Some satirical novels have major political & cultural significance. Think Animal Farm & Slaughterhouse 5. Others are just plain silly.
Satire & Humour Books
Penguin Random House Children's UK Fairy Tales for Millennials
Book SynopsisWelcome to the world of Fairy Tales, Millennial style...Inside you''ll find Sleeping Beauty waking up Woke, the Nanny Goats Gruff getting trolled, and three little pigs explaining that - realistically - a house of straw is really the only way a first time buyer can get on the property ladder.Goldilocks discovers a darling little Porridge pop-up, the Pied Piper shifts his content strategy to attract more followers, and Hansel and Gretel meet a witch with a disruptive approach to clean eating.
£9.49
Penguin Putnam Inc You Deserve Each Other
Book SynopsisWhen your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves—and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
£13.88
Amazon Publishing That Secret Crush
Book SynopsisUSA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn brings more humor and heart with the third novel of her Getting Lucky series: a story about breaking curses and laying your heart on the line. What happens when your secret crush isn’t so secret anymore? I’ve had feelings for Eve Roberts for as long as I can remember, but because she also happens to be the twin sister of my best friend, Eric, I’ve never acted on my feelings and long ago resigned myself to keeping my crush under wraps. But after a terrible falling-out with Eric involving a failed restaurant venture and plenty of blame on both sides, I’m back in Port Snow without my best friend and without any direction. But can you guess who’s here? Eve. And my attraction to her is as strong as ever. As old feelings rush back, Eve and I find ourselves pulled together, whether we like it or not. Lines are crossed, secrets are kept, and we soon discover that the difference between love and friendship may not be so black and white, after all. Everyone wants that secret crush to love them back…but will I be ready when she does?Trade ReviewPraise for That Second Chance “With each book I read by Meghan Quinn, I become more in awe of her writing talent. She truly has a gift! That Second Chance was simply perfect!…” —Wrapped Up In Reading “…a sweet, sexy, swoon-worthy, MUST READ romance from Meghan Quinn, and I would HIGHLY recommend it! I fell head over heels in love with the quaint and charming small town of Port Snow, Maine, and all of its residents…” —The Romance Bibliophile “…I’m basking in the HEA goodness of That Second Chance, which gets five stars.” —Dog-Eared Daydreams “I adored the small town of Port Snow and the fabulous tight [bond] the Knightly family have not only with each other but their community as a whole.” —Book Angel Booktopia Praise for That Forever Girl “A terrific read.” —Once Upon a Book Blog “A heart-tugging, slow-burning, second-chance romance…This is a couple that I couldn’t help but root for.” —Red Cheeks Reads “If you love small-town romances that are rich in scenery, packed with sweetness, heat, and fun, and looking for an easy reading escape, look no further.” —Totally Booked Blog “Filled with emotion, laughter and loads of sexual tension…I dare you to not fall in love with Harper and Rogan!” —Nightbird Novels “Sweet, sassy, sexy, and sentimental.” —Harlequin Junkie “Second chance enemies-to-lovers romance at its finest.” —Bookishly Nerdy “I’m a sucker for second chance romances and add in the small town and I’m hooked. And who better to give me all the feels with a little humor and a mix of sexiness than Meghan Quinn.” —Embrace the Romance
£10.75
Yale University Press The Valiant Little Tailor A Novel The Margellos
Book SynopsisThe classic Grimms’ fairy tale of the valiant little tailor, as you’ve never read it beforeTrade Review“Chevillard can be exhilarating, as he breathes powerful life into words, creating a sense of poetic animism”—Muriel Zagha, Times Literary Supplement“A creative take on storytelling, suggesting the potential in even the most familiar tale, with Chevillard riffing comfortably across subject-matters and stories old and new.”—M. A. Orthofer, Complete Review“This novel, superbly translated by Jordan Stump, is vintage Chevillard. A fairy tale for our time, it is engagingly playful, telling a story we thought we knew, prompting us to think about how stories are told.”—Warren Motte, author of Mirror Gazing“Here’s Chevillard at his cockeyed keenest, bedeviling the Brothers Grimm with a giddy vengeance. Jordan Stump once again proves a superb chaperone on this deliciously macabre, deliriously digressive, almost irresponsibly imaginative field trip into the bowels of narrative.”—Daniel Levin Becker, author of Many Subtle Channels“As Chevillard reinvents, subverts, and digresses from the Brothers Grimm tale, his wit and wordplay leap into life in Jordan Stump’s breathtaking translation. A book not to be missed by anyone new to Chevillard’s antics, or by his longtime, faithful readers.”—Alyson Waters, translator of Chevillard’s Prehistoric Times “Chevillard takes a Grimms’ fairy tale and runs rings around it, torquing and twisting it into new half-shapes. Amusing, maddening, funny, and absurd, this is a new sort of metafiction, like Robert Coover on acid.”—Brian Evenson, author of Song for the Unraveling of the World “Éric Chevillard’s sly, clever, imaginative tales reimagine how to tell a story.”—Madeleine Schwartz, journalist and advisory editor for Paris ReviewPraise for Éric Chevillard: “Chevillard [is] one of the bright spots in recent French literature.”—Publishers Weekly “A major talent, a worthy descendant in the Beckett-Bernhard line.”—Darren Reidy, The Believer “Éric Chevillard is one of the few great experimental French writers still writing today.”—Erik Martiny, London Magazine “Beloved for his playful and sharply intelligent fiction, Éric Chevillard is a voice worthy of a global readership.”—Music and Literature
£15.73
Graydon House Small Town, Big Magic: A Witchy Romantic Comedy
Book Synopsis
£15.29
Dalkey Archive Press Mulligan Stew
Book SynopsisWidely regarded as Sorrentino's finest achievement, Mulligan Stew takes as its subject the comic possibilities of the modern literary imagination. As avant-garde novelist Antony Lamont struggles to write a "new wave murder mystery," his frustrating emotional and sexual life wreaks havoc on his work-in-progress. As a result, his narrative (the very book we are reading) turns into a literary "stew" an uproariously funny melange of journal entries, erotic poetry, parodies of all kinds, love letters, interviews, and lists—as Hugh Kenner in "Harper's" wrote, "for another such virtuoso of the List you'd have to resurrect Joyce." Soon, Lamont's characters (on loan from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Flann O'Brien, James Joyce, and Dashiell Hammet) take on lives of their own, completely sabotaging his narrative. Sorrentino has vastly extended the possibilities of what a novel can be in this extraordinary work, which both parodies and pays homage to the art of fiction.Trade Review"Mulligan Stew is utterly dazzling."—Washington Post"An abundant and extravagantly decorated display of the pleasures of the imagination."—New York Times
£15.20
Simon & Schuster Audio Going Rogue: Rise and Shine Twenty-Nine
Book Synopsis
£26.24
Pan Macmillan Date with Death
Book SynopsisJulia Chapman is the pseudonym of Julia Stagg, who has had five novels, the Fogas Chronicles set in the French Pyrenees, published by Hodder. She is also the author of the Dales Detective series which follows the adventures of Samson O'Brien and Delilah Metcalfe as they solve cases in the Yorkshire Dales.Born with a wanderlust that keeps her moving, Julia has followed her restless feet to Japan, Australia, the USA and France. She spent the majority of that time as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language but also dabbled in bookselling, pawnbroking, waitressing and was once checkout chick of the month' at a supermarket in South Australia. She also ran an auberge in the French Pyrenees for six years with her husband.Having spent many years wandering, she is now glad to call the Yorkshire Dales home. Its distinctive landscape and way of life provide the setting for her latest set of novels, the Dales Detective series.Trade ReviewA classic whodunit set in the spectacular landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, written with affection for the area and its people. A satisfying read riddled with dry Yorkshire humour (and dry-stone walls) -- Cath Staincliffe, author of The Silence Between BreathsGreat fun! -- Carol Drinkwater
