Narrative theme: death, grief, loss

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 SynopsisIt's impossible to come away from this magical story unchanged' Sally PiperRichly immersive. A mysterious and magical journey through loss and grief' Fiona ValpyThe last time Esther Wilding's beloved older sister Aura was seen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. In the wake of Aura's disappearance, Esther's family struggles to live with their loss.To seek the truth about her sister's death, Esther reluctantly travels from Tasmania to Copenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands. On her journey, Esther is guided by the stories Aura left behind in her treasured journal; seven fairy tales about selkies, swans and women, alongside cryptic verses Aura wrote and had secretly tattooed on her body.The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is about the far-reaches of sisterly love, the power of wearing your heart on your skin and the way life can transform when we find the courage to feel the fullness of both grief and joy.I was swept away by this triumphant and luminous story' Myfanwy JonesAstonishing in its scope, detail and sensitivity... tender, magical, epic, funny and devastating' Kate LeaverHolly Ringland creates expansive, magical worlds in her novels and packs them full of love' Victoria HannanRingland is a virtuoso of fairytale storytelling for adults' Sydney Morning HeraldVivid and soaring... a haunting story of trauma and redemption' Books+PublishingA beautiful story with shimmering layers of age-old stories and rituals from indigenous Australia and Scandinavia' The Yorkshire Times

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Book Synopsis'Anappara creates an endearing and highly engaging narrator to navigate us through the dark underbelly of modern India' Observer 'I love this book...I just fell into it' Tayari Jones We children are not just stories. We live. Come and see. Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari (even though she always gets top marks) and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job). When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth 'A heartrending tale' The Times 'Djinn Patrol is storytelling at its best' Anne EnrightTrade ReviewIt’s not hard to see why Djinn Patrol is one of the most eagerly awaited debut novels this spring. It feels like a reckoning with modern India and its many complex problems… Anappara cleverly filters a uniquely Indian horror story through a chirpy, Famous Five-esque narrative and the voice of a witty, young, have-a-go hero -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * The Times *Djinn Patrol is storytelling at its best. The prose is not just sympathetic, vivid, and beautifully detailed, but also completely assured and deft. We care about these characters from the first page and our concern for them is richly repaid -- Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize-winning author of The GatheringIn Jai, Anappara has created a boy vivid in his humanity, one whose voice somersaults on the page. Rich with easy joy, Anappara’s writing announces the arrival of a literary supernova... (Warning: If you begin reading the book in the morning, don’t expect to get anything done for the rest of the day.) -- Lorraine Adams * New York Times Book Review *Anappara's characters brim with swagger and spirit and she creates a world of wit, warmth and heart -- Nina Stibbe * i *A captivating literary style... A dazzling, wonderful book -- Elif Shafak * Daily Mail *

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Book Synopsis“The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.”—Joyce Carol Oates, bestselling author“He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.”—Leonard Cohen, songwriterBurning in Water, Drowning in Flame is poetry full of gambling, drinking and women. Charles Bukowski writes realistically about the seedy underbelly of life.

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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 SynopsisIan McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of nineteen novels and two short story collections. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; Nutshell; Machines Like Me; and Lessons. Atonement, Enduring Love, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach have all been adapted for the big screen.Trade ReviewA psychologically brilliant study of heartlessness * Sunday Telegraph *A psychologically brilliant study of heartlessness * Sunday Telegraph *One of the finest writers alive * Sunday Times *Full of gusto, straightforward, and delivers blows to the gut...shocking * Literary Review *McEwan writes here with unobtrusive panache * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewGritty and close to the bone, HOLD YOUR TONGUE is a compelling, addictive read that I devoured in one sitting. With complex, layered characters and a tension-fuelled plot, this is one of my favourite debuts of the year. * Lisa Hall, author of BETWEEN YOU AND ME *If you like your crime novels blood-curdling, Deborah Masson's debut is terrifying, edge-of-your-seat stuff. * Emma Curtis, bestselling author of ONE LITTLE MISTAKE *Hold Your Tongue is a tense debut in which the past and present collide with devastating consequences. I hope to read more of DI Eve Hunter. * Mari Hannah, author of THE LOST *With a twisty plot and dark, nuanced characters, Hold Your Tongue makes for compulsive reading. Not only is it a fantastic crime novel, but the start of an exciting new series. * Jack Jordan, author of BEFORE HER EYES *Gritty, gruesome and NOT to be missed!! Hold Your Tongue is a shocking and brilliant debut by an author who has the rare talent to drag the reader right into the heart of the story and keep them on the edge of their seat until the very last page. I loved DI Eve Hunter’s ability to be both fragile - emotionally and physically broken, and wracked with guilt - and at the same time 100% badass! She was an instantly likeable heroine and one I can’t wait to read about again. * Lauren North, author of THE PERFECT BETRAYAL *Expertly paced, intriguing and with a strong emotional kick - this is a great start to a fab new detective series. * SJI Holliday, author of VIOLET *Hold Your Tongue is a cracking police procedural with enough gruesome deaths to satisfy even the darkest appetite. * David Jackson, author of A TAPPING AT MY DOOR *A taut thriller. * Crime Reads *

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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 SynopsisWhen Helen offers her spare room to her old friend Nicola, she has little idea of what lies ahead. Nicola has cancer and, sceptical of the medical establishment, is in the city for a course of alternative treatment. She is determined to deal with her illness in her own way, regardless of the advice that Helen can offer.In the weeks that follow, Nicola's fight against cancer will turn not only her own life upside down but the lives of everyone around her. Told with humour and honesty, this unforgettable novel charts a friendship as it is tested in the face of death.Trade ReviewAt once artful, gripping and fiercely beautiful . . . even at the most painful moments Garner maintains a characteristic lightness of touch, a combination of wit and lyricism that is immensely alluring . . . [an] extraordinary, exhilarating novel [and] a burningly passionate account of the one experience we will all share -- OLIVIA LAING * * Observer * *A perfect novel, imbued with all Garner's usual clear-eyed grace but with some other magnificent dimension that hides between the lines of her simple conversational voice. How is it that she can enter this heartbreaking territory - the dying friend who comes to stay - and make it not only bearable, but glorious, and funny? There is no answer except: Helen Garner is a great writer; The Spare Room is a great book -- PETER CAREYOnly great fiction demands us to reset our moral compass and look at our value coordinates all over again. The Spare Room achieves this . . . And yet in a book this spare, written with such grace, Garner introduces in the interstices a calm, precise poetry * * The Times * *Exceptional . . . an unsettling and skilled work that raises important questions about the process of dying and what caring well for the dying requires . . . So powerful is The Spare Room's communication of the the triumphs and failures involved in dying . . . [that] the reader painfully ricochets between the various positions . . . Somehow as we read we actually become these characters . . . This extraordinary effect results in an uncomfortable read. Yet it is also an oddly exhilarating book - often funny, and grounded in a kind of ordinariness that is deeply restorative * * Financial Times * *A wise and affecting book * * Daily Mail * *In its bleak and highly comic storytelling, in spite, or perhaps, because of its subject matter, The Spare Room could be called a comedy of manners, in that its concern is how people behave towards each other and the repercussions of that behaviour. Its embattled characters are so real that by the last page you feel not just that you have read a magnificent novel but that you have experienced life itself -- PENNY PERRICK * * Sunday Times * *This is no mere cancer memoir. Rather, in Garner's brilliant retelling, it is a complex examination of the limits of friendship and of the problems of remaining a single woman into middle age . . . This is a superbly clever novel * * Guardian * *Swift, beautiful and relentless, The Spare Room is a brutal novel in the best sense -- ALICE SEBOLDCompulsively readable, searing . . . The best book I have read for years. Beautifully written, The Spare Room is terse and pacy. Every taut sentence rings with painful purity and attack -- STEVIE DAVIES * * Independent * *This novel's extraordinary feat is to be at once affecting, involving and sharply funny * * Sunday Times * *

