Satirical fiction and parodies
Little, Brown Book Group Busters Diaries as Told to Roy Hattersley With a
Book SynopsisBUSTER''S DIARIES - offer a unique floor-level insight into the aromatic world of the man-owning dog. Buster stepped into the limelight in April 1996 after an incident with a goose in St James''s Park, a goose which happened to belong to the Queen. Pursued by the press ever since, he has sought solace in writing. He details the absurdities of his life with The Man, who clearly wants to be a dog, but lacks the necessary qualities. The blood of the tundra wolves roars through Buster''s veins and demands he hold strong views on the role and status of the fin-de-siecle dog. BUSTER''S DIARIES expose the truth about such man-made fallacies as diet, discipline and exercise. They also extol the joys of human-ownership and are written with the wit and style that is expected of his amanuensis.Trade ReviewUn-put-downable, highly amusing...A perfect Christmas present * DOG WORLD *A must read for every dog owner * Sunday Tribune IRELAND *When Buster the cross-bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier was attacked by a goose belonging to the Queen, his resulting act of self-defence (from which the bird never recovered) was so widely misreported in the press that Buster became an instant celebrity. One court appearance and a £75 fine later, Roy Hattersley and his companion were consigned to the criminal ranks. But that was not the end of the matter, as journalists pursued the pair through the parks of London. Determined to put his side of the story forward, Buster decided at last to put paw to paper and his Diaries, as told to Roy Hattersley are the result. * From his lowly beginnings as a street pup and rescue dog, Buster charts his heady rise to the sophistication of SW1. Hotels, living with The Man and mealtimes that She dictates are only a few of the obstacles Buster has to negotiate. But negotiate them he *LUCIE NAYLOR, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW
£10.44
Cambridge University Press The Cambridge Companion to Gullivers Travels
Book SynopsisApproaching Gulliver's Travels from a variety of critical perspectives, this Cambridge Companion provides students and researchers with a multifaceted understanding of the enduring legacy of one of literature's most profound and provocative works of fiction in the lead-up to the 300th anniversary of its first publication.Table of ContentsPart I. Contexts: 1. Politics Joseph Hone; 2. Religion Ian Higgins; 3. Bodies and Gender Liz Bellamy; 4. Science, Empire, and Observation Gregory Lynall; Part II. Genres: 5. Popular Fiction J. A. Downie; 6. Satire Pat Rogers; 7. Travel Writing Dirk F. Passmann; 8. Philosophical Tale Paddy Bullard; Part III. Reading Gulliver's Travels: 9. Advertisements and Authorship Brean Hammond; 10. A Voyage to Lilliput Melinda Alliker Rabb; 11. A Voyage to Brobdingnag Nicholas Seager; 12. A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Luggnagg, &c. Barbara M. Benedict; 13. A Voyage to the Land of the Houyhnhnms Judith Hawley; Part IV. Afterlives: 14. Critical Reception Jack Lynch; 15. Further Voyages Daniel Cook; 16. Visual Culture Ruth Menzies; 17. Screen Media Emrys Jones.
£999.99
Headline Publishing Group Which Way to Happiness
Book SynopsisGuaranteed to make you smile, if you love Sophie Kinsella, Beth O''Leary and Nicola May, you''ll LOVE Christina Bradley''s hilarious and life-affirming novel of the search for happiness!''Packed with humour, friendship and romance . . . it has a real life-affirming, self-affirming message that left me with a spring in my step'' SOPHIE RANALD''Christina Bradley shows real talent in creating a novel with pace and humour and uplifting self-discovery'' HOT BRANDS COOL PLACES*Previously published as Thirty*''Well-written, witty and totally original'' 5 star reader review''Hilarious, very entertaining and you don''t want to stop reading!'' 5 star reader review''Cheeringly good'' 5 star reader review''Laugh-out-loud funny'' 5 star reader review''Funny, easy, addictive read'' 5 star reader review''Hilarious, on point about being singl
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Making Nice
Book SynopsisThe deliciously sharp new novel from Ferdinand Mount, author of the Sunday Times Book of the Year Kiss Myself GoodbyeFerdinand Mount's stinging satire plunges into the dubious world of London PR firms, the back rooms of Westminster and the campaign trail in Africa and America. We follow the hapless Dickie Pentecost, redundant diplomatic correspondent for a foundering national newspaper, together with his stern oncologist wife Jane, and their daughters Flo, an aspiring ballerina, and the quizzical teenager Lucy.The whole family find themselves entangled in an ever more alarming series of events revolving around the elusive Ethel (full name Ethelbert), dynamic founder of the soaring public relations agency Making Nice.With echoes of Evelyn Waugh and The Thick of It, Making Nice is a masterly take on the madness of contemporary society and the limitless human capacity for self-deception.Trade ReviewFerdinand Mount’s exquisite writing draws you into a gorgeously horrid world of lies, where all authenticity is faked, and where the biggest deceptions are the ones we practise upon ourselves. Perhaps you recognise the place he’s talking about. He exposes such cold truths with such warmth – I am in eternal awe of his writing, wherever I find it. -- Marina HydeMount’s