Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisFROM THE PUBLISHER OF DAYS AT THE MORISAKI BOOKSHOP'Such a heart-warming, wonderful little read that'll appeal to anyone who understands what it means to fall in love with stories' - 5***** Reader ReviewThere's a book written for every one of us... Carl may be 72 years old, but he's young at heart. Every night he goes door-to-door delivering books by hand to his loyal customers. He knows their every desire and preference, carefully selecting the perfect story for each person.One evening as he makes his rounds, nine-year-old Schascha appears. Loud and precocious, she insists on accompanying him - and even tries to teach him a thing or two about books.When Carl's job at the bookstore is threatened, will the old man and the girl in the yellow raincoat be able to restore Carl's way of life, and return the joy of reading to his little European town? THE DOOR-TO-DOOR BO

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Book SynopsisBy the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Home and Gilead, a modern American masterpiece by an author whose work ''defines universal truths about what it means to be human'' (Barack Obama)''A classic.'' Guardian''A masterpiece.'' The New Yorker''It''s pretty much a perfect novel.'' David Nicholls''I just adore this book and have probably reread it a hundred times.'' Michelle ZaunerRuth and Lucille are orphans growing up in the small desolate town of Fingerbone in the vast northwest of America. Abandoned by a succession of relatives, the sisters find themselves in the care of Sylvie, the remote and enigmatic sister of their dead mother. Steeped in imagery of the bleak wintry landscape around them, the sisters'' struggle towards adulthood is powerfully portrayed in a masterful modern classic exploring loss, loneliness and transience.

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Book Synopsis'I heard our grandmother asking what we were doing.'"Say something!" she demanded, threatening to tear out our tongues. Little did she know that one of us was holding her tongue in her hand.'Deep in Brazil's neglected Bahia hinterland, two sisters find an ancient knife beneath their grandmother's bed and, momentarily mystified by its power, decide to taste its metal. The shuddering violence that follows marks their lives and binds them together forever. Heralded as a new masterpiece and the most important Brazilian novel of this century, this fascinating and gripping story about the lives of subsistence farmers in the Brazil's poorest region, three generations after the abolition of slavery in that country is at once fantastic and realist, covering themes of family, spirituality, slavery and its aftermath and political struggle.Trade Review[Brazil's] deep-rooted racial and economic injustices are laid bare in one of the most celebrated Brazilian debut novels of recent times. -- Financial Times Best Books of the Year 2023A leading voice among the Black authors who have jolted Brazil's literary establishment in recent years with imaginative and searing works that have found commercial success and critical acclaim * New York Times *One of the great novels of the year... -- João Céu e Silva * Diário de Notícias *A tour de force of injustice, tragedy, affection and human dignity reminiscent of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables or John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Vieira Júnior's book garnered top literary prizes in Portugal and Brazil. Its author has drawn comparisons to Jorge Amado, the giant of Brazilian letters who introduced the magic and plight of Afro-Brazilians to the world. * Americas Quarterly *Beautiful, powerful and moving, he presents us with great literature with a simplicity that torments * Pessoa Magazine *Vieira Junior conveys the girls' childhood confusion and wonder in hypnotic prose, and he brings the close-knit Água Negra to life. This heralds the arrival of a welcome voice. * Publishers Weekly *Among the laudable feats Vieira Junior accomplishes in this novel is the way it gradually moves from a highly specific story to one with implications for a region's entire working class. A stirring, lived-in novel of struggles both personal and societal. -- starred review * Kirkus Reviews *Crooked Plow is a powerful novel set among a Black Brazilian farming community living on the edge of existence, whose people are resilient against historical forces and the individuals who oppress them.Each of the novel's three parts has a different narrator, including Bibiana, Belonísia, and an encantada. These respective narrators lead to rich interiority; the characterizations are deep, and the novel is layered in its rendering of events. The sometimes nonchronological narration goes back in time to reveal people's secrets, building suspense as it moves toward its unsettling, fitting conclusion. * Foreword Reviews *This powerful debut novel charts the plight of Brazil's poorest farmers scrabbling for subsistence on the land their enslaved ancestors worked. Initially centered on two sisters whose lives are changed forever by a catastrophic accident, the book explores themes of generational poverty and political strife through the lens of family bonds and the eyes of a once-revered Afro-Brazilian divinity. A bestseller in Brazil and lauded with literary accolades, the engrossing story gives visibility to many who have traditionally been marginalized. -- Becky Meloan * The Washington Post *Vivid ... a saga that tells not just the story of two siblings, but the enduring dysfunction of a nation. -- Oliver Basciano * ArtReview *A compelling chronicle ... Junior provides an immensely readable account of how men and women of no property have to deal with domestic, economic and state violence and of how story and language restore the dignity such people are so often denied -- Michael Cronin * Irish Times *Magic, social realism, and deep character studies grounded in a complex community are the hallmarks of this brilliant novel from a rising voice in Brazil. -- Molly Odintz * CrimeReads *A potential heir to the great Clarice Lispector, Vieira Junior, a Bahian native, sets his first story to appear in English among poor Afro-Brazilian tenant farmers...a contemporary Brazilian masterpiece. * The Center for Fiction *Five years after it was first published, 'the most important Brazilian novel of the century so far' finally makes its English-language debut. Believe the hype. -- Patrick Rapa * The Philadelphia Inquirer *Itamar Vieira Junior offers a salt-of-the-earth paean...a compelling vision of history's downtrodden and neglected. -- Anderson Tepper * The New York Times Book Review *Crooked Plow, with artistic clarity and beauty, presents racism and the spectre of slavery as the source of strife in the lives of contemporary Quilombolas ... A provocation to those who believe that simple perseverance will save the day. -- Angel Lambo * Frieze *[Crooked Plow] is rooted ... in the voices and languages of the sertão, in the names of the animals and plants, in the oral storytelling traditions of ancient communities, in the richness of the spirit world ... An impressive first novel by an important literary voice. -- Angel Gurría-Quintana * Financial Times *Crooked Plow brings to vivid light the harsh realities of tenant farmers exploited by land owners who enrich themselves on the backs of the workers and yet still take much of what little the farmers save for themselves. The novel resonates with the "sounds of animals, of rustling leaves, of flowing water. the sound[s] of the world" - an illuminating journey in a dark time. -- K. M. Sandrick * The Historical Novel Society *Vieira brings both sisters to electric life, but Belonísia's narration is especially immediate and moving. It would be a privilege to share a tongue with her. -- Lily Meyer * NPR *Crooked Plow is a powerful and piercing book that follows the lives of two sisters, their family, and a disembodied spirit in the hinterlands of Bahia, Brazil. The sisters, who use the same voice after an accident takes the ability to speak away from one of them, grow and follow their own life paths confronting poverty, racial injustice, and the threat of being removed from the land they are profoundly attached to. -- David Martinez * Full Stop *Subtle and profound ... Crooked Plow balances a portrait of inner lives with a thoughtful treatment of grand sociohistorical forces -- Franklin Nelson * Times Literary Supplement *Crooked Plow is a tour-de-force that deeply humanizes those who bear the unspeakable burdens of colonialism in the Americas, making their gestures appear through writing that pays close attention to hidden languages of care. -- Ana Laura Malmaceda * Words Without Borders *Vieira Junior emphasizes that legacy and history are not always a curse. Rather, their persistence is a form of resistance to the dehumanization wrought upon the family by slavery's shadow...The book's success in Brazil exemplifies a trend in the country's literary landscape toward novels told from the perspective of the historically oppressed. In the past five years, Vieira Junior has been an integral member of a group of Brazilian writers who, in depicting racism and slavery through the viewpoint of racial minorities and enslaved peoples, remind us of Brazil's painful colonial history while returning agency to those who suffered under its one-sided narration. -- Jimin Kang * The Nation *Translated into more than ten languages, Crooked Plow has received wide acclaim, both for its poignant story of social struggles and for the empathetic depiction of the quilombolas' lives and traditions. Also remarkable is its vivid imagery and the colorful vocabulary typical of Brazil's Northeast. These are aptly maintained in Johnny Lorenz's excellent translation, which employs various Portuguese words and expressions present in the original, thus avoiding unwieldy footnotes or glossaries while offering English-language readers a taste for the distinct language of the Brazilian sertão. -- Cristina Pinto-Bailey * World Literature Today *Lorenz's English translation deserves credit for conveying the understated lyricism and concentrated power of Vieira Junior's storytelling ... Crooked Plow is highly readable fiction, a flowing and clear novel that wears its experimentalism lightly while exploring a long history of exploitation and resistance. -- Cate Farr * Oxonian Review *Crooked Plow is a novel that shows us, through magic and murder, how the tongue can also be a fire in the greatest sense-one that can alter lives, spark movements and claim freedoms -- Laura Garmeson * Asymptote Journal *

