Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
SelfMadeHero Crime and Punishment
Book Synopsis
£11.69
Headline Publishing Group Isaac and the Egg
Book Synopsis*THE INSTANT SATURDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER**A PANDORA SYKES/FANE BOOK CLUB PICK**AS FEATURED ON BBC R4 OPEN BOOK***Pre-order Bobby Palmer''s spellbinding new novel, SMALL HOURS, now**''A tender story of love, grief and the transformative power of friendship'' GUARDIAN''Truly one of the most beautiful stories you''ll ever read'' JOANNA CANNON''Unique and tender'' PANDORA SYKES ''An arresting debut novel about grief, but in the most wonderfully oblique way'' REVEREND RICHARD COLESHeartbreaking and heart-stealing, this modern-day fable is an unforgettable novel about sorrow, joy, friendship and love.It is early. A young man stands on a bridge and lets out a heart-wrenching scream. From deep in the woods, something screams back. It sounds improbable. But this is how Isaac meets the egg. The two are unlikely companions. But their chance encounter will transforTrade ReviewTruly one of the most beautiful stories you'll ever read -- Joanna CannonI laughed, I cried, I sat quietly and thought about what I'd read . . . a future classic -- Clare MackintoshI read it in one breath . . . true and tragic and funny and hopeful and big - big enough somehow to contain all of our stories and all of our lives inside it -- Joanna GlenThis book is just magic -- Kate SawyerA mad, sad, funny debut -- Patrick GaleA tender, funny and surprising meditation on grief and hope . . . like nothing I've ever read before * Stylist *Heart-wrenching yet oddly soothing, this is utterly beautiful * PRIMA 'Book of the Month' *Sublime -- Bryony GordonAn extraordinary story . . . brimming with magic and - perhaps most importantly - hope * Glamour *A mesmerising debut, capturing everything that's funny and sad about real life -- David WhitehouseA mesmerising debut, capturing everything that's funny and sad about real life * Sunday Independent *Truly one of the most beautiful stories you'll ever read -- Joanna CannonThis novel will be everywhere. A mad, sad, funny debut -- Patrick GaleI laughed, I cried, I sat quietly and thought about what I'd read . . . a future classic -- Clare MackintoshIt's rare a book makes such an impact on me -- Ruth HoganThis book is just magic -- Kate SawyerA strange, funny, adventurous novel which will stay with me for a long time -- Mark WatsonI read it in one breath. Then I couldn't quite work out what had happened to me, but whatever it was, it was true and tragic and funny and hopeful and big - big enough somehow to contain all of our stories and all of our lives inside it -- Joanna GlenAn extraordinary story . . . brimming with magic and - perhaps most importantly - hope * Glamour *A mesmerising debut, capturing everything that's funny and sad about real life -- David WhitehouseA bold, beautiful undertaking -- Poorna BellFunny, sad, surreal, life-affirming . . . I too would like an egg -- Kasim AliBizarre, beautiful and like nothing else I've ever read -- Annie LordOne of the most inventive, funny and moving things you'll ever read -- Richard RoperVery moving and clever and the writing is beautiful . . . Although it starts with a death and darkness, it's a story of hope and embracing newness -- Justin Myers, the GuylinerA beautiful book . . . joyful, splendidly odd and ultimately profound -- Lizzie Pook
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Young Hag
Book SynopsisIsabel Greenberg is a London-based illustrator and writer. She is the author of three critically acclaimed graphic novels, including Glass Town, and has been nominated for two Eisner Awards. She is also the illustrator of several children's books and an associate lecturer at University of the Arts London.
£17.00
Vintage Publishing The Casebook of Stamford Hawksmoor
Book SynopsisBryan Talbot was born in 1952. He has worked on underground comics, science fiction and superhero stories such as Judge Dredd and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. His books include Alice in Sunderland, Dotter of Her Father's Eyes (with Mary Talbot), the first graphic novel to win the Costa biography award, and the Grandville series.
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers Beneath the Bleeding
Book SynopsisThe Number One bestselling crime series featuring Dr Tony Hill, hero of TV's Wire in the Blood. The award-winning Val McDermid is at the height of her powers in this tense masterclass in psychological suspense.The race is on to uncover the identity of a murderer with nothing to lose and everything to kill for.When Robbie Bishop, star midfielder for the Bradfield Vics, is poisoned by a rare and deadly toxin, profiler Dr Tony Hill and trusted colleague DCI Carol Jordan have their work cut out for them. Robbie was adored, so the public want answers but the answers aren''t coming, and trails are running cold.Then a bomb explodes in the football stadium, causing massive casualties and another man dies from poisoning. Is there a link between the cases? And what are the motives for these crimes? The clock is ticking for Tony and Carol and the death toll keeps risingTrade Review‘McDermid is at the peak of her murderous craft’ Mirror 'The Queen of serial killers in this country keeps her end up…. few can scoop Val on throat-clutching narrative… Marvellous' Daily Mail ‘All the craft, panache and pace that we have come to expect from this outstanding writer… Vintage stuff: unplug the phone, lock the door and prepare to read in a sitting’ Guardian ‘Peerless … One of the world’s finest crime writers, McDermid is currently at the top of her game’ Glasgow Herald ‘McDermid’s writing gets better and better’ Spectator
£10.44
Girl Friday Productions House of Frank
Book Synopsis
£12.34
Pan Macmillan The Pull of the Stars
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 *
£8.54
Orion Publishing Co The Sound of Being Human
Book Synopsis''Too often we treat popular music as wallpaper surrounding us as we live our lives. Jude Rogers shows the emotional and cerebral heft such music can have. It''s a personal journey which becomes universal. Fascinating'' Ian Rankin''Moving and absorbing, The Sound of Being Human mixes memoir, analysis, anecdote and personal chronicle into a mosaic that evokes what music means to the individual and the human tribe. A candid, beautiful read'' Stuart MaconieThe Sound of Being Human explores, in detail, why music plays such a deep-rooted role in so many lives, from before we are born to our last days. At its heart is Jude''s own story: how songs helped her wrestle with the grief of losing her father at age five; concoct her own sense of self as a lonely adolescent; sky-rocket her relationships, both real and imagined, in the flushes of early womanhood, propel her own journey into working life, adulthood and parenthood, and look to the future.Shaped around twelve songs, ranging from ABBA''s ''Super Trouper'' to Neneh Cherry''s ''Buffalo Stance'', Kraftwerk''s ''Radioactivity'' to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas'' ''Heat Wave'', the book combines memoir and historical, scientific and cultural enquiry to show how music can shape different versions of ourselves; how we rely upon music for comfort, for epiphanies, and for sexual and physical connection; how we grow with songs, and songs grow inside us, helping us come to terms with grief, getting older and powerful memories. It is about music''s power to help us tell our own stories, whatever they are, and make them sing.Trade ReviewToo often we treat popular music as wallpaper surrounding us as we live our lives. Jude Rogers shows the emotional and cerebral heft such music can have. It's a personal journey which becomes universal. Fascinating -- Ian RankinA stunning hybrid of memoir and music, soundtracking the indelible nature of sound. Rogers' moving, lyrical sentences sing and stop you in your tracks -- Sinéad GleesonI absolutely loved this book. It's a fabulously moving memoir, gorgeous and unique, and beautifully written - tender, funny, nostalgic and insightful, elegantly revealing so much about the power of music. It's given me a completely new take on the songs I have loved in my life and why I love them. What a joy. * Ruth Jones *Moving and absorbing, The Sound Of Being Human mixes memoir, analysis, anecdote and personal chronicle into a mosaic that evokes what music means to the individual and the human tribe. A candid, beautiful read -- Stuart MaconieI've not read a warmer, deeper or truer evocation of the intense and unique connection between person and song. In untangling her own life, Jude Rogers helped me understand mine. This book is truly beautiful -- David WhitehouseA beautifully written memoir of love, loss and the ways in which music can move us in unseen ways. Jude is a rare talent -- Sirin KaleJude Rogers is one of our very finest music writers, and The Sound of Being Human shows us exactly why: tender, whip-smart, passionate and meticulous. All music fans will relish this book -- Laura BartonThere are books that have made me cry and books that have taught me about the psychological effects of music, but Jude's is the only one that has done both. It's a wonderful thing - real food for the heart and head. A book that lots of people will treasure -- Mat OsmanJude Rogers is one of my favourite writers and one of my favourite people. Having been interviewed by her many times I'm always bowled over by her constant passion for music, new and old, and the way she can take you to a time and a place in a few words. This is a beautiful memoir about how music can shape your life, sometimes change your life, and I defy anyone not to have a little cry along the way -- Sarah CracknellBoth heavy and light, dark and sweet - I very much like this book -- Kristin HershEvocative, intelligent and touching. So brilliant on that rush you get from the music that shapes, describes, soundtracks & changes your life. I love Jude's writing and her power to conjure the emotions you felt when you first heard a certain song -- Mhairi McFarlanePersonal but universal, The Sound Of Being Human is a moving, funny and very smart exploration of what music does to you and how it does it -- Alexis PetridisTracing the relationship between music, memory and emotions - Jude Rogers has created a finespun weave of heartfelt memoir, keen insights into the inner workings of pop music, merging into mind-expanding chunks of science. An absorbing and poignant book -- Philip ClarkA beautifully written book offering fresh insight into the way the mind processes music as well as giving a glimpse into Jude's own life as a writer, mother and broadcaster -- Ralph Moore, Mixmag magazine/Worldwide FMJude Rogers takes on one of the most intriguing questions of all: how some songs come to mean so much to us, curling themselves around our memories of that blissful summer or bleak winter. As I read this warm and honest book, I realised its true subject is not pop music, not really. It is rather an exploration of love - how it is formed and maintained, and what it leaves behind -- Aditya Chakrabortty, Senior Commentator, the GuardianA brilliantly unjaded exploration of the power of songs to intoxicate, enthuse and reassure * Guardian *Fascinating read, which, far from reducing music, enriches it * Mojo *A moving meander through Rogers' musical memories * Big Issue *Her writing brims with the lively, engaged intelligence of someone who lives in her material * Record Collector *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The General in His Labyrinth