storytelling is irresistible * Literary Review *One of our finest prose stylists * Daily Telegraph *Making Nice is the funniest, shrewdest, most elegant novel I have read in years. What will Mount conjure up next? * The Oldie *…like all his novels…show his gifts for comedy, physical description and for capturing idiosyncratic mannerisms. * Wall Street Journal *...This pacey book is great fun to read. * Sunday Times *At Making Nice’s heart is a serious lesson about the fine line between success and scandal, truth and lies. -- Chloe Ashby * The Spectator *A razor-sharp comedy of political misfortunes. * Literary Review *Mr Mount has written a satire to be consumed in one sitting, a pointed critique of the modern world delivered with pluck and verve. * The Economist *[Mount] is very good on behavioural quirks, often evoking them with unexpected analogies… Making Nice is a comedy of manners with satirical trappings, and highly enjoyable, too. -- Nicholas Clee * Times Literary Supplement *Seldom can a satirical novel have proved more pertinent. -- Sarah Meyrick * The Church Times *So begins a rollicking rollercoaster ride through modern politics…showcasing Mount’s pitch-perfect comic ear and a keen eye for caricature. * Catholic Herald *A razor-sharp political satire from the author of The Sunday Times Book of the Year Kiss Myself Goodbye… This book is exceptionally well-written… a feast of shrewd observations… the prose is often deliciously rich in description and imagery. * Press & Journal *Table of Contents1 Champing 2 Smiley Face 3 Hi-Vis 4 The Real Greek 5 Board Games 6 On Safari 7 Flo Flown 8 Jerrybuilt 9 Ghosting 10 Spinland 11 In the Cockpit 12 The Golden Jacket 13 The Locator 14 Lost and Found Thanks
£15.36
iUniverse The Odyssey of the AOR
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£18.99
Skyhorse Publishing Zombie Cat: The Tale of a Decomposing Kitty
Book Synopsis“A delightful book that any fan of the undead is sure to love.” —Scott Kenemore, author of The Zen of Zombie and Zombie, Ohio Tiddles is a suave, carefree kitty cat whose only pleasures in life are eating mice, wooing the ladies, and being generally apathetic toward his owner, Jake. But when a toxic spill occurs outside of town, Tiddles finds himself savagely attacked by a nasty-looking radioactive field mouse, and he wakes up as one of the undead. However, he still retains a bit of compassion and refrains—for now—from zombie Bacchanalian delights, such as eating living beings’ brains! Umm . . . any brains at all! However, Tiddles, a.k.a. Zombie Cat, is decomposing rapidly and would prefer to live a normal life in the zombie apocalypse with his owner, Jake. But will Jake take in his former cuddly pet or will ZC be doomed to roam the streets trying to avoid the inevitable pull of his undead yearnings? Zombie Cat is a humorous adult picture book in the vein of Pat the Zombie and Ten Little Zombies: A Love Story. Isabel Atherton’s quirky storytelling combined with Bethany Straker’s captivating (and slightly grotesque!) illustrations make this the perfect addition to any Halloween collection. It’s the ideal gift for any crazed zombie fanatic—or equally crazed cat lover.Trade Review“A delightful book that any fan of the undead is sure to love.” —Scott Kenemore, author of The Zen of Zombie and Zombie, Ohio
£9.49
Amazon Publishing Logging Off
Book SynopsisFrom bestselling author Nick Spalding comes a hilarious, uplifting story about one man’s attempt to live a tech free life. Andy Bellows is in a right state. Plagued with insomnia, anxiety and neckache, he’s convinced there’s something seriously wrong with him. And the worst thing is that his doctor agrees. The diagnosis: Andy is in the grip of a self-destructive addiction to technology—he just cannot put that bloody mobile phone down. Texting, tweeting, gaming and online dating—technology rules Andy’s life. His phone even monitors his bowel movements. So how will he cope when he’s forced to follow doctor’s orders and step away from all of his beloved screens? When he loses his precious digital window on the world, Andy discovers just how bewildering and scary living an analogue life can be. And when his sixty-day detox hits the headlines—making him a hero to suffering technophiles everywhere—Andy is sorely tempted to pack it all in and escape in the nearest Uber. Can he get himself out of this mess, and work out how to live a better, technologically balanced life…without consulting Google even once?Trade Review“It was great. He addresses the pitfalls of digital life with the balance we desperately need.” —Beth the Bookworm “The humour is so dry, so hilarious and it all felt very genuine…it’s really got a message that all of us could pause and take note of.” —Sarah in Readerland “Aside from being a great, humorous, sweet story about taking a break from technology, it is truly FUNNY.” —Life’s a Parade “Despite the book having quite a serious theme, it was constantly lighthearted and easy to read…a great holiday read, or a great pick-me-up book.” —Audrey’s Reviews
£8.54
Standard American Publishing Company The New Austerities
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£26.60
Standard American Publishing Company Love Song of the Australopiths
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£20.00
Black Rose Writing The History Lesson
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£19.90
Troubador Publishing 13 Fiendish Fables: A Novel
