully commits to this new life, even burning her passport to protect her secret. But once she is on the ground, she finds herself in greater danger than she
£15.19
Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc MadeUp Man The A Novel
Book SynopsisScapellato''s blend of existential noir, absurdist humor, literary fiction, and surreal exploration of performance art merges into something special. . . . The Made-Up Man is a rare novel that is simultaneously smart and entertaining. Gabino Iglesias, NPRStanley had known it was a mistake to accept his uncle Lech's offer to apartment-sit in Praguehe'd known it was one of Lech's proposals, a thinly veiled setup for some invasive, potentially dangerous performance art project. But whatever Lech had planned for Stanley, it would get him to Prague and maybe offer a chance to make things right with T after his failed attempt to propose. Stanley can take it. He can ignore their hijinks, resist being drafted into their evolving, darkening script. As the operation unfolds it becomes clear there's more to this performance than he expected; they know more about Stanley's state of mind than he knows himself. He may be able to step over chalk outlines in the
£999.99
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Near Flesh
£21.75
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Three Stories of Forgetting
£15.60
Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc State of Paradise
Book SynopsisOne of Time''s 100 Must-Read Books of 2024. A New York Times Book Review Editors'' Choice. Named a Best Book of 2024 by Vanity Fair, NPR, ELLE, and Kirkus. Longlisted for the 2024 Joyce Carol Oates Prize. A brilliant ghost story and a profoundly moving and atmospheric meditation on place, memory, and the very nature of reality, where everything is truly not as it seems. Mona Awad, author of RougeAt once an adventure and a treat, a deep study of Florida''s psychogeography and a creepy story about ghosts, missing people, cults, and technology. Don''t miss it. Gabino Iglesias, NPRA heart-racing fun house of uncanniness hidden in Florida's underbelly from the celebrated Laura van den BergIt's another summer in a small Florida town. After an illness that vanishes as mysteriously as it arrived, everything appears to be getting back to normal: soul-crushing heat, torrential downpours, sinkholes swallowing the earth, ominous cats, a world-bending virtual reality device being handed out by a company called ELECTRA, and an increasing number of posters dotting the streets with the faces of missing citizens. Living in her mother's home, a ghostwriter for a famous thriller author tracks the eerie changes. On top of everything else, she's contending with family secrets, spotty memories of her troubled youth, a burgeoning cult in the living room, and the alarming expansion of her own belly button.Then, during a violent rainstorm, her sister goes missing. She returns a few days later, sprawled on their mother's lawn and speaking of another dimension. Now the ghostwriter must investigate not only what happened to her sister and the other missing people but also the uncanny connections between ELECTRA, the famous author she works for, and reality itself.A sticky, rain-soaked reckoning with the elusive nature of selfhood and storytelling, Laura van den Berg's State of Paradise is an intricate and page-turning whirlwind. With inimitable control and thrilling style, van den Berg reaches deep into the void and returns with a story far stranger than either reality or fiction.
£19.54
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Dwelling
Book Synopsis
£21.00
Farrar, Straus and Giroux The Ballad of the Last Guest
£21.00
Farrar, Straus and Giroux The Cartographer of Absences
£22.50
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Weepers
Book Synopsis
£21.00
Random House USA Inc Selected Poems
Book SynopsisThe first new selection of O’Hara’s work to come along in several decades. In this “marvellous compilation” (The New Yorker), editor Mark Ford reacquaints us with one of the most joyous and innovative poets of the postwar period.
£14.99
Random House USA Inc Naomi
Book SynopsisA hilarious story of one man’s obsession and a brilliant reckoning of a nation’s cultural confusion—from a master Japanese novelist. When twenty-eight-year-old Joji first lays eyes upon the teenage waitress Naomi, he is instantly smitten by her exotic, almost Western appearance. Determined to transform her into the perfect wife and to whisk her away from the seamy underbelly of post-World War I Tokyo, Joji adopts and ultimately marries Naomi, paying for English and music lessons that promise to mold her into his ideal companion. But as she grows older, Joji discovers that Naomi is far from the naïve girl of his fantasies. And, in Tanizaki’s masterpiece of lurid obsession, passion quickly descends into comically helpless masochism.
