Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisElio believes he has left behind his first love - but as an affair with an older man intensifies, his thoughts turn to the past and to Oliver.Oliver, a college professor, husband and father, is preparing to leave New York.

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Book SynopsisOne of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn't bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears' STACEY HALLSUniquely witty, beautifully observed, intricately woven' MIRANDA HARTA truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow' DINAH JEFFERIESHad me absolutely sobbing a beautiful, beautiful book' JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESSWorth every tear' WOMAN & HOMEExquisitely tender, powerfully compelling' SARAH HAYWOODOne of my new all-time favourite books an absolute joy' JULIETTA HENDERSONThoughtful, warm and engaging' CHRISTINA SWEENEY-BAIRDHonest, heartfelt and hopeful' MARIANNE CRONINA joy to read' ANNE YOUNGSONA love song to women everywhere' ERICKA WALLERMEET EVA MARTÍNEZ-GREEN, AN ONLY CHILD FULL OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HER BEGINNINGS.Between her emotionally absent mother and her physically absent father, there is nobody to answer them. Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictTrade Review‘One of the most transporting novels I have read recently’ Patricia Nicol, Daily Mail’s Best Books for Winter Breaks ‘Honest, heartfelt and hopeful, All My Mothers captures the joy and pain of love in all its forms, and reminds us that mothers can be found in the most unlikely of places and people. It broke my heart three times, but I adored it!’ MARIANNE CRONIN, author of One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot ‘Mothers are artists – a beautiful sentiment from a beautiful book that challenges the notion of what a mother should look like. Eva is lost. She's sure her mother doesn't belong to her and, with her father absent, no one seems to have any answers – so she goes looking for them, on an epic journey that takes us to Cordoba in Spain. In a coming-of-age story, we feel the desire Eva has just to belong. Though it's not always an easy read, it is worth every tear’ Woman & Home Praise for The Other Half of Augusta Hope: ’A joy…the humour and pathos in their stories lends real heart and soul’ OBSERVER ‘A moving tale… sure to make you cry… Parfait [is] a convincingly serious, sweet, clever and funny person who ends up carrying the story… an epic hero … It’s going to be all over every book club in Britain before you can say Burundi’ The Times ‘A mesmerisingly beautiful portrait of a young woman discovering what home means to her, and a poignant depiction of how our actions can touch other people's lives in ways we could never have anticipated.’ Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus ‘Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read – an extraordinary masterpiece’ Anstey Harris, author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton ‘The most gutsy, endearing and entertaining meditation on the meaning of human existence that you're ever likely to read’ Deborah Orr

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo comes a breathtaking novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence with her best friend Gabby. Shortly after, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan. Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?Trade ReviewPraise for Taylor Jenkins Reid ‘Spellbinding’ Emily Giffin ‘Full of raw human emotion’ Beth O’Leary ‘An entirely fresh and new perspective on what can happen after the "happily ever after”’ Jen Lancaster ‘The very best of Classic Hollywood intrigue, a delicious twist and incisive commentary on the wages of stardom’ Anne Helen Petersen ‘I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so fun’ Dolly Alderton ‘The characters were beautifully layered and complex... captured my heart’ Reese Witherspoon ‘Everyone should read this’ Claudia Winkleman ‘Dramatic, salacious and oh-so-romantic’ Woman & Home ‘Wildy addictive’ PopSugar ‘Glamour, ambition and shocking secrets’ People ‘Earth-shaking… you will flip for this epic love story’ Cosmopolitan ‘Heartwrenching’ Us Weekly ‘Reid masterfully grabs hold of the heartstrings and doesn't let go’ Publishers Weekly ‘No one does life and love better’ InStyle

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Book SynopsisIF I COULD GIVE 6 STARS I WOULD ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????The perfect cozy, romantic fantasy and USA TODAY BESTSELLER for fans of Gilmore Girls and dragons!When Saphira opens her cafe welcoming pet baby dragons, she isn't expecting it to be quite so hard to keep the fires burning. But her young dragon patrons keep incinerating her furniture, which means selling coffee isn't covering all her costs.Local heart-throb Aiden is a gardener, though his disobedient baby dragon is a major distraction from his beloved plants. However, Saphira's café gives him an idea he'll ask Saphira to train his dragon, and pay her enough to keep the cafe afloat.They know they're the answer to each other's problems, but happy-go-lucky Saphira and gorgeous-but-grumpy Aiden couldn't be more different. Can they find a way to work together and maybe even ignite some fire of their own?The perfect dual POV, grumpy sunshine cozy fantasy, with HEA guaranteed!Tropes:Grumpy x Sunshine ??We pretend we''re married! ??Small town ??Low spice ?**The Baby Dragon Cafe was a Times top 10 bestselling paperback and an Amazon top 10 bestselling ebook on Feb 1 2025, and a USA Today bestseller on Jul 9 2025***