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

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

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Book Synopsis**LITTLE ROT - THE NEW NOVEL FROM AKWAEKE EMEZI - IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW**SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD''Astonishing.'' Stylist''Electrifying.'' O: The Oprah Magazine''Brilliant and heartbreaking.'' Marie Claire''Propulsive and resonant.'' EsquireThey burned down the market on the day Vivek Oji died.One afternoon, a mother opens her front door to find the length of her son's body stretched out on the veranda, swaddled in akwete material, his head on her welcome mat. The Death of Vivek Oji transports us to the day of Vivek's birth, the day his grandmother Ahunna died. It is the story of an over protective mother and a distant father, and the heart-wrenching tale of one family's struggle to understand their child, just as Vivek learns to recognize himself.Teeming with unforgettable characters whose lives have been shaped by Vivek's gentle and enigmatic spirit, it shares with us a Nigerian childhood that challenges expectations. This novel, and its celebration of the innocence and optimism of youth, will touch all those who embrace it.What readers are saying:''The book is so beautifully written and I''ve never read anything like it ever before.''''This is a gorgeously written story of identity, sexuality, love, grief, friendship, and the need to live the life you want, even in a country where doing so might be deadly . . . This was emotional, beautiful, and so poignant, and their storytelling took my breath away.''''This book is both so joyful and so devastating.''''The way Emezi made me care so deeply about these characters was just incredible, so that when the whole truth of Vivek''s death was revealed I felt so personally affected by it. This book is about so many things all at once . . . The writing is so simple yet beautifully emotive. And I cried.''''FIVE HUGE STARS . . . The Death of Vivek Oji is a poignant and tantalizing novel that wraps you up in its web of characters and feeds on you with carnivorous force, all while softening your heart and mind to a world outside of the normal social constraints we have been conditioned to.''(Goodreads reader reviews)Trade Review'Emezi's surreal prose shines...extraordinary.' - Ayobami Adebayo, on FRESHWATER, Guardian'This book lured me in from the first sentence. It shook me to the core. This book forges its own glorious path. Read it now. Give it to everyone you know. Read it again.' - Daisy Johnson, on FRESHWATER

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONA mighty achievement' OCEAN VUONGBeautiful, brilliant' R. F. KUANGDazzling' OBSERVERWill shatter your heart' GLAMOURPowerful' SUNDAY TIMESAn extraordinary story of the journey of one young family through love, loss and unwavering hope.There are the goodbyes and then the fishing out of the bodies everything in between is speculation.One night, not long after the last American troops leave Vietnam, siblings Anh, Thanh and Minh flee their village and embark on a perilous journey in hope of a new life. Separated from their parents and fearing the worst they find themselves travelling alone in the world without a home to return to. After a twist of fate lands them in Thatcher's Britain, they must somehow build new lives there. Will the love they have for each other be enough to keep them together?Wandering Souls is a stunning, life-affirming testament to the healing power of stories.A Time and Guardian book of the yearShortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2023Poignant and lyrical' DAVID NICHOLLSA powerful story of courage, love and unwavering hope' MARIE CLAIREBeautiful I loved every word' PHILIPPA PERRYA deeply affecting reckoning with history' i-DTells one of the most important stories of our times' LUCY CALDWELLSpecial Reading it is like watching a writer at work' NEW YORK TIMESTrade Review‘I raced through it. Beautiful, brilliant, unflinching’ R. F. KUANG ‘This lean, affecting book packs a mighty punch and heralds a dazzling new talent’ OBSERVER ‘Powerful … a bold debut that breaks new ground’ SUNDAY TIMES ‘A deeply humane and genre-defying work of love and uncompromising hope through a long-overdue portrayal of Vietnamese life in the UK’ OCEAN VUONG ‘A heartbreaking novel … a deeply affecting reckoning with history’ i-D MAGAZINE ‘A poignant saga with its grieving, beating heart firmly in the right place, and heralds the arrival of an ambitious and promising new talent’ GUARDIAN ‘A powerful story of courage, love and unwavering hope’ MARIE CLAIRE ‘Something special – a polyvocal novel, an essay on inherited trauma and a quiet metafiction about telling stories we don’t own’ NEW YORK TIMES ‘Meticulously researched and beautifully imagined … deeply affecting’ TASH AW ‘As relevant now as it ever was. You won’t get through this without your heart breaking’ AnOther ‘Deeply moving and deeply generous … I cried reading it’ YARA RODRIGUES FOWLER ‘A searing, sweeping and intimate story of such heart and scope’ RACHEL LONG ‘Historical epic Wandering Souls … [offers] a very different take on the immigrant experience’ VOGUE ‘An enormously evocative portrait of dispossession’ FINANCIAL TIMES

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Book SynopsisBecky Barnicoat is a cartoonist and writer. She has drawn for the New Yorker, the Guardian, Buzzfeed and Grazia, and has a weekly cartoon strip in the New Statesman. Along with her debut book, Cry When the Baby Cries, she has also illustrated Holding the Baby by Nell Frizzell and 101 Tiny Changes to Brighten Your World by Ailbhe Malone. She lives with her family by the sea. Find out more at BeckyBarnicoat.com, and see her work on Instagram: @beckybarnicomics.