£13.49
Random House Publishing Group Empires of Light Edison Tesla Westinghouse and
Book SynopsisThe gripping history of electricity and how the fateful collision of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse left the world utterly transformed.In the final decades of the nineteenth century, three brilliant and visionary titans of America’s Gilded Age—Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse—battled bitterly as each vied to create a vast and powerful electrical empire. In Empires of Light, historian Jill Jonnes portrays this extraordinary trio and their riveting and ruthless world of cutting-edge science, invention, intrigue, money, death, and hard-eyed Wall Street millionaires. At the heart of the story are Thomas Alva Edison, the nation’s most famous and folksy inventor, creator of the incandescent light bulb and mastermind of the world’s first direct current electrical light networks; the Serbian wizard of invention Nikola Tesla, elegant, highly eccentric, a dreamer who revolutionized the generati
£15.29
Random House Publishing Group Hawaii
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc The Hidden Dimension
Book Synopsis
£12.59
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Midaq Alley
Book SynopsisWidely acclaimed as Naguib Mahfouz's best novel, Midaq Alley brings to life one of the hustling, teeming back alleys of Cairo in the 1940s. From Zaita the cripple-maker to Kirsha the hedonistic cafe owner, from Abbas the barber who mistakes greed for love to Hamida who sells her soul to escape the alley, from waiters and widows to politicians, pimps, and poets, the inhabitants of Midaq Alley vividly evoke Egypt's largest city as it teeters on the brink of change. Never has Nobel Prize-winner Mahfouz's talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than here, in his portrait of one small street as a microcosm of the world on the threshold of modernity.
£13.49
Random House Publishing Group Spirit Babies How to Communicate with the Child
Book SynopsisAm I Meant to Become a Parent? Why Can’t I Conceive? What Is My Unborn Child Trying to Tell Me?In this reassuring, supportive, and accessible book, leading clairvoyant and medium Walter Makichen offers guidance to prospective parents eager to create a warm, nurturing environment for their soon-to-be-conceived-or-born children. Applying the wisdom and insights he has gained through twenty years of communicating with these spirit babies, Makichen helps you resolve issues about starting a family…actively participate in the psychic process of creating a child…and move past your worries and fears about becoming parents. From the seven essential chakras that link our body, mind, and spirit to why pregnant women are superpsychic, you’ll discover:* How to create the energy that nurtures spirit babies* How to understand how past lives and chakras relate to your unborn child* The conception contract-what it is and what it means fo
£13.49
Random House Canada This Country Is No Longer Yours
Book Synopsis
£19.54
Random House Canada Songs of Love on a December Night
£21.24
Random House USA Inc Shakespeare After All
Book Synopsis
£20.70
WW Norton & Co Winesburg Ohio
Book SynopsisThis Norton Critical Edition includes: The 1919 first book edition of the stories, with Harald Toksvig's original map of the fictional Winesburg. A thoughtful and thought-provoking preface and expanded explanatory footnotes by Marc K. Dudley. Selections from Anderson's memoirs, two of them new to the Second Edition. Eight contemporary reviews of Winesburg, Ohio by critics including William Faulkner and H. L. Mencken. Nine interpretive essays, five of them new to the Second Edition. A chronology and an updated selected bibliography.