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

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Book SynopsisWe were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive 'Hunter S. Thompson is roaring down the desert highway to Las Vegas with his attorney, the Samoan, to find the dark side of the American Dream. Armed with a drug arsenal of stupendous proportions, the duo engage in a surreal succession of chemically enhanced confrontations with casino operators, police officers and assorted Middle Americans.This stylish reissue of Hunter S. Thompson's iconic masterpiece, a controversial bestseller when it appeared in 1971, features the brilliant Ralph Steadman illustrations of the original. It brings to a new generation the hallucinatory humour and nightmare terror of Hunter S. Thompson's musings on the collapse of the American Dream.Trade Review‘There are only two adjectives writers care about…”brilliant” and “outrageous”. Hunter Thompson has a freehold on both of them. “Fear and Loathing” is a scorching epochal sensation.’ Tom Wolfe ‘What goes on in these pages makes Lenny Bruce seem angelic…the whole book boils down to a mad, corrosive prose poetry that picks up where Norman Mailer’s “An American Dream” left off and explores what Tom Wolfe left out.’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisThe beloved classic novel, the basis of the classic film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock As children, sisters Gillian and Sally were forever outsiders in their small New England town, teased, taunted and shunned for the air of magic that seems to sparkle in the air around them. All Gillian and Sally ever wanted was to get away.  And eventually they do – one marries, the other runs as far from home as she can manage. Years later, however, tragedy will bring the sisters back together. And they’ll find that no matter what else may happen, they’ll always have each other. An enchanting tale of love, forgiveness and family, Practical Magic is beloved of readers of all ages. Book 3 in the Practical Magic series.*~*~*Readers love Practical Magic*~*~*   'A real pleasure' Kate Atkinson 'Simply brilliant' Trade Review Praise for the Practical Magic series ‘Her books are a real pleasure – practical magic’ Kate Atkinson ‘[A] delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible’ Cosmopolitan ‘Dripping with pathos and otherworldly possibility’ Vogue ‘Dark comedy and a light touch carry the story along to a truly Gothic climax, complete with heaving skies and witchery on the lawn’ New York Times ‘A master of magical realism, draws us back into the spellbinding universe of the Owens family with gorgeous prose set against a backdrop of vivid imagery’ Marie Claire ‘A delightful confection – witty, imaginative, unexpectedly touching’ The Times ‘Reading an Alice Hoffman book is like falling into a deep dream where senses are heightened and love reigns supreme… I never wanted to awaken’ Jodi Picoult ‘Hoffman’s classy prose imbues this modern fairy tale with bite as well as beauty’ Mail on Sunday ‘Storytelling is in Hoffman’s bones’ New York Times Book Review ‘Vivid and enchanting… another sublime entry in an arresting series’ Esquire ‘I got so swept up in this enchanting story’ Reese Witherspoon ‘A vivid and evocative tale – prepare to be spellbound’ Woman ‘Full of Hoffman’s bewitching and lucid prose and vivid characters, The Book of Magic is ultimately about the very human magic of family and love and actions that echo through generations… it casts a spell’ Matt Haig

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Book SynopsisFantasy as it ought to be written' George R.R. MartinReturn to the world of Fitz, the Fool and Nighteyes in the first book of The Tawny Man Trilogy by international bestselling author, Robin Hobb.Years have passed since Fitz was tortured by Prince Regal. Now he lives in self-imposed exile far from the court. Even his beloved Molly believes him dead. It is safer that way.But safety remains an illusion. Even though war is over dangerous undercurrents still swirl around the Six Duchies and suddenly young Prince Dutiful disappears just before his crucial diplomatic wedding to shore up the peace.The Fools brings Fitz a secret mission. He and his bonded companion, the wolf Nighteyes, must find Dutiful and bring him back to be wed. For if the Outislanders are snubbed, war will surely resume. But what if the prince does not wish to be found?Trade Review'Hobb is one of the great modern fantasy writers… what makes her novels as addictive as morphine is not just their imaginative brilliance but the way her characters are compromised and manipulated by politics'The Times ‘Hobb is a remarkable storyteller’ Guardian 'Robin Hobb writes achingly well'SFX

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Book Synopsis**DREAM COUNT, the searing new bestselling novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is out now!**A haunting tale of an Africa and an adolescence undergoing tremendous changes from the talented bestseller and award-winning author.''A tale for our times'' DAILY MAILImmensely powerful' THE TIMESThe limits of fifteen-year-old Kambili's world are defined by the high walls of her family estate and the dictates of her fanatically religious father. Her life is regulated by schedules: prayer, sleep, study, prayer.When Nigeria is shaken by a military coup, Kambili's father, involved mysteriously in the political crisis, sends her to live with her aunt. In this house, noisy and full of laughter, she discovers life and love and a terrible, bruising secret deep within her family.This extraordinary debut novel from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of Half of a Yellow Sun', is about the blurred lines between the old gods and the new, childhood and adulthood, love and hatred the grey spaces in which truths are revealed and real life is lived.''I could not put it down' IRISH TIMES''An intoxicating story that is at once distinctly feminine, African and universal'' OBSERVERTrade Review‘Immensely powerful.’ The Times 'An intoxicating story that is at once distinctly feminine, African and universal.' Observer ‘There’s a quiet confidence about the writing which is very attractive – it isn’t showy, it isn’t brash, but on the contrary both captivating and mature.’ Margaret Forster ‘A sensitive and touching story of a child exposed too early to religious intolerance and the uglier side of the Nigerian state.’ J. M. Coetzee ‘A beautifully judged account of the private intimate stirrings of a young girl…Adichie is a fresh new voice out of Africa.’ Telegraph ‘Political brutality and domestic violence, religion and witchcraft all merge with subtle force in this memorable novel. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses childhood innocence to write Nigerian history with the eye of a family insider.’ Hugo Hamilton ‘One of the finest debut novels of recent years…as punchy and characterful as Monica Ali’s “Brick Lane”.’ Evening Standard ‘Assured and evocative…a tale for our times.’ Daily Mail ‘Grips the reader from start to finish. I could not put it down.’ Irish Times

