Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
Vintage Publishing The Human Stain
Book SynopsisIt is 1998, the year America is plunged into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president, and in a small New England town a distinguished classics professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues allege that he is a racist. The charge is unfounded, but the truth about Silk would astonish even his most virulent accuser.Trade ReviewThe Human Stain pulses with the strengths that make Roth a prime contender for the status of the most impressive novelist now writing in and about America * Sunday Times *An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand' * Sunday Telegraph *One of his very best... There are passages of such sustained brilliance here that I found myself going over them again and again in gaping disbelief. An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand * Sunday Telegraph *A novel so furious in its telling, with a plot so intricate in its construction that it is infused with a kind of diabolic joy. A masterpiece * Mail on Sunday *[A] tender, shocking and incendiary story on the failure of the American dream refracted through the prism of race -- Arifa Akbar * Guardian *
£9.49
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Model Home
Book Synopsis
£18.34
Vintage Publishing TwentyOne Stories
Book SynopsisGraham Greene was born in 1904. He worked as a journalist and critic, and in 1940 became literary editor of the Spectator. He was later employed by the Foreign Office. As well as his many novels, Graham Greene wrote several collections of short stories, four travel books, six plays, three books of autobiography, two of biography and four books for children. He also wrote hundreds of essays, and film and book reviews. Graham Greene was a member of the Order of Merit and a Companion of Honour. He died in April 1991.Trade ReviewA superb storyteller..he had a talent for depicting local colour, which he gathered at first hand; a keen sense of the dramatic; an eye for dialogue, and skill in pacing his prose - New York TimesOne of the most important British writers of the twentieth century * Daily Telegraph *Greene was a force beyond his books... The outsider, the dissenter, the spoiled priest, the failure, the classic underdog - out of characters such as these Greene made novels and stories which have enriched hundreds of thousands of readers
£10.44
Vintage Publishing England Made Me
Book SynopsisSet in a world that has lost the comfort of national identity and individualism, this is a powerful and unusual love story told by one of the 20th century''s greatest writers.Anthony Farrant is back home after lying and cheating his way through one job after another in the Far East. When his adoring sister Kate sets him up with a role in Stockholm as bodyguard to her boss and lover, megalomaniac financier Krogh, Anthony seems set on a path to redemption. But when he receives orders from Krogh that offend his own sense of decency, he begins to leak information to a down-at-heel journalist: a decision that will cost Anthony much more than just his job.First published in 1935, England Made Me is an early Greene novel and helped to cement his reputation as an important and exciting new writing talent.''Graham Greene has wit and grace and character and story and a transcendent universal compassion that places him for all time in the top ranks of wTrade ReviewGreene can never be less than wonderfully readable. * Daily Telegraph *
£8.99
Vintage Publishing A Patchwork Planet
Book SynopsisBarnaby Gailtin has less in life than he once had.His ex-wife Natalie left him and their native Baltimore several years ago, taking their baby daughter Opal with her, and he has acquired an unalterably fixed position as the black sheep of the family in a family where black sheep aren''t tolerated. Then the angelic Sophia enters his life and it seems as if all this is set to change. But can he shake off his past?**ANNE TYLER HAS SOLD OVER 8 MILLION BOOKS WORLDWIDE**''Anne Tyler takes the ordinary, the small, and makes them sing'' Rachel Joyce''She knows all the secrets of the human heart'' Monica Ali ''A masterly author'' Sebastian Faulks''I love Anne Tyler. I''ve read every single book she''s written'' Jacqueline WilsonTrade ReviewTyler is a masterly writer whose love stories make you think as well as feel.I was bowled over...I finished the book wishing it had been twice as longI can think of no other writer whose novels I look forward to with such gleeful anticipation. A Patchwork Planet is her fourteenth book, but were it for fortieth, it would not be enough for me... A delight from beginning to end * Observer *Anne Tyler is inventive, funny and wise. Her fiction is magically alive to the quirks and coincidences of fate... [A Patchwork Planet] is charming, readable, and more full of touching and humane observations than many other novels you will read this year * Guardian *A Patchwork Planet is thoroughly enjoyable...from this most responsive novel * Sunday Times *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The World and Other Places
Book SynopsisIn this, her first collection of short stories, Winterson reveals all the facets of her extraordinary imagination. In prose that is full of imagery and word-play, she creates physical and psychological worlds that are at once familiar and yet shockingly strange.Trade ReviewA greatly gifted and original writer...there is an exhilarating freshness and energy to this collection * Observer *This first book of short stories will delight her fans with their daring. Whether in a world where sleep is illegal or on an island of diamonds where the rich wear coal jewellery, Winterson is the mistress of the short story -- Jessica de Rothschild * Tatler *The quality of her writing has remained constant: precise, fluent, perfectly judged. This collection is another refinement of that art, studded with metaphors and unexpected asides * Independent on Sunday *The short story form was made for Jeanette Winterson...mesmerising prose poems * The Times *Her stories transport us into the dizzyingly fertile mind of one of Britain's most prodigiously gifted authors...breathtaking * Scotland on Sunday *
