Humorous fiction

Book Synopsis'A thoroughly modern love story' Guardian Kate Battista is stuck.How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and infuriating younger sister Bunny?Trade ReviewA joy to experience. * Literary Review *A new Anne Tyler book is always a treat. The terrifically talented author is the latest to tackle Shakespeare…and our favourite so far. * Good Housekeeping *I loved Kate and Pyotr and the way they discover the oversized, tender, irreverent relationship that fits them... It is joyfulIt's knockabout comedy at its best, genuinely laugh-out-loud funny and, indeed, may be her funniest book to date * Daily Mail *The worst wedding in history ... vintage Anne Tyler * The Times *

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Book SynopsisSteve Toltz''s A Fraction of the Whole is a riotously funny explosion of a novelSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2008From his prison cell, Jasper Dean tells the unlikely story of his scheming father Martin, his crazy Uncle Terry and how the three of them upset - mostly unintentionally - an entire continent. Incorporating death, parenting (good and bad kinds), one labyrinth, first love, a handbook for criminals, a scheme to make everyone rich and an explosive suggestion box, Steve Toltz''s A Fraction of the Whole is a hilarious, heartbreaking story of families and how to survive them.''A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond . . . it is brilliant'' Guardian''Sparkling comic writing . . .It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life'' Independent''With tinges of magicalTrade Review'A fat book but very light on its feet, skipping from anecdote, to rant, to reflection, like a stone skimming across a pond ... it is brilliant' Guardian 'If first novels were sandwiches, Steve Toltz's would be a juicy, swaggering doorstop of a sarnie, overflowing with eccentrically combined but delicious ingredients ... Toltz is a superb phrase-maker with an acute eye for humanity's shortfalls' Big Issue 'A grand achievement and the debut of a great comic talent ... go away and read it' Sunday Times 'Sparkling comic writing...It gives off the unmistakeable whiff of a book that might just contain the secret of life.' Independent 'With tinges of magical realism and buckets of misanthropic humour it's a clever and funny debut.' Observer

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Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Step into the lives of three women whose ambitions collide in the hilarious and heart-warming novel from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups''Wonderful, subtle, hilarious and highly sophisticated. You can''t stop reading'' EVENING STANDARD''It had me in tears . . . and barking with laughter'' DAILY TELEGRAPH___________''There are three sides to every story. Your side, their side, and the truth . . .''Jojo, a sharkish literary agent, has just made a very bad career move - she''s slept with her married boss Mark.Lily, Jojo''s bestselling author, has blown her advance on a house with new boyfriend Anton, only to come down with writer''s block.Gemma used to be Lily''s best friend until Lily ran off with Anton. Now she''s pouring her heart out, and a certain literary agent likes her style . . .Soon the fortunes of Jojo, Lily and Gemma are horribly entangled.But each is about to discover that there''s more than one side to every story . . .___________''Keyes''s genius lies in making the darkest, most difficult aspects of humanity mentionable and manageable . . . Keyes''s plot is cracking, but the story becomes even bolder and brighter because she lets her characters tell it'' Independent''Packed with sound writing, wit and common sense'' GuardianPraise for Marian Keyes:''Mercilessly funny'' The Times''Funny, tender and completely absorbing!'' Graham Norton''Keyes is in a class of her own'' Daily ExpressTrade ReviewKeyes's genius lies in making the darkest, most difficult aspects of humanity mentionable and manageable . . . Keyes's plot is cracking, but the story becomes even bolder and brighter because she lets her characters tell it * Independent *Another chart-topping blockbuster from goddess Marian Keyes . . . packed with sound writing, wit and common sense * Guardian *Fabulously brilliant * Heat *Wildly funny, romantic and nearly impossible to put down * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisIn Espresso Tales, Alexander McCall Smith returns home to Edinburgh and the glorious cast of his own tales of the city, the residents of 44 Scotland Street, with a new set of challenges for each one of them. Bruce, the intolerably vain and perpetually deluded ex-surveyor, is about to embark on a new career as a wine merchant, while his long-suffering flatmate Pat MacGregor, set up by matchmaking Domenica Macdonald, finds herself invited to a nudist picnic in Moray Place in the pursuit of true love. Prodigious six-year-old Bertie Pollock wants a boy''s life of fishing and rugby, not yoga and pink dungarees, and he plots rebellion against his bossy, crusading mother Irene and his psychotherapist Dr Fairbairn. But when Bertie''s longed-for trip to Glasgow with his ineffectual father Stuart ends with Bertie taking money off legendary Glasgow hard man Lard O''Connor at cards, it looks as though Bertie should have been more careful what he wished for. And all the time it appears that Trade ReviewIt is hard to think of a contemporary writer more genuinely engaging...(his) novels are also extremely funny: I find it impossible to think about them without smiling * Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday *A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring * Marcel Berlins, Guardian *As warm as cocoa, as cosy as thermal underwear, and just what the doctor ordered for the cold winter evenings * THE TIMES *

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Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Relish the wit and wisdom of Marian Keyes in this story of four women caught up in what seems like love, but may be something much darker . . . from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups''So funny, so perceptive, so real . . . I changed my life for this book'' MAIL ON SUNDAY''An emotional tour de force with genuine human warmth'' INDEPENDENT___________''Everybody remembers where they were the day they heard that Paddy de Courcy was getting married''Slick, handsome politician Paddy de Courcy is on the up. His party is set to do well in the elections and he''s just announced his engagement to the beautiful Alicia.Which is news to his girlfriend, Lola, who, within hours, finds herself dumped and warned not to talk to the press.Yet journalist Grace is on the prowl. She has been after Paddy ever since he ruined her sister Marnie''s life way back in college.Grace is looking for the inside story and thinks Lola holds the key . . .But do any of them know the real Paddy?___________''The laughs come fast and furious . . . a gripping, compelling tale'' Sunday Independent''The queen of page-turners . . . brimming with her trademark down-to-earth wit'' Cosmopolitan''Gripping from the start . . . the master at her best'' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewThis is an emotional tour de force, with a plot that packs great power but is lifted, as always, by genuine human warmth * Independent *The laughs come fast and furious . . . a gripping, compelling tale * Sunday Independent *The queen of page-turners . . . brimming with her trademark down-to-earth wit * Cosmopolitan *Gripping from the start . . . the master at her best * Daily Telegraph *Keyes' multi-layered plotting has never been as ingenious as in this . . . It's her best book yet * Irish Times *

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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