Book SynopsisThe General in his Labyrinth is the compelling tale of Simón Bolívar, a hero who has been forgotten and whose power is fading, retracing his steps down the Magdalena River by the Nobel Laureate Gabriel García Márquez, author of One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. ''It was the fourth time he had travelled along the Magdalena, and he could not escape the impression that he was retracing the steps of his life''At the age of forty-six General Simón Bolívar, who drove the Spanish from his lands and became the Liberator of South America, takes himself into exile. He makes a final journey down the Magdalene River, revisiting the cities along its shores, reliving the triumphs, passions and betrayals of his youth. Consumed by the memories of what he has done and what he failed to do, Bolívar hopes to see a way out of the labyrinth in which he has lived all his life. . .. ''An exquisite writer, wise, compassionate Trade ReviewA fascinating tour de force and a moving tribute to an extraordinary man * Margaret Atwood *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Pure Colour: the new novel from the author of
Book Synopsis** SHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE 2023**** WINNER OF THE 2022 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD IN FICTION**Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vulture, The Times Literary Supplement, and moreWhat if this world is just a first draft, made by some great artist in order to be destroyed?In this first draft, a woman named Mira leaves home to study. There, she meets Annie, whose tremendous power opens Mira's chest like a portal - to what, she doesn't know. When Mira is older, her beloved father dies, and she enters that strange and dizzying dimension that true loss opens up.Pure Colour tells the story of a life, from beginning to end. It is a contemporary bible, an atlas of feeling and a shape-shifting epic that is celestially bright and streaked with beauty.'Beautiful and impossible to put down. Sheila Heti is a genius.' Avni Doshi'This one-of-a-kind novel... feels nothing less than vital.' Observer'An original, a book that says something new for our difficult times.' Anne Enright, Guardian'A treat.' Stylist_______________________PRAISE FOR SHEILA HETI:'Exhilarating...it made me want to write' Sally Rooney, on How Should a Person Be?'Sheila Heti has broken new ground' Rachel Cusk, on Motherhood'Complex, artfully messy and hilarious' Miranda July, on How Should a Person Be? 'Thrilling, very funny, and almost unbearably moving' Garth Greenwell, on Motherhood'Courageous, necessary, visionary' Elif Batuman, on MotherhoodTrade ReviewAn impressive spectrum of meaning and feeling, both abstract and tangible... This one-of-a-kind novel... feels nothing less than vital. -- Anthony Cummins * Observer *Pure Colour is the apocalypse written as trance, a sleepwalker's song about the end of all things... There is also Heti's lovely prose to enjoy, her beautifully sustained tone, the way she is, as a writer, earnest, funny and sweet... Pure Colour is an original, a book that says something new for our difficult times. -- Anne Enright * Guardian *Exemplifies both originality and sharpness... the kind of book that you start reading again as soon as you finish it, to see how on earth the author pulled it off... Descriptions of grief that are so surprising and true they made me gasp. -- Hadley Freeman * Guardian *Pure Colour is not just a novel, it's a creation myth, a fairy tale, a story about making art and living on this planet. A story about death and the irresistible inner stirrings that bring us back to life. Beautiful and impossible to put down. Sheila Heti is a genius. -- Avni DoshiWonderfully entertaining... a treat to read. Expect to take in the work of a true wordsmith. -- Kiran Meeda * Stylist *What makes Heti's novels so compelling is... the questions her characters need answering at moments of flux in their lives... [Pure Colour] left me full of admiration and wonder. -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * New Statesman *An explicitly mystical book... So new...This book, so full of argument, feels weightless. -- Parul Sehgal * The New Yorker *Just like that, there's magic. Like Iris Murdoch's novels, Heti's are philosophically intense, although Heti's work is pared down where Murdoch's was Rabelaisian. Heti owns a sharp axe. In Pure Colour the wood chips that fall are as interesting as the sculpture that gets made. -- Dwight Garner * The New York Times *Buoyed by a dazzling assortment of questions, curiosities and wild propositions that betray the author's agile and untamed mind...[Pure Colour] brings into view a certain organic and ecstatic wholeness: bright splashes of feeling and folly, of grief and loss...[it] defies classification. -- Alexandra Kleeman * New York Times Book Review *Heti excels at small moments, delicately revealed. * Daily Telegraph *Heti is brilliant at nailing down universal cultural experiences. * Sunday Times *A philosophical fable about art, death, faith and the perilous state of the universe. * Daily Mail *It isn't often that a novel dares to rethink the order of the universe we live in, yet in Pure Colour, Sheila Heti aims for just that. Making new sense of our cracked world through a vulnerable meditation on love and art that feels both personal and cosmic, this is a book that takes good care of its reader, and heals. -- Livia FranchiniThe most timely, urgent book of 2022... It feels both as thrillingly inventive as [Heti's] ever been and also defiantly and satisfyingly middle-aged... Genius. -- Lynn Steger Strong * Los Angeles Times *Pure Colour is unabashedly metaphysical and completely outlandish...Yet neither grief nor theology can suppress Heti's oddball wit and affection for wildly inappropriate sexual metaphors, for which a reader should be grateful... Heti is the rare mystic with a sense of humor. -- Judith Shulevitz * The Atlantic *Sheila Heti has the innate ability to capture feelings and thinkings that can seem so mercurial, and to provoke new avenues of thought on social codes, with challenge, care, and clarity. Her writing is both a relief and an invigoration. -- Anna Cafolla * AnOther, *Books to Look Out For 2022* *Pure Colour will make you question life and choices in the same philosophical and lyrically written way. -- Alice Snape * Cosmopolitan, *Books to Look Our For 2022* *Heti has evolved the leanest, more powerful, playful, and entirely unique form for writing ideas. With one foot in the everyday and another in the floating world, Pure Colour is a pure feat. -- Joanna WalshPure Colour...[is] a honed gem, a surreal bildungsroman... With its philosophical meditations, poetic vignettes and absurdist comedy, it is...a bracing reminder that the novel is the literary form where a writer is free to do anything... Heti...[is] an original and influential voice in contemporary fiction -- Max Liu * i *Heti's... writing is beguiling, funny and wise. The novel's surreal elements invite as many interpretations as an abstract painting -- Alastair Curtis * Prospect *Heti's work is always original - that Pure Colour is also deeply moving makes it all the more remarkable * New Statesman, *The best books of 2022 so far* *Compelling -- Emily Witt * London Review of Books *A philosophical novel as timely as the fictions of Camus and Hesse were for another generation. Heti's voice, however, is entirely her own: bold, searching, hilarious, simultaneously artful and artless... her grandest...novel yet * Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year* *
£9.49
Top Shelf Productions The Shadower
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£16.19
Vintage Publishing Tongues of Fire
Book Synopsis** WINNER OF THE LAUREL PRIZE 2021 ****A SPECTATOR AND IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020****SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES / UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2020****SHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN POLLARD FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE 2021****SHORTLISTED FOR THE DALKEY LITERARY EMERGING WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021**A remarkable first collection by an important new poetIn this collection, Seán Hewitt gives us poems of a rare musicality and grace. By turns searing and meditative, these are lyrics concerned with the matter of the world, its physicality, but also attuned to the proximity of each moment, each thing, to the spiritual. Here, there is sex, grief, and loss, but also a committed dedication to life, hope and renewal. Drawing on the religious, the sacred and the profane, this is a collection in which men meet in the woods, where matter is corrupted and remade. There are prayers, hymns, vespers, incantations, and longer poems which attempt to propel themselves towards the transcendent. In this book, there is always the sense of fragility allied with strength, a violence harnessed and unleashed. The collection ends with a series of elegies for the poet's father: in the face of despair, we are met with a fierce brightness, and a reclamation of the spiritual. 