Book SynopsisIf a man bargained his soul to the Devil in order to become a successful author, what kind of stories would the man write? If a woman risked everything to read the man’s book, what would she find out? If a third man knew the answers to the previous two questions, what would be revealed? The new book, Thirteen Fiendish Fables: A Novel by Stephen Schmoyer, attempts to tackle these three propositions. At times tragic, at times humorous, this unusual book explores the bizarre menagerie of what doesn’t exist, but what could exist according to human beliefs and human imagination. The scenes and tales take place within the panorama of Heaven, in Hell, in some in-between places, and in both fantasy and reality. In many ways the novel is one of contradictions, experimentation, and upended expectations. Hell is shown to dispense mercy and allow for love. Heaven is portrayed as a place of sometimes monstrous atrocities all in the name of salvation. The in-between places are, well, in-between. And reality is reality and fantasy is fantasy, or is it? Most of all, this is a book of patience, waiting to be read by anyone willing to embrace complexity.
£8.99
Blue Coast Publishing The Breaking of Liam Glass: A Gripping Satirical
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£17.99
Alma Books Ltd Main Street: Fully annotated edition with over
Book SynopsisYoung college graduate Carol Kennicott moves from a big city to Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, the small town from which her new husband hails. Imbued with ideals of urban improvement, she dreams of redesigning her adopted village, but her efforts are thwarted by the narrow-mindedness, pettiness and conventionality of the locals, who conspire against her and deride all her endeavours. An enormous commercial and critical success on its first publication in 1920, Main Street – regarded by many as Sinclair Lewis’s best novel – delivers a scathing satire on the American dream, and is invaluable as a document of pre-Prohibition Middle America.Trade ReviewA novel, yes, but so unusual as not to fall easily into a class. There is practically no plot, yet the book is absorbing. It is so much like life itself, so extraordinarily real ~ 1920's review of Main Street by the New York Times.
£7.59
BOA Editions, Limited Alien Stories
Book Synopsis“A vital voice in the short story, telling us new truths with deep humanity." –George Saunders Celebrated Nigerian-born writer E.C. Osondu delivers a short-story collection of nimble dexterity and startling originality in his BOA Short Fiction Prize-winning Alien Stories. These eighteen startling stories, each centered around an encounter with the unexpected, explore what it means to be an alien. With a nod to the dual meaning of alien as both foreigner and extraterrestrial, Osondu turns familiar science-fiction tropes and immigration narratives on their heads, blending one with the other to call forth a whirlwind of otherness. With wry observations about society and human nature, in shifting landscapes from Africa to America to outer space and back again, Alien Stories breaks down the concept of foreignness to reveal what unites us all as ‘aliens’ within a complex and interconnected universe.Trade ReviewPraise for E. C. Osondu“A vital voice in the short story, telling us new truths with deep humanity."–George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo“Osondu looks at the human condition in all its poignant absurdity; with observant wonder and subtle humor, he portrays our capacity for heartbreak, resilience, love, courage, sorrow, and most of all, our unique capacity for hope and hopelessness rolled together.”—Mary Gaitskill, author of This Is Pleasure“E.C. Osondu has written uncannily direct stories with nothing ‘posed’ about them. This is a collection of real power, surprise, and harsh beauty.”—Amy Hempel, author of Sing to ItPraise for Voice of America“There is room here for every style of storytelling, from folktale to crime tale to satire, to the very sombre and sad – and just when you think the writer has surely exhausted his bag of uproariously funny observations of street life in Lagos, or of immigrant experience in America, he unpacks more.”—The Guardian“His characters may dream about America, but E. C. Osondu’s bracing portrayal of life in Africa is the heart of this debut story collection.”—The New York Times“Meticulous and energetic, these stories brim with stubborn hope sprung free from life’s dark realities.”—Elle“Osondu’s excellent short stories, set in both Nigeria and the U.S., reveal the vast cultural chasm that persists between our countries . . . These richly shaded tales explore old ways and new, wealth and poverty, myth, and misapprehension.”—Booklist“Osondu juxtaposes the richness and desperation of life ‘on the ground’ in Africa with the actualities of the American dream . . . This book is essential.”—Library JournalPraise for This House Is Not For Sale“Osondu’s novel captures the depth and breadth of African society in a neighborhood in a nameless country where fable-like stories revolve around a marvelous ancestral house run by the narrator’s grandfather.”—Publishers Weekly, ★ Starred Review“A very modern, compassionate voice . . . Osondu is ceaseless in his willingness to examine the human condition in all its glories and frailties.”—Kirkus“Clearly drawing on the culture of traditional oral storytelling, a refrain of unidentified voices whispering and gossiping appears regularly throughout the book. This recalls a classical Greek chorus, punctuating what is otherwise the voice of a single narrator; that of one of Grandpa's grandchildren, an eagle-eyed child who watches the lives of those around him unfold. His voice is like the string of a necklace on which a host of beads – the individual chapters – are strung.”—The Independent
