Narrative theme: death, grief, loss

Book SynopsisRaina Telgemeier''s #1 New York Times bestselling, Eisner Award-winning companion to Smile!Raina can''t wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things aren''t quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but she''s also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn''t improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and, later, something doesn''t seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.Raina uses her signature humor and charm in both present-day narrative and perfectly placed flashbacks to tell the story of her relationship with her sister, which unfolds during the course of a road trip from their home in San Francisco to a family reunion in Colorado.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“…it excels in broad action shots, such as the first spotting of a massive sandworm maw. This efficient take will whet appetites for more adventures to come.” * Publishers Weekly *“Boasting eye-popping art from Raúl Allén and Patricia Martin… Dune: The Graphic Novel is a scene-by-scene adaptation of the beloved novel from two writers who are already very familiar with the worlds of Arrakis and beyond.” * The Hollywood Reporter *“It’s Dune, but easier on the eyes…That means you can indulge a bit here, taking time to remind yourself of what makes the original source material so good…” * Polygon *“The palette practically makes Arrakis‘ blazing heat and desolation jump off the page…This art is gorgeous.” * Nerdist *“…an adaptation worthy of continuing the franchise's legacy for a new generation.” * Comic Book Resources *“…a breathtaking new comic book adaptation.” * SPACE.com *“The core of what made Dune a great science fiction novel has been preserved, and to it are added vibrant visuals in Dune: The Graphic Novel, Book 1—a resoundingly successful adaptation.” * Foreword STARRED Review *“Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín take a dense story and apply all that nuance and subtext to their visual language in adapting Dune. Panels establish scope and geography, and showcase the character who has the power in a scene, all the while guiding you as if you were on a theme park ride through the wild sci-fi action of warring families and giant sand worms. These two have pulled off a rare feat and made a political tale visually compelling." -- Eric Heisserer * Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Arrival *“Intricate . . . well defined . . . easy to follow . . . blending the aristocratic costumery, sci-fi technology, and desert landscape into a world that is unmistakably Dune.” * Booklist *“A much-needed addition to the series started by Frank Herbert decades ago.” * The Nerd Daily *“The carefully chosen color palettes are particularly compelling, conveying the perfect sense of mood in every situation…a good gateway into the world of Dune.” * Boing Boing *

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Book SynopsisHaunted by a lost friendship, Seong-Ji (re)discovers herself during nocturnal exploration of a dreamlike Seoul.Longtime friends Seong-ji and Ji-won are excited to begin university in Seoul, swearing to stay close in the big city, but from the moment they arrive, they begin to drift apart. Her focus split between her rigorous accounting program and her overnight job at a grocery store, Seong-ji tries to make peace with the loss. It’s during her overnight shifts that she encounters an enigmatic young woman who spends her nights entering the empty homes of other people to paint and photograph these places. Now, the normally rational Seong-ji finds herself swept up in a dreamlike otherworld, made up of freedom and creativity. As she explores these quiet places, she uncovers not only an intimate portrait of strangers, but perhaps even herself. But as the nocturnal walks reveal the possibilities of the future, they also force her to relive the pain of h

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Book SynopsisNever has DEATH rocked so hard. Terry Pratchett''s phenomenal laugh-out-loud Discworld series returns . . .''If you are unfamiliar with Pratchett''s unique blend of philosophical badinage, you are on the threshold of a mind-expanding opportunity'' Financial TimesOTHER CHILDREN GET GIVEN XYLOPHONES. SUSAN JUST HAD TO ASK HER GRANDFATHER TO TAKE HIS VEST OFF.Yes. There''s a Death in the family.It''s hard to grow up normally when Grandfather rides a white horse and wields a scythe - especially when you have to take over the family business, and everyone mistakes you for the Tooth Fairy. And especially when you have to face the new and addictive music that has entered Discworld.It''s lawless. It changes people.It''s called Music With Rocks In.It''s got a beat and you can dance to it, but...It''s alive.And it won''t fade away.Readers love Soul Music:''A wondTrade ReviewA sequence of unalloyed delight. - GuardianHe is screamingly funny. He is wise. He has style. - Daily TelegraphHis spectacular inventiveness makes the Discworld series one of the perennial joys of modern fiction. - Mail on SundayPratchett has a subject and a style that is very much his own. - Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisThe lives of two teenage girls living 160 years apart intertwine in this magical coming-of-age story . . . [an] evocative graphic novel. Publishers WeeklyAn untalented punk band and a parallel dimensionwhat could go wrong? In Borja González's stunning graphic novel, two parallel stories reflect and intertwine in a tale of youthful dreams and desires.In 1856, Teresa, a young aristocrat, is more interested in writing avant-garde horror poetry than making a suitable marriage. In 2016, three teenage girls, Gloria, Laura, and Cristina, want to start a punk band called the Black Holes. They have everything they need: attitude, looks, instinct . . . and an alarming lack of musical talent. They''ve barely started rehearsing when strange things begin to happen. As their world and Teresa''s intersect, they're haunted by the echo of something that happened 160 years ago.Elegantly crafted, with delicate cartooning and a brilliant autumnal color palette, GonzálTrade Review“Gonza´lez’s first full-length work delivers a quietly emotional evocation of the universal hopes and desires linking characters across centuries.” * Library Journal *“This thoughtful, graceful look into young women trying to find their place in the world may appeal to other adolescent, frustrated artists.” * Booklist *“A Gift for a Ghost is an uncommon fantasy that speaks to the perennial, difficult-to-verbalize issues that teenagers face.” * BookPage *“The story unfolds slowly and endearingly, and you find yourself drawn in to its air of mystery and magic.” * BookPage *“A Gift For A Ghost is the exact opposite of the way so many stories are told today… It’s about collaboration between the reader and the work and creating a personal experience from it, something that all the best creative works aspire to.” * The Comics Beat *

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH 'Chilling and perfectly paced, one to put on the very top of your TBR!' Sarah Pearse 'Thriller fans will be in heaven' Louise CandlishMY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN. AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . . KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER. The man lies on the table in front of me. As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him. As a mother, I know I must kill him. You might think that I’m a monster. But there really is only one choice. I must get away with murder. Or I will never see my son again.I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES. WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?Five star reader reviews: ‘Absolutely phenomenal’  ‘Kept me hooked from the very staTrade Review‘Do No Harm hooked me . . . What a terrifying ride!’ GILLY MACMILLAN 'Had me on the edge of my seat . . . Do No Harm is brilliantly thrilling' NADINE MATHESON 'The most nail biting book I’ve read this year. . . An absolute rollercoaster, you won’t be able to put it down' HOLLY SEDDON 'Brilliant. Relentlessly tense. This thriller gave me palpitations' LESLEY KARA ‘Utterly gripping, addictive and brilliantly tense’ KAREN HAMILTON 'An edge-of-your-seat, head-spinning thriller with emotion and depth woven through its heart' LAUREN NORTH 'A brilliant example of psychological crime writing at its very best' KATE RHODES 'The ultimate page turning edge-of-your-seat thriller. Loved it' NIKKI SMITH 'A corker of a thriller’ KATE RIORDAN 'Gripping and tense' OBSERVER 'An astonishingly good read – a fabulous plot, great characters and you’ll be on a knife-edge right up until the brilliant ending!’ MY WEEKLY ‘A brilliant, pacy thriller’ BELLA ‘An absolute edge of your seat belter. I urge you to pre-order it now’ Reader review ‘Let me be the first one to call it: Do No Harm is going to be HUGE!’ Reader review ‘It gripped me from page 1’ Reader review

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Book SynopsisDeep within the wildwood lies a place of myth and mystery, from which few return, and of those few, none remain unchanged.Ryhope Wood may look like a three-mile-square fenced-in wood in rural Herefordshire on the outside, but inside, it is a primeval, intricate labyrinth of trees, impossibly huge, unforgettable ... and stronger than time itself.Stephen Huxley has already lost his father to the mysteries of Ryhope Wood. On his return from the Second World War, he finds his brother, Christopher, is also in thrall to the mysterious wood, wherein lies a realm where mythic archetypes grow flesh and blood, where love and beauty haunt your dreams, and in promises of freedom lies the sanctuary of insanity ...Readers love Mythago Wood:''6.0 stars. This book is a MASTERPIECE and will likely be on my list of All Time Favourite novels before too long'' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐''Blimey, whTrade ReviewHoldstock has a beautifully subtle imagination that conjures up worlds and events with enviable ease ... a writer of both heart and fireBritain's best fantasist - THE TIMESSonorous, vivid, and utterly enthralling - TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENTIncredibly enchanting ... a celebration of fantasy - SPECTATOR