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Book SynopsisJames Herbert was not just Britain's number one bestselling writer of chiller fiction, a position he held ever since publication of his first novel, but was also one of our greatest popular novelists. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his twenty-three novels have sold more than fifty-four million copies worldwide, and have been translated into over thirty languages, including Russian and Chinese. In 2010, he was made the Grand Master of Horror by the World Horror Convention and was also awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to literature. His final novel was Ash. James Herbert died in March 2013.Trade ReviewBeautifully orchestrated crescendo of suspense... Herbert had brought the shivers back to the genre. * Washington Post *

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Book Synopsis ''Chukwuebuka Ibeh''s writing has a certain delicacy to it, so wonderfully observant, and so beautiful'' - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie''A sublime coming-of-age tale an extraordinarily composed and deeply felt debut'' - Guardian When Obiefuna''s father witnesses an intimate moment between his teenage son and the family''s apprentice, newly arrived from the nearby village, he banishes Obiefuna to a Christian boarding school marked by strict hierarchy and routine, devastating violence. Utterly alienated from the people he loves, Obiefuna begins a journey of self-discovery and blossoming desire, while his mother Uzoamaka grapples to hold onto her favourite son, her truest friend.Interweaving the perspectives of Obiefuna and his mother Uzoamaka, as they reach towards a future that will hold them both, BLESSINGS is an elegant and exquisitely moving story of love and loneliness. Asking how we can live freely when politics reaches into our hearts and lives, as well as deep into our consciousness, it is a stunning, searing debut.SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZEAn excellent debut novel - John Boyne A moving debut about love and loneliness - Sunday Times Wonderful, vivid - Patrick Gale

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Book SynopsisA SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY#11 in the New York Times ''100 Best Books of the 21st Century''A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican family in New Jersey, Oscar''s sweet but disastrously overweight. He dreams of becoming the next J. R. R. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. With dazzling energy and insight Díaz immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family''s uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back.''The Best Novel of the 21st Century to Date'' - BBC Culture.