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Book SynopsisONE OF THE BBC'S 100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD 'This is probably my favourite book of all time' Billy Connolly A pithy, laugh-out-loud story following John Kennedy Toole's larger-than-life Ignatius J. Reilly, floundering his way through 1960s New Orleans, beautifully resigned with cover art by Gary Taxali_____________ 'This city is famous for its gamblers, prostitutes, exhibitionists, anti-Christs, alcoholics, sodomites, drug addicts, fetishists, onanists, pornographers, frauds, jades, litterbugs, and lesbians . . . don't make the mistake of bothering me.' Ignatius J. Reilly: fat, flatulent, eloquent and almost unemployable. By the standards of ordinary folk he is pretty much unhinged, too. But is he bothered by this? No. For this misanthropic crusader against an America fallen into vice and ignorance has a mission: to rescue a naked female philosopher in distress. And he has a pirate costume and hot-dTrade ReviewI succumbed, stunned and seduced, page after page, vocal with delight. A masterwork of comedy * New York Times *A fine funny novel. This is the kind of book one wants to keep quoting from -- Anthony BurgessEvery reviewer has loved it. For once, everyone is right * Rolling Stone *

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Book SynopsisThe sensational final instalment in comic legend Sue Townsend''s hilarious and iconic Adrian Mole series''Effortlessly hilarious. Brilliant satire and tragedy'' Times''My comfort read. The best diaries ever written - with apologies to Samuel Pepys, Bridget Jones and me'' ADAM KAYRead as Adrian continues to struggle with his love life, endures a painfully awkward school play and contemplates the unsettling prospect of applying genital poultice . . .__________Sunday 1st JulyNO SMOKING DAY. A momentous day! Smoking in a public place or place of work is forbidden in England. Though if you are a prisoner, an MP or a member of the Royal Family you are exempt.Adrian Mole is thirty-nine and a quarter. He lives in the country in a semi-detached converted pigsty with his wife Daisy and their daughter. His parents George and Pauline live in the adjoining pigsty. But all is Trade ReviewSue Townsend was simply one of the funniest writes who ever wore socks, and her Adrian Mole series is a satirical gem that follows her hapless protagonist from adolescence to middle age, revealing some sharp home truths about British society in the process. At thirty-nine and a half, Adrian is convinced he's too young to have prostrate problems. He's wrong. If anyone can shake a comic first at cancer, it's Townsend. * Independent *Couldn't be funnier * Gillian Reynolds, Sunday Times *An exquisite social comedy * Daily Telegraph *In this book the comedy is all the sharper, and more poignant, for its melancholy contrasts, the emotional danger and the sense that time is always running out. * The Guardian *Sue Townsend has always had an unflinching sense of humour - the more incongruously awful the situation, the more she can make us laugh...this is a seriously lovely book. * Sunday Times *Like Evelyn Waugh's Captain Grimes, Adrian is 'one of the immortals' and the series of his diaries the comic masterpiece of our time * The Scotsman *This hilarious and poignant tale of Adrian Mole's early middle age reaffirms that Sue Townsend has created 'one of the great comic characters of our time' * The Scotsman *The funniest person in the world * Caitlin Moran *

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR TV ADAPTATION STARRING DAVID WALLIAMS & SAMANTHA BONDThe Queen and I is a hilarious satire on modern Britain and an exploration of what it really means to be human, by the bestselling author of the Adrian Mole series.____________The Royals, they''re just like us . . . THE MONARCHY HAS BEEN DISMANTLEDWhen a Republican party wins the General Election, their first act in power is to strip the royal family of their assets and titles and send them to live on a housing estate in the Midlands. Exchanging Buckingham Palace for a two-bedroomed semi in Hell Close (as the locals dub it), caviar for boiled eggs, servants for a social worker named Trish, the Queen and her family learn what it means to be poor among the great unwashed. But is their breeding sufficient to allow them to rise above their changed circumstance or deep down are they really just like everyone else?____________''No other author could imagine this so graphically, demolish the institution so wittily and yet leave the family with its human dignity intact'' The Times''Absorbing, entertaining . . . the funniest thing in print since Adrian Mole'' Daily Telegraph''Kept me rolling about until the last page'' Daily MailTrade ReviewNo other author could imagine this so graphically, demolish the institution so wittily and yet leave the family with its human dignity intact * The Times *Kept me rolling about until the last page * Daily Mail *Laugh-out-loud funny * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisTHE MILLION-COPY NO.1 BESTSELLER''Enormously powerful'' Guardian''Hilarious, sophisticated, compulsive'' The Times___________________''I am in a car park in Leeds when I tell my husband I don''t want to be married to him any more. . . ''London GP Katie Carr always thought she was a good person. With her husband David making a living as ''The Angriest Man in Holloway'', she figured she could put up with anything. Until, that is, David meets DJ Goodnews and becomes a good person too. A far-too-good person who starts committing crimes of charity like taking in the homeless and giving their kids'' toys away. Suddenly Katie''s feeling very bad about herself, and thinking that if charity begins at home, then maybe it''s time to move. . . This laugh-out-loud novel, from the bestselling author of About a Boy and High Fidelity, will have you gripped from start to finish and will appeal to fans of David Nicholls and Jonathan Coe, as well as readers in need of a moral compass everywhere.___________________''Pins you in your armchair and won''t let go . . . How to be Good? How to be bloody marvellous, more like'' Mail on Sunday''It does exactly what it says on the cover. Hornby''s prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut'' Independent''The writing is so funny, and the set-pieces so brilliant . . . Hornby''s best book since Fever Pitch'' Lynn Truss, The Times Trade ReviewVintage Nick Hornby. Very funny and very clever, and packed with wit and brilliance * Spectator *

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Book Synopsis''Extremely funny . . . and wise'' Sunday TimesNOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE__________________________''Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?''For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer''s pretty simple: he has, in his own words, ''pissed his life away''. And on New Year''s Eve he''s going to end it all . . . but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin''s private party. They''ve stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons.Yet it''s hard to jump when you''ve got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living?Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. __________________________''Hornby''s best yet'' Literary Review''Impossible to put down'' Ruth Rendell, Guardian''Some of the finest writing I''ve ever had the pleasure of reading'' Johnny DeppTrade ReviewImpossible to put down . . . enthralling * Guardian *Extremely funny . . . and wise * Sunday Times *A page-turning plot and rich, funny characters with several big laughs on every page . . . Hornby's best yet * Literary Review *Hornby pins down the age in which we live with precision and comic brilliance * Guardian *Hugely enjoyable * Irish Times *Masterful . . . some of the finest writing, and some of the most outstanding characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading -- Johnny DeppHornby's portrayal of four characters who accidentally meet on top of a tower block, all ready to jump to their death on New Year's Eve, manages to be sensitive and empathetic, but damn funny as well. My new Hornby favourite -- Adam Phillips * Observer *Brilliant, smart and funny . . . a cello suite about how to go on living. It's hard to imagine a novel more darkly and sublimely devoted to life * Boston Globe *Generous and wise. Right from the opening pages, a smile played continually across my face * GQ *

