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The best books out this month

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Books to read if you’re going through a break-up

With the dawn of a new millennium about to break, the Nineties was a strange, floating decade of positivity, hope and something called the World Wide Web. 

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Books that defined the 1990s

A Particular Kind of Genius

Dickens and Prince

What could possibly connect Prince, the great twentieth century singer songwriter, and Charles Dickens, the great writer of classics usually stuffed into the hands of adolescents too early? What could these two geniuses, one born in 1812 in England, and the other in 1950s Minneapolis, have in common? 
 
For Nick Hornby, Dickens and Prince are two artists that compare to no others. At the young age of 24, they both had their breakthroughs, Prince with '1999' and Dickens with The Pickwick Papers. At 26, Prince released 'Purple Rain' and Dickens' Oliver Twist was published, and, by 30, both artists were huge stars. 
 
No one else had such a relentless work ethic and produced such a staggeringly original and enormous body of work. Where did their magic come from? How did they use it? And, in the end, did it kill them? 
 
Tracing their lives, from the early years to their relationships with women, their finances to their inability to stop working, Dickens and Prince is a brilliantly surprising and joyous uncovering of the essence of a very particular and unique type of genius.

'A joyful examination of two artists from different centuries and the unlikely parallels in their life and work' Guardian 
 
'An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to reread Great Expectations whilst listening to Sign o'the Times' Vogue 
_____________________ 
 
The essential gift for lovers of Prince, Dickens and everyone in between! 
 
In Nick Hornby's completely joyous and original new book two great figures share the stage. Charles Dickens and Prince. Two wildly different artists who caught fire and lit up the world in ways no others could. Where did their magic come from? How did they work so hard and produce so much? How did they manage or give in to the restlessness and intensity of their creativity? How did they use it, and did it kill them? 
 
With wit, curiosity and deep admiration Nick Hornby traces their extraordinary lives - from their difficult beginnings to the women they fell for to their limitless energy for work, to their money and the movies - and brilliantly illuminates their very particular kind of genius. 
 
'I love this. It's smart and funny and elegantly persuasive' Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, author of Becoming Dickens

A joyful examination of two artists from different centuries and the unlikely parallels in their life and work

Well, here's something you didn't expect - a joint biography of Charles Dickens and the pocket-sized popster Prince. And why not? The Fever Pitch chappie explores the nature of genius and what unites the inimitable Boz and the Imp of the Perverse

I love this. It's smart and funny and elegantly persuasive

Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, author of Becoming Dickens

From rocky beginnings to too-early endings, Hornby traces the lives of two very different artists and shows they have more in common than we might think. Dickens & Prince is a playful, illuminating book

An enjoyable and educational read that will leave fans of either figure positively enlightened

An ardent fan letter from Hornby that makes you want to reread Great Expectations whilst listening to Sign o'the Times

A winningly grounded manifesto for artists: forget the preciousness so often urged as the route to brilliance, and embrace prodigiousness instead &ndash; and don&rsquo;t forget to make sure you get paid

Beneath the surface of this fascinating biography there lies a warm and wise craft book about what it takes to make great art in any century

Hornby&rsquo;s admiration for his subjects is infectious . . . a zesty tribute to two cultural legends not often spoken about in the same breath

This pairing &ndash; two magnificent creatives, centuries and genres apart &ndash; makes stunning sense in the hands of their wisest, wittiest fan

Hornby&rsquo;s love for the work, for the sheer unbelievably prodigal output of both artists, is intense. And when he does write about Prince and sexuality, he is almost jarringly illuminating, particularly when he wrestles with Prince as shapeshifting sexual avatar

NICK HORNBY is the bestselling author of eight novels, including Just Like You, High Fidelity and About a Boy, and several works of nonfiction including Fever Pitch. He has also written numerous award-winning screenplays for film and television including Brooklyn, Wild and, most recently, State of the Union.

Now The Major TV Series Funny Woman Starring Gemma Arterton

Funny Girl

Make them laugh, and they're yours forever . . . 
 
Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh. So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself to London, and overnight she becomes the lead in a new BBC comedy, Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation's hearts. 
 
Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and the people behind the scenes. But when life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. How long can they keep going before it's time to change the channel?

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER SOON TO BE A TV SERIES STARRING GEMMA ARTERTON AND RUPERT EVERETT 
 
'Simply unputdownable' Guardian 
 
'Hilarious' Daily Telegraph 
 
'Highly entertaining' Sunday Times 
 _________________ 
 
Make them laugh, and they're yours forever . . . 
 
Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh. 
 
So she leaves her hometown behind, takes herself to London, and overnight she becomes the lead in a new BBC comedy, Sophie Straw: charming, gorgeous, destined to win the nation's hearts. 
 
Funny Girl is the story of a smash-hit TV show and the people behind the scenes. But when life starts imitating art, they all face a choice. How long can they keep going before it's time to change the channel? 
 ______________ 
 
'Warm, funny, touching . . . winningly perceptive about human relationships and changing social trends' Daily Telegraph 
 
'Like all Hornby's best work, it is both hugely enjoyable and deceptively artful' Spectator 
 
'A beguiling, thoroughly enjoyable read' Sunday Times 
 
'Hugely enjoyable' Sunday Mirror 
 
'Resolutely, winningly light-hearted' Observer 
 
'Hornby's sunniest novel' Metro

So simple, so easy to read and yet so sensitive and profound at the same time. This is a world that feels real and one you don't want to leave

Like all Hornby's best work, it is both hugely enjoyable and deceptively artful

Everything Hornby writes is addictively readable and clever, but with Funny Girl he has surpassed himself

Slam

'There was this time when everything seemed to have come together. And so obviously it was time to go and screw it all up.' 
 
Sam is sixteen and a skater. Just so there are no terrible misunderstandings: skating = skateboarding. There's no ice. Life is ticking along nicely for Sam: his mum's got rid of her rubbish boyfriend, he's thinking about college and he's met someone. Alicia. 
 
Then a little accident happens. One with big consequences for someone just finding his way in life. Sam can't run (let alone skate) away from this one. He's a boy facing a man's problems and the question is - has he got what it takes to confront them?

THE HILARIOUS COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ABOUT A BOY 
 
'Touching, very funny' Guardian 
__________________ 
 
'There was this time when everything seemed to have come together. And so obviously it was time to go and screw it all up.' 
 
Sam is sixteen and a skater. Just so there are no terrible misunderstandings: skating = skateboarding. There's no ice. Life is ticking along nicely for Sam; his Mum's got rid of her rubbish boyfriend, he's thinking about college and he's met someone. Alicia. 
 
Then a little accident happens. One with big consequences for someone just finding his way in life. Sam can't run (let alone skate) away from this one. He's a boy facing a man's problems and the question is - has he got what it takes to confront them? 
 
Slam is a novel about a boy who has to grow up in big, big hurry. It is The Catcher in the Rye for the 21st century. 
 
______________ 
 
'Very funny...very real' Daily Telegraph 
 
'Hornby gets his point across with the subtlety and skill of a born novelist who always deserves to be read' Independent 
 
'A moving read for anyone' Elle

the international bestseller

A Long Way Down

'Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' 
 
For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve, he's going to end it all ... But not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. 
 
Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices of cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living?

'Extremely funny . . . and wise' Sunday Times 
 
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE 
__________________________ 
 
'Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?' 
 
For disgraced TV presenter Martin Sharp the answer's pretty simple: he has, in his own words, 'pissed his life away'. And on New Year's Eve he's going to end it all . . . but not, as it happens, alone. Because first single-mum Maureen, then eighteen-year-old Jess and lastly American rock-god JJ turn up and crash Martin's private party. They've stolen his idea - but brought their own reasons. 
 
Yet it's hard to jump when you've got an audience queuing impatiently behind you. A few heated words and some slices if cold pizza later and these four strangers are suddenly allies. But is their unlikely friendship a good enough reason to carry on living? 
 
