Dougie Poynter has been obsessed with dinosaurs ever since visiting the Natural History Museum when he was about three. He is passionate about the natural world and a keen conservationist, working with charities such as WWF and Greenpeace to get harmful products banned and to clean up the planet. 
 
Dougie wrote songs together with Tom Fletcher for years in bands McFly and McBusted; they now write their bestselling Dinosaur that Pooped books in the same way that they write their song lyrics. The books have sold over a million copies!

Dougie Poynter

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Kate Hope Day

'A gorgeous literary novel that asks us to imagine all the possible versions of ourselves that we can imagine' J COURTNEY SULLIVAN 
'A suburban srama build to leap form page to screen' Kirkus Reviews 
'Fascinating and moving' EOWYN IVEY 
----------------------- 
In a sleepy Oregon town at the base of a dormant volcano, four neighbours find their lives upended when they see visions of themselves in an alternate reality, and have to question the choices they’ve made as natural disaster looms. 
 
For fans of Celeste Ng's LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE and TV serial SIX FEET UNDER. 
 
In the shadow of a dormant volcano in Oregon lies a small town much like any other – though mistier perhaps, and greener. Look closely and you’ll see four neighbours plagued by strange visions. 
 
 Ginny, a devoted surgeon, is troubled by thoughts of a beautiful colleague in her bed. 
 
 Mark, a wildlife scientist, foresees imminent and devastating natural disaster. 
 
 Cass, a brilliant scholar struggling with the demands of a small baby, envisages herself pregnant once more – just as she is returning to her game-changing research. 
 
 And then there’s Samara, a young estate agent, who glimpses images of her dead mother alive again, healthy and vibrant. 
 
 As the volcano begins to rumble, it becomes clear that these visions mean more than at first it seemed, and that the fate of this close-knit community hangs in the balance.

If, Then

Francine Toon

From the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, Pine, comes a haunting and atmospheric new gothic thriller, set in the brooding Scottish landscape. 
 
In this corner of Fife, summer nights meant parties on wind-blown beaches, wrapped in hoodies and denim jackets, pretending you weren’t cold in the stubborn evening light. 
 
Joanie, 2013. Desperate to flee the claustrophobia of St Rule, Joanie has long been looking forward to her big escape. But on the night of her school graduation this dream slips through her hands. 
 
Devastated, Joanie falls into the orbit of an enigmatic couple – Erin and David – who offer her a new kind of escape. Charismatic, older and intellectual, they make Joanie feel alive and important in a way she didn’t know was possible. 
 
Cameron, 2023. When Cameron arrives back in St Rule for Christmas a question burns in his mind: what ever happened to Joanie? It’s been a decade since he saw his former friend, and in truth he hadn’t given it much thought – busily building a life. 
 
But as he starts to look for answers, it becomes clear that someone wants to keep this secret buried at all costs. How far should he go to pursue the truth? 
 
Set amongst the ancient cobblestone of a Scottish coastal town steeped in history, Francine Toon masterfully blends the tension of a mystery with the chill of a modern gothic. This is a story where every shadow holds a secret, and every revelation brings Cameron and Joanie closer to a truth that could shatter their worlds. 
 
Praise for Francine Toon: 
 
‘A literary gothic thriller to chill the marrow’ Guardian 
 
‘Hugely atmospheric, exquisitely written and utterly gripping’ Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Hunting Party 
 
‘A must-read for fans of eerie gothic fiction’ The Skinny 
 
‘An evocative read which will keep you guessing’ Sunday Independent 
 
‘Both eerie and thrilling at once…had me under its spell until the end’ Sophie Mackintosh, Man Booker Prize-longlisted author of The Water Cure 
 
‘Gripping’ Sunday Times Scotland

Bluff

Terry Pratchett

A Discworld series tie-in picture book, a companion to Snuff (part of the City Watch novels). Go beyond the novels to discover more about the fantastically funny and gloriously inventive world of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. 
 
'A gloriously old-fashioned and funny story... A brilliant choice for reading aloud.' Evening Standard 
 
The World of Poo tells of a boy’s adventure in his first visit to the mighty Discworld metropolis of Ankh-Morpork. As featured in Terry Pratchett’s Snuff, this is a delightfully illustrated adventure for readers of all ages. Guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of young and old alike. 
 
From Snuff: 'The title was The World of Poo... As [Vimes] turned page after page, it dawned on him that whoever had written this book, they certainly knew what would make kids like Young Sam laugh until they were nearly sick. The bit about sailing down the river almost made him smile...' 
 