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Book SynopsisNovelisation of the major motion picture classic starring Robin Williams and Ethan Hawke.

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Book SynopsisA tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance. 'Enchanting, moving and funny in equal measure, this compelling love story is expertly crafted against a backdrop of modern Japanese culture' Stylist Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, 'Sensei', in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love. Strange Weather in Tokyo is perfectly constructed, warmly funny and deeply moving. This edition contains the bonus story, 'Parade', which imagines an ordinary day in the lives of this unusual couple. 'A dream-like spell of a novel, full of humour, sadness, warmth and tremendous subtlety. I read this in one sitting and I think it will haunt me for a long time' Amy Sackville 'Kawakami transforms an affecting cross-generational romance into an exquisite poem of time and mutability... Delicate and haunting' IndependentTrade ReviewA dream-like spell of a novel, full of humour, sadness, warmth and tremendous subtlety. I read this in one sitting and I think it will haunt me for a long time -- Amy SackvilleEnchanting, moving and funny in equal measure, this compelling love story is expertly crafted against a backdrop of modern Japanese culture... I [was] captivated... Stylish and unsentimental, a perfect love story * Stylist **** *I'm hooked... It's interesting enough to read about an aging woman drawn to an older man; when this attraction comes wrapped up in Japanese nostalgia for old fashioned inns, mushroom hunting, refined manners, and Basho, how can a person resist? I can only imagine what wizardry must have gone into Allison Markin Powell's translation -- Lorin Stein * Paris Review *Kawakami transforms an affecting cross-generational romance into an exquisite poem of time and mutability.... Delicate and haunting -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *This short, quirky love story has a very distinctive, very Japanese sensibility... Allison Markin Powell's translation is clear and graceful -- Brandon Robshaw * Independent on Sunday ***** *A subtle and haunting portrait... Kawakami's prose is warm and often humorous. Allison Markin Powell's masterful translation conveys a deceptively effortless, understated delicacy and dream-like tone. Often enchanting but ultimately heart-breaking, this is an unforgettable evocation of love and loneliness -- Alev Adil, Independent Foreign Fiction Prize JudgeKawakami paints perfectly the lightness and delicacy of modern Tokyo, delivering a love story that breaks hearts * Monocle *An elegiac sense of speeding time, and yawning distance, drizzles the story - sensitively translated by Allison Markin Powell - with a sweet sadness -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *In quiet, nature-infused prose that stresses both characters' solitude, Kawakami subtly captures the cyclic patterns of loneliness while weighing the definition of love * Booklist *Expertly translated by Allison Markin Powell, this is a beautifully understated love story, a novel of sadness, longing and gentle humour * A Life in Books blog *A book of breathtaking delicacy * Télérama *One of the most beautiful love stories I have read in all my life... Read it and enjoy * La Vanguardia *In equal measures profound and exhilarating * Westdeutsche Zeitung *Charming and understated... acutely observed and surprisingly involving. A delicious read * Hull Daily Mail *A charming, understated story, played out against Japan's seasonal extremes. Acutely observed, it's a delicious read * Gloucestershire Echo *Beautifully written * Farmlane Books *A beautifully-written and moving novel, expertly and sensitively translated by Allison Markin Powell * January in Japan blog *Kawakami crafts an eerie inter-generational romance -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *An extraordinary novella... It is gentle, wise and written in such a hypnotic style it casts a spell upon the reader. Deeply haunting and strangely moving -- Kim Forrester * Reading Matters blog *As well as being a sweet love story and an exploration of loneliness, [it] is packed with nostalgic Japanese atmosphere * Bath Life *A funny, ethereal and above all heartfelt love story * Freight Books blog *A quiet and understated novel... Highly recommended for fans of quirky and contemporary translated fiction or Japanese culture * A Little Blog of Books *True love is celebrated with humour, grace and pathos as the wary narrator recalls her unusual approach to dealing with an overwhelming passion -- Eileen Battersby * Irish Times *Beautifully written... It has a dreamlike quality and left me with a great love for the characters -- Judith Ayles * Newbooks Magazine *