£13.99
WW Norton & Co Anthill
Book SynopsisThe two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning biologist delivers "an astonishing literary achievement" (Anthony Gottlieb, The Economist).Trade Review"[Wilson smuggles] gems of empirical knowledge across the literary border to create fiction with unusually rewarding heft." -- Barbara Kingsolver - The New York Times Book Review"Part epic-inspired adventure story, part philosophy-of-life, part many-layered mid-century Alabama viewed in finely observed detail, part ant life up close, part lyrical hymn to the wonders of earth…yes, all of these." -- Margaret Atwood - New York Review of Books"One part of Anthill, by the world’s leading myrmecologist, demonstrates that in Mr Wilson ants have found not only their Darwin but also their Homer…The tale within a tale is an astonishing literary achievement; nobody but Mr Wilson could have written it, and those who read it will tread lightly in the forest, at least for a while…his evocation of their ways is a more powerful tool for raising ecological awareness than any Disneyfication is likely to be." -- The Economist"Wilson’s foray into fiction allows him to write more expressively, psychologically, even spiritually about the great web of life, humankind included, and the irrefutable rules for ecological survival…A teacher as well as a scientist, Wilson uses the prism of fiction to cast new light on the grand unifying lesson of nature: all of us earthlings, all of life’s astonishing creations, thrive or fail together." -- Donna Seaman - Chicago Tribune"The astute, knowledgeable, amazing structure of Anthill is a masterpiece of craft, a fictional embodiment of the ant." -- Sue Brannon Walker, Poet Laureate of Alabama - Alabama Press-Register"[A] beautifully written coming-of-age novel about a young boy in Alabama. The highly respected author and entomologist may be sneaking some science down the throats of self-respecting fiction readers everywhere with the tale of a boy-turned-environmental lawyer who tries to save wildlife, but we hardly mind." -- The Daily Beast"Lush with organic details, Wilson’s keen eye for the natural world and his acumen for environmental science is on brilliant display in this multifaceted story about human life and its connection to nature." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"The savage conflicts between the Trailhead and Waterside colonies are as dramatic as any epic of Herodotus or Thucydides, histories Wilson evokes in his characterization of the tiny warriors as myrmidons and hoplites." -- Harvey Freedenberg - Shelf Awareness"A triumphant epic of life by the world’s greatest naturalist. This is War and Peace—among the ants, the land developers, and the environmentalists and preachers. Marvel at E. O. Wilson’s wondrous and captivating creation." -- Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute"It’s slightly mysterious how E. O. Wilson manages to combine so many different talents in one person—from close observation to grand theorizing to deep compassion to well-paced, lively writing. (If he were actually an ant, he’d be the warrior and the drone and the queen and everyone else too.) This novel will remind people of all his gifts and introduce them to some new ones!" -- Bill McKibben, author of Radio Free Vermont
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Rustication
Book SynopsisOne of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year—a vertiginous gothic masterpiece from the best-selling author of The Quincunx.Trade Review"Palliser creates a deliciously gothic atmosphere...an enjoyable read for a misty autumn night." -- Stephanie Merrit - The Observer"...Palliser’s hold on his narrative is enough to turn it into an exercise in pure form. As in a superior detective novel, character, scene and incidental detail fade away and all that remains is the thrill of the chase..." -- The Spectator"Few historical novelists weave such complexly absorbing plots as Charles Palliser and Rustication shows him delighting in his skill...a twisting, mesmerising story." -- The Sunday Times"For Christmas I hope someone gives me a copy of Charles Palliser's new novel, Rustication: for fans of The Quincunx it's been a long, 15-year wait." -- Lucy Lethbridge, Books of the Year 2013 - The Observer"...a supremely confident performance." -- Literary Review"Palliser adds the modern pleasure of ambiguity to this rich and authentic confection of Gothic suspense." -- The Independent"Palliser builds a sense of excitement with panache, tightening and knotting each strand of the web enclosing Richard with practised fingers, and he is an accomplished pasticheur of Victorian cadences." -- Financial Times"Anybody who thought The Quincunx's 1,248 pages were too much will rush back to it after reading this excellent [327]-page gothic pageturner." -- Patrick Neale, Bookseller's Choice - The Bookseller"...cleverly done, with the reader left wondering right up to the end." -- The Metro
£12.34
WW Norton & Co The Pomegranate Lady and Her Sons Selected
Book Synopsis“Filled with passion, curiosity, empathy, as well as mischief—definitely mischief.”—Azar NafisiTrade Review"Carries the flavor of the old world..." -- The Washington Post
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Eternal Life