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Book SynopsisDiscover bestselling author Jonathan Coe''s hilarious sequel to The Rotters'' Club!It''s the end of the century and Benjamin Trotter and friends are all grown up. Life is a ceaseless whirl of jobs, marriages, kids - and self-inflicted angst. Despite the shiny optimism of Blair''s Britain, youthful hopes and dreams feel betrayed. Is the Government (and by extension Benjamin''s MP brother Paul) to blame? Or are the ''rotters'' themselves - only passingly faithful to their dreams - really at fault? The Closed Circle depicts a group of former school friends as older, wiser and disillusioned in Blair''s Britain at the turn of the millennium, proving that the present can never truly be disentangled from the past.THE STORY CONTINUES IN MIDDLE ENGLAND.__________ ''Terrific. An incisive portrait of Britain at the turn of the century'' Spectator ''Coe''s finest achievement since What a Carve up!'' Time Out ''Popular fiction at its best'' Daily MailWritten with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe''s unmissable new novel, The Proof of My Innocence, is available to order now!

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Book SynopsisTHE SEVENTH BOOK IN THE BELOVED NO. 1 LADIES'' DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIESThe one with the witch who flew away . . .Mma Ramotswe is happily married to Mr J. L. B. Matekoni, but her work seems more hectic than ever. Among the raft of cases coming the way of the No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency are blackmail, witchcraft and theft, all calling for the wisdom of a traditionally built detective.It''s enough to make her wonder what the secret of happiness is, and whether she is right to find it in small things such as a pair of blue shoes, a slice of cake, or a red sunset over Kalahari.Trade ReviewNothing spoils [McCall Smith's] vision of Botswana as a place where decent people triumph over mischief-makers * Telegraph *Nothing will dim the charm of McCall Smith's series, with its portraits of goodness, its sorrow over greed and its profound love of Africa. They are among the greatest comfort-reads of all time, written in plain, elegant prose * Sunday Times *[BLUE SHOES AND HAPPINESS has] the quiet sophistication of the previous novels and its simplicity is deceptive . . . these novels take us through the looking glass into an Africa we rarely hear about, but their main purpose is to hold a mirror to our own society -- Amanda Craig * Independent *

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Book SynopsisThe fourth book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency seriesThe one with the rival detectiveMma Ramotswe faces the unexpected and unwelcome appearance in town of a new private detective, Mr Cephas Buthelezi. To ensure she does not lose clients to him, she takes on several cases at once, including those of an errant husband and of a man targeted by ostrich rustlers. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi has decided to set up a typing school to teach men some useful skills - but Mma Ramotswe fears her secretary is falling under the spell of a man who does not have her best interests at heart...''A glorious creation'' Mail on Sunday''Happiness and quiet wisdom'' Daily Telegraph''Sparkles with African sunshine and Mma Ramotswe''s wit'' Dallas Morning News''It''s hard to find fault with such good-natured and pleasurable optimism'' ObserverTrade ReviewMma Ramotswe's methods - and her results - are as unusual as the novels they inhabit... All this activity is much less about whodunnit than why * New York Times *McCall Smith is a careful, emblematic writer who is beyond gifted... he is a natural storyteller * The List *The hypnotic ease of McCall Smith's style makes everything clear almost instantly... Throughout the Botswana landscape is richly evoked... Happiness and quiet wisdom prevail * Daily Telegraph *Mma Ramotswe is a glorious creation, a character likely to prove every bit as enduring as Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. * Mail on Sunday *Sparkles with African sunshine and Mma Ramotswe's wit * Dallas Morning News *It's hard to find fault with such good-natured and pleasurable optimism * Observer *I can think of no author writing today so deserving of an enormous audience * New Statesman *This series' huge appeal lies in its mannerly folk wisdom and wry, gentle humor, full of wit, nuance and caring... It's an oasis in a genre that too often seems a desert of violence and inhumanity * Chicago Sun Times *As beguiling as Alexader McCall Smith's earlier books about the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency... His prose is deceptively simple, with a gift for evoking the earth and sky of Africa * Seattle Times *Get your hands on one of the mysteries from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series... Each book is a thinly disguised love letter to the people and culture of Southern Africa... A great escape * Elle *Mma Ramotswe's methods - and her results - are as unusual as the novels they inhabit . . . All this activity is much less about whodunnit than why * NEW YORK TIMES *McCall Smith is a careful, emblematic writer who is beyond gifted, he is a natural storyteller. McCall Smith has once again charmed the sarongs off us * THE LIST *The hypnotic ease of McCall Smith's style makes everything clear almost instantly . . . Throughout the Botswana landscape is richly evoked. Happiness and quiet wisdom prevail. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Mma Ramotswe is a glorious creation, a character likely to prove every bit as enduring as Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. * MAIL ON SUNDAY *