£999.99
Twentysix Der Mann, der Sylt in die Luft sprengte
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£17.55
St Martin's Press Western Alliances
Book SynopsisFrom the New York Times-bestselling author of Lookaway, Lookaway, Wilton Barnhardt's Western Alliances is a vivid portrait of a wealthy family set against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis. This laugh-out-loud, darkly funny novel follows the Costa familywhose members are every bit as richly absurd as the characters in HBO's Succession.Salvador, the patriarch, runs one of Wall Street's biggest banks the summer before everything collapses; Roberto and Rachel, his two children, have never worked a day in their lives; and Lena, his ex-wife, is a scheming hypochondriac. Part travelogue, part epic family drama, the novel follows Roberto and Rachel across Europe as the two dilettantes come to terms with their father's choices and the repercussions of his actions.Oozing with his signature satire and biting wit, Barnhardt invites readers on a literary romp from an elegant Paris apartment to a hilariously-inept London hotel, ancient church
£18.74
Pan Macmillan Bridget Joness Diary
Book SynopsisThe multi-million copy number one bestsellerOne of The Sunday Times's top 100 bestselling books of the past 50 yearsWelcome to Bridget's first diary: mercilessly funny, endlessly touching and utterly addictive.A dazzlingly urban satire on modern relationships?An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family?Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something?As Bridget documents her struggles through the social minefield of her thirties and tries to weigh up the eternal question (Daniel Cleaver or Mark Darcy?), she turns for support to four indispensable friends: Shazzer, Jude, Tom and a bottle of chardonnay.Helen Fielding's first Bridget Jones novel, Bridget Jones's Diary, sparked a phenomenon that has seen four books, newspaper columns and the smash-hit film series Bridget Jones's Diary, The Edge of Reason, Bridget Jones's Baby and Mad About the BoyTrade ReviewI cannot recommend a book more joyfully . . . Hilariously funny, miraculously observed, endlessly touching. -- Jilly Cooper * Daily Telegraph *Brilliant . . . any woman who has ever had a job, a relationship or indeed a mother will read it and roar. -- Gill Hornby * The Times *Effortlessly addictive . . . presents a perfect zeitgeist of single female woes. * Sunday Express *A brilliant comic creation . . . even men will laugh. -- Salman RushdieA gloriously funny book. * Sunday Times *
£9.49
Penguin Putnam Inc White Noise
Book SynopsisThe National Book Award-winning classic from the author of Underworld and Libra, now a Netflix film starring Adam Driver, Don Cheadle, and Greta GerwigWhite Noise tells the story of Jack Gladney, his fourth wife, Babette, and four ultramodern offspring as they navigate the rocky passages of family life to the background babble of brand-name consumerism. When an industrial accident unleashes an airborne toxic event, a lethal black chemical cloud floats over their lives. The menacing cloud is a more urgent and visible version of the white noise engulfing the Gladneys—radio transmissions, sirens, microwaves, ultrasonic appliances, and TV murmurings—pulsing with life, yet suggesting something ominous.Part of the Penguin Orange Collection, a limited-run series of twelve influential and beloved American classics in a bold series design offering a modern take on the iconic Penguin paperbackWinner of the 2016 AIGA + Design Observer 50 Books 50 Covers competition
£16.20
Random House USA Inc Fleishman Is in Trouble
Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ?NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST ??A masterpiece? (NPR) aboutmarriage, divorce, and the bewildering dynamics of ambitionNow an Emmy Award?nominated FX limited series on Hulu, starring Claire Danes, Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, and Adam BrodyONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Entertainment Weekly, The New York Public LibraryONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Washington Post, USA Today Vanity Fair, Vogue,NPR, Chicago Tribune, GQ, Vox, Refinery29, Elle, The Guardian, Real Simple, Financial Times, Parade, Good Housekeeping, New Statesman, Marie Claire, Town & Country, Evening Standard, Thrillist, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, BookPage, BookRiot, Shelf AwarenessToby Fleishman thought he knew what to expect when he and his wife of almost fifteen years separated: weekends and every other holiday with the kids, some residual bitterness, the occasional moment of tension in their co-parenting negotiations. He could not have predicted that one day, in the middle of his summer of sexual emancipation, Rachel would just drop their two children off at his place and simply not return. He had been working so hard to find equilibrium in his single life. The winds of his optimism, long dormant, had finally begun to pick up. Now this.As Toby tries to figure out where Rachel went, all while juggling his patients at the hospital, his never-ending parental duties, and his new app-assisted sexual popularity, his tidy narrative of the spurned husband with the too-ambitious wife is his sole consolation. But if Toby ever wants to truly understand what happened to Rachel and what happened to his marriage, he is going to have to consider that he might not have seen things all that clearly in the first place.A searing, utterly unvarnished debut, Fleishman Is in Trouble is an insightful, unsettling, often hilarious exploration of a culture trying to navigate the fault lines of an institution that has proven to be worthy of our great wariness and our great hope.Alma?s Best Jewish Novel of the Year ? Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle?s John Leonard Prize for Best First Book
