Narrative theme: social issues / social problems
Oneworld Publications Sweet Bean Paste: The International Bestseller
Book Synopsis 'I'm in story heaven with this book.' Cecelia Ahern, author of P.S. I Love You A charming tale of friendship, love and loneliness in contemporary Japan Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste. But everything is about to change. Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue’s dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences. Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa’s beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.Trade Review‘Simply delicious.’ * Guardian *‘I'm in story heaven with this book.’ * Cecelia Ahern, author of PS, I Love You *‘Charmingly written, the plot is a continual surprise. A tale of sorrow that feels uplifting by its end.’ * i (The Independent) *‘As wise as it is moving, Sukegawa’s novel beguiles and seduces the reader from evocative opening to compassionate close.’ * The Herald *‘A poignant, poetic fable.’ * Denis Thériault, author of The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman *‘Sweet Bean Paste is a subtle, moving exploration of redemption in an unforgiving society... Sukegawa’s writing style, delicately translated by Alison Watts, is well-matched to the subject matter: a slow, muted movement that gently guides the reader, while leaving the unnecessary unsaid... It is an original twist on the “odd couple” genre, in which two unlikely companions find they have much to offer each other, and retains much of the humour that genre entails. A book with deceptive heft and lingering resonance.’ * Japan Times *‘Enthralling...This is that rare book that leaves readers truly humbled, reminding us of everything we should be thankful for, and that it is never too late to do something with our lives.’ * The Bookbag *‘A polished piece of work, and a decent, touching read.’ * Complete Review *‘A beautifully rendered tale of outsiders coming together.’ * B&N Reads *‘Charming and uplifting.’ * Press Association *‘Sukegawa – enabled by Watts's lucid translation – tells an endearing, thoughtful tale about relationships and the everyday meaning of life... Readers in search of gently illuminating fare – e.g., Shion Miura's The Great Passage, Jeff Talarigo's The Pearl Diver – will appreciate this toothsome treat.’ * Library Journal *‘Although Tokue’s past is a reflection of a dark chapter of Japanese history, her wisdom, patience, and kindness shape this touching and occasionally wistful novel. Through Tokue’s story, Sukegawa eloquently explores the seeds of biases and challenges us to truly listen to the natural world and the messages it artfully hides.’ * Booklist *‘A perfect example of cover and content in total harmony – I love this little masterpiece.’ * Gary Powell, Foyles *‘An ode to cuisine and to life. Poignant, poetic, sensual: a treat.’ * Lausanne Cités *‘Sweet Bean Paste is a short book that can be read quickly, yet it unfolds at a relaxed pace. The changing seasons provide reference points for the changes in the characters, but never in a way that seems forced.’ * The Japan News *‘This mixture of grief and solace, cherry blossoms and red beans is a recipe for happiness.’ * Radio SRF 2 Kultur Kompakt *‘Sweet Bean Paste is a book for your heart, mind...and appetite... It feels important, significant and far-reaching. It really is a moving and inspiring story which is as heart-warming as a delicious dorayaki, well maybe with a bit of salt. It is not often that a book touches your very soul and, therefore, Sweet Bean Paste deserves the highest of marks.’ * Thoughts on Papyrus blog *
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Book SynopsisMuriel Spark has written poetry, stories, and biographies as well as her remarkable series of novels. She is an honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and in 1993 was created OBE. A native of Scotland, she now lives in Italy.