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Book Synopsis * SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES, WITH JESSICA CHASTAIN AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER* ‘Stunning, addictive … this book should not be missed!’ Samantha Downing, Sunday Times bestselling author of My Lovely Wife Trade Review Praise for His and Hers ‘Deliciously twisted and full of shocks’ Amanda Jennings, author of The Cliff House ‘Filmic and gripping’ Helen Monks Takhar, author of Precious You Praise for Alice Feeney ‘What a ride, I loved this book and the brilliant Hitchcockian twist!’ Sarah Michelle Gellar ‘Twisty and gripping’ Jane Fallon ‘A fiendishly well-plotted, deliciously dark and twisting read … you are in for a huge treat!’ Lucy Foley ‘Clever, compulsive’ Louise Candlish 'Dark, but utterly compelling' Ruth Jones ‘I could not put it down, another compelling and devilishly twisted tale from Alice Feeney’ Kate Silverton ‘Will shock you to your core’ Woman & Home ‘Clever and tense’ Red magazine ‘A twisty, gripping thriller’ The Sunday Times ‘Leaves you longing for more’ Daily Mail ‘Feeney weaves an addictive plot that’s confident and the right side of jaw-dropping. Pick it up and you’ll gulp it down within hours’ Stylist '[A] fast-moving thriller…The story propels toward a climax that reveals not just the killer but the reliability, or otherwise, of the narrators…in a twisty tale.’ New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisSunburn is an astute and tender portrayal of first love, adolescent anxiety and the realities of growing up in a small town where tradition holds people tightly in its grasp....Trade ReviewLucy tells her story in a true, compelling voice, with an eye for minutiae, quaint apercus, and confidences that make her account moving and convincing * SAGA Magazine *A deeply moving, heartfelt love story * Daily Mail *Intense and all-consuming - like the first love it describes - Sunburn transported me to the heart of summer and the heady days of late adolescence. I won't soon forget Chloe Michelle Howarth's addictive, lushly written debut -- Laura Sims, author of Looker,This is a compassionate take on the push and pull between what's expected and what is felt. * The Herald *A literary coming-of age that captures the similar minutiae of romance as Normal People, and the gorgeous poetic descriptions of Call Me By Your Name... Whether you're looking for a great beach read, something for your book club, or a queer romance, Sunburn is a book you need to get on your shelves * Turnaround (Book of the Month) *

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Book SynopsisINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF TWO GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS (Best Debut Novel & Best Historical Fiction)An Indie Next March 2023 Pick A LibraryReads March 2023 Pick An Amazon Best Books of the Year So Far 2023 PickA brave and original debut, Weyward is a spellbinding story about what may transpire when the natural world collides with a legacy of witchcraft. Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The London Séance SocietyI am a Weyward, and wild inside.2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the

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Book SynopsisFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Trade ReviewPraise for Taylor Jenkins Reid ‘Spellbinding’ Emily Giffin ‘Full of raw human emotion’ Beth O’Leary ‘An entirely fresh and new perspective on what can happen after the "happily ever after”’ Jen Lancaster ‘The very best of Classic Hollywood intrigue, a delicious twist and incisive commentary on the wages of stardom’ Anne Helen Petersen ‘I can't remember the last time I read a book that was so fun’ Dolly Alderton ‘The characters were beautifully layered and complex... captured my heart’ Reese Witherspoon ‘Everyone should read this’ Claudia Winkleman ‘Dramatic, salacious and oh-so-romantic’ Woman & Home ‘Wildy addictive’ PopSugar ‘Glamour, ambition and shocking secrets’ People ‘Earth-shaking… you will flip for this epic love story’ Cosmopolitan ‘Heartwrenching’ Us Weekly ‘Reid masterfully grabs hold of the heartstrings and doesn't let go’ Publishers Weekly ‘No one does life and love better’ InStyle

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Book SynopsisThe new must-read cozy crime mystery from the bestselling author of Dial A For AuntiesPut the kettle on, there's a mystery brewingTea-shop owner. Matchmaker. Detective?Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective' work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he's dating anybody yet).But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it's going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she'll do a better job than the police possibly could because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands Vera decides it's down to her to catch the killer.Nobody spills the tea like this amateur sleuth. Knives Out meets Kim's Convenience for anyone who loves solving mysteries by Richard Osman and Janice Hallett, and watching Death in Paradise and Marlow Murder Club.Jesse Sutanto has created a greatTrade Review Praise for Jesse Sutanto: ’Feisty and smart, Vera makes for a fun and quirky sleuth’ Heat ‘Had me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt’ Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read ‘A dazzling debut full of humour and love. A comedy caper, doused in black humour, comical references, mixed with romance – fans of Crazy Rich Asians will love it’ My Weekly ‘Brilliant, wicked and dead, dead funny’ Andi Osho, Asking For A Friend ‘A gloriously screwball crime caper (with a dusting of romance) which will have you snort-laughing’ Red ‘Dial A For Aunties is one of the funniest, smartest, most compelling books I’ve read in a long time and I couldn’t put it down’ Lucy Vine, Hot Mess ‘Rejoice over Dial A For Aunties’ Elle ‘This smart, funny charming novel has all the right ingredients to make you laugh out loud… A heartfelt rom-com’ Platinum ‘A tightly-plotted, highly comic romp, Dial A For Aunties keeps you guessing till the very last twist’ Lauren Ho, Last Tang Standing ‘Has redefined what “page-turner” means with laugh-out-loud humour and delightful twists and turns at every corner’ Buzzfeed ‘A rip-roaring treat! Dark comedy at its finest and a set of catastrophes that had me roaring’ Abigail Mann, The Lonely Fajita ‘This laugh-out-loud read is a real breath of fresh air’ Fabulous ‘Dark humour at its best. We had such a laugh reading through’ Magic Radio Bookclub ‘The comedy jackpot! Fresh, funny and fabulous’ Kirsty Eyre, Cow Girl ‘A laugh-out-loud read’ Bella ‘Genuine laugh-out-loud funny’ Frost ’A comedy of errors, by turns macabre and romantic, hilarious and affectionate’ Saga