Book SynopsisWhat would it really mean to live forever?Trade Review"The question at the heart of this wise and appealing novel is finally not how Rachel finds meaning in her eternal life. It is how we, despite our portions of sorrow, tedium and disaster, persist in finding meaning in ours." -- The New York Times Book Review"...simmers with Horn’s signature blend of tragedy and spirituality." -- The Washington Post"Rachel speaks with the wisdom of the ancients when she observes that immortality offers no consolation for the death of others. ‘Not dying doesn’t make it better,’ she says of all that sorrow. ‘It only makes it take longer.’" -- Sam Sachs - The Wall Street Journal"A mature, wry, uniquely female take on the problem of immortality." -- Chelsea Leu - The Los Angeles Review of Books"This quirky novel examines the predicament of never being able to die." -- The Daily Mail
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Flash Fiction America
Book SynopsisA spectacular new anthology of the best short-short fiction from across the United States.Trade Review"Seeing the excellence, energy and excitement represented in these 73 very short stories brings a sense of urgent hope for this strange, young country along with a jittery anxiety. The stories come and go quick, as is the way with flash, but they also linger, creating one more mysterious, satisfying paradox for readers to hold." -- Sarah Shotland - Ploughshares"Thomas, Flick, and Dufresne's elegant anthology brims with economical, well-crafted prose…[Flash Fiction America] showcases a multitude of talent." -- Publishers Weekly"These stories in Flash Fiction America pop and sizzle like lightning. There is an abundance of electricity and magnetism between the covers of this marvelous book." -- Charles Rammelkamp - London Grip
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Kafkaesque
Book SynopsisAward-winning graphic novelist Peter Kuper presents a mesmerising interpretation of fourteen iconic Kafka short stories.Trade Review"For tips on graphic novel adaptations, publishers would be well-served to look at Peter Kuper's Kafkaesque. The renderings of fourteen Franz Kafka short fictions remain true, but not slavishly devoted, to the originals and the final product gives us new perspectives on classic stories. It certainly helps that Kafka's work is opaque and ripe for reinterpretation, but it is Kuper's art that makes it so fresh." -- Times Literary Supplement"Kafkaesque is a stout, enchanting exploration of Kafka’s work. Illuminating his curious character with such incomparable art galvanises the comic’s content, making each individual story land with dramatic flair... It's not only a startlingly robust testament to the power of Kafka’s literary prowess, but also a splendid showcase for Kuper’s manic artwork." -- Starburst"… fans of enigmatic pessimism can allow themselves a shudder of delight." -- Strong Words"Brilliant... The Kafkaesque humor is intact, even enhanced." -- The Wall Street Journal
£11.39
WW Norton & Co A Childrens Bible
Book SynopsisA brilliant, indelible novel of teenage alienation and adult complacency in a world whose climate and culture are unravelling.Trade Review"An American author steps out of the shadows with a dystopian novel of great power." -- Adam Begley - The Sunday Times"The pandemic amplifies the resonance of this brilliant end-of-days escapade… if the conclusion doesn’t leave you with goosebumps, then you should probably check your pulse." -- Stephanie Cross - The Daily Mail"New England children caught up in an apocalyptic storm have to fend for themselves in this powerful novel by a talented American writer who has often flown under the literary radar." -- 100 Best Holiday Reads - The Sunday Times"... in A Children’s Bible, Lydia Millet maps the consequences of an environmental apocalypse with unnerving, fable-like simplicity." -- The Best Novels of 2020 - The Telegraph"A haunting dystopia about climate change denial... Funny and sobering, Millet's 13th novel sees a group of adults settle into a mansion for a heady summer, idling away their time with drugs and sex." -- Best Paperbacks: March 2021 - The Guardian"A Children’s Bible... begins in a crumbling mansion where a group of bored, surly, privileged teens are spending the summer sequestered with their ne’er do well parents. Just as it begins to seem like a summer teen romp, the story takes a dramatic turn in the shape of a cataclysmic storm. What follows is brilliant—and feels both inevitable and strangely magical. How those teens tell the story, which transforms this climate emergency into a brutally honest, funny and moving indictment of the generations leaving a broken world for them to inherit, is especially refreshing." -- Diane Cook, The Best Books of 2020 - The Evening Standard"This superb novel begins as a generational comedy — a pack of kids and their middle-aged parents coexist in a summer share — and turns steadily darker, as climate collapse and societal breakdown encroach. But Millet’s light touch never falters; in this time of great upheaval, she implies, our foundational myths take on new meaning and hope." -- 100 Notable Books of 2020 - The New York Times Book Review"Here's an idea: As the world falls apart all around us, why not read a book about the world falling apart in a totally different way? Not just any book, though, it kind of has to be A Children's Bible, the brilliant Lydia Millet's latest, in which the oblivious destructiveness of a certain self-indulgent generation of adults is rightfully skewered, as a new generation of hyper-mature teens must figure out how to live without any concrete kind of guidance." -- Best Books of 2020, So Far - Refinery29"A perfect novel for now." -- Metro