£8.54
Marvel Comics Thunderbolts Doomstrike
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£15.29
DC Comics Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls The New 52
Book SynopsisThe reader will experience the story from Batman’s viewpoint on pages 108-117.After a series of brutal murders rocks Gotham City, Batman begins to realize that perhaps these crimes go far deeper than appearances suggest. As the Caped Crusader begins to unravel this deadly mystery, he discovers a conspiracy going back to his youth and beyond to the origins of the city he''s sworn to protect. Batman has heard tales of Gotham City’s Court of Owls: that the members of this powerful cabal are the true rulers of Gotham. The Dark Knight dismissed the stories as rumors and old wives’ tales. Gotham was his city. Until now. A brutal assassin is sinking his razor-sharp talons into the city’s best and brightest, as well as its most dangerous and deadly. If the dark legends are true, his masters are more powerful predators than the Batman could ever imagine. This now-classic graphic novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling creative team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is not just fantastic jumping-on point for any new reader, but one of the great Batman stories ever told. With every year that passes, this masterpiece becomes more entrenched into this medium’s pantheon of the greatest stories ever told.Collects issues #1-7 of Batman.Trade Review“A+. The hero's got personality (and is unafraid to release a quip as sharp as a Batarang), a horde of supervillains, gumption to spare and a whole host of high-tech gadgetry to suitably impress longtime fans and those new to the Dark Knight.” —USA Today “This is one of the best comics of the week.” —The New York Times “[Writer Scott Snyder] pulls from the oldest aspects of the Batman myth, combines it with sinister-comic elements from the series’ best period, and gives the whole thing terrific forward-spin by setting up an honest-to-gosh mystery for Batman to solve.” —Entertainment Weekly “Scott Snyder, already the company's greatest asset over the last four weeks, spins a stack of plates immediately…. Too often Batman comics focus heavily on the hero persona … Snyder sets up equal amounts of conflict for both Wayne's public and private personas.” —Time Out Chicago “A stunning debut…. Snyder knows these characters, sets up an intriguing mystery, and delivers some action that Capullo realizes stunningly. This is definitely in the top rank of the revamp. —The Onion/AV Club “Hits all the right notes. I enjoyed the living hell out of this.” —io9 “Bruce Wayne is a badass. The end.” —IGN “There's enough here, kept at a high enough level to make it interesting and viable across media and digestible enough for even the most novice DC Universe reader…. Score one for DC and score one for Snyder and Capullo in finding a new fan.”—Comic Book Resources
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Fountainhead
Book SynopsisTells the story of Howard Roark, a brilliant architect who dares to stand alone against the hostility of second-hand souls. First published in 1943, this novel presents a view of man's creative potential. It is about ambition, power, gold and love.
£12.28
Marvel SpiderMan 2099 Omnibus Vol. 2
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£83.99
Marvel Comics New Mutants Omnibus Vol. 3
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£83.99
DC Comics SupermanBatman Book One DC Compact Comics Edition
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£8.54
Marvel Comics Marvel Studios Eternals The Art Of The Movie
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£43.19
Transworld Publishers Ltd Love Untold
Book Synopsis***The instant Sunday Times bestseller***'Love, mess, secrets; this story of four generations of women is shot through with Ruth Jones's warmth and wisdom.' JOJO MOYES'A hug in a book' Prima'Her best book yet' Woman & Home'Compassionate, wise and life-affirming' The ObserverThe funny, moving and uplifting new novel from Ruth Jones, co-creator of Gavin & Stacey and author of the Sunday Times bestsellers Never Greener and Us Three.Grace is about to turn ninety and she doesn't want parties or presents or fuss. She just wants a quiet celebration: her daily swim in the sea and a cup of tea with granddaughter Elin and great-granddaughter Beca. More than anything, she wants to heal the family rift that's been breaking her heart for decades.And to do that she must find her daughter, Alys - the only person who can help to put things right.But thirty years is a long time.And many words have been left unsaid.So is it too late now to heal the pain of the past?This is a story about mothers and daughters: the love inherent in that bond and the heartache that miscommunication can bring. More than anything, it's about the importance of being true to oneself. Meet Grace, Alys, Elin and Beca - a family you'll come to know, and to love.PRAISE FOR RUTH JONES'Heartfelt, joyful, brave, utterly compelling' RACHEL JOYCE'I adored it' JOANNA CANNON'Joyful, life-affirming' ADELE PARKS'Beautifully warm and totally absorbing. I cried and I laughed. I adored it' JANE FALLONWHAT READERS ARE SAYING*'Good grief. This is truly a novel that pulled on every last emotion.'*'Warm-hearted, beautiful and heartbreaking.'*'Ruth's best book yet... entertaining and incredibly moving.'*'A gorgeous, emotional read that I was completely immersed in.'*'I'm absolutely gutted it's over... loved every single page.'** Sunday Times bestseller July 2023 **Trade ReviewLove, mess, secrets; this story of four generations of women is shot through with Ruth Jones's warmth and wisdom. A big warm blanket of a book. I loved it * Jojo Moyes *Rich in warm, engaging characters and a judicious mix of humour and pathos... it's a compassionate, wise and life-affirming book * The Observer *Full of such warmth and kindness, and the writing is utterly beautiful. I adored it * Joanna Cannon *A 'hug in a book', with characters that felt so real it was like I knew them * Prima *Heartfelt, joyful, brave, utterly compelling, it is a giant tribute to the love between women. You leave this book feeling you have made new friends * Rachel Joyce *
£9.49
Boom Entertainment BRZRKR Bloodlines
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£29.99
DC Comics BatmanSuperman Worlds Finest Vol. 1 The Devil
Book SynopsisThe Dark Knight. The Man of Steel. They are the two finest superheroes that the world has ever known...and they re together again in an epic new series from the legendary talents of Mark Waid and Dan Mora!