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Book SynopsisCormac McCarthy is the author of many highly acclaimed novels, including Blood Meridian, All The Pretty Horses and No Country For Old Men. Among his honours are the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Road.

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Book SynopsisAlan Hollinghurst is the author of seven novels, The Swimming-Pool Library, The Folding Star, The Spell, The Line of Beauty, The Stranger's Child, The Sparsholt Affair and Our Evenings. He has received the Somerset Maugham Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction and the 2004 Man Booker Prize. He lives in London.

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Book SynopsisTHE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLEROne for Philip Pullman fans'THE TIMESThis one is an automatic buy'GLAMOURAmbitious, sweeping and epic'EVENING STANDARDRazor-sharp'DAILY MAILAn ingenious fantasy about empire'GUARDIANTraduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.Oxford, 1836.The city of dreaming spires.It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.Until it became a prisonBut can a student stand against an empire?An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.''A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a rivetingTrade ReviewBLACKWELL’S BOOK OF THE YEAR A WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR FINALIST DAILY MAIL BEST BOOK OF 2022 ‘Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial history and the Industrial Revolution, turns it over, and shakes it out’Shannon Chakraborty, bestselling author of THE EMPIRE OF GOLD ‘A masterpiece that resonates with power and knowledge. BABEL is a stark picture of the cruelty of empire, a distillation of dark academia, and a riveting blend of fantasy and historical fiction – a monumental achievement’Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE ‘A masterpiece. Through a meticulously researched and a wholly impressive deep dive into linguistics and the politics of language and translation, Kuang weaves a story that is part love-hate letter to academia, part scathing indictment of the colonial enterprise, and all fiery revolution’Rebecca Roanhorse, NYT bestselling author of BLACK SUN ‘Kuang has outdone herself. BABEL is brilliant, vicious, sensitive, epic, and intimate; it's both a love letter and a declaration of war. It's a perfect book’Alix E. Harrow, bestselling author of A THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY ‘A book that confirms Kuang as a major talent’SFX ‘Brainy, brilliant, and fuelled by righteous anger, Babel is a towering tour-de-force of fantasy’DAILY MAIL ‘BABEL has earned tremendous praise and deserves all of it. It’s Philip Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS by way of N.K. Jemisin’s THE FIFTH SEASON: inventive and engaging, passionate and precise’NEW YORK TIMES

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Book SynopsisThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will revisit the worldof Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games,starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.

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Book SynopsisINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us—whose writing is “emotionally wrenching and utterly original” (Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series)—delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it.Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a

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Book SynopsisNawal El Saadawi was born in a village outside Cairo, Egypt, in 1931. A trained medical doctor, she wrote landmark works on the oppression of Arab women including Woman at Point Zero (1973), God Dies by the Nile (1976) and The Hidden Face of Eve (1977). After being imprisoned by Anwar Sadat's government for criticising the regime, she founded the Arab Women's Solidarity Association in 1982, before being forced into exile in later life due to death threats by religious extremists. She returned to Egypt in 1996, running for president in 2005 until government persecution forced her to withdraw. Saadawi died in Egypt in 2021.

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Book SynopsisInstant NYT Bestseller USA Today Bestseller Viral Booktok Sensation The Manipulator I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me. I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh. But my words don't affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave. He's always there, watching and waiting. And I can never look away. Not when I want him to come closer. The Shadow I didn't mean to fall in love. But now that I have, I can't stay away. I'm mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves. The way she undresses... I'll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine. And once she is, I'll never let her go. Not even when she begs me to. While not required, it is highly suggested to read the novella, Satan's Affair, first. Author's Note: This book ends on a cliffhanger. For CWs, please check the author's website.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive American road novel with over a million copies sold.Trade ReviewA very fine and imaginative writer * The Times *'Gaiman has a rich imagination...and an ability to tackle large themes' * Philip Pullman *

