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Penguin Tasters

 

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I Am Number Four» I Am Number Four

Pittacus Lore

The door starts shaking. It's a flimsy thing made of bamboo shoots held together with tattered lengths of twine. The shake is subtle and stops almost immediately.

Think of a Number» Think of a Number

John Verdon

‘Where were you?’ said the old woman in the bed. ‘I had to pee, and no one came.’ Unruffled by her nasty tone, the young man stood at the foot of the bed, beaming.

Four Fish» Four Fish

Paul Greenberg

In 1978 all the fish I cared about died. They were the biggest largemouth bass I had ever seen, and they lived in a pond ten minutes' walk from my house on a large estate in the backwoods of Greenwich, Connecticut, perhaps the most famously wealthy town in America.

The Old Romantic » The Old Romantic

Louise Dean

People seem to tumble down to Hastings and not get up to go home again. It's where they turn up, every Jack and Jill that ever fell out with the family, lost a job, had half an idea, got a bad habit.

Oil on Water» Oil on Water

Helon Habila

I am walking down a well-lit path, with incidents neatly labelled and dated, but when I reach halfway memory lets go of my hand...

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis» The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis

Lydia Davis

An ant can look up at you, too, and even threaten you with its arms. Of course, my dog does not know I am human, he sees me as dog, though I do not leap up at a fence.

And the Land Lay Still» And the Land Lay Still

James Robertson

Mike is at the bedroom window, taking in the view of the water, the road and the scattering of cottages along it, when he sees Murdo's red van come round the end of the kyle.

Pieces of my Heart» Pieces of my Heart

Sinéad Moriarty

I examined myself in the mirror. I hadn't worn this black dress in years, but it still fitted, which was a relief. I moved closer and peered at my face – daylight was harsh: all I could see were lines everywhere, mapping out my life so far.

Dark Water» Dark Water

Caro Ramsay

Emily Corbett flicked the headlights of the Punto on to full beam, highlighting the puffballs of soft drifting grey fog. To either side lay the braes, and high flat bleak moorland, but all she could see was dapples of mist and darkness.

I'm Watching You» I'm Watching You

Mary Burton

Later he would tell her that their story began at the Royal Hungarian Opera House, the night before he left for Paris on the Western Europe Express.

The Flea Palace» The Flea Palace

Elif Shafak

People say I have a fanciful mind – probably the most tactful way ever invented of saying "You're talking nonsense!" They might be right.

Foe» Foe

J M Coetzee

At last I could row no further. My hands were blistered, my back was burned, my body ached. With a sigh, making barely a splash, I slipped overboard.

The Financial Lives of the Poets » The Financial Lives of the Poets

Jess Walter

Here they are again—_the bent boys, baked and buzzed boys, wasted, red-eyed, dry-mouth high boys, coursing narrow bright aisles hunting food as fried as they are...

Short Girls» Short Girls

Bich Minh Nguyen

After Miles left, Van began checking the security alarm every time she entered the house. She had nightmares of the alarm failing, losing the password of her and Miles's wedding date.

Age of Iron» Age of Iron

J M Coetzee

There is an alley down the side of the garage, you may remember it, you and your friends would sometimes play there. Now it is a dead place, waste, without use, where windblown leaves pile up and rot.

The Salt Road» The Salt Road

Jane Johnson

When I was a child, I had a wigwam in our back garden: a circle of thin yellow cotton draped over a bamboo pole and pegged to the lawn. Every time my parents argued, that was where I went.

Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years» Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years

Sue Townsend

Black clouds over Mangold Parva. It has been raining since the beginning of time. When will it stop?

The Left Hand of God» The Left Hand of God

Paul Hoffman

Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie, for there is little redemption that goes on there and less sanctuary.

 

Penguin Tasters Archive 

#

» 1984: George Orwell

» 31 Dream Street: Lisa Jewell

 

A

» Absolution: Caro Ramsay

» Dance In Time, A: Orna Ross

» Adrian Mole Prostrate Years: Sue Townsend

» Accidentally on Purpose: Mary Pols

» Afloat: Jennifer McCartney

» Fraction of the Whole, A: Steve Toltz

» A Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Nicholas Drayson

» A Secret Place: Patricia Rainsford

» And Another Thing…: Eoin Colfer

» Anti-Social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole, The: John Mortimer