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Book Synopsis** Cahokia Jazz, the new novel from Francis Spufford, is available for preorder now. ** ''Best book of the century.'' Richard Osman''Just wonderful.'' Jan Morris''A marvel.'' Zadie Smith ''Every bit as superb as everyone says.'' Sarah PerryWinner of the Costa First Novel Award 2016Winner of the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2017Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2017Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2017Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2017Shortlisted for the Authors'' Club Best First Novel Award 2017Shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Novel of the Year 2017A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURYNew York, a small town on the tip of Manhattan Island, 1746. One rainy evening, a charming and handsome young stranger fresh off the boat from England pitches up to a countin

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Book SynopsisTessa Hadley is the author of eight highly praised novels, Accidents in the Home, which was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Everything Will Be All Right, The Master Bedroom, The London Train, Clever Girl, The Past, Late in the Day, Free Love and three collections of stories, Sunstroke, Married Love and Bad Dreams. She won the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction in 2016, The Past won the Hawthornden Prize for 2016, and Bad Dreams won the 2018 Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her stories appear regularly in the New Yorker.

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Book SynopsisA powerful and harrowing psychological portrayal of an individual struggle against the state written in the tradition of The Stranger and 1984, Then the Fish Swallowed Him is an urgent expose of how power can bend reality and the people forced to live within its parameters.Yunus Turabi, a bus driver in Tehran, leads an unremarkable life. A solitary man since the unexpected deaths of his father and mother years ago, he is decidedly apoliticaleven during the driver's strike and its bloody end. But everyone has their breaking point, and Yunus has reached his.Handcuffed and blindfolded, he is taken to the infamous Evin prison for political dissidents. Inside this stark, strangely ordered world, his fate becomes entwined with Hajj Saeed, his personal interrogator. The two develop a disturbing yet interdependent relationship, with each playing his assigned role in a high stakes psychological game of cat and mouse, where Yunus endures a mind-bending cycle of solitary confinement and interrogaTrade Review‘Then the Fish Swallowed Him is a sharply observed, painfully intimate and illuminating vision of Iran that will be invaluable to American readers for its richness of detail, its tonal subtlety, and its sympathy for its working-class protagonist. If you read just one novel this year set in a vividly evoked Tehran, this is it: a chronicle of a life seemingly foretold that is in fact surprising and unpredictable to the very last page’ Joyce Carol Oates ‘Then the Fish Swallowed Him had me gripped from the start, I couldn’t turn away. A story about power and the way it can hold us in its cruel grasp. This is a novel of our times. Revealing, dark and illuminating, beautiful and tense’ Christy Lefteri, author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo ‘A strange and startling vision written with the ferocity of an endangered artist and the lyric eloquence of a master. The world conjured up in these pages will haunt the reader with a real, palpable but entertaining dread much like the Iranian classic, The Blind Owl. It is a debut of genuine brilliance and wit.’ Chigozie Obioma, Man Booker Shortlisted author of The Fisherman and An Orchestra of Minorities ‘A gripping, intelligent novel, opening vistas of the imagination with economy and insight. Harrowing and clear as a bell’ Isabella Hammad, author of The Parisian