£12.34
WW Norton & Co Fencing with the King
Book SynopsisA mesmerising breakthrough novel of family myths and inheritances by the award-winning author of CrescentTrade Review"Fencing With the King... is a rare pleasure. Abu-Jaber’s rich characters live and breathe around you, and her nuance and wit bring the largest themes to irresistible, present life." -- Claire Messud, author of A Burning Girl"The best novel I’ve read all year: shimmering prose, compelling emotion, and utterly impossible to put down. Rarely has the terroir of ancestry been so masterfully evoked. Abu-Jaber’s best yet." -- Nicole Mones, author of The Last Chinese Chef"Diana Abu Jaber outdoes herself with this brilliantly paced and utterly absorbing novel. From start to finish, her dynamic prose and seemingly effortless storytelling create an original narrative of love, intrigue, and family/global dynamics." -- Laila Halaby, author of Once in a Promised Land"I read...Fencing With the King in one sitting – I couldn’t stop. Ambitious, vivid, compelling, and full of life, this rich family story tells so many truths and uses family myths and fables to explore complex history, intergenerational trauma, and the wounds of exile and displacement." -- Etaf Rum, author of A Woman is No Man"[The author] approaches Middle Eastern modernity with a profluent storytelling style. I have long admired Abu-Jaber’s craftsmanship... Like an intricate recipe, her paragraphs balance interior and external worlds, elegant diction and workmanlike narrative." -- Sarah Cypher - The Washington Post
£19.94
W. W. Norton & Company The Island of Doctor Moreau A Norton Critical
Book Synopsis
£11.99
Penguin Putnam Inc Tin Camp Road
Book Synopsis
£18.74
Penguin Putnam Inc Next Year in Havana
Book Synopsis
£15.29
Random House Publishing Group Encounters with Unexpected Animals
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£19.55
Methuen Publishing Ltd Isara
Book SynopsisTwo years after writing his celebrated childhood autobiography Ake, Wole Soyinka opened a tin box that had belonged to his father. The simple contents of this box provide the fuel for Isara the second instalment of Soyinka's memoirs.Trade Review"One of the finest achievements of this author's varied and brilliant career."--Chicago Tribune
£8.99
Methuen Publishing Ltd Shifu Youll do Anything for a Laugh
Book SynopsisMo Yan's collection of eight darkly humorous short stories - surrealistic political fables, ghost stories, tales of failed and perverse love, and stories about the destructive effects of superstition and ignorance. Mo Yan addresses serious concerns of contemporary China with a light touch.
£10.44
Methuen Publishing Ltd Resuscitation of a Hanged Man
Book SynopsisProvincetown, Cape Cod: the last outpost of civilisation, the end of the earth. In the confused aftermath of a failed suicide attempt, Leonard English pursuing a vague vision of redemption and an even vaguer offer of employment finds himself in a Cape resort populated by religious zealots and promiscuous transvestites.
£10.44
Methuen Publishing Ltd The Garlic Ballads
Book SynopsisAn epic tale of love and loyalty, beauty and brutality by China's greatest living writer.Trade Review"* 'Mo Yan deserves a place in world literature... His voice will find its way into the heart of the reader, just as Kundera and Garcia Marquez have' - Amy Tan * 'If I were to choose a Nobel laureate, it would be Mo Yan' - Kenzaburo Oe, 1994 Nobel Laureate for Literature * 'Raw, brilliant, eventful... A tale full of seething vitality' - New York Times"
£11.39
Methuen Publishing Ltd The Feast of July
Book SynopsisBetrayed by her lover, Bella Ford sets out on a journey to find him and exact her revenge. Instead, her search brings her to the home of the Wainwright family. Slowly, the Wainrights restore Bella's trust and she finds happiness. Then, at the traditional Feast of July, the past comes crashing back into Bella's life, and with it, terrible tragedy.Trade Review"'H. E. Bates can achieve a quality of lyrical intensity that few contemporary novelists can match' The Times Literary Supplement"
£10.44
Methuen Publishing Ltd The Sleepless Moon
Book SynopsisA story about the bleak and unforgiving nature of insomnia, of restlessness, repressed passion and dislocation. Orlingford is a town where it is hard to differentiate between pleasure and pain: the wonder of a moment is ignored, misconstrued or overridden by the fear of it passing.Trade Review"'No novelist writes better, none can evoke with such perfect art the smells, sights and sounds of the countryside, or depict the essential pleasures with so sure a touch' Sunday Times * 'One of his best novels' Sunday Times * 'A haunting, bitter-sweet story of love by this finest of British writers * 'Drawn with simple, often touching force.' Guardian * 'Few writers have a more exact feel for texture - of a flower, a face, a silence - and it is this that has value.' Spectator"
£10.44