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Book SynopsisShakespeare''s Othello like you''ve never seen it - or read it - before! Classics in Graphics: Othello has been adapted into a graphic novel by expert authors, Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow, with illustrations by Kevin Hopgood and Martyn Cain. Watch Iago''s slimy plan play out like an irresistible thriller - as Othello''s self-doubt turns to fury and becomes more and more consuming.Classics in Graphics is a series of graphic novels for readers aged 10 plus that has inclusion at its heart, flinging wide the doors of literature for all to enter and understand. Including dyslexia-friendly design and encouraging readers to relate to iconic roles - casting spells, falling in love and winning duels. Each graphic novel includes pitch-perfect illustrations for depicting tragedy, romance, comedy or magic PLUS: - snappy simplified text presenting Shakespeare''s themes clearly - introductory materials to help set the scene

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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 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 SynopsisTHE NUMBER ONE IRISH BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD''A rare jewel'' John Banville''A genuine page-turner'' Donal Ryan''This is how you tell a story'' Cecelia AhernAt the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He''s alone, as usual - though tonight is anything but. Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories - of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice - the life of one man will powerfully and poignantly be laid bare.''A book to savour and pass on. An absolute joy'' Sunday Mirror''A rich and moving story, a poetic voice and unforgettable character in Maurice'' ElleTrade Review[An] impressively confident debut ... Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation * Guardian *[An] impressively confident debut ... Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation * Guardian *Anne Griffin's debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling - stunning!Anne Griffin's debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling - stunning!There is something special here . . . The next big name to emerge from the Irish writing scene.There is something special here . . . The next big name to emerge from the Irish writing scene.Griffin is a magical storyteller whose prose is effortless and clear. She conjures an intimate, poignant and ultimately enthralling portrait of a man who has battled loneliness and other demons throughout his life. Maurice is superbly well-realised: a character who tries to make amends and, in so doing, cracked my heart. * Daily Mail *Griffin is a magical storyteller whose prose is effortless and clear. She conjures an intimate, poignant and ultimately enthralling portrait of a man who has battled loneliness and other demons throughout his life. Maurice is superbly well-realised: a character who tries to make amends and, in so doing, cracked my heart. * Daily Mail *A book to savour, and pass on. An absolute joy * Sunday Mirror *A book to savour, and pass on. An absolute joy * Sunday Mirror *A hugely enjoyable, engrossing novel, a genuine page-turner.A hugely enjoyable, engrossing novel, a genuine page-turner.Maurice Hannigan is a wonderful invention, whose bitter-sweet meditations will stay long in the reader's mind. Anne Griffin has fashioned a rare jewel.Maurice Hannigan is a wonderful invention, whose bitter-sweet meditations will stay long in the reader's mind. Anne Griffin has fashioned a rare jewel.This is how you tell a storyThis is how you tell a story[Anne Griffin] builds a remarkably rich sense of place, while also tracing the wider changes affecting Ireland. ...Maurice is a lovingly rendered example of the current vogue for characters who have fallen through the cracks * Sunday Times *[Anne Griffin] builds a remarkably rich sense of place, while also tracing the wider changes affecting Ireland. ...Maurice is a lovingly rendered example of the current vogue for characters who have fallen through the cracks * Sunday Times *Beautifully written, unhurried and thoughtful, and a character you love from the off.Beautifully written, unhurried and thoughtful, and a character you love from the off.As candid a portrait of human frailty as you're likely to find. Griffin is uncannily accurate in her depiction of that peculiarly Irish emotional paralysis we're all familiar with. * Sunday Independent *As candid a portrait of human frailty as you're likely to find. Griffin is uncannily accurate in her depiction of that peculiarly Irish emotional paralysis we're all familiar with. * Sunday Independent *Pitch-perfect prose ... Moving and beautifully written, this is a wonderfully assured debut. * Mail on Sunday *Pitch-perfect prose ... Moving and beautifully written, this is a wonderfully assured debut. * Mail on Sunday *A proper tear-jerker, but one that will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful * Grazia *A proper tear-jerker, but one that will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful * Grazia *A warm and wise treasure of a book with a character whose voice draws you in from the start * The I *A warm and wise treasure of a book with a character whose voice draws you in from the start * The I *A rich and moving story, a poetic voice and unforgettable character in Maurice * Elle *A rich and moving story, a poetic voice and unforgettable character in Maurice * Elle *It's all beautifully done; a tale told in the plain but poetic prose of a man who recognises the tragic truths gleaned from a life of love and loss. A gem of a book * Sunday Express *It's all beautifully done; a tale told in the plain but poetic prose of a man who recognises the tragic truths gleaned from a life of love and loss. A gem of a book * Sunday Express *This could be one of the big book hits of 2019 * Red Magazine *This could be one of the big book hits of 2019 * Red Magazine *An atmospheric debut ... The most impressive aspects of this first novel are its rich, flowing prose, its convincing voice and its imaginative and clever structure ... Griffin is a welcome arrival to the literary scene * Irish Times *An atmospheric debut ... The most impressive aspects of this first novel are its rich, flowing prose, its convincing voice and its imaginative and clever structure ... Griffin is a welcome arrival to the literary scene * Irish Times *Griffin's strength is in voice and in the rhythm of her prose ... She is excellent at interrogating the complexity of Maurice's barriers * Irish Independent *Griffin's strength is in voice and in the rhythm of her prose ... She is excellent at interrogating the complexity of Maurice's barriers * Irish Independent *A rich, fluid debut novel * The I Newspaper *A rich, fluid debut novel * The I Newspaper *A heartfelt and impressive debut novel * Sunday Business Post *A heartfelt and impressive debut novel * Sunday Business Post *Poetic and touching without being sentimental, When All Is Said by Anne Griffin is something special. * Good Housekeeping *Poetic and touching without being sentimental, When All Is Said by Anne Griffin is something special. * Good Housekeeping *An emotional yet uplifting novel - we defy you not to fall in love with Maurice Hannigan and his heart-warming story. * Woman's Weekly *An emotional yet uplifting novel - we defy you not to fall in love with Maurice Hannigan and his heart-warming story. * Woman's Weekly *Will stay with you long after you close the cover * Irish Mail on Sunday *Will stay with you long after you close the cover * Irish Mail on Sunday *Beautifully written, this is a feast of Irish storytelling * Choice *Beautifully written, this is a feast of Irish storytelling * Choice *A powerful page-turner ... wonderfully poetic, atmospheric and moving. * Best *A powerful page-turner ... wonderfully poetic, atmospheric and moving. * Best *When All Is Said captures the texture of a night catching up with an old friend - the pleasures and comforts, the stories and surprises - one that you never want to end, and all the more bittersweet because you know, of course, that it must.When All Is Said captures the texture of a night catching up with an old friend - the pleasures and comforts, the stories and surprises - one that you never want to end, and all the more bittersweet because you know, of course, that it must.Maurice Hannigan is one of those rare and unforgettable characters whose lives we enter, inhabit for a time all too brief, and emerge from deeply changed. Anne Griffin is a writer with a bright, bright future.Maurice Hannigan is one of those rare and unforgettable characters whose lives we enter, inhabit for a time all too brief, and emerge from deeply changed. Anne Griffin is a writer with a bright, bright future.A warm and nourishing story from a writer of much promise. * RTE Guide *A warm and nourishing story from a writer of much promise. * RTE Guide *Griffin's debut is a beautiful and poignant page-turner. * Image Magazine *Griffin's debut is a beautiful and poignant page-turner. * Image Magazine *A fine literary debut from a writer I'm sure we'll hear more from * Mature Times *A fine literary debut from a writer I'm sure we'll hear more from * Mature Times *Superb ... incredibly moving without ever straying into sentiment * People *Superb ... incredibly moving without ever straying into sentiment * People *[Maurice's] story will make you laugh and cry - When All Is Said is a wonderful debut novel from Anne Griffin. She says she "wanted to write a damn good story". She has succeeded beyond her dreams. * My Weekly *[Maurice's] story will make you laugh and cry - When All Is Said is a wonderful debut novel from Anne Griffin. She says she "wanted to write a damn good story". She has succeeded beyond her dreams. * My Weekly *When All Is Said tells the tale of an imperfect man who you will not be able to forget. * Irish Country Magazine *When All Is Said tells the tale of an imperfect man who you will not be able to forget. * Irish Country Magazine *A beautifully written, perfectly paced, heartfelt novel * Saga *A beautifully written, perfectly paced, heartfelt novel * Saga *Tissues at the ready for what is a confident yet carefully written debut . . . I adored it. Utterly recommended. * Woman's Way *Tissues at the ready for what is a confident yet carefully written debut . . . I adored it. Utterly recommended. * Woman's Way *Achingly poignant and wryly funny, Irish author Anne Griffin's luminous debut is a celebration of stolen joy and lost opportunities * Waterstones Weekly *Achingly poignant and wryly funny, Irish author Anne Griffin's luminous debut is a celebration of stolen joy and lost opportunities * Waterstones Weekly *A heart-warming, heart-breaking and poignant debut of rare power. * NetGalley Books of 2019 *A heart-warming, heart-breaking and poignant debut of rare power. * NetGalley Books of 2019 *Griffin's stunning debut, brimming with irresistible Irish-isms, is an elegy to love, loss and the complexity of life. * People Magazine *Griffin's stunning debut, brimming with irresistible Irish-isms, is an elegy to love, loss and the complexity of life. * People Magazine *An accomplished debut. A sensitive layered description of grief and regret . . . excellent * Minneapolis Star Tribune *An accomplished debut. A sensitive layered description of grief and regret . . . excellent * Minneapolis Star Tribune *Beautifully realized * LitHub *Beautifully realized * LitHub *A portrait of a life in which revenge, love, loss, and misunderstanding all play their part . . . This is a wonderful piece of story-telling that is intimate, compassionate and extraordinarily assured. * Daily Mail *A portrait of a life in which revenge, love, loss, and misunderstanding all play their part . . . This is a wonderful piece of story-telling that is intimate, compassionate and extraordinarily assured. * Daily Mail *Anne Griffin's first novel has taken Ireland by storm . . . Immediate, often funny, sometimes dark and, on occasion, devastatingly sad. * The Times *Anne Griffin's first novel has taken Ireland by storm . . . Immediate, often funny, sometimes dark and, on occasion, devastatingly sad. * The Times *Nearly 40 years of publishing has made me a cynical reviewer of books, but, oh my god, it's impossible to be churlish about discovering such a fabulous and unforgettable character. A one-hit wonder this is not * NB Magazine *Nearly 40 years of publishing has made me a cynical reviewer of books, but, oh my god, it's impossible to be churlish about discovering such a fabulous and unforgettable character. A one-hit wonder this is not * NB Magazine *A gentle tale of an irascible Irish farmer, who spends the last day of his life toasting the five people who have meant the most to him- sure to move even the stoniest of hearts * Independent *A gentle tale of an irascible Irish farmer, who spends the last day of his life toasting the five people who have meant the most to him- sure to move even the stoniest of hearts * Independent *