£12.75
The New York Review of Books, Inc Dear Illusion: Collected Stories
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£17.95
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial La montaña mágica / The Magic Mountain
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£17.07
Random House USA Inc Dear Committee Members
Book Synopsis“Like Richard Russo’s Straight Man this book has a lot to say about the humanities in American colleges and universities…. Very funny and also moving.” —Tom Perrotta, New York PostA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR and Boston Globe Finally a novel that puts the pissed back into epistolary. Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the midwest. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. His star (he thinks) student can't catch a break with his brilliant (he thinks) work Accountant in a Bordello, based on Melville
£14.45
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
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.
£15.30
Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial El día del ajuste /Adjustment Day
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£22.06
HarperCollins Publishers That Old Ace in the Hole
Book SynopsisA brilliant novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Annie Proulx, author of The Shipping News' and Brokeback Mountain'.That Old Ace in the Hole' is a richly textured story of one man''s struggle to make good in the inhospitable ranch country of the Texas panhandle, told with razor-sharp wit and a masterly sense of place.Some folks in the Texas panhandle do not like hog farms. But Bob Dollar, the newly hired hog site scout for Global Pork Rind, intends to do his job. Bob must contend with tough men and women like ancient Freda Beautyrooms, who controls a ranch he covets, and Ace Crouch, the windmiller who defies the hog farms. As Bob settles in at La Von Fronk's bunkhouse and lends a hand at Cy Frease's Old Dog Café, he is forced to question everything.Trade Review‘Sometimes the laughs are prompted by joyously well-jointed plot devices, or by Proulx’s small, absurd observations. As often as not, the humour comes from the unmistakable edginess and quirkiness of Proulx’s prose. It is hard to think of any living writer who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Dickens, with the exception of Proulx.’A N Wilson, New Statesman ‘Proulx’s own ace in the hole is her brilliance at evoking place and landscape. She sets about drawing the vast distances and parched flatlands of Texas with almost immeasurable skill.’ Alex Clark, Guardian ‘The travels and travails of Bob Dollar, and his habit of asking garrlous locals to tell stories about the old days, allow her to build up a rich and many-layered portrait of the region. The reader gets to pluck the fruits of all that research and through the magic of her prose become engrossed in subjects like windmill repairs and the history of barbed wire.’ Richard Grant, Telegraph Magazine ‘A kind-hearted and intelligent novel.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Proulx has a first class eye and ear.’ Adam Mars-Jones, Observer ‘Brilliantly written.’ Peter Kemp, Sunday Times
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Unfortunates The powerful and darkly funny
Book SynopsisTrade Review‘[A] playful, powerful debut… Speaking to the pressure Black people often feel to stifle their feelings in predominantly white spaces… A poignant reminder of how tight a hold mental illness can have’ Zakiya Dalila Harris, The New York Times Book Review ‘Chukwu meticulously and brilliantly balances tough topics like depression with biting comedy, crafting a narrative about a young woman trying to survive and help others do the same’ Shondaland ‘Chukwu has written an extraordinary coming-of-age novel, with a fascinating protagonist and a tone that is just right for her material. The book’s dark atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of the author's own black-and-white illustrations. The result is a tour de force’ Booklist (starred review) ‘Formidable…powerful. This blistering anthem brims with rage and hope’ Publishers Weekly ‘The Unfortunates is a powerful call to arms by a promising young writer who is not afraid to take risks, and for that we are very fortunate indeed’ Bookpage ‘Required reading…What do you do when your fellow Black co-eds are disappearing, and you fear you’re next? Sahara, a queer, half-Nigerian student at an elite college, pens her opus, a no-holds-barred thesis to the racist institution that has stolen a part of her soul, but she and her community of BIPOC women won’t give up without a fight’ Ebony GLOWING READER REVIEWS 'I have not been able to put this book down' 'A very powerful, dark, upsetting, devastating, enthralling… IMPORTANT read' 'One of the most unique reading experiences I've had in a while… feels one-of-a-kind from start to finish' 'Well-written and thought-provoking' 'Powerful and razor-sharp' 'A smart and important story. One we all need to hear and think about'