£9.49
Headline Publishing Group To Marry and to Meddle
Book SynopsisIf you love Julia Quinn''s Bridgerton, you won''t want to miss Martha Waters'' ingenious, laugh-out-loud and sweepingly romantic historical rom-com, To Marry and to Meddle!''Sweet, sexy, and utterly fun'' Emily Henry''Awash with light, witty banter, unadulterated confessions of love, and plenty of steamy, corset-unravelling sex scenes'' Kirkus Reviews''Meshing the classic Regency theme of defying societal expectations with all the wit and humour of a rom-com . . . a fun romp full of smiles'' Publishers Weekly''Waters'' prose harkens back to Georgette Heyer, but Emily and Julian''s individual journeys of learning to like their authentic selves are timeless'' BookPage..............................Marriage isn''t always smooth sailing . . . Lady Emily Turner should really be married by now, but
£9.49
Pan Macmillan End Zone
Book SynopsisDuring a season of unprecedented success, Gary becomes increasingly fixated on the threat of nuclear war. Both frightened and fascinated by the prospect, he listens to his team-mates discussing match tactics in much the same terms as generals might contemplate global conflict. But as the terminologies of football and nuclear war – the language of end zones – become interchanged, the polysemous nature of words emerges, and DeLillo forces us to see beyond the sterile reality of substitution.This clever and playful novel is a timeless and topical study of human beings' obsession with conflict and confrontation.Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.Trade ReviewAmerica's greatest living writer. * Observer *Nobody, it seems, could write better than this. No one could have a clearer vision of the micro-circuitry of post-modern life. * Evening Standard *Powerfully funny, oblique, testy, and playful, tearing along in dazzling cinematic spurts . . . A masterful novel. * Washington Post *
£9.49
Penguin Putnam Inc The Catch
Book Synopsis
£10.40
Random House USA Inc Liberation Day
Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER? ?One of our most inventive purveyors of the form returns with pitch-perfect, genre-bending stories that stare into the abyss of our national character. . . . An exquisite work from a writer whose reach is galactic.??Oprah Daily Booker Prize winner George Saunders returns with his first collection of short stories since the New York Times bestseller Tenth of December. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, Oprah Daily, NPR, Time, USA Today, The Guardian, Esquire, Newsweek, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Library JournalThe ?best short-story writer in English? (Time) is back with a masterful collection that explores ideas of power, ethics, and justice and cuts to the very heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans. With his trademark prose?wickedly funny, unsentimental, and exquisitely tuned?Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: Here is a collection of prismatic, resonant stories that encompass joy and despair, oppression and revolution, bizarre fantasy and brutal reality.?Love Letter? is a tender missive from grandfather to grandson, in the midst of a dystopian political situation in the (not too distant, all too believable) future, that reminds us of our obligations to our ideals, ourselves, and one another. ?Ghoul? is set in a Hell-themed section of an underground amusement park in Colorado and follows the exploits of a lonely, morally complex character named Brian, who comes to question everything he takes for granted about his reality. In ?Mother?s Day,? two women who loved the same man come to an existential reckoning in the middle of a hailstorm. In ?Elliott Spencer,? our eighty-nine-year-old protagonist finds himself brainwashed, his memory ?scraped??a victim of a scheme in which poor, vulnerable people are reprogrammed and deployed as political protesters. And ?My House??in a mere seven pages?comes to terms with the haunting nature of unfulfilled dreams and the inevitability of decay.Together, these nine subversive, profound, and essential stories coalesce into a case for viewing the world with the same generosity and clear-eyed attention Saunders does, even in the most absurd of circumstances.
£11.20
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Quarantine Princess Diaries
Book SynopsisMia Thermopolis knows just what to do in a crisis: Rule.During the Covid-19 pandemic, a section of the diary of Princess Mia Thermopolis of Genovia fell into the hands of Meg Cabot, the Princess’s royal biographer.
£8.54
Random House USA Inc The Singularities
Book SynopsisFrom the revered Booker Prize-winning author comes a playful, multilayered novel of nostalgia, life and death, and quantum theory, which opens with the return of one of his most celebrated characters as he is released from prison. ?A triumphant piece of writing…Prose of such luscious elegance…Exhilarating.? ?The New York Times Book ReviewA man with a borrowed name steps from a flashy red sports car?also borrowed?onto the estate of his youth. But all is not as it seems. There is a new family living in the drafty old house: the Godleys, descendants of the late, world-famous scientist Adam Godley, whose theory of existence threw the universe into chaos. And this mystery man, who has just completed a prison sentence, feels as if time has stopped, or was torn, or was opened in new and strange ways. He must now vie with the idiosyncratic Godley family, with their harried housekeeper who becomes his landlady, with the recently commissioned biographer of Godley Sr., and with a wealthy and beautiful woman from his past who comes bearing an unusual request.With sparkling intelligence and rapier wit, John Banville revisits some of his career?s most memorable figures, in a novel as mischievous as it is brilliantly conceived. The Singularities occupies a singular space and will surely be one of his most admired works.
£14.40
HarperCollins Publishers Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner
Book SynopsisThe perfect pick me up romcom for fans of Beth O'Leary, Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood!Not an expert, not even close, not in any of this. But nobody will try harder than me to make you happy.Sally is a classic romantic and Harry is a classic cynic, but when a drunken bet leads the new flatmates to (badly) recreate the lift' from Dirty Dancing, and the video goes viral (#EpicRomcomReenactmentFailure), they both realise there's potential financial benefit in blundering their way through the romcom lexicon for their suddenly vast social media following.Now, as Harry and Sally bring major romcom moments to new life including recreating that classic diner scene their faking it turns to makingout and suddenly they're living a real life romcom of their own! But like all the greatest love stories, the road to happily ever after is paved with unexpected challenges for this hero and heroineEveryone LOVES this book!Fuzzies, chills, goosebumps and more1000% the romcom of the year' ?????Gave me ALTrade Review Readers can’t get enough of The New Guy: ‘Seriously love this twist on an office romance’ Christina Parker, Netgalley ‘Their chemistry was off the charts’Mad Mom Life ‘Better than most rom coms I’ve watched and read!’ Jennifer Arnold, Netgalley ‘Reads like the perfect rom-com movie’ Sinead, Librarian ‘Very sexy and very sweet’ Morgan Shulman, Goodreads ‘Warmed my heart and read like a movie…What a beautiful sweet surprise this was’ Kelsey Peterson, Goodreads ‘You have yourself a page turning, don’t want it to end story, in essence an absolutely cracking read!’ Margaret Harris, Netgalley ‘A gorgeously sweet romance!’ From Rachael Claire ‘It's got laugh out loud moments, heart wrenching moments but most important that feel good factor’ Chantiece Bates, Goodreads
