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Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology
This richly illustrated anthology gathers together classic short stories from masters of supernatural fiction including M. R. James, Sheridan Le Fanu and Arthur Machen, alongside lesser-known voices in the field including Eleanor Scott and Margery Lawrence, and popular writers less bound to the horror genre, such as Thomas Hardy and E. F. Benson. These are damnable tales, selected and beautifully illustrated by Richard Wells. They stalk the moors at night, the deep forests, cornered fields and dusky churchyards, the narrow lanes and old ways of these ancient places, drawing upon the haunted landscapes of folk-horror – a now widely used term first applied to a series of British films from the late 1960s and 1970s: Witchfinder General (1968), Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), and The Wicker Man (1973). But as this collection shows, writers of uncanny fiction were dabbling in the dark side of folklore long before. These twenty-two stories take the reader beyond the safety and familiarity of the town into the isolated and untamed wilderness. Unholy rites, witches’ curses, sinister village traditions and ancient horrors that lurk within the landscape all combine to remind us that the shiny modern, urban world might not have all the answers…Read more
£11.20£12.30Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology
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Satan’s Affair
Every Halloween, Satan’s Affair will come to you.We travel the country, offering terrifying haunted houses, thrilling rides and the tastiest food. And with every passing town, I cleanse this world, one execution at a time.
I hide within the walls, casting my judgement for those that reek of evil, singing lullabies to their rotting souls.
Once you’ve been chosen, there’s no escaping my henchmen—they cater to my every desire.
You can run and you can hide, but it only excites me.
Come.
Take a walk through my dollhouse, where your screams will blend and your cute little pleas will go unanswered.
But I can’t promise it’ll be over quickly…
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£7.70Satan’s Affair
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Jane Eyre on Social Media: The perfect gift for Brontë fans
Reader, she married him. But not before a LOT of discussion of his behaviour in the group chat.
With courage, determination and logged into her social media accounts – plain Jane Eyre is ready to take on the world. But then she meets and begins to fall for Edward Rochester, AKA the definition of a red flag, with screenshots to prove it.
When authors Claire McGowan and Sarah Day imagined how ‘Pride and Prejudice on Social Media’ might look, retelling the story through mocked-up social media posts, their post instantly went viral. Now, they return with a Bronte classic told through highs and lows of social media . . .
Perfect for fans of Charlotte Brontë . . .
***READERS LOVE JANE EYRE ON SOCIAL MEDIA***
‘This is a fun text with a witty comedic spin and definitely one to put on your TBR pile’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘If you read nothing else this year, read this! It’s honestly the best read of the year. Not only is it a clever idea for a retelling, it’s charming, witty and downright hilarious!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘It all did make me laugh. Lots!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Really well done and difficult to put down. I see the authors have done the same thing with Pride and Prejudice and I am definitely adding that to my TBR’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What a funny and quirky book!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This clever retelling combines charm, wit, and humour to create an engaging and hilarious narrative’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A lot of fun and a good way to make modern a classic’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Demon Copperhead: Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction
**A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
TWICE WINNER OF THE WOMEN’S PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION
THE MULTI-MILLION COPY SELLING AUTHOR
BOOK AT BEDTIME ON BBC RADIO 4
AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK‘Without a doubt the best book I’ll read this year.’ KATE ATKINSON
‘It’s EPIC. Righteously angry, DEEPLY moving and exquisitely written.’ MARIAN KEYES
‘Daring, entertaining and highly readable.’ The Times
‘Electrifying.’ Daily Mail
‘A blaze of a book.’ RACHEL JOYCE
‘A masterclass.’ RICHARD POWERS
‘Masterful.’ Pulitzer Prize
‘Powerful.’ Guardian
‘A work of genius.’ KATE MOSSE
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Demon Copperhead is a once-in-a-generation novel that breaks and mends your heart in the way only the best fiction can.Demon’s story begins with his traumatic birth to a single mother in a single-wide trailer, looking ‘like a little blue prizefighter.’ For the life ahead of him he would need all of that fighting spirit, along with buckets of charm, a quick wit, and some unexpected talents, legal and otherwise.
In the southern Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, poverty isn’t an idea, it’s as natural as the grass grows. For a generation growing up in this world, at the heart of the modern opioid crisis, addiction isn’t an abstraction, it’s neighbours, parents, and friends. ‘Family’ could mean love, or reluctant foster care. For Demon, born on the wrong side of luck, the affection and safety he craves is as remote as the ocean he dreams of seeing one day. The wonder is in how far he’s willing to travel to try and get there.
Suffused with truth, anger and compassion, Demon Copperhead is an epic tale of love, loss and everything in between.
‘Legit about to get an ‘I’d rather be reading Demon Copperhead’ sticker for my Nissan Murano.’ ROB DELANEY
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What readers are saying:***** ‘An amazing, beautifully written story I cannot wait to recommend to everyone I know.’
***** ‘Powerful and brilliant. To immerse yourself in a Kingsolver novel is to put yourself in the hands of a master.’
***** ‘A must read and heart-opening book.’
***** ‘Raw, angry, starkly beautiful. . . Genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read.’
***** ‘Amazingly complex. . . [Kingsolver] is, by far, one of the greatest living authors’
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The Seas
“The Seas took me back to how I felt as a kid, when you’re newly falling in love with literature, newly shocked by its capacity to cast a spell…” Maggie Nelson
“[It] blew me away because of the beauty of the language . . . I found myself highlighting about 85% of the book for the language. It is so beautifully written” Jodi Picoult
Moored in a coastal fishing town so far north that the highways only run south, the unnamed narrator of The Seas is a misfit. She’s often the subject of cruel local gossip. Her father, a sailor, walked into the ocean eleven years earlier and never returned, leaving his wife and daughter to keep a forlorn vigil. Surrounded by water and beckoned by the sea, she clings to what her father once told her: that she is a mermaid.
True to myth, she finds herself in hard love with a land-bound man, an Iraq War veteran thirteen years her senior. The mesmerizing, fevered coming-of-age tale that follows will land her in jail. Her otherworldly escape will become the stuff of legend.
With the inventive brilliance and psychological insight that have earned her international acclaim, Samantha Hunt pulls readers into an undertow of impossible love and intoxication, blurring the lines between reality and fairy tale, hope and delusion, sanity and madness.