£15.29
Vintage Publishing Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line: Discover the
Book Synopsis'Anappara creates an endearing and highly engaging narrator to navigate us through the dark underbelly of modern India' Observer 'I love this book...I just fell into it' Tayari Jones We children are not just stories. We live. Come and see. Nine-year-old Jai watches too many reality cop shows, thinks he's smarter than his friend Pari (even though she always gets top marks) and considers himself to be a better boss than Faiz (even though Faiz is the one with a job). When a boy at school goes missing, Jai decides to use the crime-solving skills he has picked up from episodes of Police Patrol to find him. With Pari and Faiz by his side, Jai ventures into some of the most dangerous parts of the sprawling Indian city; the bazaar at night, and even the railway station at the end of the Purple Line. But kids continue to vanish, and the trio must confront terrified parents, an indifferent police force and soul-snatching djinns in order to uncover the truth 'A heartrending tale' The Times 'Djinn Patrol is storytelling at its best' Anne EnrightTrade ReviewIt’s not hard to see why Djinn Patrol is one of the most eagerly awaited debut novels this spring. It feels like a reckoning with modern India and its many complex problems… Anappara cleverly filters a uniquely Indian horror story through a chirpy, Famous Five-esque narrative and the voice of a witty, young, have-a-go hero -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * The Times *Djinn Patrol is storytelling at its best. The prose is not just sympathetic, vivid, and beautifully detailed, but also completely assured and deft. We care about these characters from the first page and our concern for them is richly repaid -- Anne Enright, Man Booker Prize-winning author of The GatheringIn Jai, Anappara has created a boy vivid in his humanity, one whose voice somersaults on the page. Rich with easy joy, Anappara’s writing announces the arrival of a literary supernova... (Warning: If you begin reading the book in the morning, don’t expect to get anything done for the rest of the day.) -- Lorraine Adams * New York Times Book Review *Anappara's characters brim with swagger and spirit and she creates a world of wit, warmth and heart -- Nina Stibbe * i *A captivating literary style... A dazzling, wonderful book -- Elif Shafak * Daily Mail *
£8.54
Vintage Publishing Frankissstein: A Love Story
Book Synopsis***LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019*****SHORTLISTED FOR THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PRIZE 2020****LONGLISTED FOR THE POLARI PRIZE 2020**'Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful.'Inspired by Mary Shelley's gothic classic Frankenstein, discover this audacious new novel about the bodies we live in and the bodies we desire.As Brexit grips Britain, Ry, a young transgender doctor, is falling in love. The object of their misguided affection: the celebrated AI-specialist, Professor Victor Stein. Meanwhile, Ron Lord, just divorced and living with his Mum again, is set to make his fortune with a new generation of sex dolls for lonely men everywhere.Ranging from 1816, when nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley pens her radical first novel, to a cryonics facility in present-day Arizona where the dead wait to return to life, Frankissstein shows us how much closer we are to the future than we realise.'Intelligent and inventive...very funny' The Times 'One of the most gifted writers working today' New York TimesTrade ReviewA riotous reimagining with an energy and passion all of its own that reanimates Frankenstein as a cautionary tale for a contemporary moment dominated by debates about Brexit, gender, artificial intelligence and medical experimentation… While the story has a gripping momentum of its own, it also fizzes with ideas. -- Daisy Hay * Financial Times *A riotous reimagining with an energy and passion all of its own that reanimates Frankenstein as a cautionary tale for a contemporary moment dominated by debates about Brexit, gender, artificial intelligence and medical experimentation… While the story has a gripping momentum of its own, it also fizzes with ideas. -- Daisy Hay * Financial Times *Here, hard science and dreamy Romanticism exist in both tension and harmony… Frankissstein abounds with invention… this is a work of both pleasure and profundity, robustly and skilfully structured, and suffused with all Winterson’s usual preoccupations – gender, language, sexuality, the limits of individual liberty and the life of ideas. -- Sam Byers * Guardian, *Book of the Week* *A modern take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it’s a fascinating and engrossing look at AI, science, gender fluidity and, ultimately, what it really means to be human. -- Nicola Sturgeon * New Statesman, *Books of the Year* *Yes, the book we have all been waiting for. Yes, everything Winterson has always done so well. Yes, above and beyond anything that is yet to be written.