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Book SynopsisCharles Bukowski examines cats and his childhood in You Get So Alone at Times, a book of poetry that reveals his tender side. The iconic tortured artist/everyman delves into his youth to analyze its repercussions.“The Walt Whitman of Los Angeles.”—Joyce Carol Oates“He brought everybody down to earth, even the angels.”—Leonard Cohen, songwriter

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Book SynopsisIan McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of seventeen books. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His novels include The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award; The Cement Garden; Enduring Love; Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize; Atonement; Saturday; On Chesil Beach; Solar; Sweet Tooth; The Children Act; and Nutshell, which was a Number One bestseller. Atonement and Enduring Love have both been turned into award-winning films, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach are in production and set for release this year, and filming is currently underway for a BBC TV adaptation of The Child in Time.Trade ReviewA macabre but unforgettable tale * Guardian *One of his very best… Deliciously disturbing. * Big Issue in the North *A macabre but unforgettable tale * Guardian *One of his very best… Deliciously disturbing. * Big Issue in the North *An unforgettable tale * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisGod. Truth. Existence. From the legendary author Cormac McCarthy, Stella Maris is a masterful coda to The Passenger.'It's an uncanny, unsettling dream, tuned into the static of the universe' – New York TimesA mathematician, twenty years-old, is admitted to the hospital. She has forty thousand dollars in a plastic bag, and one request. She does not want to talk about her brother.Stella Maris is book two in a duology, preceded by The Passenger.Praise for The Passenger:'What a glorious sunset song . . . It’s rich and it’s strange, mercurial and melancholic' – Guardian'The Passenger shows that McCarthy belongs in the company of Melville and Dostoevsky, writers the world will never cease to need' – New StatesmanPraise for Cormac McCarthy:‘McCarthy worked close to some religious impulse, his boTrade ReviewIt's an uncanny, unsettling dream, tuned into the static of the universe * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisPresented as a collection of confessional letters written by the eponymous protagonist, The Sorrows of Young Werther charts the emotional journey of a young man who, during a stay in a picturesque German village, falls in love with Lotte, a local woman engaged to another man. As he realizes that his passion is doomed to failure and constant pain, Werther contemplates taking the most drastic measures. Partly autobiographical, and the prototype for many later Romantic works in its depiction of the sensitive, tortured hero, Goethe's seminal classic is a timeless masterpiece of world literature.Trade ReviewI categorically say: read The Sorrows of Young Werther! -- Franz Kafka

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Book SynopsisTHE LIFE-AFFIRMING FOLLOW UP TO THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, 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__________No act done for someone else is ever wasted.The accident that killed Eddie left an indelible mark on Annie. Only a girl at the time, injured, scarred, and unable to remember why, Annie''s life is forever changed by the incident.Bullied by her peers and haunted by something she cannot recall, Annie struggles to find acceptance as she grows. When, as a young woman, she reconnects with Paulo, her childhood love, she believes she has finally found happiness.But when her wedding day ends in an unimaginable accident, Annie finds herself on her own heavenly journey. It will lead her to her very own five people, whose responsibility it falls on to teach her about the meaning of her life, and to her inevitable reunion with Eddie.__________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE NEXT PERSON YOU MEET IN HEAVEN''The story has your heart in a million pieces whilst you smile and simply can''t wait to read what happens next''''A master storyteller!''''A perfect end to an already perfect story. It is truly a gift for any reader''''Anyone who read the first book would expect this second book to be a work of art. It is just that''''Mitch Albom knows how to tug on the heartstrings!''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 *Albom has done it again... FIVE PEOPLE is a powerful book, powerful enough to make one's inner snob feel a little uncomfortable...Albom has touched the lives of a lot of people he never even knew. If there is a heaven, he can expect to have around 5.7 million people waiting for him there * TIME *[Eddie] learns not only about his life but also about what his time on earth meant. It is simple, unaffected and written with great feeling * PUBLISHING NEWS *Simply told, sentimental and profoundly true, this is a contemporary American fable that will be cherished by a vast readership . . . this slim tale, like Charles Dickens's A CHRISTMAS CAROL, reminds us of what really matters here of earth, of what our lives are given to us for * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *Mitch Albom lifts us to a new level ... You'll find here echoes of the classics - The Odyssey for one - and that puts Albom's book in the best of company * Frank McCourt, author of ANGELA'S ASHES *