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Book SynopsisThe fifth book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency seriesThe one where J. L. B. Matekoni takes a great leap . . . Once again, Mma Ramotswe is asked to look into the love lives of fellow Botswanans: a rich woman has a number of suitors and wants her to investigate their motives. But to tell the truth, it is her own love life about which Precious wants answers. She has been engaged to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni for so long that she is starting to wonder if they will ever marry. His mind, though, is elsewhere - Mma Potokwani has persuaded him to perform a parachute jump for charity, and he is not happy about it at all . . .''Hugely enjoyable'' Sunday Times''Extremely funny'' Mail on Sunday''I haven''t read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time'' Sunday Telegraph''McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller'' Scotland on SundayTrade ReviewForget the library - the body is in the mud hut. An African Marple created by a Scottish law lecturer * Stephen McGinty, Sunday Times *McCall Smith's familiar tone of wry amusement permeates the narrative, as does the detective's wisdom . . . hugely enjoyable * Sunday Times *This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time * Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph *Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming * Scotland on Sunday *McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition . . . Charming, quirky and timeless * Scotland on Sunday *Refreshing, funny and life-affirming * Geographical *Addictive... our reviewer was so entertained, she bought the rest of the series! * Marie Claire *Utterly enchanting * Chicago Sun Times *Beguiling... The author's deceptively simple prose... is as supple as ever. His gift for effortless description of dusty, sun-baked Africa is undiminished * Seattle Times *Smith's big-hearted Botswana series... allows his readers to escape into a world of simple, picturesque pleasures and upstanding virtues * New York Times Book Review *Brims with the same old-fashioned charm as its lovely predecessors... An engaging read * Entertainment Weekly *A treasure of wit and wisdom * Dallas Morning News *Delightful... The warm humanity is what brings readers back... There is a simplicity and lyricism in the language that brings out the profound importance of everyday revelations * San Francisco Chronicle *Enthralling... Mma Ramotswe is someone readers can't help but love * USA Today *The greatest mystery in this witty and charming book is whether Mma Ramotswe will succeed in getting her fiance to name a date for their long-anticipated wedding. It's hard to conceive of any reader not being just as eager to find out as she is * Wall Street Journal *Soothing... New readers can start here and enjoy a plot even more inventive than the earlier ones * People *Forget the library - the body is in the mud hut. An African Marple created by a Scottish law lecturer * Stephen McGinty, Sunday Times *McCall Smith's familiar tone of wry amusement permeates the narrative, as does the detective's wisdom . . . hugely enjoyable * Sunday Times *This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time * Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph *Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming * Scotland on Sunday *McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition . . . Charming, quirky and timeless * Scotland on Sunday *McCall Smith's familiar tone of wry amusement permeates the narrative, as does the detective's wisdom ... hugely enjoyable. * SUNDAY TIMES *This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time * Anthony Daniels, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition...Charming, quirky and timeless * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *

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Book SynopsisA collection of insightful and uproariously funny non-fiction by the bestselling author of INFINITE JEST - one of the most acclaimed and adventurous writers of our time. A SUPPOSEDLY FUN THING... brings together Wallace''s musings on a wide range of topics, from his early days as a nationally ranked tennis player to his trip on a commercial cruiseliner. In each of these essays, Wallace''s observations are as keen as they are funny. Filled with hilarious details and invigorating analyses, these essays brilliantly expose the fault line in American culture - and once again reveal David Foster Wallace''s extraordinary talent and gargantuan intellect.Trade ReviewIt's the kind of book you can't even put down while brushing your teeth. He's damn good. I take my hat off to him. * GUARDIAN *Enviably good. * SUNDAY TIMES *Like sea air, David Foster Wallace is so bracing. * GLASGOW HERALD *Brilliant. * MAXIM *

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Book Synopsis*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Dive into the blissfully funny No. 1 bestseller about three women who find themselves criss-crossing the line between success and failure, happiness and sadness, sanity and madness, from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups''Totally addictive . . . a real page turner'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''Brilliantly written and fabulously well-observed'' INDEPENDENT___________''Dammit,'' she realized. ''I think I''m having a nervous breakdown.''Lisa Edwards'' career as a hot-shot magazine editor is destined for high-rise New York, when suddenly she''s blown off-course into the delights of low-rise Dublin. But what on earth can she do about it?Ashling Kennedy, Lisa''s super-organized assistant, is good at worrying. Too good. She''s even terrified of a little bit of raw fish . . .Clodagh Kelly is AshTrade ReviewMarian Keyes' Sushi for Beginners is the blissfully funny, smart tale of three women who discover that the line between success and failure, happiness and sadness, sanity and madness is finer than they ever thought . . . 'Dammit,' she realized. 'I think I'm having a nervous breakdown.' * from the publisher's description *Classic Keyes. Constantly surprising, gloriously entertaining, and has a dark underbite that makes it irresistible * The Pool *Nails the joy and pain of the working world . . . a brilliantly written and fabulously well-observed romantic comedy * Independent *Should come with a health warning. It's totally addictive . . . a real page turner * Sunday Express *Chatty and warmhearted, Keyes's talent is to tell it how it is * Independent *

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Book SynopsisRobert Poste''s child is back at Cold Comfort Farm. But all is not well. Flora finds the farm transformed into a twee haven filled with Toby jugs and peasant pottery, and rooms labelled ''Quiete Retreate'' and ''Greate laundrie''. It is, Flora winces, ''exactly like being locked in the Victoria and Albert Museum after closing time''. Worse, the farm is hosting a conference of the pretentious International Thinkers Group - a group made up of the ''sadistic owl'' Mr Peccavi, loathsome Mr Mybug and the overpowering Mrs Ernestine Thump. And worst of all, there are no Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm. All the he-cousins have gone abroad to make their fortunes and the female cousins are having a pretty thin time of it. Once again the sensible Flora decides to take the situation in hand.Trade ReviewGibbons was an acute and witty observer, and her dissection of the British class system is spot-on. * Mail on Sunday *Stella Gibbons is the Jane Austen of the twentieth century * Lynne Truss *Most of us wish we knew a real Flora Poste who could put straight our pretzeled lives -- Julie Birchill * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisThe Growing Pains of Adrian Mole is the second book in Sue Townsend''s brilliantly funny Adrian Mole series.Sunday July 18thMy father announced at breakfast that he is going to have a vasectomy. I pushed my sausages away untouched. In this second instalment of teenager Adrian Mole''s diaries, the Mole family is in crisis and the country is beating the drum of war. While his parents have reconciled after both embarked on disastrous affairs, Adrian is shocked to learn of his mother''s pregnancy. And even though at the mercy of his rampant hormones and the fickle whims of the divine Pandora, a victim of a broken home and his own tortured (though unrecognised) genius, Adrian continues valiantly to chronicle the pains and pleasures of a misspent adolescence. ________''Funny, moving and a poke in the eye for adult morality'' Sunday Express ''Written with great verve, and showing an uncanny understTrade ReviewEvery sentence is witty and well thought out, and the whole has reverberations beyond itself * The Times *One of literature's most endearing figures. Mole is an excellent guide for all of us * Observer *Adrian Mole will be remembered some day as one of England's great diarists * Evening Standard *The funniest, most bitter-sweet book you're likely to read this year * Daily Mirror *