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£8.70£9.50The Seas
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By the Sea: By the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2021
By the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE‘One scarcely dares breathe while reading it for fear of breaking the enchantment’ The Times
‘Gurnah is a master storyteller’ Financial Times
On a late November afternoon Saleh Omar arrives at Gatwick Airport from Zanzibar, a far away island in the Indian Ocean. With him he has a small bag in which lies his most precious possession – a mahogany box containing incense. He used to own a furniture shop, have a house and be a husband and father. Now he is an asylum seeker from paradise; silence his only protection.
Meanwhile Latif Mahmud, someone intimately connected with Saleh’s past, lives quietly alone in his London flat. When Saleh and Latif meet in an English seaside town, a story is unravelled. It is a story of love and betrayal, seduction and possession, and of a people desperately trying to find stability amidst the maelstrom of their times.
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Ramses’ Riches: Book nine of Meredith Pink’s Adventures in Egypt – a mystery of modern and accent Egypt: Volume 9 (Meredith Pink’s Avventures in Egypt)
On a mission to retrace the adventures in Egypt of the great explorer Giovanni Belzoni, the next stop is Abu Simbel. But Merry and friends have more reasons for wanting to make the trip down Lake Nasser than just to see the Great Temple of Ramses that Belzoni famously dug from the sand.First, there’s the golden statuette of Helen of Troy apparently found there. And second, the promise – on very good authority – of a stash of treasure.Intrigued and mystified – for both are surely impossible – Merry sets sail to find out more.Join Merry on another thrilling adventure as she seeks to uncover more of Egypt’s secrets.Read more
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Beauty and Sadness (Penguin Modern Classics)
The successful writer Oki has reached middle age and is filled with regrets. He returns to Kyoto to find Otoko, a young woman with whom he had a terrible affair many years before, and discovers that she is now a painter, living with a younger woman as her lover. Otoko has continued to love Oki and has never forgotten him, but his return unsettles not only her but also her young lover. This is a work of strange beauty, with a tender touch of nostalgia and a heartbreaking sensitivity to those things lost forever.Read more
£8.60£9.50Beauty and Sadness (Penguin Modern Classics)
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The Beach Wedding
Will your past always catch up with you?
Tessa Dannall is excited and happy when her daughter, Nia, arrives at their family’s tropical beach resort to get married.
Tessa is also trying to forget the last time she went to a wedding on this beach and how that day changed her life for ever.
But as the big day draws near, Tessa realises she must face the deadly ghosts from her past – or they may ruin her daughter’s future…
Praise for Dorothy Koomson:
‘Terrifically addictive’ Good Housekeeping
‘Beautifully written’ Closer
‘Koomson just gets better and better’ Woman and Home
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£1.90The Beach Wedding
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Stories of the Prophets
Stories of the Prophets
Compiled by Imam Imaduddin Abul-Fida Ismail Ibn Kathir
Translation by Rashad Ahmad AzamiIn this book, the stories of the prophets have been compiled from ‘Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah’ (The Beginning and the End) which is a great work of the famous Muslim exegete and historian Ibn Kathir and has a prominent place in the Islamic literature. The stories of the prophets and all the events in their lives have been supported by the Qur’anic Verses and the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet (S). Wherever it was necessary, other sources have also been reported for the sake of historical accounts, but on such places a comparative study has been made to prove the authenticity of the sources. Ibn Kathir has reproduced the views and interpretations of all the great exegetes of the Qur’an of his time. The systemic narratives of the Stories of the Prophets have been written in chronological order which renders a historical style to the book.
Allah the Most Exalted says in the Qur’an:
“We are relating unto you the most beautiful of stories in that what We have revealed to you from the Qur’an, though before it you were from among those who were not aware of them.” (12:3)
“We have indeed sent aforetime Messengers before you, of them there are some whose stories We have related to you, and whose stories We have not related to you…” (40:78)
“We relate to you the important news of their story in truth…” (18:13)
“And all that We relate to you of these stories of the Messengers, We strengthen with them your heart. Through them there come to you the truth as well as admonition and reminder to all those who believe.” (11:120)
“There is, indeed, in their stories lessons for people endowed with understanding. It is not any invented tale, but a confirmation of what went before it, and a detailed exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to the people who believe.” (12:111)
“…so relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.” (7:176)Read more
£17.00Stories of the Prophets
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The Burnout: The hilarious new romantic comedy from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author
*** The INSTANT Sunday Times bestseller ***
‘Hilarious, sparky and joyful – just the book you need if you’re desperate for a break’ BETH O’LEARY
‘Funny, sad, relatable, and so brilliantly done. Sophie Kinsella is the queen of romantic comedy’ JOJO MOYES
‘Funny, feelgood, touching and full of the bittersweet, incisive wit that puts every Sophie Kinsella novel in a league of its own. I could not have loved it more.’ LISA JEWELL
The irresistible new romantic comedy from the number one bestselling author.
Discover the joy that awaits when you set yourself free…
Sasha is well and truly over it all: work (all-consuming), friendships (on the back burner), sex-life (non-existent). Sasha has hit a brick wall (literally).
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga and find solitude, she heads to the Devon resort she loved as a child. But it’s off-season, the hotel is falling apart and now she has to share the beach with someone else: a grumpy, stressed-out guy called Finn. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on a rock, watching her? Especially when they don’t agree on burnout cures. (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming, secret chocolate bars; Finn: drinking whisky.)
But when curious messages start appearing on the beach, Sasha and Finn are forced to begin talking – about everything. What’s the mystery? Why are they both burned out? What exactly is ‘manifesting’, anyway?
They might discover that they have more in common than they think…
****
‘Deliciously pacey and absorbing’ Daily Mail‘Such a hilarious, joyous, life-affirming book; I never wanted it to end’ JENNY COLGAN
‘An absolute joy. . . wickedly funny and blissfully romantic’ Sunday Express
‘A gorgeous, feelgood gem. 5 stars’ Sun
‘Uplifting and full of laugh-out-loud moments! Loved it!’ HEIDI SWAIN‘[A] gorgeous, escapist read’ Good Housekeeping
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Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: with The Merry Men & Other Stories (Wordsworth Classics)
With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Tim Middleton, Head of English Studies, University of Ripon and York.