£8.54
Pan Macmillan The Little Old Lady Strikes Back
Book SynopsisCatharina Ingelman-Sundberg is a Swedish author who has written numerous books in several genres, including popular science, cartoon, children's and historical fiction, including the Little Old Lady series. A former journalist and marine archaeologist, she now works full-time as an author.Her individual writing style, featuring depth of insight, and sense of surprise and humour, gives her books a special appeal. So much so that in 1999 she won the prestigious Widding Prize as the best writer of popular history and historical novels.Trade ReviewGently humorous and pleasantly daft * Guardian *A good-natured, humorous crime caper * Independent on Sunday *A complete hoot * Saga Magazine *This laugh-out-loud international bestseller will have you chuckling one minute and crying the next * The Lady *A quirky, offbeat delight and a heart-warming reminder that one is never too old for some mischief and adventure -- Tom Winter, author of Lost & FoundA shining expression of how joyous life is. It is not dangerous to grow old if you are like Märtha and the gang * Hyllan, blogg *The funniest book this year! * Magazine Familjen, Norway *A book which should be read by people of all ages * Radio P4 *A hilarious farce . . . highly entertaining with very well crafted characters * Frettabladid newspaper, Iceland *It has humour, brilliant dialogue, irony and warmth. A light-hearted and enjoyable detective comedy with breath-taking events, which provide many smiles but also reflection on life * PRO Pensionären *Criminally fun! * Bonniers Bokklubb *Very imaginative, fun and filled with gallons of humour! * Katarina Mazetti *
£9.49
Orion Publishing Co Green Dot
Book Synopsis A BEST BOOK OF 2024 IN STYLIST, DAILY MAIL, THE I, IRISH TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES AND RED A GUARDIAN SUMMER READING PICK ''One of the best books you will read all year'' ELIZABETH DAY''Brilliant. What a writer'' NIGELLA LAWSON ''Incredibly funny'' CAITLIN MORAN''Wonderful'' GILLIAN ANDERSON''This year''s Sorrow and Bliss. Hilarious and heartbreaking'' DAILY MAIL''The book of the summer'' IN STYLEHera is in her mid-twenties, which seems young to everyone except people in their mid-twenties. Since leaving school, she has been trying to kick and scream into existence a life she cares about, but with little success so far. Until she meets Arthur. He works with her, he is older than her, he is also married. But in her soulless office - the large cold room she feels destTrade ReviewBrilliant. Riveting. Sharp. Funny. Dark. I want to give Green Dot all the adjectives but will content myself with saying it is one of the best books you will read all year -- Elizabeth Day, author of MAGPIEThe intensity of Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion written with the lightness of Bridget Jones's Diary and the irreverence of Fleabag -- Johanna Thomas-Corr * THE SUNDAY TIMES *So droll, bawdy, sexy, hilarious and good fun, everything you read thereafter seems dull in comparison -- Anna Bonet * THE I PAPER *I wolfed Green Dot down over two nights. An incredibly funny book about a woman having an affair that's a really bad idea. Every sentence sparkles -- Caitlin MoranIf you liked Fleabag you will love Green Dot -- Pandora SykesWhat a treat. It's positively indecent that a book this funny should also be so moving and wise and well-observed. Everything I read after finishing it felt a bit anaemic in comparison. Every sentence is a joy -- Rebecca Wait, author of I'M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAYOne of the most buzzed-about books for 2024 is Green Dot and it's a gulp of a read thanks to Gray's fizzing protagonist, Hera . . . Hera's longing, hope and pop culture references (everything from The Wire to Rupi Kaur and British pub opening times are used for proper laughs) make it one of the most entertaining reads we've had in a long time -- Francesca Brown * STYLIST Unmissable Fiction for 2024 *This book! What a gutting, funny, smart, smart, smart book it is, one that I absolutely inhaled while almost constantly emotionally bracing myself. Madeleine Gray is a hilarious, humane, and highly perceptive writer -- Claire Lombardo, author of THE MOST FUN WE EVER HADHilarious and heartbreaking, Green Dot might just be the debut of the year. It's the type of book you can devour in no time -- Anna Bonet * THE I PAPER, What To Read in 2024 *As funny as it is bleak, Green Dot is a compulsive read that grapples with the quest for meaning and happiness in our fractured world. Madeleine Gray's luminous debut echoes the canon of literature centred around affairs whilst achieving something completely fresh and asking questions that will stay with readers in the same way her protagonist Hera's voice is sure to do -- Kate Sawyer, author of THE STRANDINGJust brilliant. Hilarious and sexy but so wise about the human heart, too. Witty as Fleabag, psychologically insightful as Sally Rooney - everyone will be talking about Green Dot -- Lucie Whitehouse, author of LAST WITNESSExcruciatingly brilliant. I snorted with laughter and winced in recognition. So painfully, sharply true - this is without a doubt the best book about an affair I've read, and I'm including Graham Greene in that -- Emma Hughes, author of NO SUCH THING IS PERFECTThis year's Sorrow And Bliss . . . a hilarious and heartbreaking story about a young woman's affair with an older colleague -- Sara Lawrence * DAILY MAIL Best Fiction of 2024 *The hype around Australian author Madeleine Gray is hard to ignore, with writers from Caitlin Moran to Elizabeth Day earmarking this brilliantly funny and observant debut as a must-read -- Sarra Manning * RED MAGAZINE, Dazzling Debuts for 2024 *Madeleine Gray's brilliantly sharp Green Dot wrenchingly captures what so many of us yearn for: to be loved in the eyes of another for who we are . . . a book so hilariously real and devastating, you'll never stop hoping (or reading) -- Jennifer McShane * IMAGE MAGAZINE *Is there anything more deeply cursed than being a woman in your 20s? Novelists have been mining this period of life for years, but few get it as well as Madeleine Gray . . . Staggeringly good and wickedly funny * The Saturday Paper *Madeleine Gray takes a scalpel to millennial malaise, office romance, and infidelity, and the result is a brainy, gutsy, nervy - and hilarious - wonder of a novel -- Meg Howrey, author of THEY'RE GOING TO LOVE YOUA gripping read that's smart, funny and highly relatable -- Libby Page, author of THE LIDOI am obsessed with this book. I am obsessed with Hera, with her dad, her friends, her dog. I am obsessed with how funny she is, and how hopeful and dark and tender and bleak the world is through her eyes. Green Dot is a book about love, and how stupid and funny and absolutely beautiful life can be -- Laura McPhee-Browne, author of LITTLE PLUMFresh and funny * IRISH TIMES, 2024 Preview *Green Dot is sentence by sentence perfection. Razor sharp, hilarious, clever, and devastatingly honest, this is going to the book everyone will be talking about in 2024 -- Louise O’Neill, author of IDOLA novel everyone will be talking about . . . Messy 20-something love from a witty new voice * GRAZIA, Best Novels of 2024 *A hilarious novel about falling in love with someone you really shouldn't . . . I raced through it with increasing delight . . . Sharp and wise -- Sara Lawrence * DAILY MAIL *Full of incredibly sharp sentences and darkly comic moments -- Clare Thorp * BBC CULTURE *Green Dot is for anyone who has fallen for the wrong person, remained in a relationship that is hurting them, witnessed a close friend going through that, or has simply made mistakes . . . It is so droll, bawdy, sexy, hilarious and good fun, everything you read thereafter seems dull in comparison * the i paper *Wildly funny . . . Fans of Fleabag will adore Green Dot -- Sarra Manning * RED MAGAZINE *Darkly funny . . . Gray's writing is witty and sharp and 24-year-old Hera is a character you'll root for -- Jo Finney * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *Funny, whip-smart, and unbearably realistic, Gray nails the angst of being young, directionless, and desperate for an emotional anchor. You'll tear through the pages, judging Hera's decisions, and wi11ing her to recognise her value, before realising you've had green dot moments of your own. Genius -- Kay Ribeiro * HEAT MAGAZINE, Book of the Week *Full of sharply penned scenes that fans of Fleabag will love . . . In Green Dot there are no outright villains, nor is anyone 100% angelic - and it's that skill in layered characterisation that will have you riveted until the final page -- Amanda Willard * PRESS ASSOCIATION *An acutely witty debut . . . Green Dot's potency lies in its narrator's distinctive voice, ruthless self-scrutiny and droll observations on the absurdities of young adult life . . . Gray brilliantly satirises the indignities of office life on the bottom rung . . . Although ironic and flippant, Green Dot avoids nihilism, and is ultimately about the search for meaning through love -- Madeleine Feeny * GUARDIAN *If you're a fan of Fleabag you will love this * COSMOPOLITAN *One of the must-reads of 2024 . . . swaggering, laugh-out-loud and moving -- Francesca Brown * STYLIST MAGAZINE *A sure-fire bestseller. . . deeply moving but hilarious * HELLO! MAGAZINE *Gray paints Hera with strokes of authenticity that make it almost impossible not to connect with her. She captures that tricky period between university and the start of grown-up life perfectly . . . I inhaled this book in one weekend -- Lorraine Courtney * SUNDAY INDEPENDENT *Green Dot is an irresistible story about the skin-crawlingly bad decisions many of us make in the name of love. Scorchingly smart and readable -- Edel Coffey * IRISH TIMES THE GLOSS MAGAZINE *A droll coming-of-age story that explores what we're really looking for when we fall for the wrong person -- Hephzibah Anderson * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Impressive . . . As the story unfolds, what begins as a laugh-out-loud observation of office politics, slowly gives way to a deeply poignant and, at times, heartbreakingly detailed journey of messy self-discovery. The layered characterisation that will have you riveted * DAILY MIRROR *Like a Gen Z Bridget Jones... A sparky, snarky, sassy debut novel. * Erica Davies *
£13.49
Bloom Books The Christmas Fix
Book Synopsis
£16.14
Duckworth Books Home Sweet Hell
Book SynopsisIt's New Year's Eve, and the Rook family are at odds with one another. Unfortunately, not only is their psychic rival Aurora coming to their hometown, but there's another visitor - Death. The newly appointed Replacement Reaper, who is not grim at all, but a very cute Canadian. He's here to end the world - albeit ethically and politely. This time, Armageddon is coming home. Can the family overcome their differences in time to stop the ultimate New Year Countdown? Who is Aurora, really? And, is Death single?Trade Review‘Gabby is one of the funniest writers I know’ Sarah Millican
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers The Christmas Wish
Book SynopsisHow do you fall in love with someone who can't remember you from one day until the next?Absolutely hilarious, engaging and fun' ????? Reader reviewNewly single lawyer Gwen Baker needs a family Christmas to bury her woes, with festive films, country walks and a mountain of chocolate.Her teenage crush Dev is back in their small village as well and it turns out he's just as kind, funny and good-looking as she remembers.But then Gwen wakes up to discover it's Christmas all over again. She's trapped in a snowy Groundhog Day. But would repeat meet-cutes with Dev really be so bad for a heart that needs mending?READERS LOVE LINDSEY KELK:A festive romance with a twist . . . with plenty of funny moments and a whole load of emotion' ?????The perfect antidote to these dark evenings, full of warmth, humour, deep insights and feel-good prose' ?????If you read one Christmas book this year . . . let it be this one!' ?????Everything you want for a Christmas read' ?????Warm-hearted, funny and so enjoyaTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR THE CHRISTMAS WISH: ’Sparkles with wit and warmth . . . I’ll read anything Lindsey writes, but this one might just be my new favourite of her novels’ BETH O’LEARY ‘Brimming with wit, humour and festive sparkle’ SARAH MORGAN ’The Christmas Wish is Lindsey Kelk’s best yet. I couldn’t have loved this romantic, festive, brilliantly funny novel more’ ROSIE WALSH ‘Absolutely screamingly hilarious, full of Christmas-y sparkle and a lovely boy-next-door romance, but with some serious depth to bring you all the feels’ LIZZY DENT ‘Reading this book felt like opening a box of Quality Streets, getting out the Christmas edition of the Radio Times, then popping on a Santa Hat’ SOPHIE COUSENS PRAISE FOR LINDSEY KELK’S ROMCOMS: ‘So uplifting and wildly romantic’ MARIAN KEYES ‘Funny, engaging and sparkly’ JANE FALLON ‘The literary equivalent of opening a glass of wine with your best friend’ MHAIRI MCFARLANE ‘The kind of book you can’t put down, but also want to last forever’ EMILY HENRY ‘Swoops you up and fills your heart with such joy’ GIOVANNA FLETCHER ‘Sparkling and gorgeously romantic’ SARAH MORGAN ‘Touching, hugely romantic and properly laugh-out-loud funny’ SOPHIA MONEY-COUTTS ‘I laughed and cried with every chapter, I never wanted it to end’ LUCY VINE ‘Utterly brilliant: super smart, achingly funny and just impossible to put down’ ROSIE WALSH ‘The perfect balance between sparkly escapism and big-hearted realness’ SOPHIE RANALD ‘As warm as a hug but as funny as a night out with the girls’ LAURA JANE WILLIAMS ‘Perfect, escapist fiction’ LIA LOUIS ‘You will not want to miss your invite to this ball’ CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN ‘Full of Lindsey’s trademark warmth and wit’ ALEX BROWN ‘Everything a perfect and iconic romcom should be’ CARMEL HARRINGTON ‘You cannot spell romcom without Lindsey Kelk’ LAUREN HO
£8.54
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Knockout
Book SynopsisNew York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean returns with the next Hell's Belles novel about a chaotic bluestocking and the buttoned-up detective enlisted to keep her out of trouble (spoiler: She is the trouble). With her headful of wild curls and wilder ideas and an unabashed love of experiments and explosives, society has labeled Lady Imogen Loveless peculiar...and doesn't know she's one of the Hell's Belles a group of vigilantes operating outside the notice of most of London.Thomas Peck is not most of London. The brilliant detective fought his way off the streets and into a promising career through sheer force of will and a keen ability to see things others miss, like the fact that Imogen isn't peculiar...she's pandemonium. If you ask him, she requires a keeper. When her powerful family discovers her late-night activities, they couldn't agree more...and they know just the man for the task.Thomas wants nothing to do with guarding Imogen. He is a grown man with a proper job and no time for the lady's incendiary chaos, no matter how lushly it is packaged. But some assignments are too explosive to pass up, and the gruff detective is soon caught up in Imogen's world, full of her bold smiles and burning secrets...and a fiery passion that threatens to consume them both.
£8.99
Penguin Putnam Inc My Roommate Is a Vampire
Book SynopsisA USA TODAY BESTSELLER!A September Indie Next PickOne of Amazon''s Best Romances of SeptemberOne of Apple''s Best Books of SeptemberTrue love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy. Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it?s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she?s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch?only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price. Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn?t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they?re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren?t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean... Cassie?s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.