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Book Synopsis''Teetotal!'' Ma said. ''It''s a libel. He''ll never live it down. He''ll never be able to hold his head up again. Whatever will people think? What''s he going to say when anybody asks him to have one?''''No,'' said Dr Conner.''You''ll have to strap him down,'' Ma said. ''You''ll have to put the handcuffs on.''And so after a mild heart-attack - caused by rather too much of what you fancy - Pop Larkin finds himself off the booze, off the good food and off the good life generally, much to his own and everyone''s else''s horror and upset. And while Ma tries to find ways around ''doctor''s orders'', young Primrose is finding her own way round a rather flustered - not to say flushed - Mr Candy ...Trade ReviewThey are absolute comfort books . . . all five titles are being rereleased just in time for summer * The Lady *Pop is as sexy, genial, generous, and boozy as ever. Ma is a worthy match for him in all these qualities -- The * Times *As funny as Evelyn Waugh and as enchanting as Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Don't miss it -- - * Herald *Pop Larkin, Ma and their progeny . . . are essentially English of the rich and ribald England of Chaucer and Shakespeare. A superb and timeless comedy -- - * Scotsman *A wistful daydream about innocence and happiness -- - * Spectator *The high mid-summer pomps of tree and flower are evoked with gusto -- - * The Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisInheriting unexpected millions has left reporter Jim Qwilleran looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. While his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, adjust to being fat cats in an enormous mansion, Qwilleran samples the life-styles of the rich and famous by hiring a staff of eccentric servants. A missing housemaid and a shocking murder soon show him the unsavoury side of the upper crust. But it''s Koko''s purr-fect propensity for clues amid the caviar and champagne that gives Qwilleran pause to evaluate the most unlikely suspects...before his taste for the good life turns into his last meal.

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Book SynopsisIn the small town of Pickax an accident has claimed the life of the local paper''s eccentric publisher, but to Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum it smells like murder. They soon sniff out a shocking secret - but Koko''s snooping into an unusual edition of Shakespeare may prove catastrophic. Because somewhere in Pickax a lady loves not wisely but too well, a widow is scandalously merry, and a stranger has a lean and hungry look. The stage is set for Qwilleran, Koko, Yum Yum and the second act of murder most meow...Trade ReviewPraise for the Cat Who... series:'The fastidious plotting is designed to appeal to more than just the cat-lover' The Times;'This droll and engaging mystery...firmly grips the reader...a lively witty tale bolstered by sharply etched characters' Publishers Weekly;'An engaging tongue-in-cheek yarn with a sting in the tail that won't just appeal to the cat-lover' Belfast Telegraph; 'It's a Wonderful Life meets The Aristocats in this daft but endearing whodunnit' Liverpool Daily Post;'Mrs Braun has a breezy style; the cats are really smart' New York Times Book Review;'Great fun!' Lawrence Block'Entertaining and absorbing mysteries which, in the tradition of all good whodunnits, keep you guessing right to the end' Dumfries and Galloway Standard'Lilian Jackson Braun purveys delight from beginning to end' Los Angeles Times'Like news from Lake Woebegon, Braun's Cat Who... series...has charmed readers' Publishers Weekly'Light-hearted originals... The mix of crime and cats [is] catnip to readers who like both' Chicago Sun-Times'An offbeat series with a good deal of charm' The Baltimore Sun'Braun writes with charm and sureness' Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Book SynopsisOn the surface, things appear tranquil in Moose County. Jim Qwilleran, newspaper columnist and the county''s richest resident, has moved back in to the remodelled apple barn with his two remarkable felines, Koko and Yum Yum. And the newly built gazebo is providing an idyllic opportunity for all three to commune with nature.But then an elderly woman dies in a suspicious fire. Next, the newly opened art centre falls victim to a mysterious break-in. Throw in a scandal involving an unscrupulous local politician and an anti-computer uprising at the town library and life in Pickax is anything but peaceful ...

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Book SynopsisA modern A TALE OF TWO CITIES by the bestselling author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN.''Brilliantly and sympathetically drawn...this wonderfully written, clever book does not miss a single trick'' DAILY MAIL''Funny, touching and ultimately surprising'' SCOTSMAN ''A brilliant, page-turning read'' GRANTAHector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, has left the army and is slightly at a loss as to what to do next, when he is approached by an old army pal, Bilbo Mountwilliam. Bilbo runs an investment fund company and business is booming. Bilbo persuades Eck to join the company as a ''greeter'' for moneyed clients. All Eck has to do is supply the contacts with entertainment and large G&Ts and then the fund managers will do the rest.Soon Eck is able to buy himself a luxury sports car and decadent flat. It is on a golfing trip to France that Eck first meets Charlie Summers, a fly-by-night entrepreneur whose latest scheme iTrade ReviewOne of the most outstanding authors to have emerged in recent years * DAILY EXPRESS *Brilliantly and sympathetically drawn...this wonderfully written, clever book does not miss a single trick * DAILY MAIL *Funny, touching and ultimately surprising * SCOTSMAN *Charlie is a wonderful creation, at once sad and heroic, whose search for redemption attains real pathos at the end of this affecting, skilfully crafted novel * FINANCIAL TIMES *Torday is master of blending satire with gentle humanity * PSYCHOLOGIES *Shades of both Greene and Ambler here, both in the crispness of the exposition and the marrying of humour with something close to tragedy * SPECTATOR *A beautifully told tale - we loved it! * BELLA *A brilliant, page-turning read that combines the pace of Torday's THE GIRL ON THE LANDING with his trademark humour in SALMON FISHING * GRANTA *A fine tale. Even the worst of us, according to this novel, can find redemption * DAILY EXPRESS *His quietly compassionate portrait of Charlie has powerful echoes off Dickens's Sydney Carton in A TALE OF TWO CITIES * METRO *The SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN author is now achieving 'must-read' status. You're in for an Eck of a good time * NEWS OF THE WORLD *