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Book SynopsisToni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She was the author of many novels, including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Paradise and Love. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, in 2012 by Barack Obama. Toni Morrison died on 5 August 2019 at the age of eighty-eight.Trade Review'Toni Morrison was a giant of her times and ours... Beloved is a heartbreaking testimony to the ongoing ravages of slavery, and should be read by all'‘I adored her honesty. I admired the way she occupied her space in the world. I believed her’‘[Toni Morrison] led and we followed, and she showed us the beauty of the language, and the power that was unleashed when that beauty was allied to a great heart and a ferocious mind’‘No other writer in my lifetime, or perhaps ever, has married so completely an understanding of the structures of power with knowledge of the human heart’‘Toni Morrison is the greatest chronicler of the American experience that we have ever known’‘Morrison is, to me, the best writer the English-speaking world has ever seen’‘Morrison’s legacy in commemorating slavery’s survivors will endure and uplift for centuries to come'‘Her every word a caress, her every sentence an embrace, her every paragraph, a cupping of her hands around our faces that said: I know you, I see you, we are together’‘I have never read anyone else like her . . . She was an opener of doors, doors that seemed they might always be shut, doors shut so tight they seemed not to be doors at all’‘Her legacy is total excellence . . . she is magnificent, her emotional intelligence is second to none and her bravery was equal to her artistry’‘Morrison almost single-handedly took American fiction forward in the second half of the twentieth century’‘[Toni Morrison’s] irreverence was godly’ * Guardian *A beautiful book and it's beautifully written -- Kit de Waal * Good Housekeeping UK *My favourite book of all time -- Sareeta Domingo * Good Housekeeping *Morrison's stunning trilogy is an evocation of black life over the past four centuries. It defies summary. Completed almost 25 years ago, these novels top anything produced by any American writer including Hemingway, Updike and DeLillo -- Trevor Phillips * Sunday Times *[A] beautiful, haunting novel -- Stig Abell * Sunday Times *More than one of Morrison's books could be classed as masterpieces, but this one is famous for a reason: everyone should read it -- Bernice McFadden, author of SUGAR * Guardian *A magnificent achievement...an American masterpiece -- A.S. Byatt * Guardian *A triumph -- Margaret Atwood * New York Times Book Review *She melds horror and beauty in a story that will disturb the mind forever * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisDive into the Joyful Chaos of the Kennedy Household Now the Number One Sunday Times Bestseller!The best book she has ever written' Marian Keyes''Wise, funny and glorious. She never ever disappoints'' Lisa Jewell''''Her latest novel proves that there is no time like the present to rewrite one's own story'' Jodi Picoult***Welcome to the Kennedy household:Lila wrote a bestseller about keeping your marriage alive, before discovering her ex was playing happy families with another woman. A woman she sees everyday at school pick-up.Bill, her stepdad, moved in after Lila's mum died. He's kind, old-fashioned and driving her absolutely nuts.Celie, Lila's eldest, hates school. Hates it so much she's stopped going. Her mother's fine with that because she doesn't know yet.Violet is nine and sings age-inappropriate rap songs, laughs at fart jokes and Lila dearly hopes she'll never, ever change.And Truant the dog, who has just bitten the American actor who's suddenly landed on the Kennedys'' doorstep.This is Gene Lila's estranged father, and no one's idea of a role model. He walked out on Lila and her mum years ago and wherever he goes domestic discord follows.Because Gene's presence changes things in unexpected ways. Soon the girls discover a kindred spirit in a man always chasing life's joy. Bill even loosens up. And Lila finds herself, astonishingly, dating.Something is happening to the Kennedy household but what is it?And will it break, or save, their family?***Praise for We All Live Here:''Warm, witty and wonderful. The kind of book you smile at whilst reading'' Chris WhitakerPraise for Someone Else''s Shoes:''Giddily joyful. Moyes writes . . . with warmth and a wonderfully wicked sense of humour'' THE TIMES ''BOOK OF THE MONTH''''Delightful. Nobody writes women the way Jojo Moyes does'' JODI PICOULT''So much fun. Beautiful about female friendship'' MARIAN KEYES''A book we all need in our lives right now. A fabulous and funny romp'' WOMAN & HOME''A paean to women''s solidarity wrapped up in a very funny revenge-fuelled caper'' THE TIMES''A warm, witty and uplifting novel It''s a joy to spend time with Jojo Moyes'' flawed, likeable characters' SUNDAY EXPRESS''A love letter to the strength of female friendship and how women can really be there for each other'' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING''Enchanting, bang on. Full of silliness and sorrow. An entertaining yet tender take on how to hold a family together without forgetting who you are'' Herald''So funny, touching and full of wisdom: Jojo Moyes at her very best'' Sophie Kinsella

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK BARACK OBAMA SUMMER READ MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD! BEAUTIFUL, PERCEPTIVE, WISTFUL' Miranda Cowley HellerANN NAPOLITANO'S WRITING IS ASTONISHING' Marian KeyesRADIANT AND BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED' New York Times------------------------------------Best friends and sisters, the four Padavano girls bring loving chaos to their close-knit Italian American neighbourhood. William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So, when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano, it''s as if the world has lit up around him.With Julia comes her family: Sylvie, the family''s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. But when darkness from William''s past begins to block the light of his future, it is Sylvie, not Julia, who becomes his closest confidante. The result is a catastrophic rift that leaves the family inhabiting two sides of a fault line.Can they find their way back to each other? Can love make a broken family whole?------------------------------------A luminously beautiful novel' ObserverI very nearly missed my stop on the train. It was that good' ElleA novel of rare yet classic beauty' i PaperA moving, tender family epic' Pandora Sykes

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Book SynopsisTHE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘Magnificent’ Mail on Sunday ‘Gripping’ New York Times ‘A master storyteller’ The Times ‘Epic’ Sunday Telegraph Ten-year-old Abdullah would do anything for his younger sister. In a life of poverty and struggle, with no mother to care for them, Pari is the only person who brings Abdullah happiness. For her, he will trade his only pair of shoes to give her a feather for her treasured collection. When their father sets off with Pari across the desert to Kabul in search of work, Abdullah is determined not to be separated from her. Neither brother nor sister know what this fateful journey will bring them.Trade ReviewA story of love, separation, friendship, compassion, exile, memory and the troubled history of Afghanistan, spanning three continents and sixty years … Hosseini is a master storyteller * The Times *Hosseini pulls off his usual – impressive – trick of breaking your heart and leaving you smiling * Daily Telegraph *Hosseini digs deep and brings up diamonds * Independent on Sunday *With profound depth and compassion, Hosseini writes about the bonds that define us and shape our lives * Mail on Sunday *His most assured and emotionally gripping story yet … A testament to his intimate knowledge of their inner lives, and to his power as an old-fashioned storyteller * New York Times *The novel’s poignant, bittersweet conclusion is will almost certainly bring tears to your eyes * Daily Mail *The mountains echo with the voices and events from the past and the ripples extend outwards beyond the final page * Daily Express *An absorbing read from a master storyteller * Financial Times *An irresistible treasure trail … A novel that will change how you judge yourself and others * Stylist *And the Mountains Echoed charges its readers for the emotional particles they are, giving them what they want, with a narrative facility as great as any blockbusting author alive * Observer *