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Book SynopsisDon't miss the new, devastatingly good thriller from Helen Fields, The Institution. Coming March 2023 available to pre-order now!Relentless pace, devilish cleverness and a laser-sharp focus on plot.' Chris BrookmyreWithout doubt, this is one of the best detective series I have read.' Woman's Way MagazineThere's no easy way to dieUnknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it's too late.But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible taskA very sinister premise and an intriguing killer's voice. Highly recommended.' James OswaldTrade Review‘Must read! With nail-biting twists at every turn, [Perfect Remains] will have readers gripped from start to finish.’ Closer ‘Read it in two sittings. I literally had no choice. A fast and enthralling thriller, pitting a new, very human hero against one of the scariest psychos I've yet encountered in crime fiction.’ Sunday Times bestseller, Paul Finch ‘Without doubt, this is one of the best first detective series I have read.’ Woman’s Way Magazine ‘Genuinely chilling.’ Saga Magazine ‘Watch out Rebus, McRae and Perez there’s a new detective in the running to become Scotland’s fictional top cop…a real cracker of a page-turner that is truly difficult to put down.’ Scotland Correspondent

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Book SynopsisWith a carefree outlook on life, Hiroto knows better than anyone that slowing down is sometimes the best way to move forward.At 29 years old, carefree Hiroto Ikuta doesn’t have a girlfriend, a full-time job, or a plan for the future—and he couldn’t be happier. Hiroto’s breezy attitude isn’t easy for everyone to understand, though. In a world filled with anxiety, confusion, and grief, Hiroto and the people who surround him are all just doing their best to figure out this thing called life.The summer weather isn’t the only thing heating up around Hiroto’s little family home. Hiroto’s best friend, Hideki, starts growing increasingly worried about becoming a father; Yomogi, Hiroto’s new friend, begins to crack under the stress of her busy real estate job; and Natsumi’s friend Akari struggles with her self-confidence. For people under so much pressure, Hiroto’s laid-back demeanor can

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Book SynopsisIn this memoir of loss, acclaimed writer and comedian Rob Delaney grapples with the fragile miracle of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind.When you''re a parent and your child gets hurt or sick, you not only try to help them get better but you also labour under the general belief that you can help them get better. That''s not always the case though. Sometimes the nurses and the doctors can''t fix what''s wrong. Sometimes children die.Rob Delaney''s beautiful, bright, gloriously alive son Henry died. He was one when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. An experience beyond comprehension, but an experience Rob must share. Why does he feel compelled to talk about it, to write about it, to make people feel something like what he feels when he knows it will hurt them? Because, despite Henry''s death, Rob still loves people. For that reason, he wants them to understand.A Heart That Works is an intimate, unfTrade ReviewThis book is so rich with grief and love and pain and humor and an incandescent, purifying, flame-throwing wrath. Though Delaney can't bring Henry back, he can - and does - show enough of him to the world to make a reader see him a little bit, know him a little bit, and fully love him. What an unbelievable gift -- Lauren GroffWhat a read. Its beauty and pain and humour and anger will help many people. This is a beautiful monument -- Richard OsmanThe weaving of the joy and pain, the love and loss, the absurdity of grief, is done so beautifully. It feels like a message in a bottle, a despatch, a communication from the depths of suffering and despair that ultimately brings a message of great hope -- Cathy RentzenbrinkIt is a gift, it's an immense piece of work. It's brilliant. It's needed, like a deep, physical draught of something strong and cold -- Russell T. DaviesI could have read about Henry for a thousand pages. It is impossible not to share in Delaney's tenderness, his attention, his anger, his night-black humor, and impossible not to see his son through his eyes: loved, learning, smiling ecstatically. I will turn to this book again and again, to feel deeply and to learn about this world from Henry -- Patricia LockwoodWarm and vivid and heartbreaking, humane and somehow even funny, Rob Delaney has written a very special tribute to a very special boy, and a beautiful treatise on what really matters in life -- Monica HeiseyI got to know Henry through Rob's words. His sweet soft head. His amazing smile . . . I cried a lot but also felt hopeful because life goes on and Rob talks you through how that happens. I am in awe. It's a love letter to fatherhood and the most beautiful tribute to a child who is so deeply adored. This book will sit with me for a very long time -- Dawn O'PorterDelaney is a phenomenal storyteller . . . A Heart That Works is in the same league as The Year of Magical Thinking in its stark, clarified articulation of grief * Buzzfeed *I love this book, and it is a tough ride, filled with grace and beauty and unimaginable pain. I cried a number of times, laughed a lot, grieved with the Delaneys, and underlined so many moments of courage, exposure, humanity and the deepest meaning. All I can say is Wow -- Anne Lamott, author of BIRD BY BIRDThis book is unlike anything I've ever read. Brutally honest, powerful, like a beautiful howl. A love letter to Delaney's precious boy. To his wife. His family. To parenthood. It is a book that will help so many grieving parents. I loved everything about it -- Laura Zigman, author of SEPARATION ANXIETYEmotionally raw, yet masterfully told. At the heart of this intimate story of coming to terms with the death is a stubborn embrace of life itself -- Mat Johnson, author of PYMI don't think I've ever read anything before that captures the enormity and power of parental love, how radical it is, how transformative and total -- Eleanor CattonIt taught me a lot about grieving, life, death and parenting. Every parent should read it. Every human should read it -- Philippa PerryThis is such an important, intimate and powerful book. It's unflinching. It stares grief right in the eyes and forces you to do the same -- Sue PerkinsBeautiful, funny, tender -- Lauren Laverne, Radio 6 Music Breakfast ShowSimply beautiful -- Nihal Arthanayake, Radio 5 LiveTender, perceptive and strangely, darkly funny amid unconscionable tragedy... This is a rallying call against the polite timidity that we often show grief * The i *A viscerally extraordinary book -- Elizabeth Day * How To Fail *Vital and very, very funny... As much as I wish he hadn't had to write it, I am glad he did. Because such deaths do happen. And they largely happen in private... That he is able to do so with such guiltless, funny and disarming honesty is testament to the profound effect of Henry's short but meaningful life -- Rory Kinnear * Guardian *Rob Delaney shows us his big, beautiful, messy, angry, kind, wise heart and gives us a full life to live instead of the half-life we have been living. I can't say enough about the seismic shift this book created in me -- Sarah PolleyLike Catastrophe, which laughs at and celebrates the messiness of married life, A Heart That Works is tragicomic, a jumble of joy and fear and laughter and pain... bleakly fun * Observer Magazine *A devastatingly candid account of a parent's grief that will have readers laughing and crying in equal measure... Few would attempt to bring humor and levity to such an unbearably sad story, but Delaney manages to do so with grace, sincerity, and warmth * Kirkus Starred Review *The book is remarkable for how deeply it delves into the granular aspects of death... This memoir is a big-hearted depiction of personal pain, urging readers to appreciate what they have * Sunday Independent *The most moving, thought-provoking and intimate account of navigating grief that you're likely to read... Delaney's book is shot through with profound anger, flashes of humour and most of all the enormous, all-encompassing love he feels for Henry and his family * Daily Express *How do you go on when the very worst happens? That's the question Catastrophe star and comedian Delaney grapples with in this raw account of losing his two-and-a-half-year-old son Henry to brain cancer in 2018. There are moments of dark humour amid the heartbreak, but expect to start crying on page 17 * Grazia *Wrenching . . . A Heart That Works is heartbreaking (and how can it not be?), but it's also an affecting portrait of a father's love for his son * Time *A heart-breaking, consoling, funny and angry lament . . . life-changing * Irish Times *[Delaney's] meditations on loss, family and hope are so profound you'll come out the other side of this book a different person * i news, Best Books of 2022 *A raw, painful and, at times, darkly funny memoir . . . As heartbreaking as the book may be, Delaney's pitch black humor buoys even the toughest moments . . . Delaney's book is ultimately about all-encompassing, heart-exploding love. * New York TImes *A love story unlike any other -- Mia FarrowThe pain comes less from horrifying details than from the way Delaney lures us into contact with the very aspects of our lives that are easiest to ignore: our fragilities, our constant proximity to calamity, our powerlessness to control what life brings, or when * New Yorker *A wrenching, unflinching and somehow often funny memoir * USA Today *It is a relief to read an account of grief that is not a series of hard-won life lessons wrapped in a gratitude journal . . . The result is a book that sings with life . . . That a book about a dead child is at times laugh-out-loud funny is a testament to Delaney's skill; in the hands of a lesser writer, the humor could seem dismissive or grasping instead of the natural release valve of a person who is highly attuned to the absurdity of the awful * Washington Post *A book that'll break a heart, and put it back together again...A life changing read * Stylist *Achingly beautiful * People *Extraordinary . . . it brims with chaotic life * Sunday Times *It is laugh out loud funny, and cry out loud sad, and warm as a huge log fire in winter and I could have carried on reading it for 1000 pages. * Mark Haddon *