£10.80
Headline Publishing Group Red String Theory
Book Synopsis''Lauren delivers laughs, heart, and swoon all in one ridiculously fun story'' SARAH ADAMSJust a date . . . or a twist of fate? Science meets art in this delightfully swoony romance of fate and second chances by Lauren Kung Jessen. When it comes to love and art, Rooney Gao believes in signs. Most of all, she believes in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. That belief has inspired her career and the large art installations she makes. That is until artist''s block strikes and Rooney begins to question everything. But then fate leads her to the perfect guy. . .Jack Liu is absurdly smart, successful, handsome, and after one enchanting New York night all signs point to destiny. Only Jack doesn''t believe in such a thing. And after their magical date, it looks like they might be lost to each other forever . . . until they''re given one more chance to reconnect. But can Rooney convince a reluctant
£10.44
Minotaur Books,US Birder She Wrote
Book SynopsisMeg is relaxing in the hammock, taste-testing Michael's latest batch of Arnold Palmers and watching the hummingbirds at their feeders when her hopes for a relaxing early summer morning are dashed.First her father recruits her to help him install a new batch of bees in the hive in her backyard. Then Mayor Shiffley recruits her to placate the NIMBYs (Not in my backyard), as she calls them a group of newcomers to Caerphilly who have built McMansions next door to working farms and then do their best to make life miserable for the farmers. And finally Meg's grandmother, shows up, trailed by a nosy reporter who is writing a feature on her for a genteel Southern ladies' magazine.Cordelia drafts Meg to accompany her and Deacon Washington of the New Life Baptist Church and the reporter, alas in their search for a long-lost African-American cemetery. Unfortunately what they discover is not an ancient cemetery but a fresh corpse. Can Meg protect her grandmother and Caerphil
£20.39
Bloom Books Things We Left Behind
Book Synopsis
£14.06
Afterglow Books by Harlequin The Fake Dating Game
Book Synopsis
£11.25
HarperCollins Publishers Tracy Flick Cant Win
Book SynopsisSoon to be a major filmTracy Flick, star of Election and one of the most memorable characters of our time, returns in this dark and insightful comedy about midlife.Ambitious and hardworking Tracy Flick feels underappreciated and stuck. Her job as a high school assistant principal isn't the political career she dreamed of as an over-achieving teen, so when the longtime principal abruptly announces his retirement, offering a rare chance of promotion, Tracy is filled with zeal at the prospect of success.But nothing ever comes easily to Tracy Flick, no matter how diligent or qualified she happens to be. As she takes her shot at the top job, her male colleagues' determination to honour Vito Falcone, a star quarterback of dubious character, triggers troubling memories of her high school experience, and storm clouds brewing in her present her goals, career and relationships send Tracy spiralling.One of the great writers that we have today. I love this book' Harlan CobenEngrossing and mordanTrade Review‘Engrossing and mordantly funny’ People ‘Told with Perrotta’s piercing wit, wisdom, and exquisite insight into human folly, Tracy’s second act delivers acerbic insight about frustrated ambition’ Esquire ‘One of the great writers that we have today. I love this book’ Harlan Coben ‘This is the rare sequel that lives up to the original’ Publishers Weekly ‘Brilliant, biting satire’ Associated Press ‘Humorous yet humane . . . prescient, darkly comical’San Francisco Chronicle ‘Short chapters from many perspectives keep readers alternately laughing and gasping’ Los Angeles Times ‘Perrotta’s great gift is that he lets his love for his characters, flaws and all, shine through. . . . I was rooting hard for Tracy Flick to, finally, win’ Seattle Times
£9.49
Simon & Schuster Audio Dirty Thirty
Book Synopsis
£26.24
Bloom Books Things We Hide from the Light
Book Synopsis
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Fiancée Farce
Book SynopsisLambda Literary award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage of convenience...Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit. When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout…
£16.14
Penguin Books Ltd A Long Time Coming
Book SynopsisThe addictive, savvy and steamy new romcom inspired by My Best Friend''s Wedding from bestselling author Meghan Quinn''Meghan Quinn is the QUEEN of romcoms'' 5***** Reader Review''Oh my . . . Meghan Quinn NEVER disappoints!'' 5***** Reader Review''Meghan Quinn knocks Rom Coms out of the park!'' 5***** Reader Review_________Ophelia thought wedding planning would be fun.But with her nightmare of a mother-in-law, she''s struggling to adjust to life with a ring on her finger.Thankfully her best friend of over ten years, Breaker, agrees to be her faithful ''man in waiting''.While nervous to play the part, Breaker takes his title very seriously.That is until he starts to realise that it''s not nerves he feels at all.But a weird, butterfly sensation directed at his soon-to-be-married best friend . . ._________Praise for Meghan Quinn:''I can''t gTrade ReviewI can't get enough of her writing. Her books are my romantic comedy happy place -- A Novel GlimpseMeghan is an absolute QUEEN when it comes to writing stories that are not only funny but have a lot of heart in them too -- Elle's Book Blog
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton At the Captain's Table: Sail away with the
Book SynopsisSail away with the delightful new novel from Gervase Phinn, bestselling author of The School at the Top of the DaleA summer cruise should be just the ticket for a few weeks of luxury and relaxation - but for the passengers and crew of the Empress of the Ocean, the sights of the Mediterranean are nothing compared to the excitement on board...For bickering couple Albert and Maureen, the trip might prove a much-needed escape - or the final straw. Elegant Frances de la Mare is determined to hobnob with the right kind of people - but her penthouse suite proves lonelier than she ever imagined. Meanwhile, precocious twelve-year-old Oliver discovers that guidebooks don't teach you everything, sparks fly when the port lecturer finds himself upstaged by a popular author, dancers Bruce and Babs can't keep in step, and cruise expert Neville just wants someone to speak to.But as unlikely friendships are forged, feuds bubble in the laundry room, and everyone jostles for a seat at the Captain's table, they might find all their plans going overboard.... Warm, funny and uplifting, this is the perfect escapist read for fans of Gervase Phinn's Yorkshire novels, as well as readers of Celia Imrie, Alan Titchmarsh and Maeve Haran.'[Gervase Phinn is] a worthy successor to James Herriott, and every bit as endearing' - bestselling author Alan Titchmarsh
£8.99
Penguin Books Ltd Well Played
Book SynopsisFall in love with the glorious Renaissance Faire romance that has TikTok swooning!''A book worth losing sleep over'' 5***** Reader Review''Favourite romance series hands down'' 5***** Reader Review''I devoured it'' 5***** Reader Review_________Stacey put her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother. But it''s been years now. Even the local Renaissance Faire, where she spends summer pouring drinks and flirting with patrons, is losing its attraction. She vows to have her life figured out by next summer''s Faire. It''s past time she found The One.Dex MacLean, her summertime Faire fling, does not fit the bill. Yes, he''s easy on the eye with his band The Dueling Kilts, but Stacey doesn''t love him. Then she receives a tender email from her monosyllabic hunk, and she wonders whether she got him wrong.So when Faire finally returns to Willow Creek, Stacey hopes to at last come face-to-faTrade ReviewStacey finds her greatest joy at the Faire, looking forward to its return each year. In DeLuca's hands, we'd have to agree - there's endless tales and excitement to be found in this world, still one of the freshest, most engaging concepts in romance a year after she introduced us to it. A hearty huzzah for Well Played. * Entertainment Weekly *[DeLuca] lets the wooing happen, along with the rebuilding of trust and truly falling in love in this wonderful Cyrano-esque romance. * NPR *
£8.54
Amazon Publishing The Hollywood Jinx
Book SynopsisWhen Hollywood comes to small-town Ohio, the scene is set for an unpredictable romance in a fun and flirty novel by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.The small town of Patience needs a financial boost. Temporary librarian and aspiring film-score composer Jane Wagner’s plan? Invite movie star Nick Haddon to the town’s harvest festival and stand back for the tourist surge. No one thought he’d say yes—much less that he’d bring a documentary crew to stream his visit.Given Nick’s affinity for trouble, his reputation and films are tanking. Patience is the perfect stopover on a journey of self-improvement and his chance to put good karma out in the universe. Spending time with a sweet and lovely guide like Jane is a bonus. But Jane’s heartbroken past keeps her on guard against men. Especially when they’re jinxed.The truth is, Jane’s falling hard. But she can’t ignore the differences between them. He’s famous. She isn’t. He’s here for two weeks. This is her home. Where can it possibly lead? She’ll see. Because day after blissful day, Nick’s encouraging Jane to trust again and, best of all, to dream beyond Patience.