£15.29
Little, Brown & Company Startup
Book Synopsis From veteran online journalist and BuzzFeed writer Doree Shafrir comes a hilarious debut novel that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve. Mack McAllister has a $600 million dollar idea. His mindfulness app, TakeOff, is already the hottest thing in tech and he''s about to launch a new and improved version that promises to bring investors running and may turn his brainchild into a $1 billion dollar business -- in startup parlance, an elusive unicorn. Katya Pasternack is hungry for a scoop that will drive traffic. An ambitious young journalist at a gossipy tech blog, Katya knows that she needs more than another PR friendly puff piece to make her the go-to byline for industry news. Sabrina Choe Blum just wants to stay afloat. The exhausted mother of two and failed creative writer is trying to escape from her credit card debt and an inattentive husband-who also happens to be Katya''s boss-as she rejoins a work force that has got
£18.00
Headline Publishing Group The Glow
Book Synopsis''Jane Austen on steroids. It''s that sharp, that wicked, that laceratingly true'' Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours''Intoxicating . . . A wellness tonic for people who like to make fun of the wellness industry'' Leigh Stein, author of Self Care____________Jane Dorner has two modes:PR Jane is twenty-five, breezy, clever in a non-threatening way and eager to sell you a feminist vibrator.Actual Jane is twenty-nine, drifting through mediocre workdays and lackluster dates while paralysed by her crushing mountain of overdue bills. Enter the impossibly gorgeous Cass, whom Jane discovers scrolling through Instagram - the guru of a ''wellness retreat'' based out of a ramshackle country house that may or may not be giving off cult vibes. Suddenly Jane realises she might have found the one ladder she can climb.But inner peace and glowing skin will always come at a price...Trade ReviewJessie Gaynor's wildly funny, laser-eyed novel is Jane Austen on steroids. It's that sharp, that wicked, that laceratingly true -- Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize?winning author of The HoursFunny and satirical, Gaynor totally nails self-care as a personality type * Grazia *Wryly funny . . . Jessie Gaynor's fabulous debut novel, The Glow, is a deft sendup of wellness culture that delves a few levels deeper * New York Times *Jessie Gaynor's plot is breezy and hilarious, but where she really shines is the character of Jane herself, a self-centered and image-obsessed nightmare whose observations about NYC Millennial culture made me LOL more than once. You'll never look at wellness PR pitches the same way again once you've heard Jane's commentary on the entire endeavour * Glamour, The Best Books of 2023 *A welcome dose of satire for anyone who's been duped by yoni eggs, vagina scented candles or TikTok tarot readers * i-D *The Glow is the first truly dead-on satire of wellness culture, understanding it as not just a consumer trend, but a way of thinking and speaking. With terrifying wit, Jessie Gaynor shreds the overrated virtues of prosperity and healthy moisture barriers, and extols the underrated virtues of irony and sanity -- Tony Tulathimutte, author of Private CitizensDeliciously tart, fizzy, and absolutely intoxicating, The Glow is like a slim can of hard kombucha: a wellness tonic for people who like to make fun of the wellness industry -- Leigh Stein, author of Self CareGaynor's sharpened blades are out for the wellness industry and its cult-like devotion to personal brands, but The Glow is more than just incisive observation and pitch-perfect satire. There's a deep well of human ambition and desire at the root of this story, not to mention a sharp plot that bounds ahead with the assurance of the best thrillers. Gaynor builds layer on layer of mystery out of everyday human yearning, creating a whole that's deeply satisfying and always surprising * CrimeReads *Jessie Gaynor's writing is wickedly funny and sly in its observations, pairing human truths with a setting that can only belong to our present moment. The Glow manages to be both savvy in its sendup of the social-media-influencing world and empathic in its portrayal of the millions who flock to it. I tore through the book in a state of pure delight, pining to return to it whenever trivialities like 'work' or 'sleep' so rudely interrupted -- Julia Pierpont, author of Among the Ten Thousand ThingsSparkling like dewy skin and laugh-out-loud funny, The Glow announces Jessie Gaynor as a compelling new novelist -- Anna Dorn, author of ExaltedRazor-sharp satire * Irish Examiner *Hilariously deadpan * SHEmazing *Hilarious and razor sharp about the aspects of the wellness industry that aren't all that well, this satire could kill "Eat, Pray, Love" on sight * Woo *
£20.00
Little, Brown Book Group The Crossed Out Notebook