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Book Synopsis''Terrific - terrifying, amazing'' STEPHEN KING ''Completely, indescribably magnificent'' MARIAN KEYES ----- A DISAPPEARANCE. A SMALL TOWN. A QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING... Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a remote Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force, and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But then a local kid comes looking for his help. His brother has gone missing, and no one, least of all the police, seems to care. Cal wants nothing to do with any kind of investigation, but somehow he can''t make himself walk away. Soon Cal will discover that even in the most idyllic small town, secrets lie hidden, people aren''t always what they seem, and trouble can come calling at his door. A gripping tale of breath-taking beauty and suspense that asks how we decide what''s right and wrong in a world where neither is simple, and what we risk if we fail. WINTER RICHARD AND JUDY BOOKCLUB PICK THE SUNDAY TIMES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2021 THE TIMES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2021 FT BEST BOOK OF 2020 THE GUARDIAN BEST CRIME AND THRILLER BOOK OF 2020 THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR 2020 ----- ''I''m a big fan of Tana French'' IAN RANKIN ''I didn''t want it to end'' HARRIET TYCE ''To say Tana French is one of the great thriller writers is really too limiting. Rather she''s simply this: a truly great writer'' GILLIAN FLYNN ''Immersive and atmospheric ... Cal and Trey could very well be the new sort of heroes we need in this strange world'' ARAMINTA HALL ''This is a tour de force of suspense and storytelling. Comes closer to perfection than anything I''ve read in the last decade'' SARAH HILARY ''The Searcher is its own kind of masterpiece'' WASHINGTON POST ''One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt''s The Secret History'' THE TIMES ''French offers a masterclass in unreliability'' SUNDAY TIMES ''[Crime fiction''s] biggest contemporary star'' GUARDIAN ''One of the finest writers of contemporary crime fiction'' THE DAILY MAIL ''An audacious departure for this immensely talented author . . . not to be missed'' THE NEW YORK TIMES ''Nuanced and compelling'' THE NEW YORKERTrade ReviewThis is a tour de force of suspense and storytelling. Comes closer to perfection than anything I've read in the last decade -- SARAH HILARYFrench offers a masterclass in unreliability * SUNDAY TIMES *A story of redemption and friendship, love and betrayal, it is a work of great strength and beauty * DAILY MAIL *This is a tour de force of suspense and storytelling. Comes closer to perfection than anything I've read in the last decade -- SARAH HILARYThis is a tour de force of suspense and storytelling. Comes closer to perfection than anything I've read in the last decade -- SARAH HILARYFrench offers a masterclass in unreliability * SUNDAY TIMES *This is completely, indescribably magnificent. Tana French is a pure genius -- MARIAN KEYESA story of redemption and friendship, love and betrayal, it is a work of great strength and beauty * DAILY MAIL *

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Book SynopsisFrom the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘March’ and ‘People of the Book’. A young woman’s struggle to save her family and her soul during the extraordinary year of 1666, when plague suddenly struck a small Derbyshire village. In 1666, plague swept through London, driving the King and his court to Oxford, and Samuel Pepys to Greenwich, in an attempt to escape contagion. The north of England remained untouched until, in a small community of leadminers and hill farmers, a bolt of cloth arrived from the capital. The tailor who cut the cloth had no way of knowing that the damp fabric carried with it bubonic infection. So begins the Year of Wonders, in which a Pennine village of 350 souls confronts a scourge beyond remedy or understanding. Desperate, the villagers turn to sorcery, herb lore, and murderous witch-hunting. Then, led by a young and charismatic preacher, they elect to isolate themselves in a fatal quarantine. The story is told through the eyes of Anna Frith who, at only 18, must contend with the death of her family, the disintegration of her society, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit attraction. Geraldine Brooks’s novel explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggle of 17th century science and religion to deal with a seemingly diabolical pestilence. ‘Year of Wonders’ is also an eloquent memorial to the real-life Derbyshire villagers who chose to suffer alone during England’s last great plague.Trade Review‘One of the best novels I’ve ever clapped eyes on’ Jenni Murray, Woman’s Hour ‘Geraldine Brooks’s impressive novel goes well beyond chronicling the devastation of a plague-ridden village. It leaves us with the memory of vivid characters struggling in timeless human ways with the hardships confronting them – and the memory, too, of an elegant and engaging story.’ Arthur Golden, author of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ ‘Geraldine Brooks's ‘Year of Wonders’ is a wonder indeed. The novel gives the reader a remarkable glimpse into a 17th century horror, but does so with both compassion and exuberance. Read it for the inventiveness of the language alone – a genuine treat.’ Anita Shreve, author of ‘The Pilot’s Wife’ and ‘The Last TIme They Met’ 'More than a mountain of corpses, more than a sensual evocation of the Sapphic bond between two women, more than a pulse-quickening tale, ‘Year of Wonders’ is a staggering fictional debut.' Guardian ‘’Year of Wonders’ carries absolute conviction as an evocation of place and mood. It has a vivid imaginative truth, and is beautifully written.’ Hilary Mantel