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

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Book SynopsisA profoundly disturbing novel that ruthlessly dissects American life in the late 1960s, from the author of The White Album and The Year of Magical Thinking. One thing in my defence, not that it matters: I know what nothing' means, and keep on playingSomewhere out beyond Hollywood, hollowed-out actress Maria Wyeth's life plays out in a numbing routine of perpetual freeway driving. In her early thirties, divorced from her husband, dislocated from friends, anesthetized to pain and pleasure, Wheth is a woman who has run out of both desires and motives the epitome of a generation made ill by too much freedom.More than five decades after its original publication, Play it as it Lays remains a profoundly disturbing novel that ruthlessly dissects American life in the late 1960s, from the author of The White Album and The Year of Magical Thinking.Trade Review‘She writes with a razor … You are both frightened and astonished … It seems to me just about perfect, so heartbreaking and inescapable’ New York Times ‘Didion’s modant lucidity is like L.A. sunlight, a thing so bright sometimes it hurts’ Time, Top 100 Novels of All Time ‘For a few decades, this was my favourite modern American novel … revelatory’ Bret Easton Ellis, author of American Psycho

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Book Synopsis''IT MOVED ME DEEPLY'' LIV LITTLE''DEEPLY POIGNANT'' HARPERS BAZAAR''GORGEOUS'' RAVEN LEILANITHE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF CLEOPATRA AND FRANKENSTEIN''It will make you laugh, cry deeply, and want to call your siblings' Cosmopolitan''Even better than Cleopatra and Frankenstein'' GraziaThe Blue sisters have always been exceptional and exceptionally different.Avery, a strait-laced lawyer living in London, is the typical eldest daughter, though she's hiding a secret that could undo her perfect life forever.Bonnie was a boxer but, following a devastating defeat, she''s been working as a bouncer in LA until a reckless act one night threatens to drive her out of the city.And Lucky, the rebellious youngest, is a model in Paris whose hard-partying ways are finally catching up with her.Then there was Nicky, the beloved fourth sister, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie and Lucky reeling.When, a year later, the three of them must reunite in New York to stop the sale of their childhood home, they find that it''s only by returning to each other that they can navigate their grief, addiction and heartbreak and learn to fall in love with life again.What readers are sayingThis book was INCREDIBLE' ?????This book moved me to tears several times' ?????Captivating and utterly human' ?????A book that will live with me for a very long time'' ?????A beautiful, moving book' ?????

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Book Synopsis Inheritance is the first in a brand new gothic trilogy from Sunday Times bestselling author Nora Roberts-a tale of tragedies, loves found and lost, and a family haunted for generations.Book 2 in the Lost Bride trilogy - The Mirror - is available for pre-order now! After finding her fiancé in a compromising position with her cousin, Sonya MacTavish needs an escape. When a lawyer turns up on her doorstep out of the blue with news that she has inherited a beautiful Victorian house, Sonya thinks maybe this is just the change of scene she needs.The house - nicknamed Lost Bride manor - is beautiful, the setting idyllic and the local town offers Sonya the smalltown comforts she craves after life in a big city. So what if there are sometimes shadows in the windows, objects move of their own accord and music starts playing out of nowhere. Sonya can live with the house being a little haunted.But things soon start to take a darker turn and it becomes clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking it...

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Book Synopsis''There is much here that might impress Pulitzer and Man Booker judges...Ng brilliantly depicts the destruction that parents can inflict on their children and on each other'' Mark Lawson, Guardian ''This intriguing tale of unhappy families will have you gripped from the opening line . . . No wonder it beat Hilary Mantel and Stephen King to win Amazon''s book of the year'' StylistLydia is the favourite child of Marilyn and James Lee; a girl who inherited her mother''s bright blue eyes and her father''s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue - in Marilyn''s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James''s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the centre of every party. But Lydia is under pressures that have nothing to do with growing up in 1970s small town Ohio. Her father

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Book SynopsisHad me laughing aloud within its first five pages. Charming, hilarious and heartfelt' Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach ReadLife is good for sixty-year-old teashop owner and amateur sleuth, Vera Wong. Her teashop is bustling, and her son, Tilly, finally has a girlfriend! Still, Vera can't help but wish for some excitement and adventure. Sometimes all an old lady wants is a murder to solveThen Vera comes across a distressed young woman in need of her kindly guidance. The woman is looking for her missing friend Xander. Online, he appeared to have it all: a parade of private jets, fabulous parties with socialites, and a burgeoning career as a social media influencer.When Xander turns up dead, it seems he isn't who he claimed to be. The police have no leads, but Vera intends to uncover the truth in the only way that this Chinese mother knows how: by spilling the tea.Praise for Vera WongI thoroughly loved it. With a Vera in your life nothing bad can ever happen!' J. M. Hall, bestselling author of A Spoonful of MurderFans of Crazy Rich Asians will love it' My WeeklyI appreciate the recent uptick in books featuring sleuths of a seasoned age, particularly ones as prickly, opinionated and delightful as Vera Wong' The New York TimesReaders love VERA WONG''Vera Wong is my favourite fictional character in the world.'' ?????''I''ll be recommending this one to all my friends.'' ?????''A mystery with heart and humour'' ?????''Vera Wong is honestly the best character I''ve read in crime fiction'' ?????''Fast paced and addictive'' ?????