£10.44
Hodder & Stoughton Harmony
Book SynopsisA heartwrenching and tense drama about a troubled family, who give up everything to join an experimental 'family camp' - with life-changing consequences.Trade ReviewGorgeously written and patently original * Jodi Picoult *Parkhurst confounds expectations. If this novel is part Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and part We Need to Talk About Kevin, it also contains shades of Lord of the Flies. For this, young Iris is the perfect narrator . . . A fascinating novel, at once challenging and compassionate, thrilling and thoughtful. It asks tough questions about what happens to people who don't fit predetermined patterns, and what it means to be normal -- Katy Guest * Guardian *Parkhurst writes movingly and with real compassion . . . [she] effortlessly manages to mix difficult social questions with riveting storytelling * Irish Independent *A moving and compassionate literary dive straight into the heart of a frantic parent. . . shatteringly immediate. . . touchingly real. -- Helen Schulman * New York Times Book Review *Parkhurst cements herself as a writer capable of astonishing humanity and exquisite prose * Washington Post *Propulsive . . . Everything from the parents' desperation to the camp's creepy vibe feels vividly real, and this provocative page-turner also invites important, broader conversations about autism. * People, Book of the Week *Darkly funny and suspenseful, with a palpable sense of dread that propels readers toward anticipatory horror . . . [Parkhurst] writes Tilly profoundly, as an audacious girl fascinated by a world that will not bend to her. * USA Today *[Parkhurst's] terrific prose is matched by compassion and a sense of humor . . . the beautifully written Harmony is her best work, a haunting, creepy but ultimately moving story of love and family * Miami Herald *Suspenseful, moving, and full of inspiration and insight * Kirkus Reviews *[A] gripping, timely novel * Kim Edwards *The perfect blend of humor, suspense, and compassion . . . absolutely riveting * Jami Attenberg *Deeply honest, heartbreakingly funny . . . a novel of deep compassion * Susan Richards Shreve *
£8.54
Random House A Little Lumpen Novelita
Book Synopsis''Now I am a mother and a married woman, but not long ago I led a life of crime''So begins Bianca's tale of growing up the hard way. Orphaned overnight as a teenager, she drops out of school and drifts into the bad company of two criminals her brother brings home. As the four of them plot a fantastical crime, Bianca learns she can drift even lower...Electric and tense with foreboding, A Little Lumpen Novelita - one of the last novellas Roberto Bolaño published delivers a fractured fairy tale of taking control of one''s fate.TRANSLATED BY NATASHA WIMMERBolaño has proven that literature can do everything' The New York TimesThe man was a flat-out genius, one of the greatest writers of our time' Paul Auster
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Playing By The Rules
Book SynopsisEveryone''s a player on The Golden Eagles football team . . .From TikTok sensation and New York Times bestselling author of Lancaster Prep Monica Murphy comes the second instalment in her scorching sports romance series, The Players. Camden Fields is the star quarterback of our college football team. And he's absolutely gorgeous. All the girls on campus fall for him. And while he's had a few casual hookups over the years, it's never anything serious. Cam doesn't do serious. He also doesn't do me. I'm his best friend's little sister, and that means I'm off limits But I see the way he looks at me when he thinks I'm not watching. I think he wants me. And, I want him too. And I'm growing tired of being the good girl everyone expects me to be. So, I'm going after Camden Fields. And no one can stop me.Tropes/themes:1. Cross the line
£9.49
Harlequin A Wager to Win the Debutante
Book Synopsis
£7.99
HarperCollins The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife
Book Synopsis
£19.65
Little Brown and Company Hard to Kill
Book Synopsis
£22.21
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Scandalous Life of Ruby Devereaux
Book Synopsis''This is just a delight! The lovable characters and Ruby''s charming and thrilling stories make this a book truly enjoyable and heartwarming read.'' - Amazon reviewer, 5****Everyone knows Ruby Devereaux's books. But no one knows her story... until now.From a teenager in wartime England to a veteran of modern-day London via 1950's New York, the Swinging Sixties, Cold War Berlin, Venice and Vietnam Ruby Devereaux has lived one hell of a life: parties, scandals and conflict zones, meeting men and adventure along the way. In a writing career spanning seven decades and more than twenty books, she's distilled everything into her work. Or has she?Now beyond her 90th year, Ruby's energy is ebbing and her beloved typewriter put away. Until a call from her publisher presents Ruby with an ultimatum, and the impetus to embark on one last book warts and all, as she says. Even in her dotage, Ruby M Devereaux has the power to surprise, becau
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Rare Singles
Book SynopsisA warm, tender and funny story about unlikely friendships, second chances, and the magic of soul music *Selected as a book of 2024 by the Guardian and New Statesman**''A book of rare charm by a writer who understands the magic of music'' Ian Rankin''An entertaining tale of grit, fecklessness and Northern Soul'' Daily Telegraph''The book you didn''t know you need'' Bobby Palmer''A tale of soul music and second chances'' Guardian''The laureate of friendship, a chronicler of unexpected, transformative connection'' Wendy Erskine''A meditation on grief, love, and the redemptive power of music'' Observer____________________________________Dinah has always lived in Scarborough. Trapped with her feckless husband and useless son, her one release comes at her town's Northern Soul nights, where she gets to put on her best and lose herself in the