In seeking to discover his inner self, the brilliant Dr Jekyll discovers a monster. First published to critical acclaim in 1886, this mesmerising thriller is a terrifying study of the duality of man’s nature, and it is the book which established Stevenson’s reputation as a writer.
Also included in this volume is Stevenson’s 1887 collection of short stories, The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables.
The Merry Men is a gripping Highland tale of shipwrecks and madness; Markheim, the sinister study of the mind of a murderer; Thrawn Janet, a spine-chilling tale of demonic possession; Olalla, a study of degeneration and incipient vampirism in the Spanish mountains; Will O’ the Mill, a thought-provoking fable about a mountain inn-keeper; and The Treasure of Franchard, a study of French bourgeois life.
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The H. P. Lovecraft Collection
This elegant box set of six hardback clothbound books contains all of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story collections, from his early macabre stories to the tales of the dreamlands, and his famous Cthulhu novellas. It features:
Macabre Stories: The Tomb; Dagon; A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson; Sweet Ermengarde or, The Heart of a Country Girl; Memory; Old Bugs; The Transition of Juan Romero; The Terrible Old Man; The Temple; Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and his Family; The Street; The Picture in the House; The Tree; The Music of Erich Zann; In the Vault; The Very Old Folk; The Evil Clergyman; The Book.
The Randolph Carter Tales: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath; The Statement of Randolph Carter; The Silver Key; Through the Gates of the Silver Key; The Unnamable.
Stories of the Dreamlands: Polaris; Beyond the Wall of Sleep; The White Ship; The Doom that Came to Sarnath; The Cats of Ulthar; Celephais; From Beyond; Nyarlathotep; Ex Oblivione; The Quest of Iranon; The Moon-Bog; The Outsider; The Other Gods; Hypnos; What the Moon Brings; Azathoth; The Descendant; Cool Air; Pickman’s Model; The Strange High House in the Mist; The Colour Out of Space; The Dreams in the Witch House; The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
At the Mountains of Madness and Other Stories: At the Mountains of Madness; The Shadow Over Innsmouth; The Thing on the Doorstep.
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Stories: The Nameless City; Herbert West Reanimator; The Hound; The Lurking Fear; The Rats in the Walls; The Festival; The Shunned House; The Horror at Red Hook; He; The Call of Cthulhu; The History of Necronomicon.
The Dunwich Horror and Other Stories: The Dunwich Horror; The Whisperer in Darkness; The Shadow Out of Time; The Haunter of the Dark.
First written for the pulp magazines of the 1920s and ’30s, Lovecraft’s writing still resonates today and will leave readers both terrified and astounded by the breadth of his imagination. This is the ideal gift for the classic Science-Fiction lover.
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£33.20£47.50The H. P. Lovecraft Collection
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Carrie
Stephen King’s legendary debut, about a teenage outcast and the revenge she enacts on her classmates, is a Classic. CARRIE is the novel which set him on the road to the Number One bestselling author King is today.
Carrie White is no ordinary girl.
Carrie White has the gift of telekinesis.
To be invited to Prom Night by Tommy Ross is a dream come true for Carrie – the first
step towards social acceptance by her high school colleagues.But events will take a decidedly macabre turn on that horrifying and endless night as she
is forced to exercise her terrible gift on the town that mocks and loathes her . . .Read more
£8.70£9.50Carrie
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Lily: A Tale of Revenge from the Sunday Times bestselling author
From Sunday Times bestselling novelist Rose Tremain comes a gripping novel of murder and revenge set in Victorian England
Nobody knows yet that she is a murderer…
London, 1850. On a freezing winter’s night, a baby is abandoned at the gates of a park only to be saved by a young policeman and taken to the Foundling Hospital.
After suffering years of brutal hardship at the Hospital, Lily is released into the world of Victorian London. But she is hiding a dreadful secret…
When Lily and the policeman meet again, Lily is convinced that he holds the key to her happiness. But might he also be the one to uncover her crime and so condemn her to death?
‘Enthralling… Tremain evokes Victorian London with visceral intensity in a gripping and deeply humane novel exploring themes of rejection, poverty, guilt and redemption’ Observer
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Promise Me: The most heart-warming novel of 2023
THE NO. 1 EBOOK BESTSELLER
A witty, heartwarming story of love, life and second chances set in the idyllic Cotswolds, from the glorious Jill Mansell.
‘I completely adored it . . . Brimming with warmth, heart and jolly good fun’ Cathy Bramley
‘An absolute joy from start to finish’ Veronica Henry
‘Jill knocks it right out of the park with this fabulous story of love and friendship’ Milly Johnson
One minute Lou is happily employed, with a perfect flat. The next, her home and job have gone. Suddenly she has to start over.
The last thing Lou wants is to move to a tiny Cotswolds village. She certainly doesn’t intend to work for curmudgeonly eighty-year-old Edgar Allsopp. But Edgar is about to make her the kind of promise nobody could ignore. In return, she secretly vows to help him fall in love with life again.
Foxwell is also home to Remy, whose charm and charisma are proving hard to ignore. But Lou hasn’t recovered from the last time she fell for a charmer. She needs a distraction – and luckily one’s about to turn up.
Secrets never stay hidden for long in Foxwell, nor are promises always kept. And no one could guess what lies ahead . . .
Readers love Promise Me:
‘Pure escapism . . . A simply gorgeous read that I would highly recommend’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘My book of the year! I really, really loved it’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Another Jill Mansell belter which had me laughing out loud from the first few pages’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘I loved every second I spent reading this book. It is warm, realistic and life affirming’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘A wonderfully uplifting story, with a superb cast of characters who’ll stay in your heart after you’ve turned the final page’ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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The Paris Notebook: An utterly gripping and emotional WW2 historical fiction novel, based on a true story
‘Gripping, compelling and beautiful.’ Emma Cowell, author of The House in the Olive Grove
A secret big enough to destroy the Führer’s reputation. . .
January 1939:
When Katja Heinz secures a job as a typist at Doctor Viktor’s clinic, she doesn’t expect to be copying top secret medical records from a notebook.
At the end of the first world war, Doctor Viktor treated soldiers for psychological disorders. One of the patients was none other than Adolf Hitler. . .