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Book SynopsisFIGHT FOR FREEDOM. FIGHT FOR LOVE. WELCOME TO THE KILLING GROUND.''America''s new Hunger Games'' SUNDAY TIMES''So good. This one is from the heart'' STEPHEN KING**SHORTLISTED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD****SHORTLISTED FOR THE TIKTOK BOOK AWARDS**Enter a world where, livestreamed to millions, prisoners fight like gladiators for the ultimate prize: their freedom.Fan-favourite female stars Loretta Thurwar and Hamara Hurricane Staxxx' Stacker are teammates and lovers. Thurwar is nearing the end of her time on the circuit, free in just a few matches, a fact she carries as heavily as her lethal hammer. But as protestors clash with the baying crowds and the programme's corporate owners stack the odds against her will the price be simply too high?Brutal, thrilling, devastating and beautiful' THE TIMESSo compelling right up to the final, fatal blow' SUNDAY TEL

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Book SynopsisRachel Kushner is the author of The Hard Crowd, her acclaimed essay collection, and the internationally bestselling novels The Mars Room, The Flamethrowers, and Telex from Cuba, as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K. She has won the Prix Médicis and been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Folio Prize, and was twice a finalist for the National Book Award in Fiction. She is a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow and the recipient of the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her books are translated into twenty-seven languages.

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Book Synopsis'Warm, joyful and utterly gorgeous - I loved it!' Celia Anderson There are worse fates than growing up knowing that you will one day inherit a vast and magnificent Cotswolds country estate, but for Rhys Travers it has always felt like a huge responsibility. Juniper Meadows is home to much of his extended family, not to mention the many local businesses that operate on the estate, so there's no time to sit back and enjoy the view. Juniper Meadows is a full-time job, and that doesn't leave much time for romanceTasha Blake's career leaves no time for romance either much to her mother's chagrin. Tasha's sister Danni has kindly provided two grandchildren, but Victoria Blake is keen for more! When her job takes her to Juniper Meadows for an extended project, the slower pace of life, the beauty of the countryside and the warmth of the Travers family, soon has Tasha in its thrall, and the future Lord of the Manor Rhys Travers is rather easy on the eye too. As the busyness of life on the estate sweeps Tasha and Rhys along, they are both able to ignore the secrets and silences that are growing between them. But when the future of Juniper Meadows hangs in the balance, loyalties and love are tested to breaking point. When the chips are down, can Rhys and Tasha see a future together, come rain or shineSarah Bennett is back with her signature blend of warmth and joy, plot and pace. A Sarah Bennett book is a ray of sunshine and a huge hug, guaranteed to brighten any day, perfect for all fans of Cathy Bramley, Katie Fforde and Phillipa Ashley. Praise for the Sarah Bennett:'Juniper Meadows is one of my favourite places to visit and revisit. Life there continues to be complex and enthralling. The sparkling cast of characters and stunning setting make this a fast-paced, deeply romantic adventure for Tasha, as she braves the fascinating minefield of family dynamics and relationships. Warm, joyful and utterly gorgeous - I loved it! Celia Anderson'A perfect read to cosy up with at this time of year. Complex family relationships are explored with love and sensitivity and in a way that keeps you turning the pages. Full of friends and family and the meaning of love in all its different forms' Katie GingerI inhaled this book in two days. Absolutely gorgeous. Sarah Bennett is back, and better than ever!' Rachel Burton'A perfect heartwarming read full of family, romance and intrigue, set in a stunning location - what's not to love?' Bella Osborne'In From The Cold is a cleverly woven tale of family in all its many meanings; emotional, heart-breaking but ultimately uplifting, I can't wait to see where Sarah Bennett takes us next' Alexandra Walsh'An excellent read with a slow burning romance, family secrets, sabotage and some fascinating archeology details. Highly recommended' Maddie Please'A gorgeous story packed with love, romance and heartfelt emotion. Will bring sunshine into your day!' Phillipa Ashley'This book has all you could wish for, great setting, great characters, great story written in the great style we have come to expect from anything written by Sarah Bennett' ?????????? Reader Review'I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful romance that whisked me away to a gorgeous fictional location and immersed me in the characters' lives. I recommend this 5 star read to all who enjoy uplifting and heartwarming romance stories. Read this story, come rain or shine, and you won't regret it!' ?????????? Reader Review

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the Number One New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive.Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare-and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium''s place has thrown everything into disarray.Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide-Adolin in Azimir, Sigzil and Venli at the Shattered Plains, and Jasnah at Thaylen City. The former assassin, Szeth, must cleanse his homeland of Shinovar from the dark influence of the Unmade. He is accompanied by Kaladin, who faces a new battle helping Szeth fight his own demons . . . and who must do the same for the insane Herald of the Almighty, Ishar.At the same time, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain work to unravel the mystery behind the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram and her involvement in the enslavement of the singer race and in the ancient Knights Radiants killing their spren. And Dalinar and Navani seek an edge against Odium''s champion that can be found only in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility combine in chaos. The fate of the entire Cosmere hangs in the balance.Brandon Sanderson''s Wind and Truth was a No. 4 Sunday Times bestseller on w/c 16-12-2024Brandon Sanderson''s Oathbringer was a No. 6 Sunday Times bestseller on w/c 20-11-2017Brandon Sanderson''s Tress of the Emerald Sea was a No. 7 Sunday Times bestseller on w/c 10-04-2023Brandon Sanderson''s Yumi and the Nightmare Painter was a No. 10 Sunday Times bestseller on w/c 09-10-2023Brandon Sanderson''s The Sunlit Man was a No. 8 Sunday Times bestseller on w/c 11-03-2024