£13.49
Hodder & Stoughton The Boy Next Door
Book SynopsisA powerful love story set in post-independence Zimbabwe as it slides towards chaos.Trade ReviewOne of the most engaging novels about inter-racial love to be published this century . . . entertaining, ambitious and packed with news from elsewhere, leavened by the precious optimism of youth. Don't miss it. * Amanda Craig, Independent *What a worthy winner of the 2010 Orange Award for New Writers. This is an exuberant, tender and often humorous love story . . . Irene Sabatini is a born writer, and she has told a completely engrossing story which combines brilliantly realised fictional characters as well as evoking the only too real sad degradation of a once-thriving country. * Carla McKay, Daily Mail *A tender, powerful debut, this story makes an indelible imprint. * Easy Living *Irene Sabatini's captivating first novel, THE BOY NEXT DOOR, offers readers a rare and often painfully honest glimpse into life in post-independent Zimbabwe. And yet there is much light and hope and yes, love - genuine and hard-earned - in this book as well. A true pleasure. * Peter Orner *A fine and accomplished first novel...full of understanding, insight and powerful beauty. * Tablet *'One of the most engaging novels about inter-racial love to be published this century ... entertaining, ambitious and packed with news from elsewhere, leavened by the precious optimism of youth. Don't miss it.' * Amanda Craig, Independent *What a worthy winner of the 2010 Orange Award for New Writers. This is an exuberant, tender and often humorous love story...Irene Sabatini is a born writer, and she has told a completely engrossing story which combines brilliantly realised fictional characters as well as evoking the only too real sad degradation of a once-thriving country. * Carla McKay, Daily Mail *A fine and accomplished first novel...full of understanding, insight and powerful beauty * Alexander Lucie-Smith, Tablet *A tender, powerful debut, this story makes an indelible imprint * Easy Living *Irene Sabatini's captivating first novel, THE BOY NEXT DOOR, offers readers a rare and often painfully honest glimpse into life in post-independent Zimbabwe. And yet there is much light and hope and yes, love - genuine and hard-earned - in this book as well. A true pleasure. * Peter Orner, author of The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Stephen King Goes to the Movies
Book SynopsisFor the first time in one volume, each with a fascinating introduction, come the stories of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Hearts in Atlantis (Low Men in Yellow Coats), 1408, The Mangler and Children of the Corn. These five classic tales were turned into successful international films starring some of the world''s most famous actors from Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption through Anthony Hopkins in Hearts in Atlantis to John Cusack in 1408. Now you can read and re-read and own the originals.Trade ReviewStorytelling - the ability to make the listener or the reader need to know, demand to know, what happens next is a gift . . . Stephen King has this gift in spades * The Times on CELL *'To tell the truth, I just don't know what it is about that film that resonates with so many people. But everywhere I go people who have seen it react to it fondly. And I get the same kind of dialogue about it being one of, if not the, favourite movie.' * Morgan Freeman, on The Shawshank Redemption *'There isn't a day when I'm not approached about that film, approached by people who are so . . . thankful, who say how important that film was to them, and how many times they've seen it: twenty, thirty, forty times . . .' * Tim Robbins on The Shawshank Redemption *
£10.44
Hodder & Stoughton Star of the North
Book SynopsisMarjorie is the pretty one of the Preston sisters. So pretty that when a performer at her sister’s music room breaks her leg, Marjorie is asked to fill in as the assistant to the singer Denby Sinclair. He offers to take her with him, away from Lancashire and into London theatres. It seems as if her dreams will come true, but Denby is not what he seems. He has a dangerous secret, which, if it were to be revealed, would ruin her. Marjorie, however, is reckless and will take any risk for a chance to work on the stage. And when disaster strikes, she is left alone and away from the North. Can she regain her heart’s desire and find happiness again? Just as it seems she has overcome her troubles, another danger arises in Hedderby, one that threatens her and her family.Trade ReviewPraise for Anna Jacobs: 'Catherine Cookson fans will cheer' * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *Sensitive and compelling * Nuneaton Evening Telegraph on OUR MARY ANN *Another magical Lancashire saga that will delight fans and newcomers alike * Lancashire Evening Post on OUR MARY ANN *Another cracking read with a vivid insight into family relationships * Coventry Evening Telegraph on OUR EVA *Displays once more the great Anna Jacobs talent which makes her books unique and exciting * Bangor Chronicle on TWOPENNY RAINBOWS *Anna Jacobs' books are deservedly popular. She is one of the best writers of Lancashire sagas around * Historical Novels Review *
£8.99
Picador Antwerp
Book SynopsisIt's hard to think of a writer who has multiplied the possibilities more times than Roberto Bolaño . . . [Antwerp is] exceptional and moving. Nicole Krauss, The Guardian Oft called the big bang of Roberto Bolaño's universe, Antwerp is his first novelor the shattered remnants of one. Written when he was just twenty-seven years of age, it was so intensely strange and solitary that he tucked it away for more than twenty years, certain that any publisher would slam the door in his face. It proceeds in hallucinatory sketches: a lonely highway, a desolate campground, a freshly abandoned hotel room; a tryst, an interrogation, a murder; and somewhere just out of reach, a young, feverish writer named Roberto Bolaño drifting in and out of view. A radical, sui generis effort by a burgeoning genius, Antwerp is an essential part of Bolaño's oeuvre.