£9.49
Abrams SpiderMan Cosmic Chaos A Mighty Marvel TeamUp
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£6.64
Vintage Publishing The Devil All the Time
Book SynopsisDonald Ray Pollock, recipient of the 2009 PEN/Bingham Fellowship, made his literary debut in 2008 with the critically acclaimed short-story collection Knockemstiff. He worked as a labourer at the Mead Paper Mill in Chillicothe, Ohio, from 1973 to 2005. www.donaldraypollock.comTrade ReviewHits you like a telegram from Hell slid under your door at three o'clock in the morning -- William Gay, Author of Provinces of Night and The Long HomeDonald Ray Pollock redefines the term 'American Gothic', taking Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner and turning them up to 11...once you start reading it doesn’t let go * Herald *One of the most adventurous and significant writers of our time … If the Coen Brothers want their next Oscar they should buy the rights to this book now * Scotland on Sunday *Terrifying ... an unsettling masterwork * GQ *Superb * The Times *
£9.49
Marvel Comics STAR WARS THE RISE OF SKYWALKER ADAPTATION
£15.29
Marvel Comics Marvel Studios Werewolf By Night The Art of The
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£43.19
Floris Books Secret Agent Nessie
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£9.30
Penguin Random House Group Ultimate SpiderMan by Jonathan Hickman Vol. 1
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£16.19
DC Comics Batman Arkham Asylum DC Compact Comics
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£8.54
Marvel Comics Miles Morales SpiderMan By Cody Ziglar Vol. 1
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£15.29
Dynamite Entertainment Red Sonja Empire of the Damned
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£15.99
DC Comics Krypto The Last Dog of Krypton
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£15.29
Panini Publishing Ltd SpiderMan Noir Omnibus
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£16.99
Penguin Books Ltd The Girls Of Slender Means
Book SynopsisMuriel Spark was born and educated in Edinburgh. She was active in the field of creative writing since 1950, when she won a short-story writing competition in the Observer, and her many subsequent novels include Memento Mori (1959), The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961), The Girls of Slender Means (1963) and Aiding and Abetting (2000). She also wrote plays, poems, children's books and biographies. She became Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1993, and died in 2006.