'This is when / we make God, and speak in his voice.'Paying close attention to altered states and the consolations and strangeness of the natural world, this is the first book from a major poet.Trade ReviewSeán Hewitt soars... His poetry will stand the test of time, for...the sheer musicality of the language, the lightness on his metrical feet, and his keen ear for "the music of what happens" charm the reader into submission. This is an astonishingly assured debut delivered in a poetic voice that has eloquence, compassion, and serenity in equal measure...in the pantheistic tradition of Wordsworth, Whitman, John Clare, and Seamus Heaney... When it comes to nascent talent, we Irish have a tendency to mistake the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy for the ninth, thrusting premature greatness upon the liveliest embryos. By contrast, Hewitt seems to have sprung fully formed into the literary world and, on this showing, nothing seems beyond him. -- Bert Wright * Sunday Times *It is extraordinary to encounter a debut collection that feels as established as Seán Hewitt’s… These unmediated poems are, at the same time, charged: they pull you in swiftly, you become immersed… In ‘Tongues of Fire’, the title piece and last in the collection, the present is burning. It is an exceptionally moving poem – impossible to read without a lump in the throat… He grafts the people and circumstances of his life on to nature with unerring brilliance… This is, above all, a devotional collection and will lift the spirits of all who read it…. He has a gift for gravity, rootedness, calm… Hewitt has the confidence to relax and to allow his poems, in an unaffected and sometimes conversational way, to speak to the heart. -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *Poetry Book of the Month* *I fell into [Tongues of Fire] one morning and read the whole book through and it truly warmed my soul. He's an exquisitely calm and insightful lyric poet, reverential in nature and gorgeously wise in the field of human drama. It's a stunning collection of poems. -- Max Porter * Irish Times *Best Books of 2020* *Very accomplished poems. -- Sebastian Faulks * Spectator *Books of the Year* *This is an extraordinary collection - heart-bruising, tender - one to cherish, and live by. Though Hewitt moves us through anguish and destruction, love still glows; and in the dark undoings of these poems, decay lights the wildwood with its strange, ethereal foxfire. As Hewitt writes, "it is hard to tell where heaven starts"; I find it in these poems, which are beyond-gorgeous, beyond-glorious, blood-felt, feral, luminous. -- Fiona BensonSeán Hewitt understands that poetic form is sacred and mysterious. In these godforsaken times his reverent procedures are food for the soul. -- Michael LongleyI fell in love with these wild, heartsore, ecstatic poems. They lead us to deep, hushed places - in the woods and heaths, in our hearts and bodies - and unearth such tenderness and dark treasure. Tongues of Fire is a beautiful book and Seán Hewitt is an extraordinary writer. -- Liz BerryIn Tongues of Fire, Hewitt crafts poems of intense beauty and endless range, which glisten with queer desire... Considered and poised, every line in this stunning compilation surprises and nurtures. -- Uli Lenart * attitude, *Books of the Year* *
£10.00
Avery Hill Publishing Second Shift
Book Synopsis
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers The Institution
Book SynopsisOn a locked ward in the world''s highest-security prison hospital, a scream shatters the night. The next morning, a nurse''s body is found and her daughter has been taken. A ransom must be paid, and the clock is ticking. Forensic profiler Dr Connie Woolwine is renowned for her ability to get inside the mind of a murderer. Now, she must go deep undercover among the most deranged and dangerous men on earth and use her unique skills to find the girl - before it''s too late. But as the walls close in around her, can Connie get the killer before The Institution gets her?--Trade Review PRAISE FOR THE INSTITUTION: ‘Deliciously dark and utterly compelling – I couldn’t put it down.’ – Clare Mackintosh ‘Brilliant! The Institution is a harrowing, nonstop story that will grab you from the first page and not let go. You’ll consume it in one sitting.’ – Jeffery Deaver ‘Quite simply, wow! One of the best high concept thrillers I've read in forever. I raced through this riveting thriller in a single, breathless session of oh-my-God-what-is-going-to-happen-next.’ – New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner ‘Absolutely AMAZING. Tense, engrossing and gripping with a truly unique main character.’ Angela Marsons ‘An intense, fast paced, locked room thriller. A brilliant concept which kept me guessing right until the end. Fields is at the top of her game.’ John Marrs ‘Dark and atmospheric with some brilliantly horrific characters. Compelling and unputdownable.’ – Catherine Cooper ‘A terrifying, shocking, pulse racing thriller. One of the best crime novels I've read in a long time.' – Jacqui Rose ‘Criminally compulsive, claustrophobic and captivating, The Institution is Helen Fields at her just-one-more-chapter best.’ – Neil Broadfoot 'Scary, tense and totally absorbing, I just couldn't put it down. Wonderful.' – Simon McCleave ‘A wonderful, compulsively gripping rollercoaster of a read.’ – Liz Nugent ‘A white-knuckle ride that is completely addictive. Chillingly effective.’ – B P Walter
£8.54
Scholastic US Raina Telgemeier Five Book Collection Smile Drama
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
£43.96
HarperCollins Publishers Cold Granite
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
£8.54
Simon & Schuster Ltd Preloved
Book Synopsis‘Lauren Bravo is one of my very favourite writers’ Dolly Alderton Gwen is coasting through life. She’s in her mid-thirties, perpetually single, her friends are busy procreating in the countryside and conversations with her parents seem to revolve entirely around the council’s wheelie-bin timetable. And she’s lonely. But then, isn’t everyone? When she’s made redundant from a job she hardly cares about, she takes herself out for a fancy dinner. There she has the best sticky toffee pudding of her life and realises she has no one to tell. She vows to begin living her life fully, reconnect with her friends and family, and finally book that dentist’s appointment. Gwen decides to start where all things get a second chance: her local charity shop. There, with the help of the weird and wonderful people and donated items bursting with untold storiesTrade 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
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Child in Time
Book SynopsisNow a major BBC drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch''Only Ian McEwan could write about loss with such telling honesty'' Benedict CumberbatchOn a routine trip to the supermarket with his daughter one Saturday morning, Stephen Lewis, a well-known writer of children''s books, turns his back momentarily. When he looks around again, his child is gone. In a single moment, everything is changed. The kidnapping has a devastating effect on Stephen''s life and marriage. Memories and the present become inseparable - as Stephen gets lost in daydreams of the past - and time bends back on itself, dragging Stephen''s own childhood back into the present.Trade ReviewSpooky...a wonderful novel * Observer *The Child in Time is an extraordinary achievement * Guardian *It is marvellously written, moving, serious, readable... If you want to be appalled, refreshed, exhilarated, enlivened - read it * Sunday Times *His masterpieceArtistically, morally, and politically, he excels * The Times *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Are You My Mother
Book SynopsisAlison Bechdel is the author of the bestselling memoir Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, which was named a Best Book of the Year by Time, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Times, and People among others. For twenty-five years, she wrote and drew the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, a visual chronicle of modern life - queer and otherwise - considered 'one of the pre-eminent oeuvres in the comics genre.' Alison Bechdel is guest editor of Best American Comics, 2011, and has drawn comics for Slate, McSweeney's, Entertainment Weekly, Granta, and the New York Times Book Review.http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/Trade ReviewFun Home and Are You My Mother? are the kind of head-spinningly thoughtful and textured works that make you rejoice in the comic-book form. * Daily Telegraph *I emotionally lost myself in this book… It made me realise that people aren’t always perfect. -- Tavi Gevinson * ELLE *It’s a beautiful (and beautifully illustrated) look at the complexity and dysfunctionality of family through a unique lens – and frames things in such a way that you can’t help but re-examine your own relationships, too. -- Emily Reynolds * Stylist *Are You My Mother? is a work of the most humane kind of genius, bravely going right to the heart of things: why we are who we are. It's also incredibly funny. And visually stunning. And page-turningly addictive. And heartbreaking. -- Jonathan Safran FoerAs absorbing as it is graced with a deceptive lightness of touch, it is clever, brilliantly pieced together, and utterly unusual. -- Robert Collins * Sunday Times *
£18.00
Cornerstone The Things That We Lost
Book SynopsisAN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF 2023WINNER OF THE 2021 #MERKY BOOKS NEW WRITERS' PRIZE'Secrets spill and relationships sour, sacrifices are made and promises are broken, as plot twists propel the narrative forward to a dramatic finale.'- The Guardian'An assured debut from a vital new voice. About family, grief and belonging, Patel weaves an intricate story that will stay with you.' - Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby and The Good ImmigrantNik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule.When his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life.As the carefully crafted portrait Avani has painted for her son begins to crack, and painful truths emerge, can the two of them find their way back to each other?The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love.'Brilliant.' - Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother and Sista Sister'Incredibly moving, this is an immersive novel focusing on grief but also love and relationships. I fell in love with Avani and Nik, characters so real I could hardly believe they're fictional. Jyoti Patel is a hugely exciting new writer.' - Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City and Miss Aldridge Regrets'A thoughtful meditation on family, grief and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love.' - Good Housekeeping 'A deftly assured debut novel about a fractured family and how words left unspoken can be more devastating than the truth.' - Red Magazine'One of the best books I've read this year.' - gal-demTrade ReviewAn assured debut from a vital new voice. About family, grief and belonging, Patel weaves an intricate story that will stay with you. * Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby and The Good Immigrant *Brilliant. * Candice Brathwaite *Incredible. * Guz Khan *Effortlessly weaving intricate intergenerational stories across time, Jyoti has written a poignant debut. * Christian Adofo, author of A Quick Ting on #Afrobeats *A big book, full of assured and affecting writing. . Secrets spill and relationships sour, sacrifices are made and promises are broken, as plot twists propel the narrative forward to a dramatic finale. * The Guardian *One of the best books I've read this year. * gal-dem *A thoughtful meditation on family, grief and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love. * Good Housekeeping *A deftly assured debut novel about a fractured family and how words left unspoken can be more devastating than the truth. * Red Magazine *Patel's novel revolves around the lingering trauma of bereavement and shows the lengths we go to to protect those closest to us. Sensitively written with a deep, emotional undercurrent. * Mr Porter *Highly recommended. * Huffington Post *The debut novel from 2021 Merky Books New Writers' Prize winner Jyoti may be one of the best books you read this year. The Things That We Lost is an achingly tender and heartfelt exploration of family, loss, and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love... Jyoti Patel is an exciting new writer, deftly exploring deep family intricacies, love and grief in equal measure. * Platinum *An invigorating narrative centred around family, loss and protection. * The Handbook *There is an immersive and intimate quality about Patel's writing - from its portrayal of London teenage slang to the detailed depiction of British-Gujarati culture. Her characters have a depth that brings a poignant reality to issues around coping with grief, abuse and racial prejudice, and navigating family and friendship dynamics. An enthralling read." * Breaking News.ie *Immeasurably moving, a poignant and touching story about love and family bonds, and an especially tender portrait of a mother and son. * Huma Qureshi *A deeply reflective, searching depiction of grief. * Rabeea Saleem, The Times Literary Supplement *The Things That We Lost took me by the hand and guided me through my worst ever reading slump! Patel writes about the complexities of family life with such wisdom and heart. * Sairish Hussain *Captivating and deeply moving. * Mohsin Zaidi *Frank, funny and light on its feet, it's a novel about generations, hopes and grief. A writer with a deft turn of phrase. * Ali Smith *A beautiful novel; it feels real and honest, with characters that seem to lift off the page and come alive…[it] is a book bursting with love * The List *Immeasurably moving, a poignant and touching story about love and family bonds, and an especially tender portrait of a mother and son. * Huma Qureshi *