£12.80
Random House Publishing Group For You and Only You
Book Synopsis
£15.30
Hodder & Stoughton The Earth and Sky of Jacques Dorme
Book SynopsisAn astounding novel that penetrates the 20th-century experience, from one of Europe's most feted authorsTrade ReviewThe year's finest novel . . . a truly remarkable achievement. Makine will surely one day win the Nobel Prize. * Francis King, Books of the Year, Spectator *Undisputedly a novelist of genius . . . a remarkable work * Spectator *One of the most extraordinary novels I've read for a long time . . . endlessly fascinating and beautifully written * Sunday Herald *Hold[s] the reader in an emotional captivity from which there is no escape till long after the book has been put down * Andrey Kurkov, Guardian *This is a novel to read, and read again, with ever-deepening admiration. * Allan Massie, Literary Review *One of the greatest European novelists of our time . . . When you leave a Makine novel, you are simultaneously bereft and enriched. * Herald *With remarkable concision, he takes what could be vast and weighty topics - nationality, identity, memory and truth - and creates a series of unforgettable images and incidents. * Daily Mail *'I was mightily impressed by The Earth and Sky of Jacques Dorme . . . it's beautifully crafted and still resonates. A modern masterpiece." * George Rosie, Books of the Year, Sunday Herald *'Makine packs great steppes-full of history into compact, bejewelled boxes of prose... An epic novel in - perfect - miniature.' * Boyd Tonkin, Independent *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Angels
Book SynopsisDenis Johnson was the author of nine novels, one novella, two books of short stories, five collections of poetry, two collections of plays and one book of reportage. Among other honours, his novel Tree of Smoke won the 2007 National Book Award and was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize, and Train Dreams was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize.Trade ReviewJohnson succeeds so well as to make one eager for more -- John Sutherland * London Review of Books *A beautifully tragic chronicle * New York Magazine *Denis Johnson is one of our most inventive, unpredictable novelists * New York Times Book Review *Johnson knows his people inside out, their lost, lonely, never-had-a-chance lives. He knows how they talk and think, and he makes us know them too * Publishers Weekly *One of the strongest examples of fiction noir since Robert Stone's first work appeared-with an absence of sentimentality and an overall shape that's perfectly judged, this is one of the most impressive first novels of recent seasons - full of a fiery recoiling kick, the dreadful power of inhuman ugliness and misfortune beyond redemption * Kirkus Reviews *
£9.49
Cornerstone Battlecruiser
Book SynopsisFrom the pen of multi-million copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman comes a brilliantly epic, high-tension adventure novel set at the height of World War Two. Masterfully atmospheric with expert characterisation, it will have you on the edge of your seat! Perfect for fans of Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell and Wilbur Smith.''One of our foremost writers of naval fiction'' -- Sunday Times''Mr Reeman writes with great knowledge about the sea and those who sail on it'' --The Times''A brilliant read'' -- ***** Reader review''Difficult to put down once started'' -- ***** Reader review''First class'' -- ***** Reader review''Douglas Reeman certainly gets you into story!'' -- ***** Reader review*****************************************************************************************************The Battlecruiser: in its day, this class of ship was considered one Trade ReviewExcellent ... what Reeman likes is plot and characterisation, and, like many a good craft, his lines are good and clean -- Guy Walters * The Times *If any author deserves to be 'piped' into bookshops with full naval honours it is Douglas Reeman, without question master of both genres of naval fiction - historical and modern * Books Magazine *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Still Life
Book SynopsisFrederica Potter arrives at Cambridge University greedy for knowledge, sex and love. It isn't long before she becomes infatuated with a mysterious and controlling poet. Back in Yorkshire, her sister Stephanie abandons academia and is confronted with the boredom and frustrations of motherhood. Meanwhile, their younger brother Marcus begins to recover from a nervous breakdown. Each sibling is desperate to shape their own future, but a horrifying event will soon change their lives forever.Trade ReviewMarvellous... A major novel, inspiring laughter and tears -- Iris MurdochGlorious… Frederica is a magnificent creation; awkward, fierce, intellectually voracious and sexually inexperienced -- Francesca Segal, author of The Awkward AgeAffords enormous and continuous pleasure -- Anita BrooknerByatt is a wonderful writer, constantly engaging wherever she takes us * The Times *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing The Wife
Book SynopsisMeg Wolitzer is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Uncoupling (tingles with playfulness and wicked observation' Independent), The Wife (has you howling with recognition' Allison Pearson), The Position (one of the best and most human books I've read all year' Erica Wagner) and The Ten-Year Nap (as incisive and pitiless and clear-eyed a chronicler of female-male tandems as Philip Roth or John Updike' Chicago Tribune). Most recently, The Interestings was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in New York City.Trade ReviewMeg Wolitzer is so funny and clever she should be bottled and sold as tonic * Allison Pearson *A triumph of tone and observation, The Wife is a blithe, brilliant take on sexual politics * Lorrie Moore *Hilarious and touching * Erica Wagner, The Times *With a great lightness of touch, Wolitzer's novel satirises American literary circles of the Seventies and Eighties and traces the generation of wives who poured their own creative energies into "stoking the fires" of their husbands' reputations. * Emma Hagestadt, Independent *The wife was published less than a decade ago, but I say it is already a classic - and I have no idea why it's author remains so less well known than her US compatriots, Alison Lurie and Lorrie Moore. * Observer *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Up At The Villa