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Book SynopsisErnest''s Hemingway''s powerful autobiographical story of war.''I don''t live at all when I''m not with you''In 1918 Ernest Hemingway went to war. He volunteered for ambulance service in Italy, was wounded and twice decorated. Out of his experience came A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway''s unforgettable war novel.Recreating the fear, the comradeship, the courage of his young American volunteer, and the men and women he meets in Italy, this is a story of war told with simplicity and immediacy. It is also a love story of immense drama and uncompromising passion.''A novel of great power'' Times Literary Supplement''In these troubled times Hemingway''s clarity, spirituality and sense of hard reality in the midst of confusion is very helpful'' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewFlawless... such mastery of narrative, imagery and feeling, the prerequisites for great prose * Guardian *It seems such simple and straightforward language, but it isn't. The first chapter of A Farewell to Arms is only two and a bit pages but there is almost every variety of sentence structure. It is incredibly artful writing, and part of the art is disguising that it is artful * Guardian *There is something so complete in Mr. Hemingway's achievement in A Farewell to Arms that one is left speculating as to whether another novel will follow in this manner, and whether it does not complete both a period and a phase...crisply natural and convincing * Guardian, 1929 *A novel of great power * Times Literary Supplement *Essential Hemingway...a gripping account of the life of an American volunteer in the Italian army and a poignant love story * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisONE OF THE BBC''S ''100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''The year is 2021. No child has been born for twenty-five years. The human race faces extinction.Under the despotic rule of Xan Lyppiat, the Warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the Warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere. That is, until a chance encounter with a young woman leads him into contact with a group of dissenters. Suddenly his life is changed irrevocably as he faces agonising choices which could affect the future of mankind.

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Book SynopsisFROM THE WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTWICE WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR''Unforgettable'' CosmopolitanKingsolver blends a fierce and abiding moral vision with benevolent concise humour.'' New York Times Book ReviewWhen six-year-old Turtle Greer witnesses a freak accident at the Hoover Dam, her insistence on what she has seen, and her mother''s belief in her, lead to a man''s dramatic rescue.But Turtle''s moment of celebrity draws her into a conflict of historic proportions. The crisis quickly envelops not only Turtle and her mother, Taylor, but everyone else who touches their lives in a complex web connecting their future with their past.Pigs in Heaven travels the roads from rural Kentucky and the urban Southwest to Heaven, Oklahoma, and the Cherokee Nation, testing the boundaries of family and the many separate truths about the ties th

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Book SynopsisRoused by a single drop of blood, Rosie Daniels wakes up to the chilling realisation that her husband is going to kill her. And she takes flight - with his credit card. Alone in a strange city, Rosie begins to build a new life: she meets Bill and she finds an odd junk shop painting, ''Rose Madder'', which strangely seems to want her as much as she wants it. But it''s hard for Rosie not to keep looking over her shoulder. Norman is a corrupt cop with the instincts of a predator. A man almost mythic in his monstrosity. For Rosie to survive, she must enter the myth and become a person she never knew she could be - Rose Madder.Because Norman is getting close. Rosie can feel how close he is getting . . .Trade ReviewRelentlessly paced and brilliantly orchestrated . . . one of King's most engrossing and topical * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *A superb suspense novel * THE SUNDAY TIMES *Rousing . . . vivid and sensitive * THE NEW YORK TIMES *

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Book SynopsisFor the first time in English, Osamu Dazai’s hilariously comic and deeply moving prequel to No Longer HumanTrade Review"What I despise about Dazai is that he exposes precisely those things in myself that I most want to hide." -- Yukio Mishima

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Book SynopsisFrom the multi award-winning Claire North comes the final book in a trilogy of stories retelling of the classic Greek myth of Penelope. It's time for the women of Ithaca to tell their tale . . .

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Book SynopsisA gripping, Kafkaesque foray into an all-too-plausible future ... An elegant meditation on identity, motherhood, and what we sacrifice, unthinkingly, for the sake of convenience' JENNIFER EGANExtraordinary ... More than just a political warning; the book is an exploration of the psyche itself, the strange ungovernable forces of fate and emotion that make us human' RUMAAN ALAMIn a world without privacy, what is the cost of freedom?Sara is returning home from a conference abroad when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside at the airport and inform her that she will commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, their algorithm has determined that she presents an imminent risk to the person she loves most, and must now be transferred to a retention centre for twenty-one days to lower her risk score'. But when Sara arrives at Madison to be observed alongside other dangerous dreamers, it soon becomes clear that getting home to her family is going to cost more than just three weeks of good behaviour. And as every minor misdemeanour, every slight deviation from the rules, adds time to her stay, she begins to wonder if there might be more here than first meets the eye. Then, one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and setting off a chain of events that lead Sara on a collision course with the companies that have deprived her of her freedom. The Dream Hotel is a gripping speculative mystery about the seductive dangers of the technologies that are supposed to make our lives easier. As terrifying as it is inventive, it explores how much we can ever truly know those around us even with the most invasive surveillance systems in place.