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Book SynopsisAn outrageously funny spoof about the ascent of a 40,000-and-a-half-foot peak, discover this laugh-out-loud cult favourite. Led by the reliably under-insightful Binder, a team of seven British men including Dr Prone (constantly ill); Jungle the route finder (constantly lost), Constant the diplomat (constantly arguing) and 3,000 Yogistani porters, set out to conquer the highest peak in the Himalayas. VINTAGE VOYAGES: A world of journeys, from the tallest mountains to the depths of the mindTrade ReviewWonderful. Rum Doodle does for mountaineering what Three Men in a Boat did for Thames-going or Catch-22 did for the Second World War. It is simply an account of the leader of an expedition up Rum Doodle, a 40,000 and a half foot peak in the Himalayas, in the same way that Scoop is simply a tale about newsgathering in Africa. The tone is nearer to Pooter than anyone else I can think of, but the flavour is all W.E. Bowman's own. * Sunday Times *I just love this book. Everything about it is nearly perfect... hugely enjoyable and brilliantly sustained. * Bill Bryson *Exceedingly funny... as if the hero of Diary of a Nobody had, in a mood of abandon, turned to mountaineering. * Dublin Magazine *it is an epic. It is Homeric. It is inspiring. It is very, very funny... Read it and be moved. * Books of the Month *Amazing...Laugh-out-loud literature -- Tim Key * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis''Sometimes I feel that I am destined always to be offstage whenever the main action occurs. That God has made me the victim of some cosmic practical joke, by assigning me little more than a walk-on part in my own life . . .''Coming of age in 1970s'' Birmingham, teenager Benjamin Trotter is about to discover the agonies and ecstasies of growing up. Whether it is first love or last rites, IRA bombs or industrial strife, prog versus punk rock, expectations of bad poetry or an unexpected life-changing experience involving lost swimming trunks, The Rotters'' Club is a heartfelt and hilarious portrait of a particular time and place featuring characters recognisable the world over . . .''Very funny, a compulsive and gripping read'' The Times ''Hugely entertaining'' The Observer ''A book to cherish, a book to reread, a book to buy for all your friends'' Independent on SundayWritten with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe''s unmissable new novel, The Proof of My Innocence is available now!Trade ReviewOne of those sweeping, ambitious yet hugely readable, moving and richly comic novels that you find all too rarely in English fiction ... a masterpiece * Daily Telegraph *Very funny ... a compulsive and gripping read. Coe has achieved that rare feat: a novel stuffed with characters you really care for * The Times *A book to cherish, a book to reread, a book to buy for all your friends * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisWhile the town of Pickax is swept up in its sesquicentennial celebrations, Koko has developed a strange new hobby: he drops himself from balconies, occasionally landing in the oddest of places. When a young man comes to visit his wealthy relatives, Koko plummets straight on to his head! Meanwhile, a hurricane is brewing, and the visitor''s family members soon fall deathly ill. Qwill has his work cut out for him because Pickax - as foreshadowed by Koko - is about to be hit by a bombshell.

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Book SynopsisThe impressively versatile Joanne Harris in her psychological thriller mode, at her darkest and most unsettling. Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Susan Hill, Nicci French and Val McDermid.''A magnificently plotted and twisty journey to the heart of a 24-year-old crime...darkly humorous...constantly wrongfoots and misdirects...up to a satisfyingly eccentric conclusion.'' -- Observer''Classy writing, sensitive and moving.'' -- The Times''Harris pulls off an impeccable thriller denouement...consistently entertaining.'' -- Sunday Times''Just fabulous'' -- ***** Reader review''An absolute triumph of a book'' -- ***** Reader review''Twists, turns and droll humour - a great read!'' -- ***** Reader review''Absorbing'' -- ***** Reader review*************************************************************Trade ReviewA magnificently plotted and twisty journey to the heart of a 24-year-old crime...darkly humorous...constantly wrongfoots and misdirects...up to a satisfyingly eccentric conclusion. * Observer *Slowly, Harris reveals tiny clues, withholding full explanations until the startling denouement. Classy writing, sensitive and moving. * The Times *Harris pulls off an impeccable thriller denouement...consistently entertaining. -- John Dugdale * Sunday Times *It's Goodbye, Mr Chips meets The Bad Seed. Joanne Harris' latest has a killer elevator pitch and, what's more, it delivers on its intriguing premise...a rich, dramatic tale that builds to a surprising conclusion. * Washington Post *A masterpiece of misdirection. -- Val McDermid

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Book SynopsisA collection of stories containing a range of emotional force and dark humour. It unfolds a series of portraits of the young, the hip, the lost, the unsettled and the unhinged of America.

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Book SynopsisNow a major Hollywood film starring Daniel Radcliffe: read it first, if you dare ...Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache ... and a pair of horns growing from his temples.Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more - he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone - raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances - with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty.Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power - with just a touch he can see people''s darkTrade ReviewI've read it a few times over the years and each time I come out of the experience having a completely new interpretation. Out of everything he's written, from his numerous short stories to his novels to his comics, it's Horns I always circle back to. * Tor.com *Horns was a terrific read which helps to bolster Joe Hill's already high status in my personal pantheon of storytellers/writers. * SFF World *After you've watched the movie, I'd whole heartedly recommend checking out the novel, its well worth the read. * Pissed off Geek *An instant classic, Horns commands the reader's attention from the first page to the last and serves as an excellent starting point for Joe Hill virgins. I, for one, can't wait to see the film adaptation, despite the fact that the Ig in my head bears no resemblance to Daniel Radcliffe. This is a must-read, if you haven't already, and well worth a revisit if you have. * Reader Dad *On the whole, I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to anyone. It is wretched, witty, and enthralling. The writing is clever and masterful, despite the few faults I had. I think that if you are of a sensitive or conservative disposition, it might not be the book for you. It is a tragic love story, a murder mystery, and a supernatural fantasy with a dash of theological satire to sweeten the deal. * The Eloquent Page *'Simply put, Horns is fantastic - the author has managed to weave an incredible tale that combines elements of thriller, horror and fantasy and yet has become something very believable, convincing and utterly compelling.' ***** * SFBOOK *Horns is pretty damn awesome. I have read my fair share of supernatural trhillers over the years but with Horns Joe Hill introduces something not seen before, it's not a complete embodient of the devil but holds in the lines. A perfect story that will creep you out and play with your emotions. And at the heart of it all yes a love story, gone wrong. * The Book Plank *

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Book SynopsisThe phenomenal New York Times Number One bestseller about the unbreakable bond between a dog and their human. Now a major film starring Dennis Quaid.This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, A Dog's Purpose touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here?Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of eight-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures, Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog.But this life as a family pet is not the end of Bailey's journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders – will he ever find his purpose?Heartwarming, insightful, and often laugh-out-loud funny, W. Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose is not only the emotional and hilarious story of a dog's many lives, but also a dog's-eye commentary on human relationships and the unbreakable bonds between man and man's best friend. This moving and beautifully crafted story teaches us that love never dies, and that every creature on earth is born with a purpose.