Book SynopsisMary Panton walls up her desires in a beautiful villa high up in the hills above Florence, as she calmly contemplates her disastrous marriage. She turns for help to the notorious Rowley Flint, and through him comes to realise that to deny love, with all its passions and risks, is to deny life itself.Trade ReviewA writer of great dedication * Graham Greene *One of my favourite writers * Gabriel Garcia Marquez *
£8.54
Vintage Publishing The Magus
Book SynopsisWITH AN AFTERWORD FROM THE AUTHOR ''A major work of mounting tensions in which the human mind is the guinea-pig... Mr Fowles has taken a big swing at a difficult subject and his hits are on the bull''s eye'' Sunday TimesOn a remote Greek Island, Nicholas Urfe finds himself embroiled in the deceptions of a master trickster. As reality and illusion intertwine, Urfe is caught up in the darkest of psychological games. John Fowles expertly unfolds a tale that is lush with over-powering imagery in a spellbinding exploration of human complexities. By turns disturbing, thrilling and seductive, The Magus is a feast for the mind and the senses.Trade ReviewA major work of mounting tensions in which the human mind is the guinea-pig... Mr Fowles has taken a big swing at a difficult subject and his hits are on the bull's eye * Sunday Telegraph *One of those that's best read as a teenager, but once read you'll never forget it -- Katy Guest * Independent *
£10.44
Cornerstone The TollGate Gossip scandal and an unforgettable
Book SynopsisIf you love Bridgerton, you''ll love Georgette Heyer! ''The greatest writer who ever lived'' Antonia Fraser''Beautifully crafted'' Philippa Gregory''Incisively witty, quietly subversive'' Joanne Harris_____________Captain John Staple''s exploits against Napoleon''s armies in the Spanish Peninsula have earned him the nickname ''Crazy Jack'' amongst his comrades in the Dragoon Guards.But once the Battle of Waterloo brings the Napoleonic Wars to a decisive end, the adventure-loving Captain finds life in peacetime intolerably dull.When he finds himself lost in the Pennines, he takes refuge at an unmanned toll-house.It''s there that he encounters a lady of extraordinary qualities - and suddenly, his soldiering days pale in comparison to a new adventure in which he must rescue a woman and investigate a scandalous murder . . ._____________''If you Trade ReviewWonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to -- Katie FfordeMy favourite historical novelist - stylish, romantic, sharp, and witty. Her sense of period is superb, her heroines are enterprising, and her heroes dashing. I owe her many happy hours -- Margaret DrabbleA writer of great wit and style - I've read her books to ragged shreds -- Kate Fenton * Daily Telegraph *Sparkling * Independent on Sunday *
£9.49
Cornerstone The Quiet Gentleman
Book SynopsisIf you love Bridgerton, you''ll love Georgette Heyer! ''The greatest writer who ever lived'' ANTONIA FRASER''A rollicking good read that will be of particular joy to Bridgerton viewer!'' INDEPENDENT''Heyer''s books are as incisively witty and quietly subversive as any of Jane Austen''s'' JOANNE HARRIS_____________Returning home from the battle of Waterloo to claim his title as the new Seventh Earl of St Erth, Gervase Frant is met with surprising hostility from his family.Only Theo, a cousin even quieter than himself, is there to greet him - and when he meets his stepmother and young half-brother he detects open disappointment that he survived the wars.The tensions in the household only worsen as the beautiful Mariann, the intended bride of Gervase''s half-brother, catches his eye - and his heart.Gervase may be off the battlefield, but his life is still threatened, as it becomes increasinTrade ReviewWonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to -- Katie FfordeMy favourite historical novelist - stylish, romantic, sharp, and witty. Her sense of period is superb, her heroines are enterprising, and her heroes dashing. I owe her many happy hours -- Margaret DrabbleA writer of great wit and style - I've read her books to ragged shreds -- Kate Fenton * Daily Telegraph *Sparkling * Independent on Sunday *Geogrette Heyer is unbeatable -- India Knight
£9.49
Vintage Publishing I Dont Know How She Does It
Book Synopsis''A bible for the working mother'' OPRAH WINFREY ''It may change your life'' OBSERVER''I can''t think of a woman who wouldn''t want this book'' INDIA KNIGHT The twentieth anniversary edition of Allison Pearson''s first novel that became a global sensation, now with a new introduction from the author. Meet Kate Reddy, hedge-fund manager, wife and mother of two. Always time-poor, Kate must monitor nine currencies in five time zones but also keep in step with the Teletubbies. Factor in a manipulative nanny, piggish colleagues, a long-suffering husband, her quietly aghast in-laws, two needy children and an email lover, and you have a woman juggling so many things that some day something''s going to hit the ground. And that something might just be Kate. In an uproariously funny and achingly sad novel, Allison Pearson brilliantly dramatises the dilemma of working motherhood at the start of the twenty-first century.Trade ReviewI love Kate Reddy...her tale made me cry twice and laugh often * Independent on Sunday *Refreshingly engaging * Vogue *Pearson writes with gratifying elegance and endearing self-mockery * New York Times *Allison Pearson is one of the stars of her generationIt might be a sad indictment of the way things are today, but that doesn't stop Pearson making it funny * Glamour *Painfully funny * Heat *The kind of book you fall in love with - a grown-up novel that is hilarious, heartbreaking and brimming with the bitter-sweet tang of all our livesPearson...never hides her intelligence or apologises for her seriousness of purpose * The Times *A funny, heartbreaking mirror of the daily lives of mothers * Telegraph Magazine *Brutally witty * Metro *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The City of Dreaming Books