'Terry Pratchett is not so much a writer as a one-man publishing phenomenon who has single-handedly re-shaped the world of fantasy fiction' SFX's Outstanding Contribution Award

The World of Poo

Madeline Cash

The funny and compassionate new literary novel that turns family dysfunction into an art form. 
 
‘Goes off like a firework. As sincere as it is funny (and it’s very funny)’ Ramona Ausubel, bestselling author of The Last Animal 
 
‘A voice like no other… will shift the way you see the family and community into something operatic, strange and profound.’ Lena Dunham, award-winning writer, director and creator of comedy-drama Girls 
 
The Flynns are not alright. 
 
It’s been disastrous since Bud and Catherine opened up their marriage, and none of the Flynns can remember the last time a meal was cooked, a load of laundry done, or a social code abided by. 
 
Their daughters spiral in their own chaotic orbits: Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone – or something – is monitoring the town’s citizens. 
 
Casting a shadow across their lives, and their small coastal town, is Paul Alabaster, a nefarious local billionaire. Rumours of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with Alabaster’s machinations sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy – one that may just, finally, bring them closer together. 
 
Rippling with humour, warmth and style, Lost Lambs offers a stunning portrait of the perverse pleasures and perils of our most intimate reality: our family. 
 
Praise for Lost Lambs: 
 
‘A great, great American novel’ Samantha Hunt, Women’s Prize Shortlisted author of The Seas 
 
‘A dazzling and singular new voice in literary fiction… Loud, hilarious, shocking, and sensitive’ Megan Nolan, award-winning author of Ordinary Human Failings 
 
‘With a big surge of energy, Lost Lambs splits the nucleus of the American family’ Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection – National Book Award Finalist 
 
‘Madeline Cash is a humourist in the darkly humanist tradition of George Saunders and Lorrie Moore, of Vonnegut and Twain’ Tim Kreider, author of We Learn Nothing 
 
‘Immersive and propulsive and I never wanted it to end. I can’t remember the last time a novel made me laugh so hard or feel so much tenderness for its characters… I loved it. I devoured it’ Leslie Jamison, author of Splinters

Lost Lambs

Kate Atkinson

The perfect Christmas stocking filler: three festive tales from the brilliant pen of Kate Atkinson. 
 
'Lucy would have challenged anyone not to cry at the sight of their child in a Nativity play. Even a sheepish Maude, even a scowling Beatrice – currently attempting a Chinese burn on an adjacent angel. A shepherd shouted something incomprehensible to Joseph. One of the Wise Men wet himself. Beatrice waved enthusiastically – a little too enthusiastically – at Lucy from the angelic choir. It was better than any religion, Lucy thought.' 
 
From the award-winning author of LIFE AFTER LIFE, SHRINES OF GAIETY and DEATH AT THE SIGN OF THE ROOK

Festive Spirits

Three Christmas Stories

Jane Flett

The year that Florida fell into the sea, I killed a man and joined a cult and ran away to Mexico. I ate human flesh for the first time. 
 
It’s another sticky summer in New Orleans and the world is ending. Natural disasters abound, tourists are descending on the Old Town and Marcy’s old wrestling scar has reopened. It’s enough to make any girl want to take her seemingly perfect husband and tedious job and set it all on fire. 
 
So when Marcy meets a crew of degenerate filmmakers who are keen to whisk her away from her ordinary life, she lets herself be swept into their world of filth, arson and debauchery. 
 
For their part, they’re convinced Marcy’s strange scar is a sign she’s the Chosen One they need to lead their community through the end of times. For hers, she’s never been able to resist that kind of flattery. 
 
Praise for Freakslaw 
'A transgressive, inventive dark fantasy' Guardian 
'Cracking with desire, hedonism, angst, violence and sex' Heat 
'A celebration of the marginalised' Observer 
'As frightening as it is seductive' Herald

Welcome to the Chaoskampf

Nick Newman

A literary twist on The Secret Garden for fans of Shirley Jackson, Piranesi and Unsettled Ground 
 
‘Extraordinary... it already feels like a classic’ Emerald Fennell, Oscar-winning director of SALTBURN 
 
‘Glitters with menace and mystery’ Emma Stonex, bestselling author of The Lamplighters 
 
‘An intriguing mix of psychological mystery and dystopian gothic’ Guardian 
 
‘Part fable, part literary thriller…The Garden may be the elusive inheritor to Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi’ Vulture 
 
____ 
 
Nothing had come over the wall for a very long time. …. 
 