» Animal Farm: George Orwell

» Angelology: Danielle Trussoni

» Arctic Drift: Clive Cussler

» Ascent of Money, The: Niall Ferguson

» Assassin: Andrew Britton

» At the City's Edge: Marcus Sakey

» Atlantis Code, The: Charles Brokaw

» And the Ass saw the Angel: Nick Cave

B

» Bastard of Istanbul, The: Elif Shafak

» Battle Won: Sean Thomas Russell

» Beach House, The: Jane Green

» Believers, The: Zoë Heller

» Betrayal, The: Helen Dunmore

» Big Short, The: Michael Lewis

» Birthday Present, The: Barbara Vine

» Blade Itself, The: Marcus Sakey

» Bleeding Heart Square: Andrew Taylor

» Blood Atonement: Dan Waddell

» The Blood Detective: Dan Waddell

» Blood Spilt, The: Åsa Larsson

» Blonde Roots: Bernadine Evaristo

» Brightest Star in the Sky, The: Marian Keyes

» Brooklyn: Colm Toibin

» Burial Ground: John Rickards

» Butterfly: Sonya Hartnett

C

» Can I Tell you a Secret?: Evelyn Cosgrave

» Case of the Imaginary Detective, The: Karen Joy Fowler

» Catch Me When I Fall: Nicci French

» Chasing the Dead: Tim Weaver

» Cheating at Canasta: William Trevor

» Circle of the Dead: Ingrid Black

» Civil and Strange: Clair Ni Aonghusa

» Closed Circle, The: Jonathan Coe

» Complicit: Nicci French

» Confessions of a Demented Housewife: The Celebrity Year: Niamh Greene

» Concert Ticket: Olga Grushin

» Compulsion: Jonathan Kellerman

» Consequences: Penelope Lively

» Corsair: Clive Cussler

» Counting Down: Gerard Stembridge

» Counting the Stars: Helen Dunmore

» Company of Liars: Karen Maitland

» Crossed Bones: Jane Johnson

» Corsair: Clive Cussler

 

D

» A Dance in Time: Orna Ross

» Dark Origins: Anthony E. Zuiker

» Dark Volume, The: G. W. Dahlquist

» Dark Watch: Clive Cussler

» Dead Pool, The: Sue Walker

» Dead Room, The: Chris Mooney

» Death or Glory: Michael Asher

» Death Watch: Jim Kelly

» Deaf Sentence: David Lodge

» Death Wore White: Jim Kelly

» Desperately Seeking...: Evelyn Cosgrave

» Devil May Care: Sebastian Faulks

» Devil's Brood: Sharon Kay Penman

» Dig, The: John Preston

» Do You Want What I Want?: Denise Deegan

» Down into Darkness: David Lawrence

 

E

» Echelon Vendetta, The: David Stone

» Embrace the Night: Karen Chance

» Even Money: Dick Francis & Felix Francis

 

F

» Faith: Elizabeth Noble

» Fallen Angel: Kevin Lewis

» Family Album: Penelope Lively

» Fall Girl, The: Denise Sewell

» Final Impact: John Birmingham

» Fire Ice: Clive Cussler

» Footnotes to Sex: Mia Farlane

» The Forty Rules of Love: Elif Shafak

» Foursome: Jane Fallon

» Fraction of the Whole, A: Steve Toltz

» French Kissing: Catherine Sanderson

 

G

» Gifted: Nikita Lalwani

» Girl Friday: Jane Green

» Girl in Translation: Jean Kwok

» Girl Next Door, The: Elizabeth Noble

» Girls of Riyadh: Rajaa Alsanea

» Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, The: G. W. Dahlquist

» God's Own Country: Ross Raisin

» Golden Buddha: Clive Cussler

» Got You Back: Jane Fallon

» Grandmother's Footsteps: Charlotte Moore

» Guide to the Birds of East Africa, A: Nicholas Drayson

» Gulf Between Us, The: Geraldine Bedell

» Gypsy: Lesley Pearse

 

H

» Hackney, Rose Red Empire: Iain Sinclair

» Help, The: Kathryn Stockett

» Hello, Heartbreak: Amy Huberman

» Hello Mum: Bernadine Evaristo

» Holy Assassin: LuÍs Miguel Rocha

» How to break your own heart: Maggie Alderson

» Hospital: Toby Litt

» Hunting Season, The: Elizabeth Rigbey

 