£15.29
Vintage Publishing Late in the Day: The classic Sunday Times
Book Synopsis'Unflinching, intelligent and fascinating' Marian KeyesThe lives of two close-knit couples are irrevocably changed by an untimely death in this Sunday Times bestselling novelAlex and Christine and Zach and Lydia have been inseparable since their twenties. From student house-shares and grubby pubs to proper homes and grown-up careers, the two couples' lives have been interlinked for decades. Then one evening, Alex and Christine receive a call from a distraught Lydia. Zach is dead. Inconsolable, Lydia moves in with Alex and Christine. But instead of their loss bringing them closer, the three of them find that love and sorrow give way to anger and bitterness as old entanglements and resentments rise from the past.'A fine-grained novel of friendship, loss and jealousy' Sunday Times, *100 Great 21-Century Novels*Trade ReviewTessa Hadley is one of our finest writers. The sensitivity of her psychological insight and understanding is unmatched by anyone writing today... [in Late in the Day], Hadley comes into her own. It’s glorious stuff: moving, beautiful and so enjoyable. All hail Queen Tessa! -- Robbie Millen and James Marriott * The Times *Books of the Year* *Hadley’s wonderful tale [Late in the Day –] measured, ironic, disarmingly perceptive – picks up on all the contradictions of human existence. With Hadley, you know there’s an adult in the room. * Observer *The quintessential domestic novel in the most elevated sense… excellently insightful on family dynamics and the intricacies of close friendship. * The High Low podcast *With each new book by Tessa Hadley, I grow more convinced that she’s one of the greatest stylists alive… her quietly elegant style and muted wit are triumphs… the everyday tragedies and betrayals of domestic life [are] rendered by Hadley’s prose into something extraordinary… The tone of Late in the Day is perhaps Hadley’s most delicate accomplishment. * Washington Post *You know you are in safe hands with Tessa Hadley who, on a sheer sentence-by-sentence level, delivers more enjoyment than almost any other living writer... you'll be hanging on to every word. -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail *The Best Holiday Reading* *There may be no historical newness to women’s disenchantment with male authority, but it feels new to write about it with this much raw honesty… It’s to her great credit that Hadley manages to be old-fashioned and modernist and brilliantly postmodern all at once… Unlocking age-old mysteries in ways both revelatory and inevitable. We’ve seen this before, and we’ve never seen this before, and it’s spectacular. * New York Times *My favourite novel of 2019 by a long way was Tessa Hadley's Late in the Day… Hadley is a beautifully descriptive writer and a penetrating observer of human nature. -- James Marriott * Sunday Times *Books of the Year* *Like all Hadley’s novels, Late in the Day enthrals. * Tatler *Tessa Hadley picks apart the stitches of marriage, friendship and self with an almost forensic curiosity [in Late in the Day], cementing her place as one of Britain's finest writers of contemporary fiction. * Vogue *Hadley examines profound areas of life – friendship, marriage, parenthood, grief, love – with a delightful precision, hitting different nails on the head over and over again… Her novel is full of these piercing little moments of revelation… [because of] the crispness of Hadley’s narrative, and the wisdom of her observations: you trust her… [Late in the Day has] a touch of genius. * Mail on Sunday *Another quiet masterpiece from a modern great. -- Robbie Millen and James Marriott * The Times *The Best Books of 2019* *Tessa Hadley is one of your finest writers… [she] approaches her subjects with the sort of attention to detail that a Dutch Golden Age master might bring to a jug and a bowl of fruit… Hadley is the real deal. * The Times *A real triumph… a very fine novel. * Radio 4, Saturday Review *[Hadley] is a gifted anatomist of human relationships... Her particular genius lies in the elegance and precision with which she captures the fleeting emotion, the passing, indefinable perception or tiny epiphany. * Wall Street Journal *I absolutely loved Tessa Hadley's Late in the Day… There are few British writers who are more acute at a micro-level on the psychology of their characters and I was completely engrossed by this novel. -- Andrew Holgate * Sunday Times *Books of the Year* *I loved Tessa Hadley’s Late in the Day. Hadley brings the gifts of a still-life painter to her fiction yet manages to produce satisfying twists and turns to her storytelling. -- Melissa Benn * New Statesman, *Books of the Year* *Hadley’s fiction — both long and short — has, with a delicious, detached clarity, observed the shape of relationships: their unconventionality, their transgressions. She is a superb stylist, with none of the pretensions that have latterly been attached to such a term: dispassionate, yet voluptuous in her prose. * Financial Times *Hadley’s fiction — both long and short — has, with a delicious, detached clarity, observed the shape of relationships: their unconventionality, their transgressions. She is a superb stylist, with none of the pretensions that have latterly been attached to such a term: dispassionate, yet voluptuous in her prose. * Financial Times *With masterly economy, the hallmark of her style… Hadley takes us back and forth in time, and her forensic dissection of friendship, marriage and grief is a mature work by a writer at the top of her game. * Daily Express *Gorgeous, utterly absorbing… More than many of her contemporaries, the British writer Tessa Hadley understands that life is full of moments when the past presses up against the present, and when the present transforms the past. Her brilliant new novel, Late in the Day, explores both with equal urgency. * Boston Globe *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Embroideries
Book SynopsisContains stories about the lengths to which some women go to find a man, to keep a man, or just to keep up appearances. This book presents an introduction to the private lives of some interesting ordinary women. It also demonstrates how much women the ...Trade ReviewThis is a book to provoke and entertain -- Peter Millar * The Times *Satrapi's drawings are sparing and highly stylised; she is able to render nuances of expression with simple, bold strokes... The stories are wittily told and show a side of life in Iran that is unknown to outsiders -- Lydia Adetunji * Financial Times *A daring and brilliantly calculated illumination of a secret space... Though Embroideries is not a continuation of the Persepolis story, it sits at the heart of the same world - a brutally policed society where an extraordinarily rich and inventive culture still prevails, if only behind closed doors, where women are wildly subversive, funny, free-thinking and sexy -- Maureen Freely * Guardian *This is Sex and the City, Middle-Eastern style - outrageous, explicit and funny -- Kelly Knox * Time Out *
£999.99
Vintage Publishing Idaho
Book Synopsis**WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD**I love Idaho' Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the TrainThis sharp, stunning debut novel and Irish bestseller about grief, loss and redemption is your next literary obsession One hot August day a family drives to a mountain clearing to collect birch wood. Jenny, the mother, is in charge of lopping any small limbs off the logs with a hatchet. Wade, the father, does the stacking. The two daughters, June and May, aged nine and six, drink lemonade, swat away horseflies, bicker, sing snatches of songs as they while away the time. But then Jenny does something unspeakable, an act so extreme it will scatter the family in every different direction, and leave dark unanswered questions for years to come.Unflinchingmulti-layered storytelling that is both beautiful and devastating' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Trade ReviewI love Idaho for the sparse beauty of its prose, the unsolvable mystery at its heart, the cleverly constructed non-linear narrative and its preoccupations… which so closely match my own -- Paula Hawkins * Guardian *Writing that has the cool sharpness of lemonade... Unflinching, unfrilly, multi-layered storytelling that is both beautiful and devastating -- Rachel JoyceHauntingly brilliant, this book will stay with you for days after you’ve put it down * Evening Standard, Books of the Year *You're in masterly hands here... will remind many of the great Idaho novel, Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping... wrenching and beautiful * New York Times Book Review *From the first page it is clear that Ruskovich’s poetic, spare writing would be enough to compel on its own, but this extraordinary story of a violent event that decimates a young family in northern Idaho is the true engine here. It’s a puzzle that enthrals from the outset. -- Lucy Clark * Guardian *
£9.49
Pan Macmillan The Passenger