£8.99
HarperCollins Publishers The Christmas Wish
Book SynopsisHow do you fall in love with someone who can't remember you from one day until the next?Absolutely hilarious, engaging and fun' ????? Reader reviewNewly single lawyer Gwen Baker needs a family Christmas to bury her woes, with festive films, country walks and a mountain of chocolate.Her teenage crush Dev is back in their small village as well and it turns out he's just as kind, funny and good-looking as she remembers.But then Gwen wakes up to discover it's Christmas all over again. She's trapped in a snowy Groundhog Day. But would repeat meet-cutes with Dev really be so bad for a heart that needs mending?READERS LOVE LINDSEY KELK:A festive romance with a twist . . . with plenty of funny moments and a whole load of emotion' ?????The perfect antidote to these dark evenings, full of warmth, humour, deep insights and feel-good prose' ?????If you read one Christmas book this year . . . let it be this one!' ?????Everything you want for a Christmas read' ?????Warm-hearted, funny and so enjoyaTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR LINDSEY KELK’S ROMCOMS: ‘So uplifting and wildly romantic’ MARIAN KEYES ‘Funny, engaging and sparkly’ JANE FALLON ‘The literary equivalent of opening a glass of wine with your best friend’ MHAIRI MCFARLANE ‘The kind of book you can’t put down, but also want to last forever’ EMILY HENRY ’As warm and satisfying as a hot chocolate on a winter’s day’ HEAT ‘We loved this feel-good book’ Bella ‘Funny and feel-good, this is another brilliant read from Lindsey Kelk’ Closer ‘We all need an escape at times, and who better to serve a delicious, escapist romance?’ Woman’s Weekly ‘Another perfect romantic comedy from Lindsey Kelk, who always gets the balance of rom and com exactly right’ Sarra Manning, RED ‘Swoops you up and fills your heart with such joy’ GIOVANNA FLETCHER ‘Sparkling and gorgeously romantic’ SARAH MORGAN ‘Touching, hugely romantic and properly laugh-out-loud funny’ SOPHIA MONEY-COUTTS ‘I laughed and cried with every chapter, I never wanted it to end’ LUCY VINE ‘Utterly brilliant: super smart, achingly funny and just impossible to put down’ ROSIE WALSH ‘The perfect balance between sparkly escapism and big-hearted realness’ SOPHIE RANALD ‘As warm as a hug but as funny as a night out with the girls’ LAURA JANE WILLIAMS ‘Perfect, escapist fiction’ LIA LOUIS ‘You will not want to miss your invite to this ball’ CRESSIDA MCLAUGHLIN ‘Full of Lindsey’s trademark warmth and wit’ ALEX BROWN ‘Everything a perfect and iconic romcom should be’ CARMEL HARRINGTON ‘You cannot spell romcom without Lindsey Kelk’ LAUREN HO
£9.06
Headline Publishing Group Lizzie Blakes Best Mistake
Book Synopsis''Laugh-out-loud funny, filled with joy, as deliciously swoony as it is downright steamy'' CHLOE LIESEThe next sizzling and swoonie rom-com from the author of the TikTok-hit A Brush with Love which readers gave FIVE SHINING STARS!''Oh my TOOTH FAIRY!! This book was so much more than I expected and swept me off my feet'' ''Swoony, steamy, adorable . . . Read. This. Book. You won''t be disappointed. It''s a keeper and Mazey Eddings is on my auto-read list forever''''There was so much to love about this book . . . Thank you to Mazey Eddings for this romance with its messy, true, and painfully real representation of anxiety . . . We need more books like this in the world''...............................Chaotic, messy and madly in love. Lizzie Blake has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, you name it, she''s done it . . . and made a mess of it too. One mist
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd Weather Girl
Book SynopsisTHE FUNNY AND ADDICTIVELY ROMANTIC FEEL-GOOD TIKTOK SENSATION''My forecast: read it, and you''ll be on cloud nine'' ALI HAZELWOOD, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS''A sexy storm of a book'' Sophie Cousens''Probably my favourite romcom ever'' 5* Reader Review*BUSINESS OR PLEASURE, the sizzling new rom com from Rachel Lynn Solomon is available to buy now!*________Ari Abrams loves working as a TV meteorologist. But unfortunately, her boss is so busy fighting with her ex - who happens to be the station''s news director - that there''s always a storm brewing inside the newsroom!So after a particularly explosive showdown, Ari and shy sports reporter Russell hatch a plan to get their bosses back together, fast . . .As they work to help the sparring exes fall back in love, Ari finds herself telling Russell things that she has always kept hidden - and soon realiseTrade ReviewA magical story that celebrates hope, resilience, and love. My forecast: read it, and you'll be on cloud nine -- Ali Hazelwood, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love HypothesisA sharp, witty romance full of heart. Rachel's writing zips off the page. A sexy storm of a book -- Sophie Cousens, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Next YearThe forecast predicts a 100% chance of heartfelt rom-com charm * Kirkus Reviews *That feeling you get when you curl up on the couch on a rainy Saturday, with a great book in one hand and a spiked hot chocolate in the other: that's the feeling you get when you read Weather Girl. This book is cozy, comforting, thought provoking, and it'll make you feel warm from the inside out -- Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of While We Were DatingA delightful romance. Perfect for rainy days and sunny days and everything in between -- Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author of The Heart PrincipleA tender, hilarious, and heartfelt love story you'll read in one sitting! -- Tessa Bailey, New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One SummerWryly funny and sweetly sexy, Rachel Lynn Solomon's Weather Girl is as comforting as a weighted blanket and as carefully considered as one of Ari's forecasts. For everyone who's ever believed themself too much to love, this book offers both solace and a gentle promise: If you allow yourself to be truly known, you may find someone who'll adore you on even your darkest days -- Olivia Dade, author of Spoiler AlertWith Rachel Lynn Solomon's trademark brand of humour and charm, Weather Girl is a love letter to every woman who's ever felt they had to hide their stormy days behind a sunshine exterior. With a tender romance at its center, this story will heat you up, melt your heart, and affirm the incredible beauty of being loved for exactly who you are -- Sonia Hartl, author of Heartbreak for HireWeather Girl is warm and deeply romantic. Once again, Rachel Lynn Solomon has created a cast of characters that we fall in love with from the moment we meet them -- Annette Christie, author of The Rehearsals[Solomon's] realistic portrayal of the internal struggles that come with the highs and lows of optimism and depression, and how it affects sex and relationships, is an important one. Paired with humorous dialogue and many swoon-worthy moments, this romance book has all the joy you need * BuzzFeed *Sparkles with quirky humour * Apple Books *Humorous, captivating, and delightful * USA Today *Heartfelt charm, memorable characters, steamy moments...this rom-com has it all * Women's World *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Unlikely Animals
Book SynopsisA lost young woman returns to small-town New Hampshire under the strangest of circumstances in this one-of-a-kind novel of life, death, and whatever comes after from the acclaimed author of Rabbit Cake.''Bewitching!'' New York Times''Heartfelt, touching and delightfully quirky'' Good HousekeepingIt was a source of entertainment at Maple Street Cemetery. Both funny and sad, the kind of story we like best. Natural-born healer Emma Starling once had big plans for her life, but she''s lost her way. A medical school dropout, she''s come back to small-town Everton, New Hampshire, to care for her father, who is dying from a mysterious brain disease. Clive Starling has been hallucinating small animals, as well as having visions of the ghost of a long-dead naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes, once known for letting wild animals live in his house. This ghost has been giving Clive some ideas on how to sTrade ReviewA wondrous and wonderful story filled with unforgettable characters, both living and dead . . . an instant classic * Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling author of the Southern Reach trilogy *Hartnett's whimsical storytelling casts a spell * Publishers Weekly *An absurdist, laugh-out-loud family drama about intergenerational healing * Kirkus Reviews *I devoured Annie Hartnett's Unlikely Animals. She's created a beautiful menagerie set inside a troubled household and their small New Hampshire town; a delightful mess of tenderness, grief, and despair, but most important, hope * Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things and With Teeth *Unlikely Animals possesses such tenderness and empathy for a world that wears us down and ruins us, a world that sometimes offers a glimmer of hope, and Hartnett knows how to turn up the brilliance of that light and wield it to do magical things * Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang *Hartnett masterfully balances a story of deep loss with the perfect amount of hilarity and tenderness * Booklist (starred review) *This is a big novel doing big things. It bears some similarity to Hartnett's much- loved first novel, Rabbit Cake. . . . But Unlikely Animals is a broader, brassier, and even more fiercely tender story. In this, her second novel, Hartnett lands an astonishing leap as a storyteller * The Rumpus *Wistfully charming . . . This unapologetically genre-bending tribute to life and death, and the beautiful weirdness found in both, has potential to spark exceptional book club discussions * Shelf Awareness *Bewitching! * New York Times *[A] a magical, soul-stirring read about family and the ways we put ourselves back together * The Washington Post *Heartfelt, touching and delightfully quirky * Good Housekeeping *A moving novel about family, friendship and loss that manages to be both at times quirkily surreal as well as rooted in the realities of small-town life * Choice *