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Book Synopsis**Pre-order Graham Norton''s new novel Frankie now**''Such nuance and warmth! It''s GORGEOUS'' MARIAN KEYES''Beautifully written'' LIZ NUGENT''What a storyteller!'' ELIZABETH DAYGraham Norton''s powerful and timely novel of emigration and return demonstrates his keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy - with devastating results...It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding. The day before the ceremony a group of young friends, including bride and groom, drive out to the beach. There is an accident. Three survive, but three are killed. The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them are felt throughout the small town. Connor is one of the survivors. But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame of having been the driver. He leaves the only place he knows for another l

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“…alarmingly prescient and relevant…This accessible adaptation is poised to introduce Butler’s dystopian tale to a new generation of readers.” * Publishers Weekly *“…the graphic novel is faithful to Butler, yet still fresh in its world building.” * USA Today *“…Jennings’ work in the book is beyond stunning…” * The Beat *“The Parable of the Sower graphic novel… is as faithful an adaptation as you can get. Not only does it hit all the plot points, it perfectly portrays Butler’s balancing act in regard to how far society has fallen apart.” * Kirkus *“Duffy and Jennings have done justice to Butler’s work, losing none of the story’s richness and adding an exciting visual element that makes the reading experience even more visceral and engrossing.” * Foreword Reviews, STARRED review *“John Jennings’s work succeeds as sequential storytelling and approaches the level of iconography regularly.” * The Believer *“Jennings and Duffy are some of the most skilled and hardest working comics creators doing the work to radically transform and diversify the comics scene.” * Comicosity *“Jennings has captured [Butler’s] words with visual imagery in such an afrofuturistic, horror-esque way that the images jump off the page with every turn.” * Flickering Myth *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 40 MILLION READERS''Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary'' Cecilia Ahern__________One last chance. What would you say? When the residents of a small town on Lake Michigan start receiving phone calls from the afterlife, it becomes the subject of widespread attention. Is it the greatest miracle ever or a massive hoax?Sully Harding, a grief-stricken single father, returns to Coldwater from a stint in prison to discover his hometown gripped by ''miracle fever.'' Even his young son carries a toy phone, hoping to hear from his mother in heaven.As the calls increase Sully begins to dig into the phenomenon. Determined to discover who or what is behind the mystery, he gradually begins to piece together the pieces of his broken heart. __________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN''GrippTrade 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 * Cecelia Ahern *You will be shaken, stirred and, finally, a little teary. Gorgeous * Star *It's set to be a word-of-mouth hit. Buy it, read it, then pass it on * Woman *This page-turner challenges beliefs about relationships, loss and life after death * The Sun *This story unfurls with grace and drama . . . most enjoyable * Sunday Mirror *His most moving and surprising novel yet * Take A Break Fiction Feast *This will have you reaching for the tissues * No.1 Magazine *Beautiful and smart. Perhaps the most stirring and transcendent heaven story since Field of Dreams * Matthew Quick, author of The Silver Linings Playbook *A beautifully rendered tale of faith and redemption that makes us think, feel and hope - and then doubt and then believe, as only Mitch Albom can make us do * Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain *

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Book Synopsis''A gem'' - The Evening Standard''Pure book joy. Deep thinking made digestible & doled up with lashings of wit'' Bernardine Evaristo on Twitter ''So smart and interesting!'' Fearne Cotton on Instagram____________________________________________________________________________Ever wanted to know what really happens in a therapist''s consultation room? Bestselling author Philippa Perry (The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read) turns her keen insights to the power of therapy. This compelling study of psychotherapy in the form of a graphic novel vividly explores a year''s therapy sessions as a search for understanding and truth.Beautifully illustrated by Flo Perry, author of How to Have Feminist Sex, and accompanied by succinct and illuminating footnotes, this book offers a witty and thought-provoking exploration of the therapeutic journey, considering a range of skills, insights and techniques along the way.______________________________________________________________________________''I loved it. I smiled and laughed. And nodded. One to read'' Susie Orbach, author of In Therapy''(Full of) wit and good sense (...) Philippa is a tonic'' Rachel Cooke, ObserverTrade ReviewPhilippa is a tonic even if you're not her patient * Rachel Cooke *Pure book joy. Deep thinking made digestible & doled up with lashings of wit. How old habits hold us back. Perfect Xmas present. * Bernardine Evaristo *So smart and interesting! * Fearne Cotton *If you've ever wondered whether therapy is for you, Mrs Grayson Perry's entertaining, insightful guide will give you an idea (...) This is a story about connection, honesty and opening up emotionally - things many of us find difficult. Charmingly illustrated by daughter Flo * Evening Standard *Curl up with a fireside read (and) swot up with psychology * Glamour *a gem (...) funny, engaging, enlightening * Evening Standard *Perry offers a digestible, droll guide to the therapeutic process * i Newspaper *This can help many of us to understand the therapeutic process better * BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind with Claudia Hammond *winningly illustrated (...) absolutely fascinating and very funny * The Spectator Magazine *

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Book SynopsisA moving novel of love and war by the author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and Songbirds.It is July 1974 and on a bright, sunny morning, the Turkish army has invaded the town of Kyrenia in Cyprus. For many people, this means an end to life as they know it. But for some, it is a chance to begin living again. Everyone has always talked about Koki. They never believed she was her father's daughter and her mother died too soon to quiet their wagging tongues. And when she became pregnant and there was no sign of a husband, her fate was sealed. So she lives outside the town and hides from her neighbours' eyes. But, held captive with the very women who have made her life so lonely, Koki is finally able to tell them the truth. To talk of the Turkish shoe-maker who came to the town and took her heart away with him when he left. And how she has longed for him all these years. Meanwhile, Adem Berker finds himself back in Kyrenia, his former home, now as a member of the invading force. Here he left everything he ever wanted and, by cover of darkness, risking his life, he is searching every house, every cafe, every old pathway, for just a glimpse of the only woman he has ever loved.For readers of The Island, The Book Thief and The Kite Runner.Trade ReviewSo much more than another romantic beach, this is a powerful piece of writing - Sunday Telegraph

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Book SynopsisThirty-five years before the events of LITTLE BIRD, VOL. 1: THE FIGHT FOR ELDER''S HOPE, disillusioned mod-tracker MaxWeaver''s routine hunt for a modified child takes a grisly and unexpected turn. Now, saddled with an unpredictable mod whomay be the key to unlocking his missing memories, Max will soon find that he isn't the only one interested in the child's uniqueabilities - and if he wants to know more, it''ll cost him everything. In fact, the future may well depend on it.Eisner Award-winning creative team DARCY VAN POELGEEST and IAN BERTRAM reunite for their gripping return to thedystopian American Empire.

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Book SynopsisMiriam Gold is an artist and teacher from London. She has completed international residencies and been commissioned by the V&A and the Barbican, and was selected for the Emerging Writer's Programme at the London Library for her first book. Miriam holds an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins and a BA in History and Politics from the University of Liverpool. She teaches Art and Photography in a large secondary school in East London.