In a place and time unknown, two elderly sisters live in a walled garden, secluded from the outside world. For as long as they can remember, Evelyn and Lily have only had each other. 
 
What came before the garden, they have forgotten; what lies beyond it, they do not know. 
 
Each day is spent tending the bees, planting the crops, dutifully following the instructions of the almanac written by their mother. 
 
But then one of them makes a startling discovery. 
 
What if their carefully curated life is an illusion? What if the walls no longer keep them safe? 
 
‘Reminiscent of John Wyndham….absolutely exquisite’ Daily Mail 
 
‘Darkly beautiful… a Gothic, dystopian inversion of The Secret Garden’ Good Housekeeping 
 
‘A brilliantly drawn folie à deux ... like Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle - SFX 
 
READER'S RESPONSES to THE GARDEN: 
 
‘Definitely one of the most original books I’ve ever read and I loved every moment of the reading experience’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘LOVED this. Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s “We Have Always Lived In The Castle” and Susanna Clarke’s “Piranesi”’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Newman's writing style and world-building are poetic and evocative, yet also eerie and suspenseful.’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘WOW! I was absolutely engrossed in this genre-bender for two days straight.’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Fans of Emily St. John Mandel, Lily Brooks-Dalton, and Charlotte McConaghy will enjoy this book.’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Part Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, part Lord of the Flies, part Shirley Jackson : all itself’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Nick Newman’s distinctly creepy, quirky, mountingly tense post apocalyptic Gothic Garden of Eden novel is definitely weird, and remarkably wonderful.’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Gave me a mixture of We Have Always Lived in the Castle and I Capture the Castle vibes’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Outstanding. I was hooked on the story from the beginning. It had such a weird, evocative vibe from the beginning.’ 5-star reader review 
 
‘Whatever else I read in 2025, it's definitely going to be one of my top ten.’ 5-star reader review

The Garden

Lissa Evans

Three decades after it first appeared on screen, Father Ted is still cherished, quoted and endlessly re-watched. Its beloved main characters, unforgettable lines and extraordinary visual jokes have given birth to a thousand gifs and t-shirts and a million catchphrases. 
 
Unforgettable to watch, it was also unforgettable to work on. Lissa Evans, as producer of the second and third series, spent three years hovering anxiously over every moment, from the first glimpse of script to the last revolution of a runaway milk-float round a specially-built plywood roundabout. There was no ‘average Father Ted episode’ – each of them was stuffed with challenges; endless rain, lustful rabbits, clerics crashing through windows, sheep doubles, collapsing crosses and a never-ending stream of eccentric priests – and the work that went into its creation was often nearly as bizarre as what was happening on screen. 
 
Picnic on Craggy Island is a hugely affectionate and anecdotal account of what lay behind some of those moments of comic genius – so pull on your kagoule, spread out your blanket, unwrap the sandwiches (they’re all egg) and enjoy the picnic…

Picnic on Craggy Island

The Surreal Joys of Producing Father Ted

Michiko Aoyama

DISCOVER THE BRAND NEW NOVEL BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY** 
 
Readers adore Healing Hippo: 
'I wanted to discover the magical hippo in myself as I read this book' ***** 
'How does Aoyama depict human emotion so vividly? I imagined myself in this book' ***** 
'I almost wept on my train home from work' ***** 
'It gripped my heart. I wish there was a magical hippo near my home' ***** 
'Whenever I feel hurt, I want to re-read this wonderful book' ***** 
______________ 
 
Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community. 
 
Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko hippo: 
-Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored; 
- Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant; 
- Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others; 
- Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain. 
- despite Kazuhiko's fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life's everyday wonders. 
 
A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart.

The Healing Hippo Of Hinode Park

Kim Hana

Hwang Sunwoo

At some point between living alone and becoming single, Hwang Sunwoo and Kim Hana found each other, and decided to live together in a nice apartment where their four cats would finally have the freedom to run around. Together they became a family - and redefined it. 
 
At a time housing costs have skyrocketed whilst the birth rates plummets, these two independent Korean women in their late forties share their views on society and its expectations of them. And, intent neither to marry or to live alone, they reflect on the comfort of their cohabiting friendship as it blossoms into a life full of joy and meaning. 
 