£9.49
Idea & Design Works Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Ultimate Collection Vol. 7
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£22.95
Penguin Books Ltd Swing Time
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSatisfying and thoughtful * Daily Telegraph *Publisher's description. Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is Zadie Smith's most ambitious novel yet: a story about friendship and music and true identity, how they shape us and how we can survive them. Moving from north-west London to West Africa, it is an exuberant dance to the music of time. * Penguin *Endlessly satisfying... [Zadie Smith] has never written better. Pitch-perfect, masterful and sophisticated * Telegraph *Zadie Smith is the best writer of our generation, and Swing Time is her best book to date. As the title promises, the novel swings and pulsates with life, filled with emotion, excited by intellect and haunted by sadness. What a miracle that literature can still do things other forms of art cannot. What a miracle that Zadie Smith is among us, writing. -- Gary ShteyngartClever, funny, confident and kind. Her gift for language is a pleasure and her character shines through * Evening Standard *[Smith] packs more intelligence, humour and sheer energy into any given scene than anyone else of her generation * Sunday Telegraph *Zadie Smith's finest novel. Extraordinary, virtuosic... [It] does what only literature can and what only great literature will: forces us to assess the very vocabulary with which we speak of human experience * Observer *Zadie Smith at her finest... [An] unflinching portrait of friendship... [A] triumph * Guardian *Ingenious, inspired... Zadie Smith's new novel is very good indeed * Sunday Times *Shrewd observation and sly satire, profundity and genuine purpose, as well as some of the most heart-stoppingly lyrical writing of her career * Scotland on Sunday *A powerful story of lives marred by secrets, unfulfilled potential, the unjustness of the world...and the dances people do to rise above it all * Economist *A sweeping meditation on race and identity... [Smith's] most ambitious work yet * Esquire *A nuanced, richly rewarding tale * Mail on Sunday *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing The Human Stain
Book SynopsisThe American psyche is channelled into the gripping story of one man. This is the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Philip Roth at his very best. It is 1998, the year America is plunged into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president. In a small New England town a distinguished professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues allege that he is a racist. The charge is unfounded, the persecution needless, but the truth about Silk would astonish even his most virulent accuser. Coleman Silk has a secret that he has kept for fifty years. This is the conclusion to Roth’s brilliant trilogy of post-war America – a story of seismic shifts in American history and a personal search for renewal and regeneration.'An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand' Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewThe Human Stain pulses with the strengths that make Roth a prime contender for the status of the most impressive novelist now writing in and about America * Sunday Times *One of his very best... There are passages of such sustained brilliance here that I found myself going over them again and again in gaping disbelief. An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand * Sunday Telegraph *A novel so furious in its telling, with a plot so intricate in its construction that it is infused with a kind of diabolic joy. A masterpiece * Mail on Sunday *[A] tender, shocking and incendiary story on the failure of the American dream refracted through the prism of race -- Arifa Akbar * Guardian *One of the most beautiful books I've ever read * Red *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Trainspotting
Book SynopsisRead the seminal bestselling novel that changed the face of British fiction and inspired Danny Boyle's film.'The best book ever written by man or woman... choose sitting oan a couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fuckin junk food intae yir mooth.Trade ReviewAbhorrently dark and raw to the core, Trainspotting is an insight into one of life’s many ugly personalities — addiction and the accompanying domino effect of grim inevitabilities… Irvine Welsh’s novel will always be a cult classic. -- Tori Chalmers * Culture Trip *Welsh’s skill as a storyteller is undeniable, bringing both wit and compassion to a grim subject matter. If you liked Danny Boyle’s film adaptation, you’ll love the original. -- Maddy Searle * i *The voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent * Sunday Times *The best book ever written by man or woman... Deserves to sell more copies than the bible * Rebel Inc *Welsh writes with a skill, wit and compassion that amounts to genius. He is the best thing that has happened to British writing for decades * Sunday Times *
£9.49
Marvel AllNew Venom Who Is AllNew Venom
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£22.49
Marvel Comics Marvel February 1964 Omnibus
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£67.49