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Book Synopsis***WINNER OF THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2020***''Simmonds is a copper-bottomed genius... she is as brilliant a writer as Britain has'' Jenny Colgan, Mail OnlineCassandra Darke is an art dealer, mean, selfish, solitary by nature, living in Chelsea in a house worth 7 million.She has become a social pariah, but doesn''t much care. Between one Christmas and the next, she has sullied the reputation of a West End gallery and has acquired a conviction for fraud, a suspended sentence and a bank balance drained by lawsuits. On the scale of villainy, fraud seems to Cassandra a rather paltry offence - her own crime involving ''no violence, no weapon, no dead body''.But in Cassandra''s basement, her young ex-lodger, Nicki, has left a surprise, something which implies at least violence and probably a body . . . Something which forces Cassandra out of her rich enclave and onto the streets. Not those local streets paved with gTrade ReviewSimmonds is a copper-bottomed genius… she is as brilliant a writer as Britain has. -- Jenny Colgan * Mail Online *Scrooge is reimagined for 21st-century London in Posy Simmonds’s devilishly good graphic novel, Cassandra Darke — her first in a decade. Cassandra is a marvellous creation… There is too much clever detail in each of the panels to take in everything at first read — but Cassandra is an antiheroine you’ll want to return to. -- Siobhan Murphy * The Times *Simmonds has long been something of a national treasure. -- Teddy Jamieson * Herald Scotland *[This] glorious, inky black tale about a mean-spirited old bag of a Chelsea art deal provides more proof of [Posy Simmond’s] genius. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer, **Books of the Year** *The new graphic novel by cartoonist, writer and national treasure Posy Simmonds... is a page-turner, [but] it’s impossible to gallop through words and pictures that are so richly textured, so sharply observed. -- Francis Wheen * Mail on Sunday *A Christmas crime story that’s bags of fun… Simmonds’ pictorial storytelling is a joy. -- Anthony Cummins * Metro *Simmonds’ drawings are exquisitely observed, and seamlessly incorporate text messages and online news reports. Her muted palette, with occasional splashes of colour, is absorbing and in the curmudgeonly Cassandra… Simmonds has produced another character that comes living and breathing off the page. -- Carl Wilkinson * Financial Times *Posy Simmonds's delightful new graphic novel Cassandra Darke, full of wonderfully observed vignettes... [is] treasurable. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard **Books of the Year** *[Posy Simmonds] is back with a new anti-heroine… [and] jewel-sharp illustrations. -- Claire Armitstead * Guardian *Posy Simmonds is the mother of the British graphic novel… The end [of Cassandra Darke] is startlingly poignant, and like all good satire it has a quiet reflection on human mortality at its heart. -- Lucy Lethbridge * Tablet *

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Book SynopsisA HEART-BREAKING, HOPEFUL NOVEL FROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 40 MILLION READERS''Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary'' Cecilia Ahern__________As a child, Charley Benetto was told by his father, ''You can be a mama''s boy or a daddy''s boy, but you can''t be both.'' So he chooses his father, only to see him disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence.Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been destroyed by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. When he discovers that he won''t be invited to his only daughter''s wedding he realises he has hit rock bottom.Charley makes a midnight ride to his small hometown; his final journey before he ends his life. But as he staggers into his old house, he makes an astonishing discovery. His mother - who died eight years earlier - is there to welcome Charley home. What follows is the one seemingly ordinary Trade ReviewMitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary -- Cecilia AhernPowerful . . . Albom has touched the lives of a lot of people he never even knew * Time *Compelling and uplifting * Independent *A writer with soul * Los Angeles Times *Albom breaks hearts with his stories * Mirror *Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary * Cecilia Ahern *Mitch Albom, in this new book, once again demonstrates why he is one of my favourite writers . . . FOR ONE MORE DAY will make you smile. It will make you wistful. It will make you blink back tears of nostalgia * James McBride, author of THE COLOR OF WATER *Another very touching page-turner * STAR magazine *A warm and tender tale * IRISH EVENING HERALD *

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Book SynopsisA sad, beautiful novel, The Body Artist is an elliptical meditation on the mysteries of love, life and time.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *A novel that is both slight and profound, a distilled meditation on perception and loss, and a poised, individual ghost story for the twenty-first century. * Observer *A masterly portrait of the impact of death on those who live. * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisFrank Ross is killed by one of his own workers. Tom Chaney shoots him down in the street. Ross' 14-year-old daughter Mattie finds that the authorities are doing nothing to find Chaney. Then she hears of Rooster - a man, she's told, who has grit - and convinces him to join her in a quest into dangerous Indian territory to hunt Chaney down.Trade Review'True Grit is the best novel to come my way for a very long time. What book has given me greater pleasure in the last five years? Or in the last twenty? I do not know What a writer!' Roald Dahl 'Charles Portis is a writer who - if there's any justice - will come to be regarded as the author of classics of the order of a twentieth-century Mark Twain' Esquire 'Portis has made an epic and a legend. Mattie Ross should soon join the pantheon of America's legendary figures such as Kit Carson, Wyatt Earp and Jesse James' Washington Post 'One of those rare sweet delights one can recommend to inveterate fiction readers and to those who read only one or two novels a year' San Francisco Chronicle

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Book SynopsisA box set of Raina Telgemeier''s bestselling, award-winning graphic novels about family, friendship, and the highs and lows of growing up!Smile The true story of how Raina severely injured her two front teeth when she was in the sixth grade, and the dental drama that followed!Drama Callie is the set designer for her middle school''s spring musical and is determined to create a set worthy of Broadway. Both onstage AND offstage drama ensues!Sisters Raina can''t wait to be a big sister. Amara is cute, but she''s also cranky and mostly prefers to play by herself. Their relationship doesn''t improve much over the years... can they figure out how to get along?Ghosts Catrina and her family move to a new town because her sister, Maya, is sick. When they learn there are ghosts there, Maya wants to meet one, and Cat must put aside her fears for Maya''s sake -- and her own.Guts Raina

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Book SynopsisThis beautifully designed, jacketed hardcover edition of The Secret Garden is unabridged and includes 8 illustrations by Charles Robinson. When Mary Lennox is sent from India to the moors of England to live with her uncle after losing her parents, not only does she discover a secret garden, but she also discovers the true meaning of family, friendship, and perseverance. This magical, timeless classic, originally published in 1911, is by the author of A Little Princess and Little Lord Faunteleroy. Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover, the Chartwell Classics series includes beautifully presented works and collections from some of the most important authors in literary history. Chartwell Classics are the editions of choice for the most discerning literature buffs.   Other titles in the Chartwell Classics Series include: Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft; Complete Gri

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.There was a star riding through clouds one night, and I said to the star, Consume me'Six friends traverse the uneven road of life together in Virginia Woolf's most unconventional classic. Bernard, Jinny, Louis, Neville, Rhoda and Susan first meet as children by the sea, and their lives are forever changed.A poetic novel written in a lyrical way only Woolf could master, these narrators face both triumph and tragedy that touches them all. Throughout their lives, they examine the relationship between past and present, and the meaning of life itself.A landmark of innovative fiction and the most experimental of Virginia Woolf's novels, The Waves is still regarded as one of the greatest works ever written in the English language.

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Book Synopsis‘He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.’  Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.   When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.   But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?  Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn’t know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ?   ‘An intense, brilliantly crafted thriller that hums with menace from start to finish' TM Logan, Trade Review'I love Nicci French’s books, and with The Unheard they are right at the top of their game. Few crime writers can match their psychological acuity, of their ability to lead a reader through dizzying plot twists without ever losing pace. It’s an absolute masterclass of crime writing' -- Kate Rhodes, author of the Locked-Island Mystery series‘What an intriguing, compelling page-turner. I ate it up in two days’ -- Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties

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Book SynopsisThe Inheritance of Loss is Kiran Desai''s extraordinary Man Booker Prize winning novel.High in the Himalayas sits a dilapidated mansion, home to three people, each dreaming of another time. The judge, broken by a world too messy for justice, is haunted by his past. His orphan granddaughter has fallen in love with her handsome tutor, despite their different backgrounds and ideals. The cook''s heart is with his son, who is working in a New York restaurant, mingling with an underclass from all over the globe as he seeks somewhere to call home. Around the house swirl the forces of revolution and change. Civil unrest is making itself felt, stirring up inner conflicts as powerful as those dividing the community, pitting the past against the present, nationalism against love, a small place against the troubles of a big world. ''A Magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom, comic tenderness and political acuteness'' Hermione LeTrade Review'hasodfa' - agbod;ahusd, afo;dgua;