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of the New York Times bestseller The Mothers, a powerful new novel about the parallel lives of estranged twin sisters who choose to live in two very different worlds - one black and one white.Trade ReviewBennett's gorgeously written second novel, an ambitious meditation on race and identity, considers the divergent fates of twin sisters, born in the Jim Crow South, after one decides to pass for white. Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of her subject matter * New York Times *Bennett balances the literary demands of dynamic characterization with the historical and social realities of her subject matter. . . there is such depth, possibility and dramatic propulsion . . a brave foray into vast and difficult terrain. . . .The novel raises thorny questions about the cost of blackness. The answers are complicated * New York Times Book Review *Stunning . . . Bennett pulls it off brilliantly . . . Few novels manage to remain interesting from start to finish, even - maybe especially - the brilliant ones. But . . . Bennett locks readers in and never lets them go * Los Angeles Times *Deeply compelling . . . brilliantly creates a network of characters - singular and vivid . . . There are moments . . . that stun with quiet power . . . The Vanishing Half more than succeeds as a beautifully imagined story about an American family * USA Today *

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Book Synopsis* A highly original 'detective' novel with unique setting and characters, this is the first of four 'Botswana' titles are both beautiful and charming.Trade ReviewAmong the greatest comfort-reads of all time * Sunday Times *The Miss Marple of Botswana * New York Times Book Review *A rare pleasure * Daily Telegraph *A publishing phenomenon * Guardian *I haven't read anything with such alloyed pleasure for a long time * Sunday Telegraph *Immersing yourself in Precious Ramotswe's life seems to slow your heart rate while sharpening your senses * Scotsman *Hugely enjoyable * Sunday Times *A small slice of heaven * Scotsman *A unique setting and range of characters... the vivid descriptions of Botswana means it becomes, in essence, another character... A lovely read with a gentle pace that will transport you to a whole other world * Independent *Precious Ramotswe is so kind, wise and good, and Alexander McCall Smith such a charming and elegant writer... you could read 300 pages of her simply stirring a pumpkin stew and gazing out benevolently at the sandy road in front of her Botswana porch and feel happy -- 20 Best Books to Boost Your Brain and Mood * The Times *Full of warmth, fun, heat and dust * Daily Mail *One of the most memorable heroines in any modern fiction * Newsweek *

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Book SynopsisAn instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestsellerSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DYLAN THOMAS AWARD''A package of dynamite'' Stephen KingPowerful, compulsive, brilliant' Marian KeyesAn era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacherALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTERVanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher.She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual abuse by another former student.Vanessa is horrified by this news, because she is quite certain that the relationship she had with Strane wasn''t abuse. It was love. She''s sure of that.Forced to rethink her past, to revisit everything that happened, Vanessa has to redefine the great love story of her life her great sexual awakening as rape. Now she must deal with the possibility that she might be a victim, and just one of many.Nuanced, uncomfortable, bold and powerful, My Dark Vanessa goes straight to the heart of some of the most complex issues of our age.Trade Review‘A hard story to read and a harder one to put down … a package of dynamite’ Stephen King ‘The book that scared Weinstein’ Metro ‘Compulsive. I burned through the first half in such a fever that I lost sleep, I missed meals … a lightning rod’ Washington Post ‘A brilliant and stunning debut … utterly truth-rattling, humane in its clarity and chilling in its resonance. An absolute must-read’ Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl ‘A skilled, terrifying depiction of grooming … we should all read it’ Marian Keyes ‘Once in a while, a book comes along that consumes your waking hours, unmoors you from your lived reality, grips the very core of you and doesn’t let go. My Dark Vanessa is that book’ Esquire ‘Clever, unsettling … this novel stands out for its elusiveness, its exceedingly complex, inventive, resourceful examination of harm and power’ New Yorker ‘The #MeToo novel that’s as gripping as any thriller’ Grazia ‘Gripping and unsettling… a bracingly uncompromising book. It will doubtless be devoured with an ache of recognition by large numbers of women. But it really ought to be read by men’ Economist ‘Superb … a book that asks what we have lost and gained in an era that has revolutionised the way we think about sex and power’ Observer ‘Addictively disturbing’ Red Magazine

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

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception comes something new to fall in love with... Josie Moore has given the opposite sex––and love––plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.   Matthew Flanagan is the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