Book SynopsisFrom the Academy Award-winning co-writer of Birdman, a wonderfully eccentric, suspenseful debut in the tradition of Misery and Kiss of the Spiderwoman about a screenwriter kidnapped by a world-famous director who orders him to compose a masterpiece.Trade ReviewNicolas Giacobone has done the impossible. The Crossed-Out Notebook is a meta-fictional page-turner that grapples as much with Beckett as with Pretty Woman, as much with The Beatles as with Fellini. Also hidden in these pages are gems about what it takes to sit down in your pajamas everyday and attempt to put worlds to words. * Daniel Magariel, author of One of the Boys *A deceptively straightforward slack-wire act of a novel that probes the hairline crack between selling art and selling out. * Nell Zink, author of Mislaid *This stylish debut novel by an Oscar-winning Argentine screenwriter (he co-wrote Birdman) is a suspenseful, darkly funny exploration of the creative process and the porous boundary between reality and fiction. Highly recommended * The Mail on Sunday, 'The Best New Fiction' *
£7.19
Linden Publishing Co Inc Don Con
Book SynopsisThe Mafia comes to Comic-Con and outrageousness ensues, in the new fast-paced suspense caper The Don Con. A hilarious comic crime thriller in the tradition of Carl Hiaasen and Janet Evanovich, The Don Con mixes suspense, razor-sharp pop culture satire and author Richard Armstrongs dry comic style into a delightful cocktail of pure entertainment. Joey Volpe hit the high watermark of his acting career when he played a small role as a mobster on The Sopranos. If you blinked, you missed it. But now hes unemployed, broke and forced to make a living by signing autographs at pop-culture fan conventions, or Fan-Cons, for $35 a pop. His lack of income, along with his chronic womanising, has put his marriage at risk, too. Joeys life gets even worse when real mobster Tony Rosetti shows up in the autograph line with a plan to rob the next Fan-Con an offer Joey cant refuse. When the heist goes awry, Joey is left with a beef with Rosetti and two long years to plan. Partnered with a smooth-talking con man, Joey is using all his acting skills on new projects: Revenge. Money. And saving his marriage. Combining the intrigue of Oceans 11 and The Bank Job with pointed comic takes on The Sopranos, The Godfather, Comic-Con, Star Trek, The Sting and nerd culture. A crime thriller / screwball comedy that will leave readers breathless with excitement and laughter.
£14.39
Rebellion Publishing Ltd. The Ten Percent Thief
Book SynopsisNothing has happened. Not yet, anyway. This is how all things begin.Welcome to Apex City, formerly Bangalore, where everything is decided by the mathematically perfect Bell Curve.With the right image, values and opinions, you can ascend to the glittering heights of the Twenty Percent – the Virtual elite – and have the world at your feet. Otherwise you risk falling to the precarious Ten Percent, and deportation to the ranks of the Analogs, with no access to electricity, running water or even humanity.The system has no flaws. Until the elusive “Ten Percent Thief” steals a single jacaranda seed from the Virtual city and plants a revolution in the barren soil of the Analog world.Previously published in South Asia only as Analog/Virtual, The Ten Percent Thief is a striking debut by a ferocious new talent.Trade Review“Lakshminarayan is a favourite... The Ten Percent Thief is an ambitious novel.” -- The Washington Post“Lakshminarayan’s nuanced dystopian future will leave readers questioning their own relationship with technology and social media as they follow the cookie crumb trail of conformity and dissent through multiple character perspectives. The result is as satisfying as it is clever.” -- Publishers Weekly“Playful and crushing in equal measure.” -- FanFiAddict“A new masterpiece” -- SciFiNow“Lakshminarayan uses her novel to flawlessly confront constructed binaries built into the very fabric of contemporary society” -- The Fantasy Hive“The Ten Percent Thief is bold and creative, and Lakshminarayan expertly packages a warning that will only get more relevant with time” -- STARBURST Magazine“There are wonders and gizmos within Apex City, but these are stories about people’s lives. This is, punk-like, a collection of rebellions against, and reconsiderations of, the status quo. One of my favourite books of recent years.” -- Jared Shurin, Raptor Velocity“Impressive” -- SFX“Stunning and thought-provoking” -- The British Fantasy Society“Smart, vivid, engaging” -- The Guardian“Lavanya Lakshminarayan breathes new life into dystopia” -- The Washington Post“Deeply thought-provoking and timely” - Grimdark Magazine
£15.29
Quercus Publishing Five Get Gran Online
Book Synopsis'What operating system does your PC run on?' 'Electricity,' said Gran.From the author of November 2016 Number One Christmas bestseller, Five on Brexit Island, join the Five in their next hilarious adventure in this bestselling series for grown-ups!The Five go north to see their grandmother who is alone over the Easter weekend. They're shocked to find it's been so long that they don't recognise her at all. While they're there, they try to help her with her computer. They try first to fix her iTunes account, and then her internet banking - after all it's the least they can do! However everything they touch turns to dust. They end up getting her cut off from the internet, the gas and the electricity, and reduced to a World War II-style privations - that is until the toddler from next door comes in and fixes everything. They return home somewhat with their tails between their legs, only to discover that with their help Gran has learned to make videos, and has become an internet sensation.