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Book Synopsis''Profoundly moving. An astonishing book, a true work of art'' Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers From the critically acclaimed author of The Vagrants, a devastating and utterly original novel on grief and motherhood''Days: the easiest possession. The days he had refused would come, one at a time. They would wait, every daybreak, with their boundless patience and indifference, seeing if they could turn me into an ally or an enemy to myself.''A woman''s teenage son takes his own life. It is incomprehensible. The woman is a writer, and so she attempts to comprehend her grief in the space she knows best: on the page, as an imagined conversation with the child she has lost. He is as sharp and funny and serious in death as he was in life itself, and he will speak back to her, unable to offer explanation or solace, but not yet, not quite, gone.Where Reasons End is an extraordinary portrait of parTrade Reviewan incredible piece of work * Chris Power, Open Book *a disquieting, delicate, affecting book * Irish Times *One of the most moving books I've ever read. * Leslie Jamison *Profoundly moving. An astonishing book, a true work of art. * Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers *The writing is raw and deeply affecting. * The Times *Heart-rending * The Sunday Times *Li writes with a shimmering and deeply felt precision. * Guardian *Unsentimental, brave and beautiful. An absolutely monumental book. * Daily Mail *The most intelligent, insightful, heart-wrenching book of our time. -- Andrew Sean GreerA masterpiece. This book haunts me more than any other novel I've read in recent years. -- Garth GreenwellA highly unusual novel in which a writer confronts one of life's deepest sorrows in losing her child. . . Funny, touching and profoundly moving -- Chigozie Obioma

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Book SynopsisThe undisputed pioneer of the horror, detective and science-fiction genres, Edgar Allan Poe was an accomplished poet as well as a celebrated writer of short stories. The present edition contains all of his works in verse, from the major poems of his maturity – such as his famous ballads ‘The Raven’ and ‘Lenore’ – to those he published in his youth and those that were collected immediately after his premature death in 1849. Also included in this volume is a selection of Poe’s essays on poetical composition and prosody, revealing that poetry was at the core of the American master’s vision of literature – something also demonstrated by the significant and enduring body of work he left behind in this field.

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Book SynopsisPoems deal with writing, death and immortality, literature, city life, illness, war, and the past.

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Book Synopsis''An instant classic that will be read for decades to come.'' Guardian''A stone cold masterpiece.'' Rachel Cooke, Observer''Spectacular.'' PW (starred review)''Something like David Lynch meets Raymond Chandler in Manhattan . . . as unnerving as it is hypnotic.'' Buzz MagIt was a wrong number that started it . . .From its iconic opening, The New York Trilogy famously blurred the lines between postmodern literature and noir fiction. Now, for the first time, all three books have been adapted for this landmark graphic novel, each by a different artist, and all overseen by Paul Auster before his death.In David Mazzucchelli's take on City of Glass, a writer of detective fiction is drawn into a real-life case far stranger than anything he has ever written; in Lorenzo Mattotti's Ghosts, a private eye is hired to stalk a man only to discover a case so puzzling he descends into madness; and in series Director Paul Karasik's The Locked Room, another author hopes to cure his writer's block by solving the disappearance of his childhood friend. As each artist channels the cross-genre thrills of their source material, with its joyous mix of highbrow and lowbrow, the result is a groundbreaking new visual take on a modern classic.

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Book SynopsisThis slow-burning story is set in the rural "badlands" of Northern Ontario, where tragedy and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. It is a universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harboured and driven underground.Trade ReviewBeautifully written, carefully balanced, Mary Lawson constructs a history of sacrifice, emotional isolation and family love without sounding a false note * Daily Mail *Full of blossoming insights and emotional acuity...a compelling and serious page-turner * Observer *Lawson's evocative storytelling...knows just how to draw the reader on...this is a novel of disappointed hopes and self-delusion, but it has a feel-good finish. Move over Lake Wobegon * Spectator *A novel of a darkly unpredictable and compelling kind. It is a wise book * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisWith a carefree outlook on life, Hiroto knows better than anyone that slowing down is sometimes the best way to move forward.At 29 years old, carefree Hiroto Ikuta doesn’t have a girlfriend, a full-time job, or a plan for the future—and he couldn’t be happier. Hiroto’s breezy attitude isn’t easy for everyone to understand, though. In a world filled with anxiety, confusion, and grief, Hiroto and the people who surround him are all just doing their best to figure out this thing called life.Change is in the air as the clear autumn skies sweep over Tokyo. Hiroto’s best friend, Hideki, adjusts to being a new father while Yomogi, the bustling real estate agent, helps a lonely writer look for a new apartment. And with the university arts festival right around the corner, an unexpected declaration of love may just bring the biggest change of all!

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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 Synopsis*ORIGINAL SERIES NOW STREAMING ON NETFLIX*At 16, I pretended to fall in love with AlyssaMeet James and Alyssa, two typical-seeming teenagers facing the fears of coming adulthood. As their story unfolds, the chapters alternating between each character's perspective, this somewhat familiar teenage experience takes a more nihilistic turn. With James becoming rapidly more sociopathic, and Alyssa willfully ignoring his violent fantasies, they are forced to take a road trip that owes as much to Badlands as The Catcher in the Rye -- and threatens both their futures forever.One of the most talked about graphic novels of recent years, The End of The Fucking World marks Charles Forsman's UK debut.

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Book SynopsisChild's Play is powerful family drama about the highs and lows of motherhood from Danielle Steel, the world's favourite storyteller.Kate Morgan is a senior partner at a prestigious New York law firm. A single mother after the death of her husband, Kate keeps a tight rein on her family, her career and even her own emotions.She couldn’t be prouder of her three grown children, who have all excelled in their chosen careers. But she’s never asked herself if she truly knows her children or their dreams in life. She is about to find out.One by one, each of her children makes a sudden choice that turns Kate’s world upside down. When events begin to escalate, Kate can't keep up and her heavily organized life is thrown into turmoil.Kate slowly discovers that happiness is living the life you can choose. But can she accept the paths her children have taken?

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Book SynopsisThe novels of the American writer, Cormac McCarthy, have received a number of literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His works adapted to film include All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and No Country for Old Men the latter film receiving four Academy Awards, including the award for Best Picture. McCarthy died in 2023 in Santa Fe, NM at the age of 89.Trade ReviewRemarkable… a staggering achievement * Scotsman *His sentences have the solidity of stones and the clarity of diamonds * Financial Times *A true work of literature… If McCarthy’s goal was for these books to haunt readers long after they are set aside, then he has succeeded. * LA Review of Books *Remarkable… [Stella Maris] harmonises both sadly and gorgeously with its recent predecessor. Side by side, both novels affirm the extraordinary poetry and strangeness of McCarthy’s vision * Sydney Morning Herald *Like Bach’s concertos, these triumphant novels depart the realm of art and encroach upon science, aimed at some Platonic point beyond our reckoning where all spheres converge * TIME *Great additions to McCarthy's already outstanding oeuvre and proof that the mind of one of our greatest living writers is as sharp as it has ever been. * NPR *

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