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Book SynopsisA novel from internationally acclaimed author Paulo Coelho a dramatic story of love, life and death that shows us all why every second of our existence is a choice we all make between living and dying.Veronika has everything she could wish for. She is young and pretty, has plenty of boyfriends, a steady job, a loving family. Yet she is not happy; something is lacking in her life, and one morning she decides to die. She takes an overdose of sleeping pills, only to wake up some time later in the local hospital. There she is told that her heart is damaged and she has only a few days to live.The story follows Veronika through these intense days as to her surprise she finds herself experiencing feelings she has never really felt before. Against all odds she finds herself falling in love and even wanting to live againTrade Review‘Coelho’s writing is beautifully poetic but his message is what counts… he gives me hope and puts a smile on my face’DAILY EXPRESS ‘His books have had a life-enhancing impact on millions of people’THE TIMES ‘One of the few to deserve the term “Publishing Phenomenon”’THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

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Book SynopsisDetective Superintendent Andy Dalziel investigates a murder close to home in this first crime novel featuring the much-loved detective team of Dalziel and Pascoe.So far out in front that he need not bother looking over his shoulder' Sunday TelegraphHome from the rugby club after taking a nasty knock in a match, Sam Connon finds his wife more uncommunicative than usual. After passing out on his bed for a few hours, he comes downstairs to discover communication has been cut off forever by a hole in the middle of her forehead.Andy Dalziel, a long-standing member of the club, wants to run the murder investigation along his own lines. But DS Peter Pascoe's loyalties lie elsewhere and he has quite different ideas about how the case should proceedTrade Review'He is probably the best living male crime writer in the English-speaking world.' The Independent 'He just keeps getting better and better … Hill, a true master, never fails to shock and surprise.' Ian Rankin 'The finest male English contemporary crime writer. Compassionate, intelligent and entertaining' Val McDermid 'One of Britain's most consistently excellent crime novelists.' The Times 'An increasingly lyrical and always humorous writer, he is first and foremost an instinctive and complete novelist who is blessed with a spontaneous storytelling gift.' The Mail on Sunday ‘Hill is among the most consistently excellent and invigorating detective novelists’ TLS 'Few writers in the genre today have Hill's gifts: formidable intelligence, quick humour, compassion and a prose style that blends elegance and grace' Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisThe very first Logan McRae novel in the No.1 bestselling crime series from Stuart MacBride. DS Logan McRae and the police in Aberdeen hunt a child killer who stalks the frozen streets.Winter in Aberdeen: murder, mayhem and terrible weatherIt's DS Logan McRae's first day back on the job after a year off on the sick, and it couldn't get much worse. Three-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch: strangled, mutilated and a long time dead. And he's only the first. There's a serial killer stalking the Granite City and the local media are baying for blood.Soon the dead are piling up in the morgue almost as fast as the snow on the streets, and Logan knows time is running out. More children are going missing. More are going to die. And if Logan isn't careful, he could end up joining them.Trade ReviewPraise for Cold Granite: ‘Ferocious and funny, this is Tartan Noir at its best’ Val McDermid ‘A riveting and gruesome debut’ Telegraph ‘A gripping debut’ Mirror Praise for Stuart MacBride: ‘Fierce, unflinching and shot through with the blackest of humour; this is crime fiction of the highest order’ Mark Billingham ‘MacBride is a damned fine writer – no one does dark and gritty like him’ Peter James

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Book Synopsis**NOW A MAJOR FILM - ALL OF US STRANGERS - STARRING PAUL MESCAL, CLAIRE FOY, ANDREW SCOTT AND JAMIE BELL** ''Deeply satisfying. . . a wonderful study of grief and isolation.'' Daily Mail''A sharp, chilling contemporary ghost story.' The Scotsman''Powerful.'' Guardian''Sexy, insightful and frequently funny.'' Irish ExaminerMiddle-aged, jaded and divorced, TV scriptwriter Harada returns one night to the dilapidated downtown district of Tokyo where he grew up. There, at the theatre, he meets a likable man who looks exactly like his long-dead father. And so begins Harada''s ordeal, as he''s thrust into a reality where his parents appear to be alive at the exact age they had been when they had died so many years before.Trade Review"'A cerebral and haunting ghost story... Highly recommended.' David Mitchell 'A memorably uncanny tapestry... The powerful mood of Strangers lingers long after its graceful, downbeat ending has passed.' Guardian 'A disconcerting, yet deeply satisfying novel: a wonderful study of grief and isolation, a moving expression of our longing for things we have lost and are unable to have again.' Daily Mail 'Quickly paced, intelligent and haunting.' Bret Easton Ellis"

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Book SynopsisDCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine' Elly GriffithsThe third book in Michael Wood's darkly compelling crime series featuring DCI Matilda Darke. Perfect for fans of Peter James, Lee Child and Karin Slaughter.Eight killers. One house. And the almost perfect murderStarling House is home to some of the nation's deadliest teenagers, still too young for prison.When the latest arrival is found brutally murdered, DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate, and discover a prison manager falling apart and a sabotaged security system. Neither the staff nor the inmates can be trusted.The only person Matilda believes is innocent is facing prison for the rest of his life. With time running out, she must solve the unsolvable to save a young man from his fate, and find a murderer in a house full of killersTrade ReviewPraise for A ROOM FULL OF KILLERS: ‘You can count on Michael Wood to deliver a deliciously twisted and intriguing plot, leading to a surprise ending by a likeable and very real protagonist, Matilda Darke’ Yrsa Sigurdardottir ‘A pitch-black concept, tightly delivered and played at exhilarating pace’ Paul Finch Praise for OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: ‘At one point in this tense thriller, the endearing protagonist reflects that the investigation is like having “all the pieces of the jigsaw but…from different boxes”. Matilda Darke is right – and only in the final pages is the full picture revealed…’ Chris Simms ‘Crackling dialogue, dark wit and an exciting ending. Recommended if you liked Happy Valley’ Mark Edwards ‘DCI Matilda Darke is going places’ James Oswald ‘A compelling, addictive read, it’s hard to put down. I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Matilda Darke. She's strong character with real depth’ Robert Bryndza, bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE ICE Praise for FOR REASONS UNKNOWN: ‘A beautifully written book with a dark heart and a secret that impacts on generations’ Sarah Ward ‘A skilfully crafted and compelling debut that hooks from the off and will keep you guessing until the final page. I can’t wait for Michael Wood’s next one’ M.R. Hall ‘Gripping, sad and unexpected – this is a terrific debut. Wood writes with the confidence and flair of an old hand’ Alex Marwood ‘A strong debut with an intriguing mystery at its heart. The first thing that strikes me is how well he writes female characters. The novel is packed full of strong women’ Ben Cheetham ‘An appealing – and refreshingly human – lead character is swept along in this ingeniously plotted, fast paced debut’ Chris Simms 'This explosive novel is already making a bang – with reviewers comparing Michael’s work to that of his heroes Val McDermid and James Oswald' Sheffield Star