The notes in his possession declare Hitler unfit for office – a secret that could destroy the Führer’s reputation, and change the course of the war if exposed. . .
With the notebook hidden in her hat box, Katja and Doctor Viktor travel to Paris. Seeking refuge in the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, they hope to find a publisher brave enough to print the controversial script.
But Katja is being watched. Nazi spies in Paris have discovered her plan. They will stop at nothing to destroy the notebook and silence those who know of the secret hidden inside. . .
Readers LOVE The Paris Notebook!
‘Historical fiction devotees will flock to this romantic thriller superimposed over real settings and events of WWII… this is a captivating story based on authentic artifacts from the era.’ Booklist
‘So many twists and turns and I certainly didn’t predict the ending. Five stars from me, I highly recommend this book.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘An amazing story set during World War Two. Beautifully written characters you fall in love with from the very first page.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A mix of danger, suspense, mystery, romance and heartbreaking choices make for a story I would definitely recommend.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A unique historical fiction story that stands out from other books in the genre.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A bold, strong story and one that drew me in from the start. It is emotional, unique, fast paced, intriguing, engrossing and a book I just couldn’t put down!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A wonderfully written, lovely paced book. I read late into the night, couldn’t wait to see what happened.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Loved this book. It was filled from the first page to last with action and surprises!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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The Bee Sting: Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023, THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2023 AND WINNER OF THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2023
‘A tragicomic triumph. You won’t read a sadder, truer, funnier novel this year’ Guardian
The Barnes family are in trouble. Until recently they ran the biggest business in town, now they’re teetering on the brink of bankruptcy – and that’s just the start of their problems. Dickie and Imelda’s marriage is hanging by a thread; straight-A student Cass is careening off the rails; PJ is hopelessly in debt to the school bully. Meanwhile the ghosts of old mistakes are rising out of the past to meet them, but everyone’s too wrapped up in the present to see the danger looming . . .
‘Generous, immersive, sharp-witted and devastating; the sort of novel that becomes a friend for life’ Financial Times
‘Paul Murray [is] the undisputed reigning champion of epic Irish tragicomedy’ Spectator
‘An instant classic’ Washington Post
‘[An] astute, remorselessly funny novel’ Daily Mirror
‘A wagyu steak of a novel . . . A classic in the mode of The Corrections’ The Times
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Ugly Love: a novel
From Colleen Hoover, the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us, a heart-wrenching love story that proves attraction at first sight can be messy.When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realise they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.They think they can handle it, but realise almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.
Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.
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£4.30£8.50Ugly Love: a novel
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The Color Purple: The classic, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
The classic, PULITZER PRIZE-winning novel that made Alice Walker a household name. Set in the deep American South between the wars, THE COLOR PURPLE is the classic tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls ‘father’, she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker – a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves. ‘One of the most haunting books you could ever wish to read … it is stunning – moving, exciting, and wonderful’ Lenny HenryRead more
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Rouge
From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty.Can she escape her mother’s fate and find a connection that is more than skin deep?
A Most Anticipated Book of 2023 in The Guardian, i newspaper, The New York Times, Time, Globe and Mail, Bustle, The Millions, LitHub, TOR, Good Housekeeping, Our Culture Mag, and more!
‘You think, “She’s not going to go there…yes, she is.’ Margaret Atwood
‘The trancelike, rhapsodic language and deepening atmosphere of unreality make for a narrative that oozes with unease.’ The Guardian
‘Rouge is a must-read for anyone who has found themselves obsessively, and even dangerously, fixated on self-improvement. […] Dreamline, hypnotic and enchanting in its language, Rouge proves Awad is a huge talent’ Stylist, Book of the Month
‘A tale of insidious damage of envy and our preoccupation with appearances. Anyone maintaining a ten-step Korean skincare regimen may feel seen. […] Awad ramps up the grand guignol hysteria rather splendidly, chucking in some film noir tropes for good measure as we hurtle towards a demonic denouement’ The Times
‘Rouge is a story in which dreams become nightmares and vice versa. Desire and danger walk hand-in-hand and Awad skilfully manipulates the vertiginous tension between them. The beauty industry is ripe for Awad’s signature treatment: gothic satire, bloody but beautifully done. Much of it is darkly hilarious. […] If you like your fairy tales dark and for adults only, then stick along for the wild ride.’ Daily Telegraph
‘[D]ark and seductive.’ i newspaper
‘An edgy fable on the perils of our modern fascination with beauty.’ Vogue
‘Awad is a genius, preternaturally gifted at creating vicious, hilarious tales about the depravity inside us.’ Vulture
For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.
Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, ROUGE explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, ROUGE holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.
‘A brilliant, biting critique of western beauty standards as well as a soaring, phantasmagoric, Angela Carter-esque fairy tale about trauma and the loss of self. Rouge is deeply unsettling, funny, obsessive, and unlike anything I’ve read. A truly mesmerizing read.’ Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World
‘Rouge is a fever dream—a brilliant, intense, unforgettable horror story about a beauty cult with a deeply moving mother-daughter story at its core. Mona Awad’s signature and singular imagination and black humor and empathy are on full display here, and her wild-ride of a tale is masterfully grounded in the emotional devastation of childhood and grief. I loved every word of this.’ Laura Zigman, author of Small World
‘There is nobody else like Mona Awad, daring enough to plunge her hands—rings and all—into the viscera of story and discover an unsettling beauty within. ROUGE is her most magnetic work yet, a thrilling dystopian romp that knows that beneath the glossy, aspirational veneer of self-care lurks the same old gothic abyss.’ Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun
‘Unsettling, whimsical, and moving, Rouge is an authentic, innovative kind of narrative magic that’s both surreal and absolute. A striking novel of incandescence and heart.’ Iain Reid, author of I’m Thinking of Ending Things
‘Awad’s latest is a dreamy (or perhaps nightmarish) gothic fairy tale about a mother, a daughter, and their shared obsession with their own beauty. Like all of Awad’s novels, it reels you in, shakes your brain until you’re not sure what you’re seeing, and then floats off cackling on a cloud of smoke. Metaphorically, that is. I’d forgive you for not being sure.’ Lit Hub (Most Anticipated Books of 2023)
‘Mona Awad, I will read everything you ever write. She is a writer of unbelievable talent.’ Tor.com
‘[A] hypnotic tour de force… Awad approaches the increasingly well-trod ground of sinister wellness gurus with aplomb, creating an atmosphere of creeping discomfort and surreality right from the start. This is the stuff of fairy tales—red shoes, ballrooms, mirrors, and thorns but also sincerity, poignancy, and terror.’ Kirkus (Starred Review)
‘[A] delightfully twisted fairy tale… The author’s acerbic wit radiates in this excoriating story of beauty’s ugly side.’ Publisher’s Weekly
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£13.20£16.10Rouge
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Dracula (Wordsworth Classics)
Introduction and Notes by Dr David Rogers, Kingston University.