Book SynopsisHe finds himself in a subterranean world where reading books can be genuinely dangerous, where ruthless Bookhunters fight to the death for literary gems and the mysterious Shadow King rules a murky realm populated by Booklings, one-eyed beings whose vast library includes live books equipped with teeth and claws.Trade ReviewMoers' creative mind is like J. K. Rowling's on Ecstasy * Detroit Evening News *Marvellously fantastical * Sunday Express *A yarn of drollery, deeper meaning and sheer lunacy * Rolling Stone *
£17.09
Vintage Publishing The White Guard
Book SynopsisDiscover Mikhail Bugakov''s classic literary love letter to the city of Kyiv.Drawing closely on Bulgakov''s personal experiences of the horrors of civil war as a young doctor, The White Guard takes place in Kyiv, 1918, a time of turmoil and suffocating uncertainty as the Bolsheviks, Socialists and Germans fight for control of the city. It tells the story of the Turbins, a once-wealthy Russian family, as they are forced to come to terms with revolution and a new regime.Bulgakov''s first novel, The White Guard is one of the greatest works of twentieth century Russian literature. As epic a chronicle of life and death in the Russian Empire as War and Peace.''The tumultuous atmosphere of the Ukrainian revolution and civil war is brilliantly evoked'' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewA powerful reverie...the city is so vivid to the eye that it is the real hero of the book. * New Statesman *One of those few emancipated Soviet writers who firmly believe-and still believe-that to create is to choose * Saturday Review *Worth reading in any language * Library Journal *The White Guard captures the tumult, madness and confusion of revolution * Independent *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Crossing The Lines
Book SynopsisSet in Britain during the 1950s, this moving and evocative novel follows the intertwined fates of people crossing boundaries in their lives. As a teenager in the small northern town of Wigton, Joe Richardson falls in love with Rachel, just when her life is about to be uprooted. While his parents, Sam and Ellen, face the frontiers of middle age, Joe finds himself drawn by the intoxicating world outside home, and swept into situations that seem beyond his control. Vividly conveying the spirit of the mid-century and the profound social changes taking place at the time, this is a masterly successor to the award-winning THE SOLDIER''S RETURN and A SON OF WAR.Trade Review'I was bowled over by it ... an enormously important piece of literature about post-war Britain' -- A.C. Grayling, Guardian 'Enthralling, a joy to read' -- Allan Massie, Scotsman 'An expertly told tale which is satisfying in its own right and as a continuation of a monumental series.' -- Frank Egerton, The Times 'Richly detailed and extraordinarily poignant ... Melvyn Bragg is slowly cementing his place among the aristocrats of English fiction' -- David Robson, Sunday Telegraph
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton Diana
Book Synopsis'Sheer, wonderful storytelling' - Chicago Tribune - in this bestselling novel now being reissued as a Great Read.Trade ReviewPraise for R F Delderfield:'Seldom has the enchantment of young love been so tenderly drawn as in this story' * Literary Guild *'A charming novel . . . recaptures with refreshing simplicity the awkwardness, excitement and delights of youth.' * New York Times *R.F. Delderfield is a born storyteller * Sunday Mirror *He built an imposing artistic social history that promises to join those of his great forebears in the long, noble line of the English novel. His narratives belong in a tradition that goes back to John Galsworthy and Arnold Bennett * Life Magazine *'Seldom has the enchantment of young love been so tenderly drawn as in this story' * Literary Guild *Sheer, wonderful storytelling * Chicago Tribune *Highly recommended. Combines tension with a splendid sense of atmosphere and vivid characterisation. An excellent read * Sunday Express *'A charming novel . . . recaptures with refreshing simplicity the awkwardness, excitement and delights of youth.' * New York Times *It is always a pleasure to read R F Delderfield, because he never seems to be ashamed of writing well . . . Today he is a bestseller wherever English language books are read * Books and Bookmen *Mr Delderfield's manner is easy, modest, heartwarming * Evening Standard *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Lands Beyond the Sea
Book SynopsisBy the 1700s, the Aborigine people have lived in harmony with the land in Australia for sixty thousand years. But now, ghost-ships are arriving, their very existence is threatened by a terrifying white invasion.When Jonathan Cadwallader leaves Cornwall to sail on the Endeavour, he leaves behind his sweetheart, Susan Penhalligan . . . That is, until an act of brutality reunites them in the raw and unforgiving penal colony of New South Wales.Billy Penhalligan has survived transportation and clings to the promise of a new beginning. But there will be more suffering before he or his fellow convicts can regard Australia as home . . . .A sweeping tale of discovery, love and hardship in the sixteenth century which will bring emergent Australia and all its inhabitants - new and old - to life.Trade Review'Lush with intense descriptions of nature and tense drama.' * USA Publisher's Weekly on MATILDA'S LAST WALTZ *'A multi-generational saga in the vein of THE THORNBIRDS... much enjoyed... Good, old-fashioned story-telling at its best' * The Bookseller on MATILDA'S LAST WALTZ *'The plot has depth and pace' * The Lady on JACARANDA VINES *'Will keep you reading happily all day. Relax and enjoy.' * Women's Weekly on WINDFLOWERS *'An epic, gripping, tautly plotted novel with a final court-room twist worthy of John Grisham.' * Time Out on SUMMER LIGHTNING *
£8.54
Hodder & Stoughton Winters Bone