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Book SynopsisReissue to follow up publication of Paul Bailey’s new novel Kitty and Virgil. Two of his previous novels ‘Peter Smart’s Confessions’ and ‘Gabriel’s Lament’, were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. First published in 1980, Old Soldiers is Bailey’s most elegantly simple and perhaps most moving novel. The eponymous soldiers are two old men who (as his own father had been) are still haunted by First World War memories. Victor Harker – a survivor from the Somme, dazed with grief after his wife’s recent death – gets entangled with another man, who splits himself into an ‘unholy trinity’ of parts; by turns a military man, a tramp and a poet, he performs each part enthusiastically, with a loving attention to verisimilitude. It’s only at the end that we glimpse the sixty-year-old shame and grief which he has wasted a life time denying.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE FOLIO PRIZE 2022SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOLDSMITHS PRIZE 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION 2022 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG FICTION AWARD 2021SHORTLISTED FOR THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE 2022LONGLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2022''Diamond-sharp, timely and urgent'' Observer, Best Debuts of 2021''Subtle, elegant, scorching'' Vogue''Virtuosic, exquisite, achingly unique'' Guardian''I''m full of the hope, on reading it, that this is the kind of book that doesn''t just mark the moment things change, but also makes that change possible'' Ali Smith''Exquisite, daring, utterly captivating. A stunning new writer'' Bernardine EvaristoCome of age in the credit crunch. Be civil in a hostile environment. Step out into a world of Go Home vans. Go to Oxbridge, get an education, start a career. Do all the right things. Buy a flat. Buy art. Buy a sort of happiness. But above all, keep your head down. Keep quiet. And keep going.The narrator of Assembly is a Black British woman. She is preparing to attend a lavish garden party at her boyfriend''s family estate, set deep in the English countryside. At the same time, she is considering the carefully assembled pieces of herself. As the minutes tick down and the future beckons, she can''t escape the question: is it time to take it all apart?''One of the most talked-about debuts of the year . . . You''ll read it in one sitting'' Sunday Times Style''Expertly crafted, remarkable, astonishing... A literary debut with flavours of Jordan Peele''s Get Out'' Bookseller, Editor''s Choice''Virginia Woolf''s Mrs. Dalloway meets Citizen by Claudia Rankine... As breathtakingly graceful as it is mercilessly true'' Olivia Sudjic''Bold and original, with a cool intelligence, and so very truthful about the colonialist structure of British society'' Diana Evans ''This marvel of a novel manages to say all there is to say about Britain today'' Sabrina MahfouzTrade ReviewDiamond-sharp, timely and urgent... Written in a distilled, minimalist prose, Assembly is illuminating on everything from micro aggressions in the workplace, to the reality of living in the "hostile environment", to the legacy of British colonialism * Observer, Best Debuts of 2021 *A quiet, measured call to revolution. It's about everything that has changed and still needs to change, socially, historically, politically, personally... Its impact is massive; it strikes me as the kind of book that sits on the faultline between a before and an after. I could use words like 'elegant' and 'brilliantly judged' and literary antecedents such as Katherine Mansfield/Toni Morrison/Claudia Rankine. But it's simpler than that. I'm full of the hope, on reading it, that this is the kind of book that doesn't just mark the moment things change, but also makes that change possible -- Ali Smith, author of 'How to be both' and 'Summer'In just 100 pages Natasha Brown delivers a body blow of a book. Assembly is extraordinary, each word weighed, each detail meticulously crafted... Brown is mercilessly clear-eyed in her delineation of how British culture is also "assembled" - its history whitewashed and arguing against it near-impossible when "the only tool of expression is the language of this place". Yet she wields that language like a weapon and hits her mark again and again with devastating elegance * The Times *Incredible. [Assembly] moves the English novel on. Slim book, massive importance -- Max Porter, author of 'Grief is the Thing With Feathers'Stunning, blisteringly eloquent... Assembly heralds a powerful new voice in British literature * The Sunday Times *Assembly is brilliant. Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway meets Citizen by Claudia Rankine. Natasha Brown's ability to slide between the tiniest, most telling detail and the edifice of history, the assemblage of so many lives in so many times and places, is as breathtakingly graceful as it is mercilessly true -- Olivia Sudjic, author of 'Asylum Road'Daring and distilled... A hauntingly accurate novel about the stories we construct for ourselves and others... A completely captivating read you won't be able to put down * Independent *Assembly fulfils, with exquisite precision, Virginia Woolf's exhortation to "record the atoms as they fall upon the mind in the order in which they fall... [It] calls to mind Frantz Fanon's work on the psychic ruptures caused by the experience of being colonised, or W. E. B. Du Bois's idea of double consciousness. Assembly is the kind of novel we might have got if Woolf had collaborated with Fanon... Brown nudges us towards an expression of the inexpressible - towards feeling rather than thought, as if we are navigating the collapsing boundaries between the narrator's consciousness and our own * Guardian *I read it compulsively in a single sitting. Assembly expertly draws out the difficulties of assembling a coherent self in the face of myriad structural oppressions. Casting a wry look at faded aristocrats, financial insiders and smug liberals, Natasha Brown takes the conventional tics of the English novel - the repressed emotion and clipped speech - and drains away the nostalgia. What's left is something hard and true -- Will Harris, author of 'Mixed Race Superman' and 'Rendang'It more than lives up to the hype. Propulsive, devastating, unflinching and deft... This is a heartbreaking novel that offers glimmers of hope with its bold vision for new modes of storytelling... Brown's voice is entirely her own - and Assembly is a wry, explosive debut from a coruscating new talent * inews *A powerhouse of a book * Stylist *Set over 24 hours as an unnamed Black British woman prepares to attend a garden party hosted by her boyfriend's wealthy parents. With a clear eye she assesses her experience of corporate culture with its embedded racism, her awful boss, the myth of true social mobility... A short but exceptionally powerful novel from a gifted new writer * Bookseller (Editor's Choice pick) *In this excoriating indictment of the white supremacy underpinning the office space, Natasha Brown shows us the triple bind under which Black British Women live. How can there be wholeness in a society which demands so often that Black women melt parts of themselves down so that the machinery can shape them anew? I have scarcely read a work of fiction which confronts me so clearly and viscerally with the nature of injustice in our contemporary moment. This is an important work from a writer I hope we'll be hearing from for a long, long time -- Kayo Chingonyi, author of 'A Blood Condition'One of the buzziest debuts of the summer * Vogue *Natasha Brown's exquisite prose, daring structure and understated elegance are utterly captivating. She is a stunning new writer -- Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize winning author of 'Girl, Woman, Other'This marvel of a novel manages to say all there is to say about Britain today in the most precise, poetic prose and within the story of one complicated, compelling woman. Formally thrilling, politically captivating, endlessly absorbing... I will never forget where I was when I read it, how I felt at the start of it and by the end - it takes you on a complete carousel of a life lived both in dread and in defiance. Superb. -- Sabrina Mahfouz, poet & playwright, ‘A History of Water in the Middle East’Like the fictional companion to Jamaica Kincaid's nonfiction masterpiece A Small Place... A book like a finely honed scalpel - marking a new and electrifying dawn -- Elaine Castillo, author of 'America is Not the Heart'Tightly conceived and distinctively written, perceptive, precise and unsparing... An elegiac examination of a Black woman's life and an acerbic analysis of Britain's racial landscape. Brown's rhythmic, economic prose renders the narrator's experiences with breathless clarity * New York Times *Stunningly good -- Elizabeth Day, presenter of the 'How to Fail' podcastAssembly is an astonishing work. Formally innovative, as beautiful as it is coolly devastating, urgent and utterly precise on what it means to be alive now -- Sophie Mackintosh, author of 'The Water Cure'Searing... A rousing, inspired voice demanding to be recognized and heard * Washington Post *Deft, essential, and a novel of poetic consideration, Assembly holds (the Black-British) identity in its hands, examining it until it becomes both truer and stranger - a question more than an answer. I nodded, I mhmmed, I sighed (and laughed knowingly, bitterly) -- Rachel Long, Folio Prize-shortlisted author of 'My Darling From the Lions'Bold and original, with a cool intelligence, and so very truthful about the colonialist structure of British society: how it has poisoned even our language, making its necessary dismantling almost the stuff of dreams. I take hope from Assembly, not just for our literature but also for our slow awakening -- Diana Evans, author of 'Ordinary People'Mind-bending and utterly original. It's like Thomas Bernhard in the key of Rachel Cusk but about black subjectivity -- Brandon Taylor, author of 'Real Life'Brilliantly sharp and curiously Alice-like... It centres on a gifted and driven young Black woman navigating a topsy-turvy and increasingly maddening modern Britain... Her indictment is forensic, clear, elegant, a prose-polished looking glass held up to her not-so-post-colonial nation. Only one puzzle remains unsolved: how a novel so slight can bear such weight * Times Literary Supplement *A piercing, cautionary tale about the costs of assimilating into a society still in denial about its colonial past. Brown writes with the deftness and insight of a poet -- Mary Jean Chan, author of 'Flèche'Bold, elegant, and all the more powerful for its brevity, Assembly captures the sickening weightlessness which a Black British woman, who has been obedient to and complicit with the capitalist system, experiences as she makes life-changing decisions under the pressure of the hegemony -- Paul Mendez, author of 'Rainbow Milk'This is a stunning achievement of compressed narrative and fearless articulation * Publisher's Weekly *One of the most talked-about debuts of the year . . . you'll read it in one sitting * Sunday Times Style *Thrilling... Brown gets straight to the point. With delivery as crisp and biting into an apple, she short-circuits expectation... This is [the narrator's] story, and she will tell it how she wishes, unpicking convention and form. Like The Drivers' Seat by Muriel Spark, it's thrilling to see a protagonist opting out and going her own way * Scotsman *A nuanced, form-redefining exploration on class, work, gender and race * Harper’s Bazaar *Across 100 lean pages, Brown deftly handles a gigantic literary heritage... Her style rivals the best contemporary modernists, like Eimear McBride and Rachel Cusk; innocuous or obscure on a first reading, punching on a second... Assembly is only the start * Daily Telegraph *There's something of Isherwood in Brown's spare, illuminating prose... A series of jagged-edged shards that when accumulated form an unhappy mirror in which modern Britain might examine itself * Literary Review *A debut novel as slender and deadly as an adder * Los Angeles Times *A razor-sharp debut... This powerful short novel suggests meaningful discussion of race is all but impossible if imperialism's historical violence remains taboo * Daily Mail *Bold, spare, agonisingly well-observed. An impressive debut * Tatler *Excoriating, unstoppable... The simplicity of the narrative allows complexity in the form: over barely a hundred pages, broken into prose fragments that have been assembled with both care and mercilessness * London Review of Books *Beguiling and beautifully written, this is the work of an author with a bright future * Tortoise *Coruscating originality, emotional potency, astonishing artistic vim... This signals the arrival of a truly breathtaking literary voice... A scintillating tour de force * Yorkshire Times *Fierce and accomplished, Assembly interrogates the high cost of surviving in a system designed to exclude you * Economist *I was blown away by Assembly, an astonishing book that forces us to see what's underpinning absolutely everything -- Lauren Elkin, author of 'Flaneuse'Coiled and charged, a small shockwave... Sometimes you come across a short novel of such compressed intensity that you wonder why anyone would bother reading longer narratives... [Assembly] casts a huge shadow * MoneyControl *A masterwork . . . it contains centuries of wisdom, aesthetic experimentation and history. Brown handles her debut with a surgeon's control and a musician's sensitivity to sound -- Tess Gunty * Guardian *An extraordinary book, and a compelling read that had me not only gripped but immediately determined to listen again... Highly recommended * Financial Times on 'Assembly' in audiobook *'As utterly, urgently brilliant as everyone has said. A needle driven directly into the sclerotic heart of contemporary Britain. Beautiful proof that you don't need to write a long book, just a good book' -- Rebecca Tamas, author of 'Witch'Every line of this electrifying debut novel pulses with canny social critique * Oprah Daily *Devastatingly eloquent, bold, poignant * Shelf Awareness *An achievement that will leave you wondering just how it's possible that this is only the author's very first work... Brown packs so much commentary and insight inside of every single sentence... Original and startling all at once. After reading Assembly, I cannot wait to see what Natasha Brown does next * Shondaland *[Brown's] work is like that of an excellent photographer - you feel like you are finally seeing the world sharply and without the common filters. That is hypnotising -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan * Guardian *A brilliantly compressed, existentially daring study of a high-flying Black woman negotiating the British establishment -- Guardian, 'Best Fiction of 2021' * Justine Jordan *