‘There he lay looking as if youth had been half-renewed, for the white hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-grey, the cheeks were fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneath; the mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts of fresh blood, which trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran over the chin and neck. Even the deep, burning eyes seemed set amongst the swollen flesh, for the lids and pouches underneath were bloated. It seemed as if the whole awful creature were simply gorged with blood; he lay like a filthy leech, exhausted with his repletion.’
Thus Bram Stoker, one of the greatest exponents of the supernatural narrative, describes the demonic subject of his chilling masterpiece Dracula, a truly iconic and unsettling tale of vampirism.
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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Wordsworth Classics)
With an exclusive introduction and notes by David Stuart Davies.
Translation by Louis Mercier.
Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is not only a classic science fiction novel, it is also a thrilling adventure yarn.
Professor Aronnax, his faithful servant Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land are held prisoners aboard the fantastic submarine, the Nautilus, by its enigmatic and charismatic commander, Captain Nemo: ‘That terrible avenger, a perfect archangel of hatred.’
And so begins a hazardous and eventful voyage which leads them from the lost city of Atlantis, to the South Pole, hunting in underwater forests and to an encounter with a ferocious giant squid.
Published in 1870, the novel continues to fascinate and engage the reader, presenting as it does an incredible journey into a mysterious world of excitement and danger!
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Royal Wedding: A Princess Diaries Novel: 11
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding–but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.
For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia’s gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn’t need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.
But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother’s leaked “fake” wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia’s father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone–especially herself–that she’s not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?
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Sea of Lost Love
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHORA stunning story of loss, love and a moment that changed everything . . .
1958
Celestria, the charismatic daughter of an aristocratic family, lives in Pendrift Hall, a pale stone mansion with gardens that tumble down to the Cornish sea. It is summer and the weeks ahead hold the promise of self-discovery and the thrilling possibility of elicit love affairs.
Yet tragedy erupts in paradise when one of the family vanishes. A mysterious note is left behind with the words: ‘Forgive Me’. Soon Celestria is pulled along a trail of deception, masquerades and mirrors. It will lead her from her idyllic life on the English coast to the orange groves of Southern Italy. It will also lead her to love . . .
***PRAISE FOR SANTA MONTEFIORE***
‘Nobody does epic romance like Santa Montefiore’ JOJO MOYES
‘An enchanting read overflowing with deliciously poignant moments’ DINAH JEFFERIES on Songs of Love and War
‘Santa Montefiore hits the spot for my like few other writers’ SARRA MANNING
‘One of our personal favourites’ THE TIMES on The Last Secret of the Deverills‘Accomplished and poetic’ Daily Mail
‘Santa Montefiore is a marvel’ Sunday Express
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£6.00£8.50Sea of Lost Love
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Classic Victorian & Edwardian Ghost Stories (Tales of Mystery & The Supernatural)
This is a book to be read by a blazing fire on a winter’s night, with the curtains drawn close and the doors securely locked. The unquiet souls of the dead, both as fictional creations and as ‘real’ apparitions, roam the pages of this haunting selection of ghost stories by Rex Collings.
Some of these stories are classics while others are lesser-known gems unearthed from this vintage era of tales of the supernatural. There are stories from distant lands – ‘Fisher’s Ghost’ by John Lang is set in Australia and ‘A Ghostly Manifestation’ by ‘A Clergyman’ is set in Calcutta. In this selection, Sir Walter Scott (a Victorian in spirit if not in fact), keeps company with Edgar Allen Poe, Sheridan Le Fanu and other illustrious masters of the genre.
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Sharpe’s Command: The latest thrilling adventure from the best-selling master of historical fiction, the perfect gift for Christmas 2023
*Special collector’s edition with foiled signature on the board, exclusive to the first print run*
SHARPE IS BACK.
The brand new novel from Bernard Cornwell in the global bestselling Sharpe series.
If any man can do the impossible it’s Richard Sharpe . . .
And the impossible is exactly what the formidable Major Sharpe is asked to do when he’s dispatched on an undercover mission behind enemy lines, deep in the Spanish countryside.
For a remote village is about to become the centre of a battle for the future of Europe. Sitting high above the Almaraz bridge, it is the last link between two French armies, one in the north and one in the south; if they meet, the British are doomed.
Only Sharpe’s small group of men – with their cunning and courage to rely on – stand in their way. But they’re rapidly outnumbered, enemies are hiding in plain sight, and time is running out . . .
SHARPE’S COMMAND is the brand new novel in the bestselling historical series that has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
__________________________________________
READERS LOVE SHARPE’S COMMAND:
‘Bernard is a great storyteller and historian’ – reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Once again this is a page turner. Loved it!’ – reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What a fantastic book . . . another great adventure for Richard Sharpe’ – reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Sharpe alongside Patrick, Teresa and Hogan up to their necks in French men and Spanish treachery’ – reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Sharpe is back, bashing Napoleon’s lot in the mountains of Spain . . . classic Sharpe!’ – reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bernard Cornwell’s book ‘Uhtred’s Feast’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 22-05-2023.
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The Fraud: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller
THE GIFT EVERY ZADIE SMITH FAN WILL BE HOPING IS WAITING FOR THEM BENEATH THE CHRISTMAS TREE!
‘A writer at the peak of her powers’ The Telegraph
Truth and fiction. Jamaica and Britain. Who gets to tell their story? Zadie Smith returns with her first historical novel.
Kilburn, 1873. The ‘Tichborne Trial’ has captivated the widowed Scottish housekeeper Mrs Eliza Touchet and all of England. Readers are at odds over whether the defendant is who he claims to be – or an imposter.