Image Comics Spawn Unwanted Violence
Book Synopsis Spawn: Unwanted Violence is a gripping two-part miniseries that combines the writing of TODD McFARLANE and the stunning art of MIKE DEL MUNDO. Spawn faces a moral dilemma witnessing senseless violence, while THE FREAK uncovers File F. As tension rises and police target SPAWN, he has to inevitably confront morality and the essence of good and evil. Collects SPAWN UNWANTED VIOLENCE Issues #1 2
£10.79
Penguin Books Ltd Keep the Aspidistra Flying
Book SynopsisGordon Comstock loathes dull, middle-class respectability and worship of money. He gives up a ''good job'' in advertising to work part-time in a bookshop, giving him more time to write. But he slides instead into a self-induced poverty that destroys his creativity and his spirit. Only Rosemary, ever-faithful Rosemary, has the strength to challenge his commitment to his chosen way of life. Through the character of Gordon Comstock, Orwell reveals his own disaffection with the society he once himself renounced.Enlivened with vivid autobiographical detail, George Orwell''s Keep the Aspidistra Flying is a tragically witty account of the struggle to escape from a materialistic existence, with an introduction by Peter Davison in Penguin Modern Classics.Trade ReviewA completely harrowing and stark account of poverty ... written in clear and violent language—Cyril Connolly
£8.54
Panini Publishing Ltd Marvel Select Fantastic Four Rising Storm
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£9.49
Saraband The Bay
Book SynopsisA tender and poignant debut of the redemptive power of unexpected friendship. In an old-fashioned fishing community on Morecambe Bay, change is imperceptibly slow. Treacherous tides sweep the quicksands, claiming everything in their path. As a boy, Arthur had followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footprints, learning to read the currents and shifting sands. Now retired and widowed, though, he feels invisible, redundant. His daughter wants him in a retirement home. No one listens to his rants about the newcomers striking out nightly onto the bay for cockles, seemingly oblivious to the danger. When Arthur’s path crosses Suling’s, both are running out of options. Barely yet an adult, Suling’s hopes for a better life have given way to fear: she’s without papers or money, speaks no English, and chased by ruthless debt collectors. Her only next step is to trust the old man. Combining warmth and suspense and recalling a true incident, The Bay tells a tender story about loneliness, confronting prejudice, and the comfort of friendship, however unlikely—as well as exposing one of the most pressing social ills of our age. Trade Review'Careful and compassionate … subtle, human and meaningful, but also full of humour, and precise and beautiful description.' -- Emma Healey, author of Elizabeth Is Missing
£9.49
Penguin Random House Group Ultimate SpiderMan by Jonathan Hickman Vol. 2 The
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£16.19
Oneworld Publications The Sellout: WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016
Book Synopsis A Book of the Decade, 2010-2020 (Independent) A LAUGH-OUT-LOUD SATIRE ABOUT RACE, CLASS AND INEQUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA, BY A LITERARY GENIUS AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME Winner of the Man Booker Prize, 2016 In his trademark absurdist style, Paul Beatty will make you laugh and cry in this outrageous – and outrageously entertaining – indictment of our time. Born in Dickens on the southern outskirts of Los Angeles, the narrator of The Sellout spent his childhood as the subject in his father's racially charged psychological studies. He is told that this work will lead to a memoir that will solve their financial woes. But when his father is killed in a drive-by shooting, he discovers there never was a memoir. All that’s left is a bill for a drive-thru funeral. What’s more, Dickens has literally been wiped off the map to save California from further embarrassment. Fuelled by despair, the narrator sets out to right this wrong with the most outrageous action conceivable: reinstating slavery and segregating the local high school. The results will take him from Dickens to the Supreme Court, in the trial of the century. ‘Outrageous, hilarious and profound.’ Simon Schama, Financial Times ‘The longer you stare at Beatty’s pages, the smarter you’ll get.’ Guardian ‘The most badass first 100 pages of an American novel I’ve read.’ New York TimesTrade Review‘Outrageous, hilarious and profound… It takes a whole other level of sheer audacity to expose atrocious things through the play of wit.’ FT‘The most caustic and the most badass first 100 pages of an American novel I’ve read in at least a decade... The riffs don’t stop coming in this landmark and deeply aware comic novel.' New York Times‘A book of coruscating satire and the darkest humour whose bilious narrative voice leaves you at once enthralled and exhausted’. Observer, Best Books of 2016‘A hilarious, anger-fuelled cadenza that feels as if it were written in one manic burst’. Mark Haddon, Observer, Best Books of 2016‘Brilliant. Amazing. Like demented angels wrote it.’ Sarah Silverman‘A breathtakingly confrontational American race satire with a big laugh and a gasp on every page’. Peter Bradshaw, Guardian‘One of the few books of recent years that has made me choke with laughter’. Daily Mail, Best Books of 2016‘A compelling act of demonstrative rhetoric, a masterful show of verbal energy that questions just how far equality has come and where it hopes to go’. New Statesman‘It will make you laugh, but most of all it will make you think.’ The Sunday Times‘Beatty’s sharp humour challenges pieties from all sides…Intelligent…entertaining…exhilarating’. Daily Telegraph‘Bitterly funny and finely layered…[The Sellout] seems even more essential after the racially demarcated “whitelash” of Donald Trump’s victory.’ New Statesman, Books of the Year 2016'[An] outrageous, riff-strewn satire on race in America…[The Sellout] combines effervescent comedy and stinging critique, but its most arresting quality is the lively humanity of its characters.’ The New Yorker'Brutal and full of very dark humour, it tells us so much about the state of American race relations and, by extension, our attitude to colonialism and black history. Powerful stuff.' Kit de Waal‘Hilariously caustic.’ Rolling Stone‘There’s satire and then there’s satire, and without question Paul Beatty’s caustic third novel, The Sellout, definitely falls into the latter category…brutally honest and very funny’. Independent
£8.99
Vintage Publishing The Human Stain
Book SynopsisIt is 1998, the year America is plunged into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president, and in a small New England town a distinguished classics professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues allege that he is a racist. The charge is unfounded, but the truth about Silk would astonish even his most virulent accuser.Trade ReviewThe Human Stain pulses with the strengths that make Roth a prime contender for the status of the most impressive novelist now writing in and about America * Sunday Times *An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand' * Sunday Telegraph *One of his very best... There are passages of such sustained brilliance here that I found myself going over them again and again in gaping disbelief. An extraordinary book - bursting with rage, humming with ideas, full of dazzling sleights of hand * Sunday Telegraph *A novel so furious in its telling, with a plot so intricate in its construction that it is infused with a kind of diabolic joy. A masterpiece * Mail on Sunday *[A] tender, shocking and incendiary story on the failure of the American dream refracted through the prism of race -- Arifa Akbar * Guardian *
£9.49
Vintage Publishing Money
Book SynopsisJohn Self is a consumer extraordinaire. Rolling between London and New York he closes movie deals and spends feverishly, all the while grabbing everything he can to sate his massive appetites: alcohol, tobacco, pills, pornography and mountains of junk food. But John's excesses haven't gone unnoted. Menaced by a phone stalker, his high-wire, hoggish lifestyle is about to bring him face-to-face with the secret of his success. ''Terribly, terminally funny: laughter in the dark, if ever I heard it'' GuardianTrade ReviewAmis is still the finest English fiction writer of his generation * Sunday Independent *An electrifying writer who likes to shock his fans and share his sharply contemporary concerns... Amis is a maddening master you need to read - the best of his generation * Mail on Sunday *Amis is immaculate as a comic stylist...irresistible * Daily Telegraph *His eloquently rendered inner life shows a richness and tenderness * The Week *A comic opera of excess and humiliation, driven by the punch and panache of Amis's extraordinary prose, Money remains as satirically spot-on as when it was first published * The List *
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez
Book SynopsisSony Labou Tansi''s surreal portrait of a despised and incompetent regime is a biting, burlesque fable, incisive in its description of postcolonial life.History has been silenced in this modern African state: only the voices of the dead cry out for justice. It is a cry answered by Estina Bronzario, the Woman of Bronze, determined to act against the political and moral corruption of male-dominated society.Murders escalate, crowds ebb and flow, and the years roll by. But all the while, the police never come... ''Central Africa''s greatest writer.'' New York Times''No greater genius than Sony Lab''ou Tansi.'' Independent''Sublimely surreal allegory... Tansi [is] one of Africa''s important voices.'' Publishers WeeklyTrade ReviewCentral Africa's greatest writer * New York Times *No greater genius than Sony Labou Tansi * Independent *Sublimely surreal allegory... Tansi [is] one of Africa's important voices * Publishers Weekly *
£13.49
Abrams Fanfare SpiderMan Quantum Quest A Mighty Marvel TeamUp
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£6.64
Vintage Publishing Homesick For Another World