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Book Synopsis*The USA Today bestseller*An edge-of-your-seat, page-flipping, stay-up-all-night, heart-racing suspense thriller!' Real ReviewerHoly mother of! This book was SO good. I devoured itYou NEED to read this!' Real ReviewerHoly cr*p! This is good! Riveting, excitingkept me guessing. Loved it!' Real ReviewerIn a cabin in a wood,A woman by the window stood.Glancing out, she thought she heardFootsteps, whistling, something stirred.Hiding here, she fears the night,For what's done in the dark will come to light.She must run fast to escape her lieOr she'll be the next to dieThe unmissable new thriller from the USA Today bestselling master of edge-of-your-seat reading and screenwriter of Netflix Original movie, The Weekend Away.Readers are gripped by The Cabin in the Woods:Buckle up because you are in for a ride! Every time I thought the ending was close, there was another twist that I didn't see coming I felt like my heart was going to stop or burst out of my chest!' NetGalley Reviewer, ?????This Trade Review PRAISE FOR SARAH ALDERSON: This is an exhilarating ride where nothing is what it seems… Good luck getting anything else done until you've turned the final page. (Heat) Fast-moving and beautifully told, it is hard to put down. (Daily Mail) Cleverly plotted, well written book kept me engaged to the last page. (Rachel Abbott, author of Come A Little Closer) Captivating writing with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep you on your toes… Absolutely loved it! (SJI Holliday, author of The Lingering) A brilliant psychological read. (Woman)

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Book SynopsisOne Summer by bestselling author, David Baldacci, is a tender and absorbing portrait of a family rebuilding itself after being torn apart by grief.Now an Original Movie on Hallmark Movies & MysteriesWhen thirty-four-year-old ex-war veteran Jack Armstrong is told he has only weeks to live, his first concern is for his beloved wife Lizzie, and their children: baby Jackie, twelve-year-old would-be actor Cory and rebellious teenage daughter Mikki. It seems so cruel that an apparently fatal illness should claim him, a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, when he still has so much left to live for. On Christmas Eve, as Jack prepares to say goodbye to his family, unthinkable tragedy strikes again and Lizzie is killed in a car accident. Just when Jack thought living was far harder than dying, and the children's future looked so bleak, something remarkable happens which gives Jack the valuable second chance he'd only dreamed of. Unexpectedly, the family inherits Lizzie's beautiful childhood home on the oceanfront in South Carolina. During one unforgettable summer Jack and the children struggle to rebuild their lives. They learn to live again – and to love again. And they learn the biggest lesson of all – the importance of family.Trade Review[A] touching family story. * USA Today *Readers better have their hankies ready. * RT Book Reviews *[Fans] will find in these pages a good message and a big heart. * Washington Post *

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Book Synopsis**Pre-order Graham Norton''s new novel Frankie now**''Atmospheric, creepy and impossible to put down'' THE TIMES''A compelling and moving story, expertly told'' DAILY EXPRESS''Magnificent ... his writing is evocative and perfect'' MARIAN KEYESFrom the bestselling author of Holding comes a masterly tale of secrets and ill-fated loves set on the coast of Ireland.Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland after her mother''s death, intent only on wrapping up that dismal part of her life. There is nothing here for her; she wonders if there ever was. The house of her childhood is stuffed full of useless things, her mother''s presence already fading. And perhaps, had she not found the small stash of letters, the truth would never have come to light. 40 years earlier, a young woman stumbles from a remote stone house, the night quiet but for the tireless Trade ReviewA compelling and moving story, expertly told, that will draw you in and keep you in its grip until the last page. - DAILY EXPRESSMagnificent ... his writing is evocative and perfect. His grasp of human loneliness and longing is beautiful and comforting.Atmospheric, creepy and impossible to put down. - THE TIMESI raved about Holding two years ago ... A Keeper is even better. A powerful, very sad story, beautiful writing, two time frames that are perfectly balanced. Outstanding. Will easily be one of my books of 2018.A gripping, thoughtful tale about the search for identity, belonging and self-possession. - OBSERVERMoving and darkly funny. - GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGSmart, well-written and thoroughly entertaining. - IRISH INDEPENDENTIt's a sad and lovely book, brimful of tenderness and compassion, where the revelations of the past upturn the perceptions of the present. - SUNDAY EXPRESS

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Book SynopsisWow! Kept me up into the night. I couldn''t put this book down! Highly recommend!' NetGalley reviewer, 5 starsFor fans of Stephen King, Mark Edwards and The Haunting of Hill House comes a dark tale of a mysterious house haunted by tragedy.The Nightingale House is a new beginning for widower Daniel Price and his young daughter Caitlyn. After months of grief, this will be the place where they start their life as a family of two.But something is wrongDaniel can't settle. There's an odd, cold feeling in the master bedroom, and a mysterious dripping noise that seems to move from room to room. Whispers of I can't sleep echo through the corridors, long into the night.And then Daniel uncovers the chilling story of the family who lived in the house years before, of betrayal, tragedy, and murder. Could the Nightingale House be not the home Daniel dreamed of for his daughterbut a place that will bring their worst nightmares to life?Readers LOVE Nightingale House!Holy wow! This book was exciting,

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Book SynopsisThe moving story of a little dog with a huge heart and of the unbreakable bond between an animal and his owner.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an introduction by Mary Paulson-Ellis.When Auld Jock, a shepherd, loses his job, he moves to Edinburgh in search of work. But the city isn’t kind to him and he falls into a life of poverty. Lonely, old and ill, his only companion is a plucky little Skye terrier named Bobby, who belonged to the farmer that dismissed Jock. When the farmer tries to take the dog back, Bobby escapes and finds his way back to town. From that day on, he stays devoted to Auld Jock, even guarding the old man’s grave in Greyfriars kirkyard for many years. Inspired by true events, Eleanor Atkinson's Greyfriars Bobby is the deeply touching story of an inseparable bond and a wonderful evocation of Edinburgh in the late nineteenth century.