Mrs Touchet is a woman of many interests: literature, justice, abolitionism, class, her novelist cousin and his wives, this life and the next. But she is also sceptical. She suspects England of being a land of façades, in which nothing is quite what it seems.
Andrew Bogle meanwhile finds himself the star witness, his future depending on telling the right story. Growing up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica, he knows every lump of sugar comes at a human cost. That the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realise.
Based on real historical events, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about how in a world of hypocrisy and self-deception, deciding what’s true can prove a complicated task.
‘It’s difficult to give any idea of how extraordinary this book is. One of the great historical novels, certainly. But has any historical novel ever combined such brilliantly researched and detailed history with such intensely imagined fiction? Or such a range of living, breathing, surprising characters with such an idiosyncratically structured narrative?’ Michael Frayn
‘As always it is a pleasure to be in Zadie Smith’s mind, which, as time goes on, is becoming contiguous with London itself. Dickens may be dead, but Smith, thankfully, is alive’ New York Times
‘Zadie Smith’s Victorian-set masterpiece holds a mirror up to Britain . . . The Fraud is the genuine article’ Independent
‘Smith’s dazzling historical novel combines deft writing and strenuous construction in a tale of literary London and the horrors of slavery’ Guardian
SHOTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
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£12.30£19.00The Fraud: The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller
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The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories
The first-ever collection of Victorian Christmas ghost stories, culled from rare 19th-century periodicalsDuring the Victorian era, it became traditional for publishers of newspapers and magazines to print ghost stories during the Christmas season for chilling winter reading by the fireside or candlelight. Now for the first time thirteen of these tales are collected here, including a wide range of stories from a diverse group of authors, some well-known, others anonymous or forgotten. Readers whose only previous experience with Victorian Christmas ghost stories has been Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” will be surprised and delighted at the astonishing variety of ghostly tales in this volume.
“In the sickly light I saw it lying on the bed, with its grim head on the pillow. A man? Or a corpse arisen from its unhallowed grave, and awaiting the demon that animated it?” – John Berwick Harwood, “Horror: A True Tale”
“Suddenly I aroused with a start and as ghostly a thrill of horror as ever I remember to have felt in my life. Something — what, I knew not — seemed near, something nameless, but unutterably awful.” – Ada Buisson, “The Ghost’s Summons”
“There was no longer any question what she was, or any thought of her being a living being. Upon a face which wore the fixed features of a corpse were imprinted the traces of the vilest and most hideous passions which had animated her while she lived.” – Walter Scott, “The Tapestried Chamber”
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Clock Dance
A bittersweet novel of family and self-discovery from the bestselling, award-winning author of French Braid
Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life: her mother’s disappearance when she was just a child, being proposed to at an airport at the age of twenty-one, the accident that would leave her a widow in her forties. Each time, Willa ended up on a path laid out for her by others.
So when she receives a phone call from a stranger informing her that her son’s ex-girlfriend has been shot, she drops everything and flies across the country. The spur-of-the moment decision to look after this woman and her nine-year-old daughter leads Willa into uncharted territory and the eventual realisation that it’s never too late to choose your own path.
**ANNE TYLER HAS SOLD OVER 8 MILLION BOOKS WORLDWIDE**
‘Anne Tyler takes the ordinary, the small, and makes them sing’ Rachel Joyce
‘She knows all the secrets of the human heart’ Monica Ali
‘A masterly author’ Sebastian Faulks
‘I love Anne Tyler. I’ve read every single book she’s written’ Jacqueline Wilson
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£6.60£9.50Clock Dance
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The Wasp Factory: Ian Banks
Review At last, a reader who does it justice . . . Peter Kenny is the one reader (I’ve heard five) who brings out Banks’s glorious sardonic wit. Good things are worth waiting for (Sue Arnold, GUARDIAN) A Gothic horror story of quite exceptional quality…macabre, bizarre and…quite impossible to put down (FINANCIAL TIMES) A mighty imagination has arrived on the scene (MAIL on Sunday) Book Description Iain Banks’ momentous first novel, published in 1984. From the Back Cover Enter if you can bear it – the extraordinary world of Frank, just sixteen and unconventional to say the least ‘Two years after I killed Blyth, I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different reasons and more fundamental reasons than I’d disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did my young cousin Esmeralda, more or less on a whim. That’s my score to date. Three. I haven’t killed anybody for years, and don’t intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through.’ About the Author Iain Banks came to widespread and controversial public notice with the publication of his first novel, THE WASP FACTORY, in 1984. He gained enormous popular and critical acclaim for both his mainstream and his science fiction novels. Iain Banks died in June 2013. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles _the day we heard my brother had escaped. I already knew something was going to happen; the Factory told me. At the north end of the island, near the tumbled remains of the slip where the handle of the rusty winch still creaks in an easterly wind, I had two Poles on the far face of the last dune. One of the Poles held a rat head with two dragonflies, the other a seagull and two mice. I was just sticking one of the mouse heads back on when the birds went up into the evening air, kaw-calling and screaming, wheeling over the path through the dunes where it went near their nests. I made sure the head was secure, then clambered to the top of the dune to watch with my binoculars. Diggs, the policeman from the town, was coming down the path on his bike, pedalling hard, his head down as the wheels sank part way into the sandy surface. He got off the bike at the bridge and left it propped against the suspension cables, then walked to the middle of the swaying bridge, where the gate is. I could see him press the button on the phone. He stood for a while, looking round about at the quiet dunes and the settling birds. He didn’t see me, because I was too well hidden. Then my father must have answered the buzzer in the house, because Diggs stooped slightly and talked into the grille beside the button, and then pushed the gate open and walked over the bridge, on to the island and down the path towards the house. When he disappeared behind the dunes I sat for a while, scratching my crotch as the wind played with my hair and the birds returned to their nests. I took my catapult from my belt, selected a half-inch steelie, sighted carefully, then sent the big ball-bearing arcing out over the river, the telephone poles and the little suspension bridge to the mainland. The shot hit the ‘Keep Out – Private Property’ sign with a thud I could just hear, and I smiled. It was a good omen. The Factory hadn’t been specific (it rarely is), but I had the feeling that whatever it was warning me about was important, and I also suspected it would be bad, but I had been wise enough to take the hint and check my Poles, and now I knew my aim was still good; things were still with me. I decided not to go straight back to the house. Father didn’t like me to be there when Diggs came and, anyway, I still had a couple of Poles to check before the sun went down. I jumped and slid down the slope of the dune into its shadow, then turned at the bottom to look back up at those small heads and bodies as they watched over the northern approaches to the island. They looked fine, those husks on their gnarled branches. Black ribbons tied to the wooden limbs blew softly in the breeze, waving at me. I decided nothing would be too bad, and that tomorrow I would ask the Factory for more information. If I was lucky, my father might tell me something and, if I was luckier still, it might even be the truth. I left the sack of heads and bodies in the Bunker just as the light was going completely and the stars were starting to come out. The birds had told me Diggs had left a few minutes earlier, so I ran back the quick way to the house, where the lights all burned as usual. My father met me in the kitchen. ‘Diggs was just here. I suppose you know.’ He put the stub of the fat cigar he had been smoking under the cold tap, turned the water on for a second while the brown stump sizzled and died, then threw the sodden remnant in the bin. I put my things down on the big table and sat down, shrugging. My father turned up the ring on the cooker under the soup-pan, looking beneath the lid into the warming mixture and then turning back to look at me. There was a layer of grey-blue smoke in the room at about shoulder level, and a big wave in it, probably produced by me as I came in through the double doors of the back porch. The wave rose slowly between us while my father stared at me. I fidgeted, then looked down, toying with the wrist-rest of the black catapult. It crossed my mind that my father looked worried, but he was good at acting and perhaps that was just what he wanted me to think, so deep down I remained unconvinced. ‘I suppose I’d better tell you,’ he said, then turned away again, taking up a wooden spoon and stirring the soup. I waited. ‘It’s Eric.’ Then I knew what had happened. He didn’t have to tell me the rest. I suppose I could have thought from the little he’d said up until then that my half-brother was dead, or ill, or that something had happened to him, but I knew then it was something Eric had done, and there was only one thing he could have done which would make my father look worried. He had escaped. I didn’t say anything, though.
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£8.70£9.50The Wasp Factory: Ian Banks
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The Dog of the North: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023
The darkly comic new novel from the bestselling author of The Portable Veblen
’Incredibly funny and very moving’ BELLA MACKIE
‘A blissful novel that I want to give to everyone I love’ NINA STIBBE
‘Even funnier, even more romantic than McKenzie’s wonderful last’ KAREN JOY FOWLER
Penny Rush has problems. Her marriage is over, she’s quit her job, her parents have been missing in the Australian outback for five years and now she’s back home in Santa Barbara, dealing with mounting family crises and living out of a borrowed van named The Dog of the North.
The Dog is replete with gingham curtains, wood panelling, a piñata, clunky brakes and difficult steering. It’s also Penny’s getaway car from the curveballs life’s throwing at her. With an uncertain future ahead of her, could the road she’s on lead her back to herself?
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Pizza Girl: The poignant TikTok sensation and must-read debut
Perfect for fans of Coco Mellors, R. F. Kuang and Yomi Adegoke, this electrifying debut and TikTok sensation charts the unlikely relationship between a pregnant teenage pizza delivery driver and a stressed-out, middle-aged mum.
Eighteen years old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl, our dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it all. She’s grieving the death of her father, avoiding her loving boyfriend, and flagrantly ignoring her future.
Her world is further upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighbourhood, who comes to depend on weekly deliveries of pickle-covered pizzas for her son’s happiness.
As one woman looks toward motherhood and the other toward middle age, the relationship between the two begins to blur in strange, complicated, and ultimately heartbreaking ways.
Bold, tender, and unexpected, Pizza Girl is a moving and funny portrait of a flawed, unforgettable young woman as she tries to find her place in the world.
‘A fine debut’ Independent
‘Utterly moving’ Stylist
‘A thought provoking debut … I loved it’ Daily Mail
Readers are LOVING Pizza Girl
‘I just devoured it’
‘Superb writing’
‘Easily a cult classic’
‘I read this book in one sitting’
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Dance in Donegal
All of her life, Irish-American Moira Doherty has relished her mother’s descriptions of Ireland. When her mother dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1920, Moira decides to fulfill her mother’s wish that she become the teacher in Ballymann, her home village in Donegal, Ireland. After an arduous voyage, Moira arrives to a new home and a new job in an ancient country. Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about Moira’s mother are unspoken in her presence but threaten to derail everything she’s journeyed to Ballymann to do. Moira must rely on the kindness of a handful of friends–and the strength of Sean, an unsettlingly handsome thatcher who keeps popping up unannounced–as she seeks to navigate a life she’d never dreamed of . . . but perhaps was meant to live. Jennifer Deibel’s debut novel delights the senses, bringing to life the sights, sounds, smells, and language of a lush country and a colorful people. Historical romance fans will embrace her with open arms.Read more
£9.60£10.40Dance in Donegal
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Natural Beauty: A Novel
In this sly, surprising, and razor-sharp debut novel, a virtuoso pianist gives up her future as a musician to work at a high-end wellness store in New York City where the pursuit of beauty comes at a staggering cost.
Our narrator is the youngest student at the Conservatory. She produces a sound from the piano no one else does, employing a special technique she learned from her parents – also stunningly talented musicians – who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future as a pianist and accepts a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City.
Holistik is known for its remarkable products and outrageous procedures: remoras that suck cheap Botox from the body, eyelash extensions made of spider silk, emotional support ducklings bred to imprint on their owners. Every product is ethically sourced and made with nothing but the highest quality ingredients.
Our narrator’s new job is a coveted one among New York’s beauty-obsessed, and it affords her entry into a new world of privilege. She becomes transfixed by Helen – a model, and the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner – and the two strike up a close friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, Holistik plies our narrator with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, lighten her hair, and change her eye color.
But beneath these fancy creams and tinctures lies a terrible truth that threatens to consume her. After all, beauty is nothing without ugliness.
Natural Beauty is a piercing, terrifying, and darkly funny debut that eviscerates the beauty and wellness industry, exploring questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity. This propulsive novel takes a world that feels familiar and pushes it to a conclusion that at first might seem jarring, but when we inch closer, settles on us as truth.