Book Synopsis'He belongs in the forefront of American fiction' John Williams, IndependentTrade ReviewIt brings us all the satisfactions of crime thriller and mystery...The beauty lies in the loveable and wholly believable character of Ree * Guardian *A suspicion grows that you are reading the sort of book D.B.C Pierre's Vernon God Little might have been, had it been five times as keenly observed and deeply felt * The Times *'Woodrell is a marvellous writer' * Roddy Doyle *'Woodrell throws down sentences that will leave you amazed.' * Charles Frazier *'Reading this will make you feel that you walk on very, very thin ice, and know that chaos is very, very close. Such knowledge has many consequences, one of them is exhilaration.' * Niall Griffiths, Observer *'Brutal, violent and completely gripping' * Independent on Sunday *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Anna Where Are You
Book SynopsisThere is no doubt in Thomasina Elliott''s mind that her oldest schoolfriend is a creature of habit. So when, after three years of regular correspondence, Anna''s letters suddenly stop, Thomasina becomes concerned. And even more so when it transpires that her friend has disappeared without trace, in extremely odd circumstances. Fortunately, however, the indomitable Miss Silver is on hand to investigate.Trade ReviewMiss Wentworth is a first-rate storyteller * Daily Telegraph *Miss Silver has her place in detective fiction as surely as Lord Peter Wimsey or Hercule Poirot * Manchester Evening News *Patricia Wentworth has created a great detective in Miss Silver, the little old lady who nobody notices, but who in turn notices everything * Paula Gosling *...some of the best examples of the British country-house murder mystery * Alfred Hitchcock magazine *Miss Wentworth's plot is ingenious, her characterization acute, her solution satisfying * The Scotsman *Miss Silver is marvellous * Daily Mail *You can't go wrong with Miss Maud Silver * Observer *
£9.49
Penguin Publishing Group Under Loch and Key
Book SynopsisA woman discovers that not all monsters are her enemy—the opposite, in fact—in this new paranormal romance by Lana Ferguson, author of The Fake Mate.Keyanna “Key” MacKay is used to secrets. Raised by a single father who never divulged his past, it’s only after his death that she finds herself thrust into the world he’d always refused to speak of. With just a childhood bedtime story about a monster that saved her father’s life and the name of her estranged grandmother to go off of, Key has no idea what she’ll find in Scotland. But repeating her father’s mistakes and being rescued by a gorgeous, angry Scotsman—who thinks she’s an idiot—is definitely the last thing she expects.Lachlan Greer has his own secrets to keep, especially from the bonnie lass he pulls to safety from the slippery shore—a lass with captivating eyes and the last name he’s been taught not to trust. He&rsqu
£14.25
Cornerstone The Supernatural Enhancements
Book SynopsisEVERYBODY LOVES A CONSPIRACY. DON'T THEY?When Ambrose Wells dies jumping out of his bedroom window in Axton House, forgetting to open it first, a distant relative with an unusual companion takes possession of the gothic estate at Point Bless, Virginia. But as they settle into their new surroundings, excited by rumours of ghosts, suicides and secret societies, they find themselves not just part of a mysterious Game', but determined to win it.Trade ReviewThe cover advertises the book as "The most addictive thriller of the year" and I have to agree, you will be hard pressed to find more fulfilling entertainment anywhere. -- Antony Jones * sfbook.com *A modern day adventure for everyone. -- Russell Cook * The AND Guide *A fun and addictive read. * LitReactor *A wonderful, enthralling book. The Supernatural Enhancements is one of those rare literary creations that shortens the long hours of night. You emerge from its pages at sunrise, suddenly aware that you've spent the whole night reading. Few authors create such books. Edgar Cantero does it gracefully. -- Jason Mott, author of The ReturnedEerie, puckish, and full of surprises…Cantero pays homage to Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft and The Shining, but he’s no less enamored of The X-Files, fax machines, and punk girls with dreads. The result is a propulsive, beguiling novel that is as easy to get swept up in as it is hard to describe. -- Justin Taylor, author of Flings and The Gospel of AnarchyCantero sets the novel up to be one type of mystery and then he lets other mysteries float into the story. It’s not that he invalidates earlier mysteries . . . but rather he makes them no longer as important because this next one is crazy! * Raging Biblioholism *Southern gothic meets Euro hipness in Catalan novelist Cantero’s inventive, enjoyable outing in postmodern mystery writing...Quirky in presentation and good fun throughout, Cantero’s yarn pleases at every turn. * Kirkus *Cantero's fresh, original prose style and the steady flow of twists, turns, and code breaking will have mystery, thriller, and supernatural fans glued to their seats until they reach the electrifying conclusion. * Library Journal (Starred Review) *The kinetic action of a graphic novel wrapped up in a literary thriller. * The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg) *A clever and engrossing horror-thriller mash-up that delivers genuine scares. * Buffalo News *
£10.44
Cornerstone Playground
Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AND BOOKER-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF THE OVERSTORY AND BEWILDERMENT''Is there anything Richard Powers cannot write? The world here is complete, seductive, and promising. The writing feels like the ocean. Vast, mysterious, deep and alive'' PERCIVAL EVERETT''An extraordinarily immersive journey through lives linked in mysterious ways - gripping, alarming and uplifting'' EMMA DONOGHUERafi and Todd are two polar opposites at an elite high school where they bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game. It sets them up for life: Rafi will get lost in literature, while Todd's work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.Elsewhere, Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world's first aqualungs; Ina Aroita grows up in naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home.A