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Book Synopsis***The phenomenal international bestseller that inspired the Oscar-nominated film***Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren''t trusted not to steal the silver . . .There''s Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son''s tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they''d be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...''The other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable'' The Sunday Times''A big, warm girlfriend of a book'' Trade ReviewThe other side of Gone with the Wind - and just as unputdownable * The Sunday Times *A big, warm girlfriend of a book * The Times *Harper Lee's classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird has changed lives. It's direct descendent The Help has the same potential . . . an astonishing feat of accomplishment * Daily Express *Outstanding, immensely funny, very compelling, brilliant * Daily Telegraph *Immensely readable * Observer *Daring, vitally important and very courageous, I loved and admired The Help. Fantastic -- Marian KeyesA laugh-out-loud, vociferously angry must-read * Marie Claire *Touching, disgraceful, funny. Highly recommended * Daily Mail *Utterly brilliant * She *Remarkable, shocking, brave, brilliant * Easy Living *Wonderfully engaging dialogue * Good Housekeeping *A compelling, great first novel, with soaring highs, poignant side stories and laugh-out-loud anecdotes. You'll be sorry to finish it * Psychologies *A winning story of courage and truth * Woman & Home *A brisk, involving read * Metro *An exciting and atmospheric story -- Rachel Cooke * Observer Books of the Year *A wise, poignant novel. You'll catch yourself cheering out loud * People *Lush, original and poignant. A wondrous novel set in the deep south told through the authentic voices of Aibileen, Minnie and Skeeter, three unforgettable women whose lives and points of view intersect vividly against a landscape of hopeful change in America. You will be swept away as they work, play and love during a time when possibilities for women were few but their dreams of the future were limitless. A glorious read. * Adriana Trigiani *

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Book SynopsisJulia is a bold feminist retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four that goes beyond Winston Smith's story to finally reveal what life in Oceania was like for women

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Book SynopsisFrancesca Segal is an award-winning writer and journalist. She is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Innocents (2012) and The Awkward Age (2017), and a memoir of NICU motherhood, Mother Ship (2019). Her writing has won the 2012 Costa First Novel Award, a Betty Trask Award, and been longlisted for the Women's Prize.Segal says: 'Writing this novel was a deliberate reaching out for joy. The world can feel very bleak, and bringing Tuga to life became my own magical portal to wide beaches, crystal seas, endless sunshine, and most vitally, to a warm, eccentric community of good people mostly just trying to do their best. Tuga de Oro was a refuge for its first settlers, and I hope will offer refuge for readers, too.'

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Book SynopsisOlivie Blake is the internationally bestselling author of The Atlas Six, Alone with You in the Ether, One For My Enemy, and Masters of Death. Writing as Alexene Farol Follmuth, she's released My Mechanical Romance her debut YA rom-com. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, goblin prince/toddler and rescue pit bull.Trade ReviewThe pages fly by in this character-driven novel that is intimate, complicated, and utterly romantic -- BooklistFar from your average love story . . . well worth the ride -- HeatThe narration is stunning . . . 100% recommend -- Utopia State of MindThis is a book to savor -- Publishers WeeklyLethally smart. Filled with a cast of brilliantly realized characters, each entangled with one another in torturously delicious ways, The Atlas Six will grip you by the throat and refuse to let go -- Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights, on The Atlas SixAs much a delicious contest of wit, will, and passion as it is of magic, this book is half mystery, half puzzle, and wholly a delight -- Holly Black, author The Cruel Prince, on The Atlas SixCoolly horrific, brilliantly brainy and utterly compelling -- Daily Mail on The Atlas Six

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Book SynopsisDiscover the beautiful coming-of-age story about falling in-and-out of love, brimming with humour and heartbreak.''Smart, hilarious and deeply moving'' Elliot Page, author of Pageboy''Thoughtful, seductive, and entirely engrossing - Bellies is already a classic'' Bryan Washington, author of Memorial and Lot''Bellies announces Nicola Dinan as a genuine literary talent, a gimlet-eyed cartographer of the human heart'' Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti------------------It begins as your typical boy meets boy.Tom and Ming meet on a night out at university and fall hard for each other. It's not long before they are planning a future and building a life.Then Ming announces her intention to transition.As Tom and Ming both face shifts in their relationship and confront the vastly different shapes their lives have taken, they must both ask if it is worth losing a part of themselves or each other to become the people they want to be.------------------Praise for Bellies:''Dinan''s gift as a writer is her ability to make us feel - when her characters cry, we cry; when they laugh, we laugh; and everybody is changed by the end of this novel, including the reader. A beautiful love story and an exceptional debut.'' - Irish TimesThe most hotly anticipated novel of the summer' - Harper''s BazaarA tender, emotional exploration of gender and sexual identity' - Marie ClaireDizzyingly beautiful' - GraziaA poignant tale that explores the messy complexities of relationships, with recognisably imperfect characters at its core' - Sunday Times StyleBoth deeply touching and wickedly witty' - Daily Mail

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Book SynopsisThe BRAND NEW novel from the author of THE SEWING MACHINE - over 100,000 copies sold. Have you ever wondered about all the people who lived in your house before you? 25 Library Terrace in Edinburgh is a house where lives are changed. In 1911, new resident Ursula Black embraces women's suffrage in the form of census protest, discovers vegetarianism, and learns just how difficult it can be to bring up someone else's children. In 1931, the house becomes part of a radical experiment in a different way of living, and a family secret from the past is uncovered. In 2011, Tess Dutton needs somewhere to live in the wake of a failed relationship, and is introduced to a rather unusuallandlady. In 2022, delayed by the pandemic, it's another census year for Scotland, and as Edinburgh's residents are able to gather once more, the strands of four generations at 25 Library Terrace are finally woven together. An enchanting book club read, filled with history and human stories, for fans of Mary Paulson-Ellis' Edinburgh novels, Evie Woods, Sally Page and Liz Trenow.