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Book SynopsisA hilarious Discworld City Watch novel, delving into the dangers of unbridled patriotism and its disastrous consequences''Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own'' The TimesDISCWORLD GOES TO WAR, WITH ARMIES OF SARDINES, WARRIORS, FISHERMEN, SQUID AND AT LEAST ONE VERY CAMP FOLLOWER.As two armies march, Commander Vimes of Ankh-Morpork City Watch faces unpleasant foes who are out to get him... and that''s just the people on his side. The enemy might be even worse.JINGO, the 21st in Terry Pratchett''s phenomenally successful Discworld series, makes the World Cup look like a friendly five-a-side.Readers love Jingo:''In Jingo Terry Pratchett is actually waging a bitter and deeply sad one-man war against nationalism, racism, religious fundamentalism, territorialism . . . and he does it the way he knows best: by making you laugh out loud and think!'' G

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Book Synopsis"It's a fun, frothy quintessentially British romcom about a certified chaos demon and a stern brunch daddy with a heart of gold faking a relationship."-New York Times bestselling author Talia HibbertAMAZON BEST BOOK OF THE MONTHNamed a best book of the year by Oprah Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Goodreads, The Washington Post, and more!WANTED:One (fake) boyfriendPractically perfect in every wayLuc O'Donnell is tangentially-and reluctantly-famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.Discover the LGBT romance about exact opposites falling in perfectly imperfect love that New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CHRISTINA LAUREN calls "hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning."Trade Review"Alexis Hall's Boyfriend Material perfectly balances laugh-out-loud-while-reading-alone-in-an-empty-room with those-aren't-tears-in-my-eyes-just-allergies." - Kris Ripper, author of the Scientific Method Universe"FAKE DATING, REAL FEELINGS, BEST JOKES." - Olivia Waite, author of The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics"Boyfriend Material is the joyfully queer British romcom escape book I didn't know I needed. It's absurdly funny and swoonily romantic, with a sharp edge of wit and observation that keeps the story bounding along. An unbridled 'one-more-chapter-oh-no-it's-3am' delight." - KJ Charles"How? How was this book written? My vote is witchcraft. What a study in character development. It's a how-to without even trying. I'm going to treat this novel like I do my favorite cardigan and buy 5 copies for when one wears out. Everyone needs to read this. Brilliance on every single page. Hilarious, witty, tender, and stunning. I LOVE THIS BOOK." - Christina Lauren, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author"Alexis Hall is the undisputed master of romantic comedy." - Jenny Holiday, USA Today bestselling author of Mermaid Inn"This is a triumph." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review"Downright hilarious...Hall achieves a true balance between romance and comedy, delightfully succeeding at both. " - Booklist, STARRED Review"I'm in awe of Alexis Hall's talent. I don't want the book to end." - Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author"Every once in a while you read a book that you want to SCREAM FROM ROOFTOPS about. I'm screaming, people!" - Sonali Dev, award-winning author of Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors

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Book SynopsisA beautiful book about unexpected friendships and daring to dream' Ruth HoganAbout a Boy meets Educating Rita warm and big-hearted' Sarah VaughanBehind every ordinary day, behind every ordinary story, there's an extraordinary one just waiting to happenTwo people. Simon Sparks hides in plain sight his astonishing gifts locked deep inside himself, as he dreams of lost potential and extraordinary tomorrows.Jodie Brook hides behind what you think of her a single mum who can barely make ends meet. But her dreams are filled with the education she always wanted and discovering a better life for her and her son.One life.When Simon and Jodie's lonely worlds collide, it upends everything. But as it becomes clear they have so much to learn from each other Jodie can show Simon how to rejoin the world, and Simon can help Jodie prepare for her greatest challenge yet they begin to realise that life could be so much more.One ordinary day at a timeA gorgeously quirky, charming and inspiring read' BTrade Review‘A beautiful book about unexpected friendships and daring to dream’ Ruth Hogan, author of Madame Burova ‘Gorgeously written, utterly moving, a joy!’ Miranda Dickinson, author of Our Story ‘A perfect blend of light and dark with warm characterization and a lot of heart’ Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange ‘About a Boy meets Educating Rita. Quirky, warm and big-hearted, its lightness underscored by a seam of darkness’ Sarah Vaughan, author of The Anatomy of a Scandal ‘A beautiful, compelling story that taught me so much – about educational privilege and how we define intelligence and success. Highly recommend’ Lauren Bravo ‘A gorgeously quirky, charming and inspiring read. The power of education to transform, but only when that power is wielded responsibly’ Beth Morrey, author of Saving Missy ‘A wonderful, heart-warming book that is ultimately about the power of stories and how they can change our lives if we tell them to the right people … a feel-good novel we all need right now’ Araminta Hall, author of Perfect Strangers ‘It's the best book I've read in ages. If you like Gail Honeyman, you'll ADORE this. I cried twice, but walked away with my heart so very full. There is nothing predictable about this story. Can't recommend enough’ Anstey Harris, author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton ‘A compelling and uplifting tale of unlikely friendships and the importance of following your dreams. A call to kindness for us all’ Lucy Clarke, author of The Castaways ‘Uplifting’ Daily Mail ‘A quirky, fascinating read about what happens when you hide your true self even from yourself’ Fabulous ‘Endearing, funny and emotional, this is a gorgeous read’ Woman’s Own ‘Quirky, uplifting… the perfect novel we all need right now’ Robin Morgan-Bentley, author of The Wreckage

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Book SynopsisNo.1 bestselling author Gill Sims is back with her eagerly awaited fourth and finalWhy Mummynovel.I just wanted them to stop wittering at me, eat vegetables without complaining, let me go to the loo in peace and learn to make a decent gin and tonic. Mummy has been a wife and mother for so long that she's a little bit lost. And despite her best efforts, her precious moppets still don't know the location of the laundry basket, the difference between being bored and being hungry, or that saying I can't find it Mummy' is not the same as actually looking for it!Amidst the chaos of A-Levels and driving tests, she's doing her best to keep her family afloat, even if everybody is set on drifting off in different directions, and that one of those directions is to make yet another bloody snack. She's feeling overwhelmed and under appreciated, and the only thing that Mummy knows for sure is that the bigger the kids, the bigger the drink.Reader reviews for Why Mummy's SloshedUtterlybrilliant' ?????