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Book SynopsisWowzers, what a read I absolutely LOVED this book An unputdownable page turner of a read.' Ginger Book Geek, 5 starsJacob Reese enjoys the quiet life, running a coffee shop and renting out his cottage in The Hollows, Vermont.But the calm is shattered when a woman who looks eerily similar to his ex-girlfriend Laura turns up to stay in the cottage, and leaves a mysterious note in the guest book.Now Jacob's seeing Laura everywherea glimpse of her face across the street, her music box left outside his house, a gift he gave her years before hanging from the trees.But it can't be Laura. Because Laura's dead.Someone knows Jacob's secretwhat really happened the night Laura diedand they're out for revengeA gripping and twisted thriller. Fans of Gillian Flynn, Gregg Olsen and Mark Edwards will love Steve Frech.Readers LOVE Dark Hollows:Wow! This book just pulls you right in I couldn't put it down!' NetGalley reviewer, 5 starsOne of the best thrillers I've read this year.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 s

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick, from the acclaimed author of Room. The Pull of the Stars is set during three days in a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu. 'Moving, gripping and dazzlingly written' – StylistDublin, 1918. In a country doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city centre, where expectant mothers who have come down with an unfamiliar flu are quarantined together. Into Julia’s regimented world step two outsiders: Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney.In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over the course of three days, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work.In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue tells an unforgettable and deeply moving story of love and loss.'A visceral, harrowing, and revelatory vision of life, death, and love in a time of pandemic. This novel is stunning' – Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven'Reads like an episode of Call The Midwife set during a pandemic' – Mail on SundayGuardian, Cosmopolitan and Telegraph's 'Books of the Year'Trade ReviewA visceral, harrowing, and revelatory vision of life, death, and love in a time of pandemic. This novel is stunning -- Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station ElevenExtraordinarily prescient * Daily Telegraph *The Pull of the Stars has a fever dream-like quality . . . about as moving and absorbing as it gets * Evening Standard *An immersive, unforgettable fever-dream of a novel * Times *A timely, exquisite and unputdownable reminder of love and compassion -- Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold FryA story that is as timeless as it is urgent * New York Times *Fascinating and resonant * Sunday Times *Emma Donoghue is one of our greatest living prose stylists . . . a must-read novel * The Australian *Emma Donoghue’s best novel since Room * Metro *Eerily topical, Donoghue’s new novel reads like an episode of Call The Midwife set during a pandemic * Mail on Sunday *Moving, gripping and dazzlingly written * Stylist *It is rare for such a fast-paced story to be told so beautifully, and the writing is comical & exquisite * Irish Independent *Moving and memorable * Daily Mail *As strong and compelling as Jack in Room and Lib in The Wonder . . . a haunting and finely balanced literary novel -- Sarah Moss * Guardian *One of the Emerald Isle’s most glittering literary lights, Donoghue here delivers a historical fiction turned timely reminder of human resilience * Oprah Magazine, 'Best Books of Summer 2020' *Enticingly written . . . a felicitous comment on our new times * The Irish Times *Remarkably prescient * Irish Independent *Rarely can a novel have been as prescient or as timely as The Pull of the Stars . . . the book flies by like a hospital shift, as drama follows crisis and victory chases tragedy in a never-ending cycle of suffering, joy and bodily fluids * Business Post *Certainly, the currency of The Pull of the Stars gives it a gripping edge, but at its heart this is a story about friendship, love and compassion in extraordinary times . . . It's an engrossing read. Donoghue's writing is visceral and her female characters strike a powerful chord of humanity that stays with you * Australian Women's Weekly *Donoghue offers vivid characters and a gripping portrait of a world beset by a pandemic and political uncertainty. A fascinating read in these difficult times. * Booklist *Donoghue’s searing tale . . . Her blunt prose and detailed, painstakingly researched medical descriptions do full justice to the reality of the pandemic and the poverty that helps fuel it. Donoghue’s evocation of the 1918 flu, and the valor it demands of health-care workers, will stay with readers * Publishers Weekly *[Julia and Bridie’s] relationship forms the emotional core of a story rich in swift, assured sketches of achingly human characters coping as best they can in extreme circumstances . . . Darkly compelling, illuminated by the light of compassion and tenderness: Donoghue’s best novel since Room * Kirkus (starred review) *Eerily reminiscent of our current global health crisis, The Pull of the Stars brings readers intimately close to a world where health care workers risk it all to keep their patients alive * Time *Emma Donoghue's latest is getting an early release, and it's clear to understand why: In 1918 at the height of the Great Flu in Ireland, sick, pregnant women are quarantined together in a hospital while a group of overworked nurses tries to navigate their patients through the darkness * Marie Claire *Timely, punchy and gripping * Evening Standard *A powerful, persistent, highly detailed and incredibly moving book that speaks through time. Donoghue is a marvel of a writer * Press Association *Emma Donoghue has a gift for taking details from the past and creating believable and absorbing worlds around them * The Tablet *Gripping . . . fans of Call The Midwife will relish the true-to-life accounts of labour * S Magazine *Although compassion, female solidarity and dedicated service are at the novel’s core, suffering and terrible conditions are front and centre . . . Donoghue [excels] in strong characterisation and a vivid sense of time and place * The Herald *

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Book SynopsisThe Promise is a unforgettable story about finding love, hope and joy in even the darkest moments, by the Sunday Times bestseller Lucy Diamond, author of The Secrets of Happiness.'I loved The Promise' - Libby Page, author of The 24-Hour CaféWhen faced with the sudden death of his brother, Dan’s mission is clear. He puts together a project to help pick up the pieces and support his grieving sister-in-law Zoe, plus her young children. This is Dan’s promise - to ensure his family’s happiness, and to try and live up to the man his brother was.But tying up loose ends brings a shocking secret to light, and calls into question everything Dan knew about his older brother. With more than just his promise on the line, Dan is faced with an ultimatum: Should he tell the truth and risk his family’s fragile happiness, or will his brother’s secrets end up becoming his own?'A bittersweet, big-hearted take on family dynamics, grief, and how to make happiness a priority' - Woman and Home'This is Lucy Diamond at her very best - a stunning novel that will break your heart into little pieces and then glue it back together again with joy' - Milly Johnson'We couldn't put this down' - Bella'Family drama at its very best with characters that have you reaching out to them' - My WeeklyReal readers love The Promise:'I cried and laughed''It was a beautifully written book from start to finish. Each night I couldn't wait to read the next chapter.''I literally cannot put it down.'

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Book SynopsisThe son of one of the greatest writers of our timeNobel Prize winner and internationally best-selling icon Gabriel García Márquezremembers his beloved father and mother in this tender memoir about love and loss.I find myself remembering that my father used to say that everyone has three lives: the public, the private, and the secret.On a weekday morning in March 2014, Gabriel García Márquez, one of the most acclaimed writers of the twentieth century, came down with a cold.In this intimate and honest account on grief and death, Rodrigo Garcia not only contemplates his father's mortality and remarkable humanity, but also his mother's tremendous charm and tenderness. Mercedes Barcha, Gabo's constant companion and creative muse, was one of the foremost influences on his life and art.A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes is a revelatory portrait of a family coping with loss and a rich depiction of a son's love.Trade Review‘a powerfully written memoir…García Márquez maintained that his novels were inspired not by magic but by reality. His son’s memoir shows that, when it comes to his father’s life, it is impossible to separate the two.’ Daniel Rey, Spectator ‘Rodrigo Garcia finds the words that cannot be said, the moments that signal all that is possible to know about the passage from life to death, from what love brings and the loss it leaves. With details as rich as any giant biography, you will find yourself grieving as you read, grateful for the profound art that remains a part of our cultural heritage’ Walter Mosley, New York Times bestselling author of Down the River Unto the Sea ‘You read this short memoir with a feeling of deep gratitude. Yes, it is a moving homage by a son to his extraordinary parents, but also much more: it is a revelation of the hidden corners of a fascinating life. A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes is generous, unsentimental and wise.’–Juan Gabriel Vásquez, author of The Sound of Things Falling ‘Garcia’s limpid prose gazes calmly at death, registering pain but not being overcome by it … the result is a moving eulogy that will captivate fans of the literary lion’ Publishers Weekly “A warm homage filled with both fond and painful memories.” Kirkus ‘This is a beautiful farewell to two extraordinary people. It enthralled and moved me, and it will move and enthrall anyone who has ever entered the glorious literary world of Gabriel García Márquez’ Salman Rushdie