Book Synopsis'Razor-sharp’ Zadie Smith An electrifying, prizewinning short story collection from the Booker-shortlisted author of Eileen and My Year of Rest and Relaxation.There’s something eerily unsettling about Ottessa Moshfegh’s stories, something almost dangerous while also being delightful – and often even weirdly hilarious. Her characters are all unsteady on their feet; all yearning for connection and betterment, in very different ways, but each of them seems destined to be tripped up by their own baser impulses. The flesh is weak; the timber is crooked; people are cruel to each other, and stupid, and hurtful, but beauty comes from strange sources, and the dark energy surging through these stories is oddly and powerfully invigorating. One of the most gifted and exciting young writers in America, she shows us uncomfortable things, and makes us look at them forensically – until we find, suddenly, that we are really looking at ourselves.‘Moshfegh’s writing is cinematic – vivid, immediate’ TLSTrade ReviewRazor-sharp short stories. * Zadie Smith *Moshfegh is consistently as sparky and gripping as she is inventive… She could become one of the most outstanding US writers of her generation. -- Peter Carty * i *The characters in this collection are an unlovely bunch but make for an irresistible read… She writes terrific, attention-grabbing openings, and impactful last lines that don’t strain for a lapidary effect. Her damaged-girl deadpan snark is second to none, but she inhabits other character types with ease. -- Christopher Taylor * Financial Times *She can really write and has a pitch-black sense of humour. -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *Moshfegh’s writing is cinematic – vivid, immediate. -- Gwendoline Riley * Times Literary Supplement *
£9.87
Marvel Comics Daredevil The Man without Fear
Book Synopsis
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DC Comics Joker DC Compact Comics Edition
Book SynopsisGraphic novels to read anywhere: DC Compact Comics collect DC s bestselling, most iconic stories in a new size!
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Marvel Comics Marvel Age Omnibus Vol. 1
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DC Comics Justice League The New 52 Book Three
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Vintage Publishing Wild Houses
Book SynopsisColin Barrett grew up in County Mayo, Ireland. His stories have been published in the Stinging Fly, Granta, Harper's and the New Yorker. His first book, the short story collection Young Skins, won the Guardian First Book Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. His second collection, Homesickness, made the New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year and was a Book of the Year in Oprah Daily and the Irish Times.Trade ReviewSublime… Wild Houses is a thrillingly moreish novel with some of the sharpest dialogue I’ve read in any recent debut and characters who held me captive until the very last page * Sunday Times *A delicate and beautiful book about the lives of lonely people... Page after faultless page, Wild Houses is a sheer joy to read... Colin Barrett's the real deal, but then we knew that already * Irish Times *So consistently witty and inventive that one struggles to think of recent novels that could stand up to comparison * Guardian, *Book of the Day* *With a thrillerish intensity… Barrett expertly handles the combination of narrative-driving dialogue, exhilarating action scenes and quieter moments designed to build tension… I was unable to put Wild Houses down * Times Literary Supplement *After years of short stories, Barrett’s transition to the longer span of the novel is confidently done. Descriptive set pieces are linked and expanded, yet every paragraph is created with care * Financial Times *Barrett’s superb debut novel deepens the world of his two short-story collections… The novel has the tension of a gritty noir thriller and the comic menace of a Pinter play * New Statesman *Barrett can sustain a narrative across a novel without sacrificing the panache and precision that has made him one of the most stylish fiction writers at work today. His prose is a delight from the first page * i *Wild Houses realises life in full and without pity... A palpable sense of human eccentricity, and endurance, is always there, just beneath the surface * Daily Telegraph *Until now, Colin Barrett has made his name as an artist of the short story… Wild Houses is a delight, with a wider space for his talent to spread and for his acutely observed characters to linger * Spectator *This strange and beautiful novel brings to life an entire world. Wild Houses is a book not just to read but to live inside -- Sally Rooney, author of Normal PeopleSharp and affecting, expansive and playful, Barrett has written a gorgeous novel filled with gorgeous sentences. A dream to read, and no doubt destined to be one of the novels of the year -- Michael Magee, author of Close to HomeColin Barrett quietly, insistently, writes so deeply into his characters you could reach out and touch them. Wild Houses is a gift of true storytelling and Barrett’s talent burns up the page -- Anne Enright, author of The Wren, The WrenVivid, controlled, very funny, and very moving - Barrett has the kind of pure writing chops that are vanishingly rare -- Kevin Barry, author of Night Boat to TangierFunny, engrossing, and told with masterful technique * Daily Mail *Wild Houses is a wonder of a novel - crackling with tension and gifted with fine, strong language. Colin Barrett is a superb storyteller, and this is a tale for the ages -- Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13
£15.29