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Book SynopsisRival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.   The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people-pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.   Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and arrogant older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor&rs

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Book SynopsisCassie Wright, porn princess, intends to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication. On camera. With six hundred men. Snuff unfolds from the perspectives of Mr 72, Mr 137 and Mr 600, who await their turn on camera in a very crowded green room...Trade ReviewIt's glorious, gloriously depraved. Gloriously funny, gloriously heartbreaking and gloriously outrageous, just what you might expect from a writer continually pushing at the boundaries of literature...confirms Palahniuk once again as a compelling, daring and vital writer * Herald *Every bit as dangerous as it sounds... Snuff is a deliciously disturbing, superbly paced and graphically obnoxious read * Maxim *Snuff is a Chernobyl of taboos...Palahniuk investigates his novels for months before he begins to write, so they always have a journalistic reek of authenticity and immediacy: he is like Tom Wolfe on acid... Think of it as The Bonfire of the Inanities. Once you have come down and mopped up the vomit, you will be glad you snorted this particular Snuff * Independent *You'll bite your pillow laughing * Arena *Palahniuk is a deeply talented and original satirist...a class act of characterisation and situation comedy, wrapped up in something much more important * Daily Mirror *

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Book SynopsisLook out for the new BBC adaptation starring Anna Chancellor, Miranda Richardson and Mark Gatiss!Miss Elizabeth Mapp reigns supreme over the village of Tilling...until the advent of Mrs Emmeline Lucas, or ''Lucia'' to her friends. No one could compete, surely, with Lucia''s formidable armoury: her duchesses, her Italian, her financial speculations, her celebrated recipe for Lobster à la Riseholme. But Mapp will not relinquish her supremacy in local society so easily, and battle is joined between these two indomitable queens and their rather fickle allies.Trade ReviewNo matter how appalling, malicious and pretentious the behaviour of Lucia, the reader is always lured into a sense of affectionate complicity with this comic monster * Daily Telegraph *Bitchily observant novel of small-town life * Independent *Sparkles with wicked wit...provides some pointed digs at social one- upmanship and the genteelly disguised venality of the upper classes. But, on another level, it can be hugely enjoyed as class-war subversion * Sunday Times *The pleasure of Mapp and Lucia is summed up, surely, in Alice Roosevelt's bon mot. "If you have nothing good to say about anybody, come and sit right by me." -- Philip HensherOh the joy of seeing Lucia again! These magic books are as fresh as paint. The characters are real and therefore timeless -- Nancy Mitford * The Times *

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Book SynopsisVimes is back, in all his curmudgeonly glory, in this classic, perceptive and laugh-out-loud Discworld mystery that will keep you turning the pages.''In my opinion, this is the book where Pratchett *really* hits his stride in terms of the city watch books . . . Is this book worth your time? Yes. A thousand times yes'' Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the WindTHERE''S A WEREWOLF WITH PRE-LUNAR TENSION IN ANKH-MORPORK. AND A DWARF WITH ATTITUDE AND A GOLEM WHO''S BEGUN TO THINK FOR ITSELF.But for Commander Vimes, Head of Ankh-Morpork City Watch, that''s only the start...There''s treason in the air. A crime has happened.He''s not only got to find out whodunit, but howdunit too. He''s not even sure what they dun. But soon as he knows what the questions are, he''s going to want some answers.Readers love Feet of Clay:''One of the best Pratchett bo

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Book SynopsisThe funniest, most insighftul, clever and totally bonkers parody of all things Shakespeare, filled to the brim with Pratchett''s signature style.''Pratchett uses his other world to hold up a distorting mirror to our own'' The Times''The Discworld novels have always been among the most serious of comedies, the most relevant and real of fantasies'' Independent''An enduring, endearing presence in comic literature'' GuardianWitches are not by nature gregarious, and they certainly don''t have leaders.Granny Weatherwax was the most highly regarded of the leaders they didn''t have.But even she found that meddling in royal politics was a lot more difficult than certain playwrights would have you believe...Readers love Wyrd Sisters:''Witty, well written, amusing anecdotes, Shakespeare/real life parody, DEATH, witches it has to be Terry Pratchett''<

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Book SynopsisWilliam Boyd was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana and grew up there and in Nigeria. His first novel, A Good Man in Africa (1981), won the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Somerset Maugham Prize. His other novels include An Ice Cream War (1982, shortlisted for the 1982 Booker Prize and winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), Stars and Bars (1984), The New Confessions (1987), Brazzaville Beach (1990, winner of the McVitie Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize), The Blue Afternoon (1993, winner of the 1993 Sunday Express Book of the Year Award), Armadillo (1998), Any Human Heart (2002, winner of the Prix Jean Monnet) and Restless (2006, winner of the Costa Novel of the Year Award). His latest novel is Sweet Caress (2015). Some seventeen of his screenplays have been filmed, including The Trench (1999), which he also directed, and he is also the author of four collections of short stories: On the Yankee StatioTrade ReviewWickedly funny * The Times *If a widening grin is the test of a novel's entertainment value in retrospect, A Good Man in Africa romps home * Guardian *A delight * Washington Post *Uproariously funny * Observer *

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Book SynopsisNow a Hallmark Channel movie!You've seen Mark Darcy in his reindeer jumper, now meet Marco Cavelli in this season's Christmas knit!For single mum Maggie, Christmas has always been a family occasion her daughter Ellen filling the house with her bubbly warmth and mistletoe, her dad Paddy having one too many festive tipples, and the traditional family Christmas tree looking like a drunken elf vomited a rainbow all over it.But this year, with both Ellen and Paddy away for the holidays, Maggie's facing a truly blue Christmas alone with nothing but a bottle of Baileys and an M&S turkey dinner.Until walking the snowy streets of Oxford, Marco Cavelli quite literally crashes into her life and, complete with broken leg, becomes her unexpected houseguest. All dreamy brown eyes and 6'5 of gorgeousness, the man is hotter and more delicious than a freshly baked mince pie.Though Maggie always thought it's a truth universally acknowledged that you never kiss a man in a Christmas jumper?The next FABTrade ReviewPraise for ‘Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Jumper’: ‘Oh my days, how I love books by Debbie Johnson…like mulled wine at Christmas time it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside’ – Lisa Talks About ‘A great romance for this time of year’ – Rachel’s Random Reads ‘Didn't disappoint in any way’ – Annie’s Book Corner ‘Cute Christmas story that had me grinning from ear to ear’ – A Blabbering Bookseller Praise for best-selling summer read, ‘Pippa’s Cornish Dream’: ‘A sheer delight’ – Sunday Express ‘Has all the best ingredients for a holiday read: the beautiful West Country, a family-run farm, and a mystery man with Poldark-style charms’ – Yours Magazine ‘A summer romance with an abundance of country charm, Pippa’s Cornish Dream by Debbie Johnson is a standout title for this season.’ – Book Chick City ‘A beautifully addictive read’ – Reviewed the Book ‘A fantastic read – romance, beautiful Cornish scenery, a gorgeous but troubled hero, teenage traumas, great characters, lots of humour and a real feel-good ending. Highly recommend this for your summer-reading shelf!’ – Portobello Book Blog ‘Truly addictive…the perfect 21st century love story’ – Jane Hunt Reviews

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