£8.54
Sagging Meniscus Press Magic Even You Can Do: By Blast
Book SynopsisCharles Holdefer, author of Dick Cheney in Shorts, The Contractor and Back in the Game, has here uncovered, with abundant aplomb and loads of literary-archaeological legerdemain, a crucial long-lost manuscript by legendary magician Blast. For years Blast has been an ongoing source of wonder on five continents, for crowned heads, international celebrities and ordinary folk alike. His record for the world''s longest card trick still stands. Now this famous manipulator offers you a choice selection of his most delightful magic tricks, all carefully explained and simplified with the beginner in mind. You need not practice for hours. This is magic even you can do, laid out in an easy-to-carry pocket edition for convenient reference no matter where you find yourself, and sumptuously illustrated in full colour.
£13.49
HarperCollins Publishers Topics About Which I Know Nothing
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£999.99
HarperCollins Publishers The Average American Male
Book SynopsisThe controversial bestseller that sparked a Youtube frenzyTrade Review‘This funny and explicit tale is pure filth…’ Maxim ‘Morally irredeemable yet completely unputdownable’ Arena ‘This is a bit SCARY! It’s like someone’s writing a diary of your every waking moment’ Daily Sport ‘It’s a controversial bestseller that’s sparked a youtube frenzy’ Knave ‘WARNING: do not let your girlfriend read this…actually let her read it. The duchess might learn a thing or two’ Zoo 'I can't figure out if this book is a heartfelt dispatch from the front line in the battle of the sexes or a brilliant send-up of the way the male point of view has been misrepresented by militant feminists. I suspect both' Toby Young 'It's so primal, so dangerous, it might be the most ingenious book i've ever read' Josh Kilmer-Purcell 'The most brilliant author of the twenty-first century. But enough about me, buy Chad's book. It's a blueprint of how the mind – and penis-of the typical American male works' Maddox
£9.99
HarperCollins Publishers Idiopathy
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£999.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Should We Stay or Should We Go
Book Synopsis
£21.59
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Crying of Lot 49
Book Synopsis
£22.50
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Poor Things Movie TieIn
Book Synopsis
£15.72
HarperCollins Publishers Inc A Stroke of the Pen
Book Synopsis
£21.59
Penguin Putnam Inc The Master and Margarita Penguin Classics Deluxe
Book Synopsis
£17.10
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Keep The Aspidistra Flying
Book SynopsisA pre-cursor to his more famous works of Animal Farm and 1984, Keep the Aspidistra Flying is Orwell’s social commentary on capitalism’s constraints.
£13.60
Back Bay Books Less
Book SynopsisA struggling novelist travels the world to avoid an awkward wedding in this hilarious Pulitzer Prize-winning novel full of arresting lyricism and beauty (The New York Times Book Review).WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZENational BestsellerA New York Times Notable Book of 2017A Washington Post Top Ten Book of 2017A San Francisco Chronicle Top Ten Book of 2017Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, the Lambda Award, and the California Book AwardWho says you can''t run away from your problems? You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. You can''t say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can''t say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitation
£15.29
Little, Brown Book Group The Deer Park
Book SynopsisDesert D'Or is the fashionable Californian resort where Hollywood's elite converge when they need a break. When Sergius O'Shaughnessy, recently discharged from the Air Force, arrives, he finds his burning ambition as a novelist is weakened by the depravity and recklessness of the resort.Trade ReviewThe Deer Park ranks with F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon and Nathanael West's The Day of the Locust * Newsweek *Brilliant and illuminating * New York Times *
£23.52
Grand Central Publishing Bad Monkey
Book Synopsis
£16.99
Random House USA Inc The Plotters
Book SynopsisONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME • A fantastical crime novel set in an alternate Seoul where assassination guilds compete for market dominance.The Plotters’s first convenient comparison may be to the ever-expanding John Wick movies --Los Angeles Review of BooksBehind every assassination, there is an anonymous mastermind--a plotter--working in the shadows. Plotters quietly dictate the moves of the city's most dangerous criminals, but their existence is little more than legend. Just who are the plotters? And more important, what do they want?Reseng is an assassin. Raised by a cantankerous killer named Old Raccoon in the crime headquarters The Library, Reseng never questioned anything: where to go, who to kill, or why his home was filled with books that no one ever read. But one day, Reseng steps out of line on a job, toppling a set of carefully calibrated pl
£15.30
Tough Poets Press The Sweetmeat Saga
£15.99