£9.49
Duckworth Books Out of Service
Book SynopsisAfter the events in Coldbay where they sealed the hell hole, Lucy is trying to learn more about it and how to save Murzzzz from eternal damnation. Yes, he’s a demon and all, but he’s also a part of the family. Lucy’s turned to her diocese for guidance but they’ve gone strangely quiet so she persuades the Rooks to drive there so they can sort this out. On the way, they realise something is incredibly wrong with a motorway service station - it’s empty except for lingering, sad ghosts and… oh no, another hell hole has opened up and sucked in a load of people. They know they need to stay until they can rescue them and close it down, but not before they’ve done everything in their collective power to rescue Murzzzz. After all, one man’s hellhole is a family of ghost-hunter’s opportunity to save their demon friend. That’s the expression, right?Trade Review'Gabby is one of the funniest writers I know' Sarah Millican
£8.54
Profile Books Ltd Conversations from a Long Marriage: based on the
Book SynopsisJoanna and Roger have been married for over forty years. Children of the sixties, they're still free spirits, drawn together by their passion for music - and each other. Conversations from a Long Marriage is exactly that: following conversations that take them from the local café, to their kitchen table, taking in her resentment of new glasses - a symbol of ageing - and fury at being lectured by the dental hygienist. He has a dodgy knee and is on statins, and when they discuss the marriage break-up of their closest friends, Sally and Peter, there's jealousy and talk of affairs. She suggests there are advantages to single beds and separate holidays, and wants to go clubbing in Ibiza for her imminent 'big' birthday. Witty, big-hearted and a whole lot of fun, Conversations from a Long Marriage will resonate with couples of any age - but especially those who are still dancing in the kitchen, singing in the car and trying to keep the passion alive.Trade ReviewSublimely funny, touching ... Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington's two hander? This is a work of supreme craftsmanship * Radio Times *Witty and warm * The Spectator *Jan Etherington is a brilliant writer and these books are sheer joy -- Joanna LumleyConversations is a brilliant vehicle for tackling difficult subjects, like ageing and mortality, with a kind of clever, gentle, sardonic and affectionate humour, laced with human insight that makes you chuckle but can also unexpectedly move you. * Suffolk Magazine *Beautifully written * Observer *Sitcom is what most marriages are really like - repetitive and ridiculous - and Jan's words are some of the best ever written on the subject -- Richard CurtisAstute ... They are unlike anyone I actually know but, truly, I like them * The Times *This book gives me hope ... that life and marriage might permanently include taking the absolute piss while simultaneously dancing in the kitchen -- Emma FreudOne of the best writers for radio ... Her dialogue works because it is so true -- Simon BrettAn endearing portrait of exasperation, laced with hard won tolerance - and something like love * Guardian *Not just comedy but also a compelling, well-rounded drama. Brilliantly crafted, delightfully funny and perceptive ... they sparkle and spring vividly to life * Mature Times *Pin-sharp * The Lady *Exquisitely simple ... it captures the rhymes and language of spousal life [and] in these [Jan Etherington] hands it works perfectly -- Ben Dowell * The Times Pick of the Week *Comedies about likeable people are not common. Treasure this one * Sunday Times *Beautifully captured in Etherington's sparkling dialogue ... the couple whose flirty, combative relationship, ... made famous by Joanna Lumley and Roger Allam ... is now so beloved -- Simon O'Hagan * i Newspaper *This warm, witty portrait of a 40-year marriage is written with a pin-sharp perception. Sublimely funny, touching ... couple Joanna and Roger remain passionate about life, music and each other, as their conversations veer from reading glasses and dodgy knees to clubbing in Ibiza, separate beds and affairs. Lumley and Allam have had illustrious acting careers but can they ever have done anything better than Jan Etherington's two hander? A funny, relatable read ... this is a work of supreme craftsmanship * Radio Times *
£9.49
And Other Stories Shalash the Iraqi
Book SynopsisPopulated by a cast of imagined con artists, holy fools, drag queens, and partisans – as well as some very factual politicians, priests, and generals – this novel started life as a pseudonymous blog written ‘live’ by ‘Shalash’ during and after the Second Iraq War. Never written to be published, all but lost save for disintegrating printouts treasured by its devotees, Shalash the Iraqi is here presented in its first authorised translation, with the blessing and commentary of ‘Shalash’ himself. The second U.S. invasion of Iraq began in the spring of 2003. By the autumn of 2005, though the Saddam Hussein regime had reached its bloody end, ordinary Iraqis were seeing little improvement in their daily lives. In the midst of this turmoil, a hero arose – or, rather, a jester. In a country where electricity was only intermittently available, a series of blog posts began to appear at a soon-to-be-defunct website and took Baghdad by storm. Individual entries were printed out and passed around for months, until the pages were nearly shredded. Where neither computers nor printers were available, the posts were retold aloud, then passed along at second- and third-hand. What could inspire such devotion? Signed ‘Shalash the Iraqi’, the posts proved to be nothing less than portions of a madcap serial novel thumbing its nose at Iraq’s new normal. From drunken monologues to prayers, from poetry to dirty jokes, from fairy tales and folk stories to pratfall humour, this novel delights readers and sheds light on Iraq in equal measure.
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers Forget Me Not The hottest romcom of 2023
Book SynopsisPre-order Julie Soto''s new book, Not Another Love Song now!I loved every second of it!' Ali HazelwoodHe loves me. He loves me notAma Torres is a great wedding planner. Ama Torres does not believe in happily-ever-aftersWhen Ama lands the job of her dreams, a headline-grabbing wedding for a glamorous Instagram star and her fiancee, it's her biggest job yet.But the florist is none other than Elliot Bloom Ama's ex, the man whose heart she broke two years ago. The man she hasn't spoken to since.Can they get through the wedding without killing or kissing each other?A scorching hot debut rom-com you won't want to miss. For fans of The Love Hypothesis and The UnhoneymoonersNetgalley readers LOVE Forget Me Not:WOW! I loved every minute of this! ?????I loved every second of this book Just a fantastic romance, from start to finish! ?????Wow 10 stars ?????I bloody loved it ?????I 100% recommend ?????Julie is my new favorite author. You have to read it ASAP! ?????This is going to be a forever Trade Review‘Julie Soto is my favorite writer, period. I'll read anything she writes – I loved every second of it’ Ali Hazelwood, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis ‘A spicy bouquet of thorns and roses … a triumph for those who love weddings and hot florists’ Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author of Part of Your World
£8.54
Large Print Press People We Meet on Vacation
Book Synopsis
£20.40
Pan Macmillan The Rules of Attraction
Book SynopsisBret Easton Ellis is the author of several novels, including Imperial Bedrooms, Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, Glamorama and Lunar Park, and a collection of stories, The Informers. Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho and The Informers have all been made into films. His first work of non-fiction, White, was published in 2019. He is the host of the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast available on Patreon. He lives in Los Angeles.Trade ReviewServes to establish Mr. Ellis’s reputation further as one of the primary inside sources in upper-middle-class America’s continuing investigation of what has happened to its children. * The New York Times Book Review *Compelling . . . sympathetic to his "lost generation" the way only Fitzgerald was about his * Vanity Fair *Ellis has always been regarded as th bad boy of contemporary American letters -- Douglas KennedyA tour de force of the heart of darkness, a moral Armageddon * The Times *
£9.89
Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC Loner Life in Another World (Light Novel) Vol. 6
Book SynopsisSEIZE THE CAPITALAccompanied by Princess Shalliceres, Haruka sets out for the capital—and rescues the crown prince from an ambush along the way! Meanwhile, the city falls under the control of the second prince in a coup d’etat backed by the Merchant Kingdom. Haruka is determined to break through the capital’s defenses, but he’ll have to get past the Merchant Kingdom’s trump card: the Seven Swords. Does this loner stand a chance against the world’s mightiest magic swordsman?