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewPreloved is one for your keeper shelves. * Red *An absolute gem of a novel, like finding vintage Dior in your local chazza. It's hard to believe that this tender-hearted, wryly observed and exquisitely written story is a debut and its heroine Gwen, as lost as the unwanted donations she prices up, will resonate with so many readers. Preloved is one for your keeper shelves. -- Sarra ManningI think I’ve been waiting for a novel like Preloved for my whole reading life. This is a luscious, shimmering book of depth and delicacy. It’s sad, hilarious, sad, tender, brutal, brilliantly observed – there is a sense of magic on every page. -- Daisy Buchanan, author of InsatiablePreloved is full of sharp observations on life, loss, regret and self-preservation... spilling over with wit and hope. Cleverly interwoven with stories of the myriad reasons items find their way into charity shops, the joy, friendship and ultimate enlightenment Gwen discovers offers a quirky and poignant reminder that one person's trash is always somebody else's treasure. -- Julietta Henderson, author of The Funny Thing about Norman ForemanPreloved has taken up residence in my heart and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. It's completely enchanting, completely captivating, completely brilliant, I adored everything about it. It has so much heart and warmth, while Gwen is so well-written and relatable. I was already a fan of Lauren Bravo's writing, and now I'm officially obsessed. -- Lucy VineLaugh-out-loud funny but also poignant and tender, Preloved is an absorbingly special debut novel. I devoured in equal measure the delicious descriptions of food and the moving vignettes of preloved treasures peppered throughout the book, while the nineties and noughties nostalgia had me gasping with pleasure. -- Laura Price, author of Single Bald FemaleFull of relatable anecdotes, lively, funny and modern, Preloved is a moving tale of emancipation and friendship. I loved it! -- Margaux Vialleron, author of The Yellow KitchenBeautifully considered and wonderfully crafted with characters who feel true to life. Full of witty observations and dazzling retorts and withering reactions… it won’t disappoint. -- Justin Myers/The GuylinerPreloved is a beautiful, funny novel full of pitch perfect insight and detail. In a world of fast fashion, fast friendships and fast opinion, this is a refreshing and relatable alternative, celebrating and challenging our ideas about objects and ownership. For anyone (like me) who has ever stood behind the counter of a charity shop, it will spark particular joy. Political, delightful and very very funny. -- Nell Frizzell‘While all Gwen’s friends are “procreating in the countryside”, she is single, lonely and now, jobless. So she begins anew in the place where all things get a second chance: a charity shop. Preloved is a funny and touching read.’ -- The I, best April books‘When Gwen is made redundant she volunteers at a charity shop, where encountering objects that come with incredible stories changes her life. Poignant and funny’ -- BestA hot water bottle of a novel – in that it’s best enjoyed on the sofa when you’re in need of something warming and comforting -- StylistOptimistic and engaging… intimate and joyful… We’re waiting for Preloved to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon or at least adapted into a binge-worthy Netflix series… -- GlamourA love letter to charity shops and the treasures within, this is a tale that will warm your heart. -- My WeeklyGenerous, hopeful, and big-hearted, Preloved’s warm sweetness is perfectly balanced by sharp observation, and a deeply moving exploration of grief. A glorious find of a book; one worth holding onto -- Kate Young

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Book SynopsisThe Patchwork Girls by Elaine Everest is a moving story about the ties of friends and family, set during the turbulence of the Second World War.1939. After the sudden and tragic loss of her husband, Helen is returning home to her mother’s house in Biggin Hill, Kent – the one place she vowed she’d never go back to again.Alone and not knowing where to turn, Helen finds herself joining the local women’s sewing circle despite being hopeless with a needle and thread. These resourceful women can not only make do and mend clothes, quilts and woolly hats, but their friendship mends something deeper in Helen too. Lizzie is a natural leader, always ready to lend a helping hand or a listening ear. Effie has uprooted her life from London to keep her two little girls away from the bombing raids, and the sewing circle is a welcome distraction from worries about how to keep a roof over their heads and about her husband too, now serving in active duty overseas.When the reason for Helen's husband's death comes to light, her world is turned upside down yet again. The investigating officer on the case, Richard, will leave no stone unturned, but it’s not long before his interest in Helen goes beyond the professional. As she pieces together old fabrics into a beautiful quilt, will Helen patch up the rifts in her own life?Trade ReviewHeartwarming . . . a must-read -- Woman's Own on The Teashop GirlsA warm, tender tale of friendship and love . . . sweet as a Woolies pick ’n’ mix -- Milly Johnson on The Woolworths GirlsA lovely read -- Bella on The Woolworths GirlsElaine brings the heyday of the iconic high-street giant to life in her charming novel -- S Magazine on The Woolworths Girls

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Book Synopsis Following the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man, who made his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy no. 15, published in August 1962, comes the web-slinger’s iconic first appearances as they have never been seen before This handsome book is perfect for both lifelong fans and the latest generation of Marvel enthusiasts, and is a must-have for every comic book collection. Spider-Man first swung onto the comic book pages in August 1962 with the publication of Amazing Fantasy no. 15, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and with cover art by Jack Kirby. Sixty years after the comic’s publication, award-winning graphic designer Chip Kidd reimagines the iconic first story also told in The Amazing Spider-Man no. 1 from March 1963 using original vintage copies of both comic books to present these classic tales in a whole new way. The book also includes text by Chip Kidd, Marvel editor Tom Brevoort, historian Peter Sander

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“If you stare deeply enough into the bottomless abyss of black dots that serve as the eyes of Nancy and Sluggo, would you live to tell the tale? Well, Bill Griffith has. And the tale he tells is a complex, peculiar, and funny graphic biography of Ernie Bushmiller, creator of the brilliantly strange (and strangely brilliant) Nancy and Sluggo (as well as Fritzi Ritz and Phil Fumble). As the widest-ranging cartoon chronicler of American absurdity in our time, Bill Griffith has topped himself. This is an instant comic-strip classic!” * Matt Groening *“For many years, I’ve devoured Bill Griffith’s work. It’s always inspiring and engrossing. As it never fails to do, Griffith’s brilliance and consummate drawing chops shine through. Three Rocks is amazing!” * Emil Ferris *“I inhaled this book. If there’s one Nancy mystery greater than the peculiar, clean hum of the strip itself, it’s what Ernie Bushmiller, the man, was actually like. In this last, best volume of a three-book talismanic paean to the inspirations that have sustained and formed him for the past half century, underground comix legend Bill Griffith grafts all the real messiness of life—research, anecdotes, and interviews with those who knew Bushmiller—to perfect examples of the distilled graphic haiku of the Connecticut Zen master of the comic strip. The result, quite simply, is a page-turning, standard-setting, must-have work of biographical art. Two words: Three Rocks. Five stars!” * Chris Ware *“As the curator of the fictional Bushmiller Museum in Altadena, California, I was thrilled to learn from reading Three Rocks that there’s a fictional one in Stamford, Connecticut, too!” * Tom Gammill *“Bill Griffith is a master of pen-and-ink graphic storytelling. This delightful book is, first and foremost, a well-researched biography of Ernie Bushmiller, creator of Nancy and one of the unsung geniuses of the comics business. It is also a thought-provoking discourse on the inner dynamics of cartooning and its relationship to fine art. The narrative alternates deftly between realistically rendered scenes of Bushmiller’s life and career to flashbacks, future fantasies, dream sequences, clever asides by Nancy herself, and informative insights from the author. It is a thoroughly entertaining journey into Bushmillerland that is destined to take its place among the select group of classic graphic novels.” * Brian Walker *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This is a fantastic way to read the Dune epic and to become immersed in the greater details of the novel. The clear and precise artwork makes the narrative easy to follow and imbues the story with a cutting edge of the best stylish qualities that graphic novels have to offer. * Alex Ross *Bloody duels and larger set pieces—particularly explosive ones involving near-escapes from Arrakis’s mammoth sandworms—that thrill. * Publishers Weekly *I liked the first volume of Abrams ComicArts' Dune adaptation, but I loved DUNE: The Graphic Novel, Book 2: Muad'Dib. * Boingboing.net *Dune: Book 2 continues the story of Paul Atreides in this fast-paced and action-packed installment to the series that has captivated sci-fi fans for decades. * The Nerd Daily *

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Book Synopsis Edgar Allan Poe''s gothic tale of the decaying Usher mansion comes to life in an all-new way! In this graphic novel edition of The Fall of the House of Usher, Raul Garcia adapts his animated short, The Fall of the House of Usher, now streaming on Prime Video, and as a part of the animated feature Extraordinary Tales. A traveler arrives at the Usher mansion to visit his old friend, Roderick Usher. Upon arriving, however, he discovers that Roderick and his sister, Madeline, have been afflicted with a mysterious malady: Roderick''s senses have become painfully acute, while Madeline has become nearly catatonic. That evening, Roderick tells his guest of an old Usher family curse: any time there has been more than one Usher child, all siblings have gone insane, dying horrible deaths. As the days wear on, the effects of the curse reach their terrifying climax. In this adaptation, the celebrated animator translates the cinematographic language int