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 ReviewAn appealing piece of work . . . gripping, with plenty of reflection and evocation * The Daily Telegraph *The Passenger is like a submerged ship itself; a gorgeous ruin in the shape of a hardboiled noir thriller . . . What a glorious sunset song . . . It’s rich and it’s strange, mercurial and melancholic * The Guardian *A moving and characteristically disconcerting addition to the oeuvre of one of America’s greatest writers * The Irish Times *Critics have detected the influence on him of Faulkner and Hemingway, but this is to understate his achievement. The Passenger shows that McCarthy belongs in the company of Melville and Dostoevsky, writers the world will never cease to need * New Statesman *[A] gripping story, written in McCarthy’s trademark acerbic style * i newspaper *Kafka on the bayou * Observer *Magisterial * Financial Times *McCarthy’s formidable talents for dialogue, perfect sentences and descriptions of the natural world remain undiminished * The Times *The Passenger also happens to be something of a masterpiece… It is [McCarthy’s] most ambitious work. * TIME *The novels McCarthy published in 2022, at the age of 89, permanently resolve the question of whether McCarthy is a great novelist… together the books are the richest and strongest work of McCarthy’s career * The Atlantic *An intellectual experience that’s not quite like anything else out there, laced with the eerie beauty that only Cormac McCarthy can offer. * Vox *In Stella Maris and The Passenger, McCarthy invites us to consider hopelessness not just to give us hope but to compel us to make use of it. Having lived for nearly 100 years, he has given us what may well be the last great novels of the long 20th century. He may also help point us in a different direction for the twenty-first. * The Nation *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Finkler Question
Book Synopsis______________WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE______________''Full of wit, warmth, intelligence, human feeling and understanding. It is also beautifully written with that sophisticated and near invisible skill of the authentic writer'' - Observer''Wonderful ... Jacobson is seriously on form'' - Evening Standard______________Julian Treslove, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philosopher, writer and television personality, are old school friends. Despite very different lives, they''ve never quite lost touch with each other - or with their former teacher, Libor Sevcik. Both Libor and Finkler are recently widowed, and together with Treslove they share a sweetly painful evening revisiting a time before they had loved and lost. It is that very evening, when Treslove hesitates a moment as he walks home, that he is attacked - and his whole sense of who and what he is slowly and ineluTrade Review‘How is it possible to read Howard Jacobson and not lose oneself in admiration for the music of his language, the power of his characterisation and the penetration of his insight? ... The Finkler Question is further proof, if any was needed, of Jacobson's mastery of humour' * The Times *Wonderful ... Jacobson is seriously on form' * Evening Standard *‘There are few writers who exhibit the same unawed respect for language or such a relentless commitment to re-examining even the most seemingly unobjectionable of received wisdoms' * Daily Telegraph *'Full of wit, warmth, intelligence, human feeling and understanding. It is also beautifully written with that sophisticated and near invisible skill of the authentic writer' * Observer *
£10.44
Canongate Books Mrs Death Misses Death
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTIONSHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDSSHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZEMrs Death tells her intoxicating story in this life-affirming fire-starter of a novelMrs Death has had enough. She is exhausted by her job and now seeks someone to unburden her conscience to.She meets Wolf, a troubled young writer, who - enthralled by her stories - begins to write Mrs Death's memoirs. As the two reflect on the losses they have experienced (or facilitated), their friendship flourishes. All the while, despite her world-weariness, Death must continue to hold humans' fates in her hands, appearing in our lives when we least expect her . . .Trade ReviewA fantastically imaginative story about life, death and everything in between - a potent reminder that life is short and every second should be cherished -- IDRIS ELBAA modern-day Pilgrim's Progress leavened with caustic wit . . . This is not light-hearted stuff, yet Godden has produced a miraculously light-hearted novel . . . an elegant, occasionally uproarious, danse macabre * * Guardian * *Exquisite. A daring, poetic offering that establishes Godden as one of our most exciting voices. I loved it -- IRENOSEN OKOJIEA rhythmic and powerful poetic meditation on death, life and love and the hidden mysteries of the universe; both playful and sombre, hilarious and human -- NIKESH SHUKLAIn this timely and exquisite meditation on breath and its best rhyme, we see a stunning performance poet crowding all the energy, wisdom, passion and laughs of her live work into the solid ingot of this astounding novel, as profound as Cohen, as playful as Brautigan. Salena Goddess, more like -- ALAN MOOREIt's light, it's dark, it's twisted and it's brilliant. As we all encounter life, so too we should all encounter Mrs Death. Poetry, prose, life and death. Salena Godden brings them together with ease. She is a wordsmith of the highest order -- BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAHDark at times - with compelling stories about miscarriages of justice, murder and racial oppression - it is nonetheless celebratory and life-affirming, aglow with love, fortitude and compassion * * Mail on Sunday * *I love Salena Godden and I love Mrs Death Misses Death. Salena, like the lead character, is a force to be reckoned with. If the page were a stage, Mrs Death is its star. She soaks in the spotlight, commanding the eye of the audience. It is an assured debut by a poet whom I hold in the highest regard -- LEMN SISSAYA witty, angry, warm and elemental combination of poetry and prose . . . an exhilarating combination of allegory, poetry and very real fury * * Guardian * *Salena Godden's pin-sharp ability to mine the intricacies of human nature fuels her long-awaited debut novel, a life-affirming and unflinching treatise on death and its stark realities. Always playful, infused with her trademark humour and commitment to truth, Godden reinvents the form while staying true to an emotional honesty that's as forthright as it is courageous. Mrs Death's finale is some of the most powerful writing I've read in years. Here is necessary, beautiful work. Thank God for Godden -- COURTTIA NEWLAND
£8.54
Pan Macmillan Looking Good Dead
Book SynopsisDetective Superintendent Roy Grace has to solve a disturbing murder whilst protecting an innocent eye witness in Looking Good Dead, by award winning crime author Peter James.When a young woman’s body is found butchered in Brighton, Roy Grace cannot help but think of his own missing wife and her unsolved fate.Elsewhere in the city, when Tom Bryce finds a disc left on a train, he simply tries to do the right thing – return it to its owner. But this attempted act of kindness makes him the sole witness to that same vicious murder.Learning that Tom has made a statement to Grace’s team, the killers have to act. But when they plan the murder of the Bryce family, it’s not just revenge – it’s entertainment.Although the Roy Grace novels can be read in any order, Looking Good Dead is the second gripping title in the bestselling series. Enjoy more of the Brighton detective’s investigations with Not Dead Enough and Dead Man's Footsteps.Now a major ITV series, Grace, starring John Simm.Trade ReviewI couldn't put it down -- Mark Timlin * Independent *Sharply plotted, suitably sordid * Daily Express *James dreams up a horrific intersection of extreme perversion and Internet technology in his frightening, expertly constructed second Det. Supt. Roy Grace novel . . . the rapid-fire suspense builds to a terrifying, graphic conclusion that leaves tantalizing room for future installments in the series * Publishers Weekly *A sick website which features videos of people being murdered is at the dark heart of this razor-sharp crime thriller. Gripping - but not for the faint-hearted * News of the World *
£8.49
Pan Macmillan Greyfriars Bobby
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.
£9.49
Abrams Kindred A Graphic Novel Adaptation
Book SynopsisTrade Review"If you love Black Panther, or you like the new Star Wars films with John Boyega, there are other folks writing novelizations and graphic novels you might like… there’s a graphic novel of Kindred, that is just as emotionally compelling as the original. It was done by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, who’s a premier Afrofuturist graphic artist.” Dr. Ayana A.H. Jamieson, Time online “The thing I’m excited to read next is the graphic novel “Kindred,” which is based on Octavia Butler’s novel. That’s my new travel companion.” Joy Bryant, New York Times
£12.59
Drawn and Quarterly Land of Mirrors
Book SynopsisSeeped in flamenco rhythms, a hero's journey of love and hope.
£26.21
Vintage Publishing Out Stealing Horses
Book SynopsisDiscover a moving tale of isolation and the painful loss of innocence.**NOW AN INTERNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING FILM**In 1948, when he is fifteen, Trond spends a summer in the country with his father. The events - the accidental death of a child, his best friend''s feelings of guilt and eventual disappearance, his father''s decision to leave the family for another woman - will change his life forever.As a 67-year-old man, and following the death of his wife, Trond has moved to an isolated part of Norway to live in solitude. But a chance encounter with a character from the fateful summer of 1948 brings the painful memories of that year flooding back and will leave Trond even more convinced of his decision to end his days alone.''One of Norway''s finest living writers'' Independent''Deeply atmospheric...a stunning novel'' Daily TelegraphTrade ReviewLyrical, deceptively clever...the way the story folds together like the petals of a rose is one of the novel's pleasurable surprises...an intelligent journey from boyhood into manhood... * Daily Telegraph *Deeply atmospheric...concise beauty of his prose movingly captures the Norwegian landscape and rural way of life...This stunning novel will tell you more about the Norwegian countryside and psyche than the most enthusiastically well-informed guide book' * Daily Telegraph *Petterson catches so effectively the thing that haunts all of us, the knowledge of how fragile life is...He captures the essence of a man's existence with a clean-lined freshness that hits you like a burst of winter air - surprising and breathtaking...touching humour...the narrative is beautifully balanced...Petterson writes with robust unpretentiousness. His story gathers pace like growing up, and stimulates heart and mind like a brisk country walk. * Daily Express *Limpid prose...an impressive novel of rare and exemplary moral courage. * Independent on Sunday *A novel of considerable quality. * Scotsman *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Book SynopsisIn a vase in a closet, a couple of years after his father died in 9/11, nine-year-old Oskar discovers a key... The key belonged to his father, he's sure of that. But which of New York's 162 million locks does it open?