J

» Javascotia: Benjamin Obler

» Jerusalem: Patrick Neate

» Journey into Space: Toby Litt

» Judas Heart, The: Ingrid Black

» Juliet, Naked: Nick Hornby

L

» Land of the Living: Nicci French

» Last Assassin, The: Barry Eisler

» Lost Book of Salem, The: Katherine Howe

» Left Hand of God, The: Paul Hoffman

» Lessons, The: Naomi Alderman

» Life Class: Pat Barker

» Light Boxes: Shane Jones

» Lost and Found: Lucy Cavendish

» Lost Diaries of Adrian Mole, 1999-2001, The: Sue Townsend

» Love and Summer: William Trevor

» Love Nest: Julia Llewellyn

» Lost Throne, The: Chris Kuzneski

» The Love Verb: Jane Green

» Lulu in Marrakech: Diane Johnson

» Luxe, The: Anna Godbersen

 

M

» Malice Box, The: Martin Langfield

» Members Only: Leonie Fox

» Me and Miss M: Jemma Forte

» Minutes of the Lazarus Club, The: John Mortimer

» Mirror, Mirror: Maria Alvarez

» Monster Love: Carol Topolski

» Monday Night Cooking School, The: Erica Bauermeister

» Moscow Rules: Daniel Silva

» Mr Almost Right: Eleanor Moran

» Mr. S and the Secrets of Andorra's Box of the Andorra: Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

» Mr. Toppit: Charles Elton

» My Revolutions: Hari Kunzru

 

N

» Nature of Monsters, The: Clare Clark

» Navigator, The: Clive Cussler

» News Where You Are, The: Catherine O'Flynn

 

O

» Obsession: Jonathan Kellerman

» One Day in May: Catherine Alliott

» Open-Handed: Chris Binchy

» Orpheus Deception, The: David Stone

» Ossians, The: Doug Johnstone

» Outliers: Malcolm Gladwell

» Owl Killers, The: Doug Johnstone

 

P

» Pack Up the Moon: Anna McPartlin

» Painter of Shanghai, The: Jennifer Cody Epstein

» Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, The: Katherine Howe

» Plague Ship: Clive Cussler

» Plea of Insanity: Jilliane Hoffman

» Pleasant Light of Day, The: Philip O Ceallaigh

» Plum Lovin': Janet Evanovich

» Polar Shift: Clive Cussler

» Private Members: Leonie Fox

 

S

» Sacred Stone: Clive Cussler

» Salt: Jeremy Page

» Samantha Smythe's Modern Famliy Journal: Lucy Cavendish

» Savage Altar, The: Åsa Larsson

» Scandalous: Martel Maxwell

» Second Chance: Jane Green

» Secret Diary of a Demented Housewife: Niamh Greene

» Secret Fire, The: Martin Langfield

» Secret Friend: Chris Mooney

» Secret Life of Evie Hamilton, The: Catherine Alliott

» Secrets of the Lazarus Club, The: Tony Pollard

» Secret Servant: Daniel Silva

» Secret Smile: Nicci French

» Secret Son: Laila Lalami

» Shame on You: Clara Salaman

» Shire Hell: Rachel Johnson

» Short Girls: Bich Minh Nguyen

» Silks: Dick Francis & Felix Francis

» Silent Sea, The: Clive Cussler

» Single in the City: Michele Gorman

» Singing to the Dead: Caro Ramsay

» Skeleton Coast: Clive Cussler

» Skippy Dies: Paul Murray

» The Skeleton Man: Jim Kelly

» Slam: Nick Hornby

» Sowing the Seeds of Love: Tara Heavey

» Spider: Michael Morley

» Spook Country: William Gibson

» The Spy:Clive Cussler with Justin Scott

» Stick or Twist: Eleanor Moran

» Strangers: Anita Brookner

» Stone Gods: Jeanette Winterson

» Stones of Fire: C.M. Palov

» Storm in a Teacup, A: Lucy Cavendish

» Submarine: Joe Dunthorne

» Sword of God: Chris Kuzneski

T

» Tell Me Something: Adele Parks

» Temple-Goers, The: Aatish Taseer

» Tenth Gift, The: Jane Johnson

» Then We Came to the End: Joshua Ferris

» Things I Want My Daughters to Know: Elizabeth Noble

» This Charming Man: Marian Keyes

» Two Caravans: Marina Lewycka

» Typhoon: Charles Cumming

 

U

» Under Enemy Colours: Sean Thomas Russell

» Under My Skin: Alison Jameson

» Unnamed, The: Joshua Ferris

» Until It's Over: Nicci French

V

» Viper: Michael Morley

W

» Who Gets Fluffy?: Judith Summers

» Whose Life Is It Anyway?: Sinead Moriarty

» Widows of Eastwick, The: John Updike

» Wigs on the Green: Nancy Mitford

» Wish Maker, The: Ali Sethi

» Wrecker, The: Clive Cussler

» Wolf Totem: Jiang Rong

 

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