£17.00
Pan Macmillan Kawaguchi T Before We Forget Kindness
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Simon & Schuster The Day I Left You
Book Synopsis
£15.29
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC No Sweetness Here
Book SynopsisThis collection of short stories sees Ama Ata Aidoo, one of Africa's leading feminist and postcolonial writers, exercise the powerful effect of oral storytelling in her moving tales of shifting identities and the paradoxes of womanhood. Written with vibrant candour and tenacity, No Sweetness Here tackles the challenges of postcolonial Ghana, with topics ranging from the politics of wigs to the fragile joy of motherhood. In this collection, tradition struggles against modernisation, convention against liberation and all the while, Aidoo invites the reader to confront life's injustices with her characteristic humour and poise. 'Even at her gravest, Aidoo writes with a sunny charm.' New York Times 'Beautifully written.' English Magazine
£9.49
The University of Chicago Press Camus and Sartre
Book SynopsisAlbert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre first met in 1943, during the German occupation of France. Intellectual as well as political allies, they grew famous overnight after Paris was liberated.Trade Review"With meticulous even-handedness, this internationally renowned Sartre expert has produced a remarkably non-partisan account which also reminds us that it is possible to combine the highest level of scholarship with a lively and readable style of writing.... An important contribution to twentieth-century intellectual and cultural history." - David Drake, Times Literary Supplement; "Aronson's literary acuity combined with an entertaining use of anecdotes on social and personal jealousies Sartre and Camus harbored make the book a useful biographical background to the major works of these authors and a most enjoyable tale of the turmoil of intellectual life in postwar France." - Publishers Weekly; "A masterful synthesis of intellectual history, political context, and biographical narrative.... A book that will reward both those unfamiliar with either thinker and the expert It will doubtless be the standard account of the Sartre-Camus debate for a long time to come." - Scott McLemee, Bookforum"
£19.00
Cornerstone The Jeeves Omnibus Vol 5
Book SynopsisP. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) is widely regarded as the greatest comic writer of the 20th century. Wodehouse wrote more than 70 novels and 200 short stories, creating numerous much-loved characters - the inimitable Jeeves and Wooster, Lord Emsworth and his beloved Empress of Blandings, Mr Mulliner, Ukridge, and Psmith. His humorous articles were published in more than 80 magazines, including Punch, over six decades. He was also a highly successful music lyricist, once with over five musicals running on Broadway simultaneously. P.G. Wodehouse was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for 'an outstanding and lasting contribution to the happiness of the world'.Trade ReviewThe gold standard of English wit … There is not, and never will be, anything to touch him -- Christopher HitchensThe funniest writer ever to put words to paper -- Hugh LaurieFor as long as I'm immersed in a P.G. Wodehouse book, it's possible to keep the real world at bay and live in a far, far nicer, funnier one where happy endings are the order of the day -- Marian Keyes
£18.00
Kodansha America, Inc Sketchy 3
Book Synopsis As her thirties slip by, Ako feels like she''s falling behind. But a group of skateboarding girls will bring a newfound passion into her life in this reflective, relatable josei manga from the creator of Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? FAKIE FRIENDS Ako''s get-together with friends from high school comes to an uncomfortable end when Asuka, a former member of their group, announces on television that she was bullied in school. Looking back on one of her last conversations with Asuka, Ako wonders if her life truly means anything...
£12.59
Vintage Publishing 2666
Book SynopsisSanta Teresa, on the Mexico-US border: an urban sprawl that draws lost souls to it like a vortex.Convicts and academics find themselves here, as does an American sportswriter, a teenage student with her widowed father, and a reclusive, ''missing'' author. But, there is a darker side to the town. Girls and women are disappearing at an alarming rate.As a sense of conspiracy grows and an apocalyptic shadow draws closer, the corruption, violence and decadence of twentieth-century history reveals itself in a novel of an astonishing scale and burning intensity.TRANSLATED BY NATASHA WIMMERA landmark in what's possible for the novel. Bolaño has proven it can do anything' New York TimesWondrous... Unforgettable...will resonate for years to come' Daily TelegraphAs riveting as any top-notch thriller... 2666 achieves something extremely rare in fiction: it provides an all-encompassing view of our world'
£13.49
Transworld An Academy for Liars
Book Synopsis
£13.49
Red Hen Press Blood on the Brain
Book SynopsisAn impulsive, madcap, and newly concussed young woman comes of age as she navigates her Ghanaian American identity, her relationships, and the muddled landscape of history, memory, imagination, and delusion.Twenty-four-year-old Akosua is easily knocked off her feet. When she falls and hits her head, she’s too preoccupied with her latest dramas to fully absorb the shock. In the span of three months, she has broken up with her boyfriend Wisdom, discovered that her deadbeat dad has moved back to the States from Ghana, and dropped so many classes that she believes she’s the only history grad student in the history of grad students to be registered for just one partial-credit class. Instead of facing her problems, Akosua seeks distraction in Daniel, a “good Ghanaian man.” But as her head injury worsens, she questions whether she can continue to run away from her father any more than she can keep ignoring her brain and its traumas. Vibrant,
£13.29