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£12.10£15.20Natural Beauty: A Novel
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Julia: The Sunday Times Bestseller
A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
“a fascinating reflection on totalitarianism as refracted through Orwell’s times and our own” The Guardian
London, chief city of Airstrip One, the third most populous province of Oceania. It’s 1984 and Julia Worthing works as a mechanic fixing the novel-writing machines in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. Under the ideology of IngSoc and the rule of the Party and its leader Big Brother, Julia is a model citizen – cheerfully cynical, believing in nothing and caring not at all about politics. She knows how to survive in a world of constant surveillance, Thought Police, Newspeak, Doublethink, child spies and the black markets of the prole neighbourhoods. She’s very good at staying alive.
But Julia becomes intrigued by a colleague from the Records Department – a mid-level worker of the Outer Party called Winston Smith, she comes to realise that she’s losing her grip and can no longer safely navigate her world.
Seventy-five years after Orwell finished writing his iconic novel, Sandra Newman has tackled the world of Big Brother in a truly convincing way, offering a dramatically different, feminist narrative that is true to and stands alongside the original. For the millions of readers who have been brought up with Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, here, finally, is a provocative, vital and utterly satisfying companion novel.
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£13.80£18.00Julia: The Sunday Times Bestseller
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The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights
FROM THE CREATORS OF THE HAUNTING SEASON COMES A DAZZLING COLLECTION OF NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN GHOSTLY TALES.
‘Terrific – every bit as good as an MR James collection’ ROSIE ANDREWS, author of THE LEVIATHAN
Featuring new and original stories from:
Bridget Collins, author of The Binding
Imogen Hermes Gowar, author of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock
Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies
Andrew Michael Hurley, author of The Loney
Jess Kidd, author of Things in Jars
Natasha Pulley, author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory
Laura Purcell, author of The Silent Companions
Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora
Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of The Square of Sevens
Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Catriona Ward, author of The Last House on Needless StreetThe tradition of a haunted tale at Christmas has flourished across the centuries. These twelve stories – authored by some of today’s most loved and lauded writers of historical and gothic fiction – are all centred around Christmas or Advent, boldly and playfully re-imagining a beloved tradition for a modern audience.
Taking you from a haunted Tuscan villa to a remote Scottish island with a dark secret,, these vibrant haunted stories are your ultimate companion for frosty nights.
So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the spell of winters past . . .
‘I absolutely devoured The Winter Spirits. Every story is a gem’ LAURA SHEPPERSON
‘Another dazzling collection. Chilling, moving and incredibly satisfying’ AMANDA MASON
‘Eerily macabre, hauntingly propulsive’ JOANNE BURNRead more
£14.20£16.10The Winter Spirits: Ghostly Tales for Frosty Nights
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Edgar Allan Poe’s Classic Tales of Horror (Arcturus Ornate Classics)
This handsome hardback collection brings together 20 chilling horror stories from the maestro of suspense, Edgar Allan Poe, presented with a gold-embossed cover design, gilded page edges and beautiful endpapers.
Edgar Allen Poe is regarded as one of the greatest American writers and a pioneer of the horror genre, and this collection brings together some of his most celebrated tales. Themes of guilt, fear and revenge abound as the master of gothic horror transports readers to mysterious worlds, carries them on dangerous sea voyages, and investigates gruesome murders. Exploring the hidden depths of the human mind, these are tales full of thrills and intrigue.
Includes:
• The Fall of the House of Usher
• The Tell-Tale Heart
• The Black Cat
• The Cask of Amontillado
• The Masque of the Red Death
• The Pit and the PendulumThis elegant pocket-sized gift edition contains the classic and unabridged stories, presented with a gold embossed cover design, ivory paper, beautifully designed endpapers and black gilded page edges. Part of the Arcturus Ornate Classics series, this edition makes wonderful gift for any lovers of classic fiction.
ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.
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Sea Prayer: The Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller
A Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller
A deeply moving, gorgeously illustrated short story for people of all ages from the international bestselling author of The Kite Runner, brought to life by Dan Williams’s beautiful illustrations
‘The book may be brief, but it is beautiful, poetic – a distillation of his strengths’ Sunday Times
On a moonlit beach a father cradles his sleeping son as they wait for dawn to break and a boat to arrive. He speaks to his boy of the long summers of his childhood, recalling his grandfather’s house in Syria, the stirring of olive trees in the breeze, the bleating of his grandmother’s goat, the clanking of her cooking pots. And he remembers, too, the bustling city of Homs with its crowded lanes, its mosque and grand souk, in the days before the sky spat bombs and they had to flee.
When the sun rises they and those around them will gather their possessions and embark on a perilous sea journey in search of a new home.
Proceeds from the sale of Sea Prayer will go to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency to help fund life-saving support and build better futures for refugees around the world.
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Freckles: The uplifting and emotional Sunday Times top ten bestselling new novel from the author of million-copy bestseller PS, I Love You
Discover this 5-star read: ‘Wow’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Heartwarming’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Uplifting’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Thought-provoking’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐’One of those rare, special and unique heroines’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A joy to read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What if the people who have the power to change your life are the ones who have been there all along…
Like stars in the night sky, freckles are scattered across Allegra Bird’s arms, a legacy from her beloved father.
Her legacy from her mother is more complicated – until one question from a stranger inspires a change. What if it isn’t about fitting in, but finding the people who make you who you are? Who would those people be?
As she searches for connection, Allegra is about to find out that it is our differences that make life worth living – if only someone can help you to join the dots . . .
Praise for Freckles
‘Fans will adore this heart-warming story about loneliness and connection’ Daily Mail
‘Funny, thought-provoking and original’Mirror
‘A warm and bittersweet tale about finding yourself through family and friendship’Sunday Telegraph
‘An endearing story of human frailty, connection and growth’Irish Independent
‘Everything a greedy reader wants: a moving story, absorbing characters, engaging writing and as much of a page-turner as you’d expect’Irish Times
‘Ahern was born to write and her books to be read by all’My Weekly
‘Fresh and timely… asking bolding what and who make us who we are, Freckles manages to team wit and wisdom harmoniously’Echo
‘A beautiful, hopeful book when the world needs hope most… inspiring, life-affirming and full of insight’ Cathy Kelly
Cecelia Ahern’s previous novel Postscript was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 16th September 2019.
Cecelia Ahern’s book ‘Freckles’ was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 06-09-2021.
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