Shortlisted for the 2005 Whitbread Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, A Long Way Down is a darkly hilarious and moving novel by bestselling author Nick Hornby. 
__________________________ 
 
'Hornby's best yet' Literary Review 
 
'Impossible to put down' Ruth Rendell, Guardian 
 
'Some of the finest writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading' Johnny Depp

Impossible to put down . . . enthralling

Juliet, Naked

In 1986, legendary musician Tucker Crowe disappeared from the public eye and for 20 years, his rabid fans have speculated his whereabouts. 
 
Annie lives in Gooleness, the north's answer to a question nobody asked, and has put fifteen years into a safe relationship with one such "Crowe-ologist", Duncan. And she wants her money back, please. 
 
Then Tucker releases new material. Duncan thinks it's genius, Annie does not, and when she dares to go public with her dislike, there are unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three . . .

What happens when a washed-up musician looks for another chance? And miles away, a restless woman looks for a change? 
 
NICK HORNBY'S HILARIOUS INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER IS NOW A MAJOR FILM 
 
'A comic delight' Evening Standard 
 _____________ 
 
In 1986, legendary musician Tucker Crowe disappeared from the public eye and for 20 years, his rabid fans have speculated his whereabouts. 
 
Annie lives in Gooleness, the north's answer to a question nobody asked, and has put fifteen years into a safe relationship with one such "Crowe-ologist", Duncan. And she wants her money back, please. 
 
Then Tucker releases new material. Duncan thinks it's genius, Annie does not, and when she dares to go public with her dislike, there are unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three . . . 
 
Juliet, Naked is a humblingly humorous novel about music, love, loneliness, and the struggle to live up to our own potential. If you like David Nicholls, David Sedaris and Jonathan Coe, you will love this book. 
_________________ 
 
'Ingenious, funny and moving' Daily Mail 
 
 
'Pitch-perfect' Observer 
 
'Sharply funny, touching' Daily Telegraph

Juliet, Naked is ingenious, funny and moving

A comic delight. In Juliet, Naked the author once again deftly but affectionately anatomizes the foibles of flawed men and women

Sharp, funny, touching . . . Nick Hornby's triumph is to find infinite amounts of warmth and humour in this seeming world of desolation

About a Boy

Nick Hornby's second bestselling novel is about sex, manliness and fatherhood. Will is thirty-six, comfortable and child-free. And he's discovered a brilliant new way of meeting women - through single-parent groups. Marcus is twelve and a little bitnerdish: he's got the kind of mother who made him listen to Joni Mitchell rather than Nirvana. Perhaps they can help each other out a little bit, and both can start to act their age.

THE MILLION COPY NO. 1 BESTSELLER THAT BECAME AN ACCLAIMED FILM STARRING HUGH GRANT AND NICOLAS HOULT 
 
'A very entertaining and endearing read' The Times 
___________________ 
 
Thirty-six-year-old Londoner Will loves his life. Living carefree off the royalties of his dad's Christmas song, he's rich, unattached and has zero responsibilities - just the way he likes it. 
 
But when Will meets Marcus, an awkward twelve-year-old who listens to Joni Mitchell and accidentally kills ducks with loaves of bread, an unlikely friendship starts to bloom. 
 
Can this odd duo teach each another how to finally act their age? 
 
Hugely funny and equally heartfelt, Nick Hornby's classic proves you're never too old to grow up. Perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Mike Gayle. 
___________________ 
 
'A stunner of a novel. Utterly read-in-one-day, forget-where-you-are-on-the-tube-gripping' Marie Claire 
 
'About the awful, hilarious, embarrassing places where children and adults meet, and Hornby has captured it with delightful precision' Irish Times 
 
'It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby has it - in buckets' Literary Review

A very entertaining and endearing read

A stunner of a novel. Utterly read-in-one-day, forget-where-you-are-on-the-tube-gripping

About the awful, hilarious, embarrassing places where children and adults meet, and Hornby has captured it with delightful precision

It takes a writer with real talent to make this work, and Hornby has it - in buckets

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