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Book SynopsisThousands of readers have fallen for This Christmas. . . Will you?‘Think The Holiday but so much better. . .’'Grabs your heart, squeezes it and ultimately leaves you believing in life'‘A warm cosy winter’s hug in a book’____________Two strangers. One double-booked cottage. This Christmas will be one to remember. . .Rose used to love Christmas - until the year everything changed. She hasn't been home to visit her family for the holidays since.Charlie is facing his first Christmas alone. It may be the most wonderful time of the year for some, but not for him. Not this year.In search of comfort and seclusion, Rose escapes to a cottage in rural Donegal to hunker down for the festive season by herself.But when Charlie opens the door to Seaview Cottage, the two strangers realise that their holiday rental has been double-booked.They both expected to spend this Christmas alone. But their lives could be changed forever if they agree to spend it together. . .The Top 10 Irish Times bestseller, perfect for fans of The Holiday and Love, Actually. Discover the perfect cozy Christmas romance book to curl up with this winter from the bestselling author!____________Praise for Emma Heatherington:‘A delicious page-turner that you’ll devour as quickly as a plate of mince pies’ Woman & Home'A Christmas hug of a book, which I read in two sittings. Days later, I am still thinking of Rose and Charlie' Fionnuala Kearney, Irish Times bestseller'Spot on perfect for fans of The Holiday and Love, Actually' Claudia Carroll'Gripping!!' Bella'A heart-warming romance' Ulster Herald'A beautiful love story' Woman's Way'A gorgeous will they/won't they love story, with depth and surprising twists' The Sun'A cute, heartwarming story' My Weekly Magazine 'A lovely, heart-warming read' Closer'A proper winter heart-warmer' Heat

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Book SynopsisRomance, intrigue, and dangerous ambitions combine to create the perfect escape: welcome to the beautiful Hotel Portofino on the magical Italian Riviera.     ***NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA*** It is the summer of 1927 and Hotel Portofino is prospering under Bella’s stewardship. As the season begins, Bella is keenly looking forward to her son Lucian’s imminent arrival and the chance to discuss with him her plans to convert the hotel’s basement into a spa. But then Bella’s husband Cecil turns up unannounced, Over the course of several hot weeks in the middle of the Italian summer, Bella is forced to confront the reality of her relationship with Cecil and to decide to what extent she is prepared to go against social convention to get what she wants. As she welcomes her guests, old and new, an anonymous visit from a travel guide inspector threatens to make or break the hotel&rsq

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for The Women’s Prize for Fiction. From the bestselling author of The Dutch House, Commonwealth and Bel Canto, Winner of The Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Pen/Faulkner Award. A magician (with one memorable appearance on the Johnny Carson Show to his credit) takes the name Parsifal. He is gay. He has a Vietnamese lover, Phan. When Phan dies of AIDS, Parsifal marries the woman who has always adored him and who has lived with them both, his assistant Sabine. Then Parsifal himself dies in California, suddenly and shockingly, of an aneurysm. Parsifal always said that he had no living family and that he came from wealthy upscale Connecticut stock. The reality is very different, as Sabine learns from his lawyer. He came from a poor Nebraska family and they are very much alive. Indeed his mother and sister are on their way to California to meet Sabine, the daughter- and sister-in-law they know nothing about. It is bad that her husband has died. What Sabine must now cope with is coming to terms with his horrific past and the reason he divorced himself from his family and roots.Trade Review‘Original, sparkling, funny and sad – a book you read in one gulp and want to revisit immediately’ Penelope Lively, Daily Telegraph ‘A delicate exploration of impossible love and new-found friendship’ Guardian ‘The kindliness of The Magician's Assistant is beguiling, and Patchett is an adroit, graceful writer’ Suzanne Berne, New York Times Book Review

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Book Synopsis'Absolutely breathtaking' Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo.We all have something to tell those we have lost . . .On a windy hill in Japan, in a garden overlooking the sea stands a disused phone box. For years, people have travelled to visit the phone box, to pick up the receiver and speak into the wind: to pass their messages to loved ones no longer with us.When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she is plunged into despair and wonders how she will ever carry on. One day she hears of the phone box, and decides to make her own pilgrimage there, to speak once more to the people she loved the most. But when you have lost everything, the right words can be the hardest thing to find . . .Then she meets Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss. What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking...The Phone Box at the Edge of the World is an unforgettable story of the depths of grief, the lightness of love and the human longing to keep the people who are no longer with us close to our hearts.'A moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief and the small miraculous moments that persuade people to start looking forward again' Sunday Times'Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour' Choice, Book of the Month'A poignant, atmospheric novel dealing with love, coming to terms with loss and the restoration of one's self' Daily Mail'A story about the dogged survival of hope when all else is lost . . . A striking haiku of the human heart' The Times'Beautiful. A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving' Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author of After the End'Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul' Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars'Mesmerising . . . beautiful . . . a joy to read' Joanna Glen, Costa shortlisted author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope'Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast expansive meditation on grieving and loss' Heat'A perfect poignant read' Woman & HomeTrade ReviewA story about the dogged survival of hope when all else is lost . . . Messina shows us that even in the face of a terrible tragedy, such as an earthquake or a loss of a child, the small things - a cup of tea, a proffered hand - can offer a way ahead. Its meditative minimalism makes it a striking haiku of the human heart * The Times *Carefully told and with great care, this feels a particularly resonating story right now * Stylist *This beautiful novel tells a story of universal loss and the power of love. It will remain engraved in my heart and mind forever. During these difficult times we face, it addresses questions that we might all have - how to connect with those we have loved and lost and how to allow ourselves to live and to love again. Beautifully written, sensitive and evocative, it paints a picture of an inner and outer world that is infused with both tragedy and hope. It moved me to tears and made me want to speak my own secret thoughts in the phone box at the edge of the world. Absolutely breathtaking and stunning * Christy Lefteri *A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving. Beautiful. * Clare Mackintosh *Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul * Stacey Halls *Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast, expansive meditation on grieving and loss * Heat *Before I got started, I already loved the phone box at the edge of the world. But then I loved everything else. Especially the beautiful prose, powerful but held back, like grief. And the characters - emerging blinking from their tragedies, hurt and hesitant - but ultimately hopeful. It was a joy to read. Mesmerising! * Joanna Glen, author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope *This is a beautiful book. And a timely one. It tells a story about the aftermath of a disaster, long after the disaster. It tells of memories of the first few weeks after horror struck, but more it tells about the years after. If we're not directly affected, we lose sight of the years after that others have to endure. Or survive * Bookbag *The Phone Box at the Edge of the World has such a subtle strength to it. The power to transfer such huge emotion from the page to my heart. It felt like a balm to my soul, one I did not know I needed. For me it is easily one of my books of the year * Waterstones bookseller *Immensely moving and emotionally powerful . . . possessed of a rare empathetic pull * Waterstones bookseller *This book is one to read now * Cosmopolitan *A perfect poignant read * Woman & Home *A balm to the soul in difficult times * Good Housekeeping *All I can say is that I thoroughly recommend this book to all, even if you have not lost someone dear. This book offers a sweet and poignant story, as well as some meaningful messages and a hopeful outlook on life * Escape to the Bookshelf *This an aching sweetness about this novel, with telling details that bring the departed so alive * Saga Magazine *A quiet, elegantly told story of how life goes on after loss. * Press Association *An elegant, elegiac story ... a poignant, atmospheric novel dealing with love, coming to terms with loss and the restoration of one's self. * Daily Mail *A stylish and carefully calibrated meditation upon the nature of loss, grief and the joyously restorative power of love. * The Yorkshire Times *This was a poignant read that brings love, light and hope to a heartbreaking situation * Rea's Book Review *Messina's beautifully-written debut novel of loss and the power of love, provides hope in the most of difficult of times. * Surrey Life *A touching tale of loss and recovery. * Wiltshire Living *Beautifully moving read ... heartbreaking and poignant. * Woman's Own *A quiet, elegantly told story of how life goes on after loss * Leinster Leader *BOOK OF THE MONTH: Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour. * Choice magazine *Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour * Scottish Herald *Moving, heart-breaking, redemptive * Irish Examiner *A whimsical, moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief and the small miraculous moments that persuade people to start looking forward again. * The Sunday Times *A tale of strength and hope born out of pain ... Messina has captured a grieving nation's soul. * The Lady *Beautiful in its candour ... staggering in its hold on you. More than a story of grief, it points to a fundamental hope in reforming after tragedy, and a celebration of lives well-lived. * Sunday Business Post *

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