£9.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Wych Elm
Book SynopsisFrom the writer whose novels inspired the BBC''s Dublin Murders TV series... ''One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt''s The Secret History'' THE TIMES ''An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully written mystery'' SOPHIE HANNAH ''Dark and twisty'' SUNDAY TIMES''Mesmerising'' GILLIAN FLYNN''I''m a big fan of Tana French'' IAN RANKIN________________________________________WHAT DO WE HIDE INSIDE OURSELVES?One night changes everything for Toby. He''s always led a charmed life - until a brutal attack leaves him damaged and traumatised, unsure even of the person he used to be. He seeks refuge at his family''s ancestral home, the Ivy House, filled with memories of wild-strawberry summers and teenage parties with his cousins.But not long after Toby''s arrival, a discovery is made: a skull, tucked neatlyTrade ReviewA truly great writer -- Gillian FlynnThe Wych Elm is her best novel yet -- Erin KellyLyrical, suspenseful, unpredictableMy favourite novel of last year -- Sophie HannahTerrific - terrifying, amazing, and the prose is incandescent -- Stephen KingA masterpiece -- John BoyneThe finest crime writer around right now * Mail on Sunday *One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt's The Secret History...impossible to put down * The Times *The Wych Elm should cement French's place in the first rank of great literary novelists * Observer *Her storytelling skills are incredible -- Sarra Manning * Red *Gripping and suspenseful, with more twists than a rollercoaster, The Wych Elm is a magnificent novel -- John BoyneFrench offers a masterclass in unreliability . . . dissolving the boundaries between genre and literary fiction * Sunday Times *Her best book. Really, it is not a crime novel: as ever, Tana's scope is so much broader than that. It's a book about identity, childhood, luck and family...I absolutely loved it. -- Gillian McAllisterInspires cultic devotion in readers...most crime fiction is diverting; French's is consuming * The New Yorker *A brilliant examination of male privilege and family secrets -- What to Look Forward to in the World of Books 2019 * Guardian *A darkly addictive story of family secrets -- Best Books of 2019 * i paper *Tana French's writing is lyrical but sharp, her eye for detail exquisite, her storytelling skills incredible - I need to read her backlist right away! -- Sara Manning * Red Magazine *Another one of her rich psychological thrillers that will work its way under your skin -- Lucy Mangan * Stylist *French is a poet of mood and a master builder of plots -- Maureen Corrigan * The Washington Post *A spectacularly talented writer -- Louise O'Neill, author of 'Asking for It'Tana French is one of those rare writers whose publication date you put in your diary. Her effortless verve, insight and black wit still glimmer from every page. -- Kate Riordan, author of 'The Girl in the Photograph'A hugely satisfying door-stopper of a novel, full of ambiguity, nuance and building menace. To read French is to experience that sense of utter disorientation that comes from the ground shifting constantly beneath your feet. Totally absorbing -- Tammy CohenTana French's best and most intricately nuanced novel yet. . . Get ready for the whiplash brought on by its final twists and turns * New York Times *A beautifully written, highly intelligent meditation on family relationships, the human mind, social politics and much more, often leavened with good jokes * Sunday Express *
£10.44
Vintage Publishing Now She is Witch: ‘Myth-making at its best‘ Val
Book SynopsisThis is a witch story unlike any other.Lux has lost everything when Else finds her in the woods. Her family, her lover, her home - all burned. The world is suspicious of women like her. But Lux is cunning; she knows how to blend into the background. And she knows a lot about poisons.Else needs Lux's help to destroy the man who wronged her. But on their hunt they will uncover dark secrets that entangle them with dangerous adversaries.From the snowy winter woods to the bright midnight sun; from lost and powerless to finding your path, Now She is Witch conjures a world where women grasp at power through witchcraft, sexuality and performance, and sometimes by throwing each other to the wolves.'A story that will hold you tight and not let go' Stylist'Mesmerising and evocative...There are echoes of everything from the Brothers Grimm to Angela Carter' Observer'Powerful, imaginative, compelling - myth-making at its best' Val McDermid'An impassioned reclaiming of female desire...absorbingly atmospheric' Daily Mail'Spooky, timeless, feminist, inventive, unsettling' Viv GroksopTrade ReviewKirsty Logan's mesmerising and evocative novel represents an imaginative triumph in this new subgenre [of "witch lit"]... There are echoes of everything from the Brothers Grimm to Angela Carter in Logan's deceptively simple storytelling * Observer *Logan builds Lux's world with an eye for striking detail...the images snap and sizzle with portent and possibility * Guardian *One of our national writing treasures, Kirsty Logan's latest tale is a deeply atmospheric, sometimes gory but ultimately uplifting... a story that will hold you tight and not let go * Stylist *An impassioned reclaiming of female desire. Stuffed, Russian-doll like, with stories...an absorbingly atmospheric adventure * Daily Mail *A dark conjuring of a book: angry, powerful, hypnotic, told in prose of dazzling power. -- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
£999.99
Hodder & Stoughton A Pure Heart
Book SynopsisSisters Rose and Gameela Gubran could not have been more different. Rose, an Egyptologist, married an American journalist and immigrated to New York City, where she works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gameela, a devout Muslim since her teenage years, stayed in Cairo. During the aftermath of Egypt's revolution, Gameela is killed in a suicide bombing. When Rose returns to Egypt after the bombing, she sifts through the artifacts Gameela left behind, desperate to understand how her sister came to die, and who she truly was. Soon, Rose realizes that Gameela has left many questions unanswered. Why had she quit her job just a few months before her death and not told her family? Who was she romantically involved with? And how did the religious Gameela manage to keep so many secrets? Rich in depth and feeling, A Pure Heart is a brilliant portrait of two Muslim women in the twenty-first century, and the decisions they make in work and love that determine their destinies. As Rose is struggling to reconcile her identities as an Egyptian and as a new American, she investigates Gameela's devotion to her religion and her country. The more Rose uncovers about her sister's life, the more she must reconcile their two fates, their inextricable bond as sisters, and who should and should not be held responsible for Gameela's death. Rajia Hassib's A Pure Heart is a stirring and deeply textured novel that asks what it means to forgive, and considers how faith, family, and love can unite and divide us.Trade ReviewExquisite * Vanity Fair *A timely, sweeping tale that examines the intersection of fate and choice, the pull of culture and identity, family and love . . . Beautifully written. * Boston Globe *Hassib is a perceptive writer with a real understanding of how people act - not how they ought to act . . . a novel that's as honest as it is engrossing. * NPR *Remarkable . . . poised, intelligent, very grown-up writing, equally at home in all its environments. * Guardian *Shines as one of the finest explorations of identity, religion, and culture in modern American literature. Her background leaves her particularly well situated to develop these themes ... brilliantly illuminates the complications of our world: the clash of religious beliefs, the uneven division of wealth, our classist snobbery, the failure of our best intentions. Yet the story is not simply an examination of problems. It is also a fervent illustration of the strength and beauty of familial bonds, ties that persist even after death. * Southern Literary Review *Hassib . . . articulates the full-bodied chorus of Egypt's voices . . . dismantling stereotypes of her country and culture. In so doing she exposes mankind's best and worst qualities, our universalities and differences, illuminating all the while the myriad ways in which a heart can be pure. * New York Times *A profound and deeply affecting examination of fate and free will, family and identity, sin and redemption, and the unique bond between sisters. * Buzzfeed, 'Summer Books to Be Excited About' *Characters are deeply woven and veiled in their own facades . . . a stellar entry into the world's library. * Irish Examiner *A captivating novel about family, love, and home. Hassib masterfully excavates the secret loyalties that drive women to make fateful choices and, in so doing, explores important themes of guilt and responsibility, shame and forgiveness. * Laila Lalami, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Moor's Account *A Pure Heart is an emotional portrait of sisterly relationships and how political strife and change affects even the most personal aspects of our lives. * Real Simple's "Best Books of 2019 (So Far) *[A] gripping contemporary novel about two Muslim sisters. . . . When one sister is killed, the other uncovers continuous challenging questions in her quest for understanding and closure. * Ms. Magazine *A Pure Heart grapples with the question of how to be many things at once. . . . Hassib is especially talented at rendering the small details of daily Egyptian life-not in some exoticized fashion but rather as a foundation on which to lay the wide variety of experiences, ideologies, and aspirations of the country's citizenry. These details found throughout the book, shine. . . . What's most impressive about A Pure Heart . . . [is] the novel's meditation on the nature of multiple identities. * Omar El Akkad, BookPage (starred review) *A multifaceted look at the complicated legacies of identity, religion, and politics in Egypt after the Arab Spring emerges. Even the story of the suicide bomber is given careful consideration in this enlightening, heartrending novel. * Booklist (starred review) *[A Pure Heart] fluidly explores how even seismic historical events can mix with everyday emotions such as sibling rivalry and insecurity to concoct a potent brew. . . . A devastating definition of the new normal in which revolution does not always deliver real power to institute change. * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) *A profound tale of two Egyptian Muslim women in the 21st century, and