£12.59
Little, Brown & Company Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian,
Book SynopsisAlya and Masachika make a promise to fight to the bitter end in their joint bid for election as student council President and Vice President. They start their strategy meeting for going up against the opposition candidate--the overwhelmingly charismatic Yuki Suou. "So...let’s talk student council election strategy..." "...?????" [He’s so cool...] Hhnnnggg! Now he's gotten all flustered by her sweet words in Russian!
£11.69
Hodder & Stoughton General Division Garth Marenghi’s TerrorTome: Dreamweaver,
Book SynopsisDare you crack open the TerrorTome? (Mind the spine)When horror writer Nick Steen gets sucked into a cursed typewriter by the terrifying Type-Face, Dark Lord of the Prolix, the hellish visions inside his head are unleashed for real. Forced to fight his escaping imagination - now leaking out of his own brain - Nick must defend the town of Stalkford from his own fictional horrors, including avascular-necrosis-obsessed serial killer Nelson Strain and Nick's dreaded throppleganger, the Dark Third. Can he and Roz, his frequently incorrect female editor, hunt down these incarnate denizens of Nick's rampaging imaginata before they destroy Stalkford, outer Stalkford and possibly slightly further?From the twisted genius of horror master Garth Marenghi - Frighternerman, Darkscribe, Doomsage (plus Man-Shee) - come three dark tales from his long-lost multi-volume epic: TerrorTome.Can a brain leak? (Yes, it can)-------------------------------------------'Reads like Garth's classic oeuvre of paperback horrors crossed with the X-Files, Faustian myth and bits of Manimal. Plus the cover is embossed with genuine foil at his insistence and at your expense'Ken Hodder, Head of Hodder'These three tales of terror by Garth Marenghi are... quality'Queen Fang, NosFor(at)um.com'A strong beginning, deepening intrigue and a knockout ending'How to Write MagazineTrade ReviewBeautifully bonkers, with a razor-sharp understanding of the genre, Garth Marenghi's prose is schlocky, corny, cliché-ridden and over-written. Full of dread and deliberately dreadful - in other words, addictive and quite perfect * SciFi Bulletin *The mercurial horror maestro and star of Darkplace delivers a trio of blood curdling tales from his long-lost opus in this side-splittingly spot-on parody of grisly supernatural blockbusters * Waterstones *Read if you dare, but know that not one bone in your body will remain unchilled * Financial Times *Books like TerrorTome - so dense with brilliant jokes that it cannot safely be read while drinking hot liquid - are rare indeed. It is clear that Holness loves horror; like the recent Ladybird books and BBC Two's Philomena Cunk, this is a parody that knows and respects its source material. The result is something very bad - and very, very good * The i *A delight, whether you're a devotee of the shlocky 1980s horror genre or not. TerrorTome is a pitch-perfect parody of terrible genre writing, with overblown, clichéd prose and heavily signposted metaphor * Chortle *A new Garth Marenghi novel is like a new album by ZZ Top or Status Quo: you know what you're going to get, but by heck you'll love it * Buzz *Horrormeister Garth Marenghi makes a triumphant comeback with three linked tales of shuddersome, mind-bending fear . . . Top-notch spoofy spookiness * Financial Times, Best Books of 2022 *
£15.29
Little, Brown Book Group Heartburn
Book Synopsis40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, WITH A FOREWORD BY STANLEY TUCCI''I have bought more copies of this book to give to people, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, than any other . . . Heartburn is the perfect, bittersweet, sobbingly funny, all-too-true confessional novel'' NIGELLA LAWSON''I kept a copy of Nora Ephron''s Heartburn next to me as a reminder of how to be funny and truthful, and all I ended up doing was ignoring my writing and rereading Heartburn'' AMY POEHLERSeven months into her pregnancy, Rachel discovers that her husband is in love with another woman. The fact that this woman has a ''neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb'' is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel is a cookery writer, and between trying to win Mark back and wishing him dead, she offers us some of her favourite recipes. Heartburn is a roller coaster of love, betrayal, loss and most satisfyingly revenge.This is Nora Ephron''s (screenwriter of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle) roman a clef: ''I always thought during the pain of the marriage that one day it would make a funny book,'' she once said. And it is!''It is snortingly funny in its depiction of the death throes of a relationship. And it bursts with recipes. What more could you ask for?'' ADAM KAYPART OF THE VIRAGO DESIGNER COLLECTION. COVER FEATURES TEXTILE DESIGN BY ELZA SUNDERLANDTrade ReviewI am not a great reader of comic novels, but Ephron's hilarious, recipe-strewn, semi-autobiographical account of a heavily pregnant woman whose husband has left her for a woman with a 'neck as long as an arm' is a treat. A perfect example of Ephron's gift for turning tragedy into comedy, Heartburn is evidence that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold[Ephron] chatters up a storm, always on the verge of wisecracking up * Guardian *What really interested Ephron, for all her clever writing about food, politics and overcluttered purses, were matters of the heart. She is the exact opposite of Dorothy Parker. She is wit without cynicism, the ultimate romantic -- Gail Collins * New York Times *I have bought more copies of this book to give to people, in a frenzy of enthusiasm, than any other . . . Heartburn is the perfect, bittersweet, sobbingly funny, all-too-true confessional novel. There is not a wrong word - about food, marriage, life, love, lossFull of cynicism and gags, this autobiographical novel is comic writing at its finest -- Andrew Billen * The Times *Heartburn took the most miserable personal situation and made it hysterically funny, inspiring and utterly relatable to women of all ages. I became obsessed with its author and thinly disguised heroine * Stylist *Heartburn is as hilarious as it is heartbreaking and as brittle (very) as it is steely (even more)It is snortingly funny in its depiction of the death throes of a relationship. And it bursts with recipes. What more could you ask for?Not just the funniest novel ever written about divorce, but the funniest novel ever. Only the truly talented make writing as good as this look easy -- Hadley Freeman * The Week *I kept a copy of Nora Ephron's Heartburn next to me as a reminder of how to be funny and truthful, and all I ended up doing was ignoring my writing and rereading Heartburn -- Amy PoehlerThe real magic of the novel comes from Ephron's nonchalant conversationalism -- Helen Rosner * New Yorker *Simply one of the greatest novels involving food ever written from the writer of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. It's about love, sex, adultery and key lime pie -- Jay RaynerThis book taught me about love, loss and writing. It's a timeless classic * Independent *
£14.44