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

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

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Book SynopsisAn elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter are away on a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself.Trade ReviewThis slim, wise masterpiece... is both unsentimental and heart-melting, and I read it every year. -- Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love * Guardian *It is like looking through clear water and seeing, suddenly, the depth ... Jansson was a writer who knew the proper magnitudes of our small worlds. -- Ali SmithThe Summer Book's limpid style belies a deep psychological subtlety...Rereading it now, it feels like a survival guide. -- Melissa HarrisonTove Jansson was a genius. This is a marvellous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny. -- Philip PullmanThis is a wonderful, life-affirming, spirited book. Reading it was a tonic. -- Chris Stewart (author, Driving Over Lemons)It's hard to describe the astonishing achievement of Jansson's artistry . . . a perfection of the small, quiet read. -- Ali Smith * Guardian, Book of the Week *The Summer Book is a marvellously uplifting read, full of gentle humour and wisdom. -- Justine Picardie * Daily Telegraph *Eccentric, funny, wise, full of joys and small adventures. This is a book for life. -- Esther FreudA marvellous book.... The prose is sublime: plain, but not oppressively so. * Independent on Sunday *Few books since Robinson Crusoe have evoked the joys of island living so powerfully as this Finnish novella. -- Jonathan Heawood * Observer *A wonderful novel to devour in the sunshine . . . full of charm and character. -- Benedicte Page * the Independent *An odd but beautiful novel which blends humour and poetry with detailed observation of tiny things. -- Georgia Metcalfe * Daily Mail *Every so often, a book is published that captures something in us. . . . The Summer Book is one of those. -- Rachel Simhon * The Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA fairy tale for everyone from 'one of the best fabulists of our age' (Financial Times).Trade ReviewIt's virtually impossible to read more than ten words by Neil Gaiman and not wish he would tell you the rest of the story * Observer *To give him his full title: Neil Gaiman, Architect of Worlds, Svengali of Plot, Shaman of Character, Exploder of Cliche, Master Craftsman of Style, Dreamer, Laureate of the Republic of Letters -- David MitchellGaiman is, simply put, a treasure-house of story -- Stephen KingWhile we might come to his writing for gods and monsters, actually all human life * Independent *A god in the universe of story -- Stephen FryMuch too clever to be caught in the net of a single interpretation -- Philip PullmanIntimate, erudite and illuminating -- Guillermo del ToroA very fine and imaginative writer * The Times *'Gaiman has a rich imagination...and an ability to tackle large themes' * Philip Pullman *

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Book SynopsisTHE MULTI-MILLION-COPY SELLING SOUTH KOREAN SENSATION THAT HAS GOT THE WHOLE WORLD TALKING'A ground-breaking work of feminist fiction.' Stylist Who is Kim Jiyoung?  Kim Jiyoung is a girl born to a mother whose in-laws wanted a boy. Kim Jiyoung is a sister made to share a room while her brother gets one of his own. Kim Jiyoung is a female preyed upon by male teachers at school. Kim Jiyoung is a daughter whose father blames her when she is harassed late at night.   Kim Jiyoung is a good student who doesn’t get put forward for internships. Kim Jiyoung is a model employee but gets overlooked for promotion. Kim Jiyoung is a wife who gives up her career and independence for a life of domesticity. Kim Jiyoung has started acting strangely. Kim Jiyoung is depressed. Kim Jiyoung is mad. Kim Jiyoung is her own woman. Kim Jiyoung

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Book SynopsisSOON A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES from director Shawn Levy, starring Louis Hofmann, Lars Eidinger and Marion Bailey, with Hugh Laurie and Mark Ruffalo, and introducing Aria Mia Loberti.WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTIONA beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.Marie-Laure has been blind since the age of six. Her father builds a perfect miniature of their Paris neighbourhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. But when the Nazis invade, father and daughter flee with a dangerous secret.Werner is a German orphan, destined to labour in the same mine that claimed his father's life, until he discovers a knack for engineering. His talent wins him a place at a brutal military academy, but his way out of obscurity is built on suffering.At theTrade Review'Far more than a conventional war story, it's a tightly focused epic revolving around two unusual main characters … Doerr paints with a rich palette, using prose that resonates deeply and conveys the ephemera of daily existence along with high drama, sadness and hope … A bittersweet and moving novel that lingers in the mind' Clifford Beal, Daily Mail ‘This novel will be a piece of luck for anyone with a long plane journey or beach holiday ahead. It is such a page-turner, entirely absorbing… [Doerr’s] attention to detail is magnificent’ Guardian ‘It is easy to understand why Doerr’s book is regarded by many as an epic and a masterpiece’ Observer ‘He can bring a scene to life in a single paragraph … Delicate and moving … the novel takes hold and will not easily let go’ The Times ‘Boy meets girl in Anthony Doerr’s hauntingly beautiful new book, but the circumstances are as elegantly circuitous as they can be’ New York Times ‘I’m not sure I will read a better novel this year … Enthrallingly told, beautifully written and so emotionally plangent that some passages bring tears’ Washington Post ‘This jewel of a story is put together like a vintage timepiece … Doerr’s writing and imagery are stunning. It’s been a while since a novel had me under its spell in this fashion’ Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone ‘A dazzling, epic work of fiction. Anthony Doerr writes beautifully about the mythic and the intimate, about snails on beaches and armies on the move, about fate and love and history and those breathless, unbearable moments when they all come crashing together’ Jess Walter, author of Beautiful Ruins

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Book Synopsis To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the first ever illustrated edition of this collection of tales which takes readers further into the stories told in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, featuring 18 full-colour paintings depicting scenes from the First, Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth. Trade Review‘Moments of mythic grandeur’Sunday Times ‘Another monument to the incredible imagination of Tolkien’Sunday Telegraph

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