the decisions they make in work and love that determine their destinies. This is a timely, thought-provoking novel that explores the intersection of religion, identity, and politics in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. * BookRiot's “7 of The Buzziest Beach Reads of The Year *Hassib's impressive second novel is a fascinating depiction of sisters Rose and Gameela, their shared heritage, and the country that ultimately divides them. . . . Hassib seamlessly transports the reader from one culture to another, eloquently showcasing the triumphs, heartaches, and beliefs shared by the protagonists. * Publishers Weekly *Hassib draws an intimate portrait of contemporary Egypt, deftly explaining the complexity of political viewpoints regarding the revolution and post-revolutionary years. Through her characters, she shows the subtle differences in class, culture, and religious belief that can cause fractures in families, marriages, and societies. . . . Giving a voice to everyone, even the bomber, Hassib displays empathy and compassion steeped in a deep knowledge of her subject. Recommended. * Library Journal *A captivating novel about family, love, and home. Hassib masterfully excavates the secret loyalties that drive women to make fateful choices and, in so doing, explores important themes of guilt and responsibility, shame and forgiveness. * Laila Lalami, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Moor's Account *Full of intelligent reflections about exile, this moving novel about two Egyptian sisters-one in New York, the other in Cairo-carefully dramatizes the curdling of individual dreams in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. * Karan Mahajan, author of National Book Award finalist The Association of Small Bombs *A stunner of a book. Weaving through the lives of two sisters split by destiny, Hassib's latest novel is a story of excavation: of countries and people. With the Egyptian revolution as backdrop, Hassib masterfully explores the loyalties, geographies and histories that can both partition and bind family. * Hala Alyan, author of Dayton Literary Peace Prize and Arab American Book Award winner Salt Houses *It would be unjust to call Hassib's A Pure Heart anything but heartbreaking and beautiful. Nearly every character is trapped between political, religious, and geographic extremes, trying to figure out who they are and what they love. These goals are always in sight, but, for some, ever beyond reach. * Ian Bassingthwaighte, author of Live from Cairo *Rajia Hassib's latest novel is a lyrical, heartfelt reflection on the Egyptian revolution as well as on the painful secrets that separate two sisters. * Susan Muaddi Darraj, author of Arab American Book Award winner A Curious Land *A gripping tale of two sisters whose lives intersect with tragic consequences. A Pure Heart beats to its own rhythm of heartaches, joy, loss and courage. An extraordinary achievement. * Zeba Talkhani, author of My Past is a Foreign Country *
£8.54
Drawn & Quarterly The Woodchipper
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£18.90
Vintage Publishing The Volunteer
Book SynopsisAn odyssey of loss and salvation ranging across four generations of fathers and sons, in the finest tradition of American storytelling.The year is 1966 and a young man named Vollie Frade, almost on a whim, enlists in the United States Marine Corps to fight in Vietnam. Breaking definitively from his rural Iowan parents, Vollie puts in motion a chain of events that sees him go to work for people with intentions he cannot yet grasp. From the Cambodian jungle, to a flophouse in Queens, to a commune in New Mexico, Vollie's path traces a secret history of life on the margins of America, culminating with an inevitable and terrible reckoning.Scibona’s story of a restless soldier pressed into service for a clandestine branch of the US government unfolds against the backdrop of the seismic shifts in global politics of the second half of the twentieth century. Epic in scope but intimate in feeling, this is a deeply immersive read from a rising star of American fiction.Trade ReviewA magnificent counterpoint of four generations of fathers and sons... Like DeLillo in [Underworld], Scibona wreaks an epic from the lives of ordinary, supposedly negligible men. Scibona has built a masterpiece. * New York Times Book Review *[Scibona is] a born novelist: He conveys a world in a detail. Scibona can take us into the broken heart of a child lost in a foreign airport, the shattering chaos of a night assault during the Vietnam War and the quiet intensity of a working-class New York neighborhood... Work like The Volunteer can never be one thing only, upbeat or down. It’s teeming, brilliantly. * The Washington Post *Salvatore Scibona’s exhilarating new novel [is]… a searing record of war and the lies people live by… Despite all the destruction and despair, in this novel hope emerges as the wildest high. * Economist *What perfect pitch, what perfect rhythm. These are sentences that are in love with the world and that make us love the world, too. * The Boston Globe *Scibona is a remarkable writer and The Volunteer is a remarkable book... It is a war story unlike any other war story, a story of fathers and sons, of family (both biological and manufactured) and of generations of betrayal and abandonment... All of it — all of it — is just so ridiculously beautiful. * NPR *
£9.49
Canongate Books Himself
Book SynopsisA BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards 2016Shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2017Longlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 20171950. A teenage girl is brutally murdered in a forest. But, somehow, her baby survives.1976. A mysterious and charming young man returns to the remote coastal village of Mulderrig, seeking answers about the mother who, it was said, had abandoned him on the steps of a Dublin orphanage.With the help of its oldest and most eccentric inhabitant, he will force the village to give up its ghosts. Nothing, not even the dead, can stay buried forever.Trade ReviewKidd's brilliantly bold debut mixes up murder and mayhem with the eerily supernatural. It's a tender, violent and funny story told in prose that is lyrical, lush and hugely imaginative. Utterly unputdownable * * Sunday Express * *Diabolical deeds, ferociously kept secrets, black humour and magical realism abound in Jess Kidd's richly textured, thronging debut . . . Kidd has imagination to die for and a real command of plot and character * * Guardian * *Wonderfully entertaining . . . the ghosts are not the main attraction in this delightful first novel; it is also a detective story, in which Mahony and Mrs C make an unlikely Holmes and Watson * * The Times * *A genuinely intriguing mystery, with moments of real tenderness . . . otherworldly and wonderfully original * * Stylist * *Very funny, very profound, very moving . . . One of the finest books of the year -- SIMON MAYO * * BBC Radio 2 Book Club * *[Kidd] has imagination to spare. The forest feels alive at times. There is magic in the air . . . As a noirish thriller with a supernatural edge, Himself is atmospheric and intriguing. As a portrait of village hypocrisy and the dark things that lurk beneath the surface, it's also compelling * * Observer * *An intriguing story of family secrets and haunting -- ANDREW MICHAEL HURLEY, author of The LoneyThis striking literary debut is a darkly comic tale of murder, intrigue, haunting and illegitimacy . . . wickedly funny * * Daily Express * *I love this book. It's a magic realist murder mystery set in rural Ireland, in which the dead play as important a part as the living. It's one of those books that has you smiling as you read, and that you plan to read again very soon. -- LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES, author of Captain Corelli's MandolinIn lyrical prose that is by turns touchingly tender and violent, Kidd's brilliantly bold debut mixes murder and mayhem with the eerily supernatural, and throws in a dash of laugh-out-loud humour for good measure * * Psychologies * *
£8.54
Little, Brown Book Group 44 Scotland Street 1
Book SynopsisBook 1 in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall SmithAlexander McCall Smith''s delightful Scotland Street occupies a busy, bohemian corner of Edinburgh''s New Town, where the old bourgeoisie rubs shoulders with students, poets and eccentrics. When Pat is accepted as a new tenant at number 44 Scotland Street, she isn''t sure how long she''ll last. Her flatmate Bruce, a rugby-playing chartered surveyor, is impossibly narcissistic, carelessly philandering and infuriatingly handsome. Downstairs lives pretentious Irene Pollock, whose five-year-old son is in therapy after setting fire to his father''s copy of the Guardian. And watching over them all is shrewd, intellectual Domenica Macdonald, anthropologist and sharp-eyed observer of the household''s activities...PRAISE FOR THE 44 SCOTLAND STREET SERIES:''Perfect escapist fiction'' The Times''SimplTrade ReviewAs charming as the bohemian street in which it's set. * SCOTTISH DAILY RECORD *It is hard to think of a contemporary writer more genuinely engaging...[his] novels are also extremely funny: I find it impossible to think about them without smiling * Craig Brown, MAIL ON SUNDAY *A treasure of a writer whose books deserve immediate devouring * Marcel Berlins, GUARDIAN *a hilarious yet sharply insightful tale of middle-class Edinburgh ... a joyous, charming portrait of city life and human foibles * SUNDAY EXPRESS *
£8.09
Penguin Books Ltd The Lagoon
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Falling Man
Book SynopsisFalling Man begins on September 11, in the smoke and ash of the burning towers. In the days and the years following, we trace the aftermath of this global tremor in the private lives of a few reticulated individuals. Theirs are lives choreographed by loss, by grief and by the enormous force of history. From these intimate portraits, Don DeLillo shifts to an extrapolated vision: he charts the way the events have reconfigured our emotional landscape, our memory and our perception of the world.Falling Man is an unforgettable novel, at once cathartic and beautiful and heartbreaking.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *Searing, profoundly unsettling. An unforgettable novel. * Sunday Times *These are pages of magnificent force and control, DeLillo's genius at full pelt. Reading them, you have to remind yourself to keep breathing. * New Statesman *
£9.99
Dark Horse Comics,U.S. Tomb Raider Colossal Collection Volume 2
£67.49
Hodder & Stoughton Trust In Me: My patient's just confessed - to the