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Book SynopsisCurl up this winter with a heart-warming Christmas romance for fans of The Crown and Downton Abbey!''A page-turning festive read, full of will they/won''t they romance, intriguing glimpses of royal life behind palace doors, and inspiring culinary treats. As delicious as a Christmas pudding topped with flaming brandy and lashings of cream'' Gill Paul************************************December 1952As a young Queen Elizabeth II prepares to deliver her first Christmas speech, staff work behind the scenes to get ready for the festivities at Sandringham Estate. Among them are Jack and Olive old friends who are surprised to be reunited after seven years apart.While Olive works for the BBC reporting on the royal family, and Jack is employed in the queen's kitchens, their bond deepens until a secret threatens to tear them apart. When the truth comes to light, it could change Olive and Jack''s lives forever.But maybe Christmas has one last gift to deliverReaders love Christmas with the Queen!:Oh what a gorgeous read full of warmth and love and nostalgia' ?????So well researched you almost feel like you are with the Queen' ?????I loved this book from the very first page' ?????''Jack and Olive were both wonderfully real and complex, they leapt from the page A captivating Christmas read to be savoured'' Amanda Geard''A must read for anyone in need of Christmas magic'' Georgie Blalock

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Book Synopsis''Time is a catastrophe, perpetual and irreversible.'' Science and fiction interweave delightfully in these playful Cosmicomic short stories.Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York''s underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.

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Book SynopsisDon''t miss Past Lying, the twisty new Karen Pirie thriller''It grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go'' Daily Mail''Incredibly suspenseful'' Sunday Mirror__________''There are lots of things that ran in families, but murder wasn''t one of them . . .''When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test could be the key to unlocking the mystery of a twenty-year-old murder inquiry. Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is an expert at solving the unsolvable. With each cold case closed, justice is served. So, finding the answer should be straightforward, but it''s as twisted as the DNA helix itself.Meanwhile Karen finds herself irresistibly drawn to another case, one that she has no business investigating. And as she pieces together decades-old evidence, Karen discovers the most dangerous kinds of secrets. Secrets that someone is willTrade ReviewAn incredibly suspenseful thriller, elegantly plotted with smartly drawn characters and fascinating detail * Sunday Mirror *What superlatives are there left to describe the phenomenon that is the multi award-winning McDermid? . . . Told with McDermid's legendary verve and eye for detail, it grabs the reader by the throat and never lets go * Daily Mail *It is evident in her 30th novel that her mastery of the crime has matured well * Sunday Express *[An] engaging new novel . . . McDermid's 30th novel offers fascinating insights into the ethical dilemmas thrown up by advances in forensic science * Sunday Times *Her books combine ironclad storytelling technique, cogent commentaries on modern society and an attitude to the crime genre's long history that is both interrogative and innovative . . . we are reminded that the new Queen of Crime is still at the top of her game * Independent *McDermid's expertly juggled plotlines and masterful handling of pace and tension tick all the best boxes, but what makes this book a real cracker is Pirie herself - grieving, insubordinate and dogged in her pursuit of the various culprits * Guardian *Quite simply, nobody does British crime writing better . . . [a] twisty, deliciously tangled thriller * Peterborough Telegraph *As intelligent and chillingly good as ever * Good Housekeeping *Packed with intrigue, warmly drawn characters and dollops of tension, McDermid's 30th novel leaves the reader looking forward to the 31st * Irish Independent *On her 30th novel . . . none is more deserving of the queen-of-crime mantle than Val McDermid . . . I would like to see a great deal more of DCI Pirie * Irish Times *McDermid proves herself to be as adept as ever at mixing thrilling crime fiction with psychological study . . . Karen is a compelling character, and her personal baggage lends Out of Bounds a great backstory . . . she writes with a brisk light touch, but the book does not stint on realistic detail. Out of Bounds is a fine, tense, and multi-layered addition to the canon of the queen of Scottish crime fiction * Irish Sunday Business Post *It's a treat to watch DCI Pirie once again as she pursues a tantalising forensic trail through a brilliantly realised Scottish setting . . . the back-and-forths with her pusillanimous boss, as she deflates his attempts to undermine her, are a particular joy * Scotland on Sunday *McDermid concocts complex plots with plenty of twists and red herrings. At times the tension is palpable and there are genuine surprises . . . McDermid is a dab hand at creating enough plausibility to make her contributions to the genre intensely readable * Sunday Herald *A celebrated crime author with an attention to detail which makes her stories both gripping and totally authentic * Western Daily Press *Her thrillers never fail to entertain, and this - her 30th (!) novel - is no exception. Another twisted treat * Heat *

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Book SynopsisThe story of a mother's love for her two sons and the deep lie that runs through the heart of everything

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThe spellbinding RICHARD AND JUDY BOOKCLUB PICK about a mysterious house and an old family secret . . .''Wonderful storytelling. I loved it'' Rachel Hore''A mystery spanning generations, evocative and beautifully written'' Tracy Rees''A mesmerising debut novel, lush and gorgeous, with a rich family tale to tell'' Richard and Judy Book Club _______ People disappear. Secrets remain . . . 1940: In south-west Ireland, the young and beautiful Lady Charlotte Rathmore is pronounced dead after she mysteriously disappears by the lake of Blackwater Hall. In London, on the brink of the Blitz, Nancy Rathmore is grieving Charlotte''s death when a letter arrives containing a secret that she is sworn to keep - one that will change her life for ever. 2019: Disgraced young journalist Ellie Fitzgerald flees Dublin for the safety of rural Kerry. When she discovers a faded letter, tucked inside the pages

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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