Book Synopsis'A psychological thriller of superior style and plotting. At once compelling and intriguing, it is also entirely unpredictable. I loved this twisty head spinning thriller in which the pace never flags for a second. Riveting!' LIZ NUGENTMY PATIENT'S JUST CONFESSED - TO THE MURDER I COMMITTED ...'A nerve-shredding and masterful thriller from one of the best in the business. Top class stuff' DOUG JOHNSTONETHE THERAPISTSara seems to have it all - a thriving practice as a trauma counsellor, a comfortable home, a loving husband and two children. A world away from her troubled past. She's the only one who knows that her entire life is built on a lie.THE PATIENTUntil a new patient confesses to a crime that hits too close to home. Sara is thrown into a quest to hide the truth: from her family, her co-workers, and most importantly, the police.THE CONFESSIONHow can this person know about Sara's past? And how can Sara silence her before it's too late? One thing is certain: she will do anything to keep her family safe. 'Absolutely loved it! Twisty and super smart, it's everything you want in a compelling psychological thriller. I genuinely didn't want it to end' JOHN MARRS 'A stunning domestic noir that grips from the first page until the brutal conclusion' ED JAMESTrade ReviewPraise for You Never Said GoodbyeGrips from the first page to the last. A UK thriller writer that gives giants like Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben a run for their money -- Mark BillinghamLocal Woman Missing meets The Fugitive, You Never Said Goodbye breathes new life into the psychological thriller genre with a captivating and gripping storyline that is part missing person mystery, part all out action thriller. A heart-in-mouth story that will pull at your heart strings and keep you on the edge of your seat, You Never Said Goodbye is everything I look for in an action thriller. I couldn't put it down -- C.L. TaylorA truly pulse-pounding thriller. The relentless tension is leavened only by its heart-rending emotion -- Christopher BrookmyreA barnstorming, rocket-paced thriller about an ordinary man thrown into an extraordinary situation. Fans of John Connolly and Linwood Barclay will love it -- Mark EdwardsAn absolutely gripping and immersive thrill ride from start to finish. A white-knuckle rollercoaster that's also full of heart and soul -- Doug JohnstoneBoth a heartfelt and emotional tale of family love and betrayal, and a pulse-pounding thriller. I've been a fan of Luca Veste's books since the beginning and this is his best yet. Totally gripping! -- C.M. EwanYou Never Said Goodbye is the complete package: a breakneck paced, twisted thriller that delivers a real emotional punch. A stunning book. I loved it! -- Miranda DickinsonThis is a rip-roaring and, at times, a touching thriller from a writer who has been favourably compared to Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay...and rightly so. Heart pumping action...thoroughly recommended and a must for everyone who enjoys high octane thrills * Belfast Telegraph *
£18.70
Vintage Publishing Signal Fires
Book SynopsisA heart-stopping, magical story about human connection, for fans of THE PAPER PALACE and LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE Two families. One night. A constellation of lives changed forever.When retired doctor Ben Wilf comes across ten-year-old Waldo Shenkman in the middle of the night under Division Street's old oak tree, he is treated to an unexpected and magical tour of the stars. But this is not the first time the boy and old man have met. In fact, they go way back, to the night of Waldo's birth, and further still.Secrets preside over the neighbourhood along with the majestic oak. One night in particular has been kept buried. Following it, the Wilfs -- parents and children -- change and grow, but each is haunted by what they choose to forget. Then the young Shenkmans move in across the street: a couple with their own secrets and a lonely, brilliant son who is captivated by the night sky. As their stories collide in ways they never could have imagined, the past comes hurtling back to Division Street, setting in motion a spellbinding chain of events that will transform both families forever.Signal Fires is an exquisite portrait of two families, and a testament to the human capacity to experience love and loss. With wry tenderness it shows how we are all connected through time in ways that are at once beautiful, mysterious, profound and full of hope.* HUNDREDS OF 5-STAR READER RESPONSES * 'Was both devastated and wowed at the end' * 'The best novel that I've read all year! I couldn't put it down' * 'Profoundly moving, deeply relatable and so beautifully written' * 'Gorgeous, deeply moving and captivating' * 'Beautiful, full of emotion and magic'Trade ReviewSignal Fires is a great novel, but it's also something rarer: a good novel, one that shines with deep truths about what it is to love someone, lose them, and live on -- Alex Preston * Financial Times *A stunning future classic -- LISA TADDEOTender and philosophical * Observer *Gripping * People Magazine *Lyrically examines the ways a single event can alter many lives for ever . . . wonderful -- Joanne Finney * Good Housekeeping BOOK OF THE MONTH *Shapiro weaves a compulsive, tender narrative that flits between viewpoints and time frames in its quest for connectivity * Mail on Sunday *A wonderful novel, full of insight and compassion -- MARY LAWSONHaunting, moving, and propulsive -- MEG WOLITZERBeautifully written, Dani Shapiro explores time, memory and our human interconnectedness to create a moving portrayal of the ripple effect one event and one person's actions can have on many lives * Woman's Weekly *Beautiful... a family saga, but a book about destiny too, the unavoidable push and pull of choice and chance -- Francesca Steele * i News *Lyrical and propulsive . . . hard to put down * Oprah Daily *Masterful and poignant * Today Show US *Wise, deeply perceptive, suffused with light -- CLAIRE MESSUDSignal Fires is an urgent and compassionate meditation on memory, time, and space. In Shapiro's elegant convergence of narrative threads, she creates a world that's as wrenching as it is wondrous -- RUTH OZEKIA subtle, compelling and expansive book about family, love and the devastating power of secrets. I love the way Shapiro writes relationships, the ambition of having so many concurrent narratives and the deft way she draws her characters. -- NELL FRIZZELL
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers The Hike
Book Synopsis*The thrilling new novel from Lucy Clarke, THE SURF HOUSE, is available to buy now*_________*The Sunday Times bestseller**A CHILLING WINTER THRILLER FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR*_______________________________________________________________THE PERFECT DAY FOR A HIKESeeking the escape of a lifetime, four friends hike out into the beautiful Norwegian wild nothing between them and the mountain peak but forest, sea and sharp blue sky.THE PERFECT PLACE TO DISAPPEARBut there's a darker side to the wilderness. A woman went missing here one year ago. Now the friends are hiking into the heart of the mystery. And waiting on the trail is someone who'd do anything to keep their secrets buried and to stop the group walking away alive _________________________________________________________________Readers love getting swept away with Lucy Clarke's destination thrillers:Had me on the edge of my seat' ?????Brilliant kept me guessing the whole way through' ?????Twists & turns galore, couldn't put it down. Highly recommend!' ?????''Very clever and I was gripped throughout. Will be reading more from Lucy Clarke for sure!' ?????Very evocative and you get really involved with the beautiful setting and characters' ?????What a stonkingly fabulous read!' ?????The Hike was a Sunday Times bestseller for w/e 7/05/2023Trade Review‘A tear-those-pages thriller which is also a great meditation on female friendship . . . I’d travel anywhere in the world with Lucy Clarke’ ABIGAIL DEAN ‘Atmospheric, haunting, and beautifully written. This is Lucy Clarke at her best’ GILLIAN MCALLISTER ‘Lucy Clarke brilliantly transports readers. The chilling environment and the tense, unpredictable plot both sent shivers down my spine’ ADELE PARKS ‘A page-turning, twisty and beautifully written thriller . . . Lucy Clarke really is the queen of the destination thriller’ CLAIRE DOUGLAS ‘So tense, so atmospheric, so good!’ SUN ‘A surprising, twisty thriller with compelling characters who are fierce but out of their depth, that keeps you guessing until the end. Lucy Clarke has done it again!’ SARAH PINBOROUGH ‘I drop everything for a new Lucy Clarke book’ ERIN KELLY ‘Secrets galore . . . the landscape, the girls’ fight for survival against the harsh terrain and an unknown danger make the perfect ingredients for a Witherspoon film like Wild’ DAILY MAIL ‘An eerie “alpine atmospheric” suspense novel about four friends on a wilderness trip that goes terribly wrong. Prepare for the cliff-hangers and nail-biting’ NITA PROSE ‘A breathtaking thriller of friendship pushed to the absolute limit – and beyond – amid the dangerous beauty of the Norwegian wilderness’ T M LOGAN ‘Fragile female friendships, a beautiful yet hostile environment and dark local intrigue lead, step by step, to tragedy. The Hike simmers with tension throughout. A gripping read!’ GILLY MACMILLAN ‘The Hike is a triumph, an immersive sense of place with a thread of tension taut enough to snap. I loved it’ JANE SHEMILT ‘Lucy Clarke's great skill is to add real emotional heft to her twisty, atmospheric thrillers . . . A brilliant escapist read’ SUSAN FLETCHER
£9.49
Viz Media, Subs. of Shogakukan Inc GoGo Monster
Book SynopsisA haunting and poetic vision of one boy’s imagination.Third grader Yuki Tachibana lives in two worlds. In one, he is a loner ridiculed by his classmates and reprimanded by his teachers for telling stories of supernatural beings that only he can see. In the other, those supernatural beings vie for power with malevolent spirits who bring chaos into the school, the students’ lives, and nature itself.
£28.05
Hachette Children's Group Classics in Graphics Shakespeares Twelfth Night
Book SynopsisShakespeare''s Twelfth Night like you''ve never seen it - or read it - before! Classics in Graphics: Twelfth Night has been adapted into a graphic novel by expert authors, Steve Skidmore and Steve Barlow, with illustrations by Wendy Tan Shiau Wei. Experience the famous (and famously confusing) love triangle, presented with all the flair of your favourite rom-com.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 and cont
£14.24
Humanoids, Inc Seoul Before Sunrise
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
£16.99