From housing insecurity and access to health care, to solo dining and stigmatised cat ladies, the loaded, self-sacrificing demands of filial piety and obligations to in-laws, Two Women Living Together impugns social scripts by spelling them out plainly. But also, and especially, by showing what it’s like to choose differently. 
 
Quietly radical, full of warmth and wit, Two Women Living Together celebrates carving out your own path, cats, female friendship, and a different kind of family.

Two Women Living Together

Kim Ryeo-ryeong

**NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX TV SERIES, STARRING GONG YU AND SEO HYUN-JIN ** 
 
Read the gripping international feminist satire for fans of KIM JIYOUNG BORN 1982, CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN and YELLOWFACE. 
 
‘So this is the world we live in, where even spouses can be rented’ 
 
Meet Noh Inji: thirty years old, five wedding rings so far, and she’s never once been in love. 
 
When Inji takes a job at Wedding & Life, the popular matchmaking service, she never imagines her role will be with NM, their secretive marriage division that rents out ‘field spouses’ for a fixed period to their elite clientele. Just like a real marriage, Inji’s assignments involve a wedding, some sex and a spot of housework. It’s all tailored exactly to the client’s desires - no legal battles, no fights, no emotional baggage. 
 
In no way is Inji interested in finding real love, because accidents happen when you mistakenly assume that you are somehow special. 
 
When one of Inji’s old husbands, a mysterious high-profile music producer, requests her back for another year of marriage, Inji’s own dark past will begin to unravel – as well as the sinister underbelly of the NM management, who will stop at nothing to preserve their reputation - and that of their wealthiest clients … 
 
Readers love THE TRUNK!!!: 
 
‘It enraged me, it made me laugh, it was everything’ 
‘Intriguing and gripping’ 
‘Unique and intriguing and perfect for fans of Kim Jiyoung, born 1982’ 
‘Absorbing and consistently fascinating’ 
‘Really interesting book full of social commentary, rich characters … I had vibes of The Handmaid's Tale meets Convenience Store Woman’ 
___________

The Trunk

John Boyne

The first thing Vanessa Carvin does when she arrives on the island is change her name. To the locals, she is Willow Hale, a solitary outsider escaping Dublin to live a hermetic existence in a small cottage, not a notorious woman on the run from her past. 
 
But scandals follow like hunting dogs. And she has some questions of her own to answer. If her ex-husband is really the monster everyone says he is, then how complicit was she in his crimes? 
 
Escaping her old life might seem like a good idea but the choices she has made throughout her marriage have consequences. Here, on the island, Vanessa must reflect on what she did - and did not do. Only then can she discover whether she is worthy of finding peace at all.

Water

A haunting, confronting novel from the author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Laura Barnett

From Sunday Times Number 1 bestselling author of Richard & Judy Book Club Pick, The Versions of Us, a beautiful novel about six lifelong friends and one unforgettable year, perfect for fans of David Nicholls and Jojo Moyes. 
 
‘A perfect, can’t-put-down summer read!’ Red 
 
‘A beautifully written story about second chances…couldn’t turn the pages fast enough’ Heat 
 
'Relatable, funny, moving and hopeful… a fantastic read’ 5-star reader review 
____ 
 
Six friends who were inseparable at university find themselves reunited at an engagement party twenty years later... 
 
Rob is a history teacher, with a string of broken relationships behind him. Yas is a surgeon and very much her own woman. Indie is married and a successful coffee entrepreneur. Rachel is a stay-at-home mum with two children. Al, widowed young, is about to take over his father's funeral business. 
 
When Rob's engagement party throws the gang together once more, some passions are reignited, old connections and resentments resurface. 
 
Over the next twelve months, there will, among the friends, be a birth, a marriage, and a death – but whose? 
 
Births, Deaths And Marriages is an era-spanning, globe-trotting novel about love, friendship, and how to stay at least relatively sane in an ever crazier world. It’s about a group of friends growing older, the possibility of second chances, about kindness and joy. 
 
It’s about births, deaths, marriages... and everything in between. 
 
Praise for Laura Barnett and Births Deaths and Marriages: 
 
‘My first read by Laura Barnett and won’t be my last…richly written and so moving’ Jennie Godfrey, Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things 
 
‘A must-read’ Closer 
 
‘I loved Births, Deaths and Marriages. Laura’s ability to jump between so many different lives and to keep those strands alive in the reader’s mind reminded me of Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors’ Georgina Moore, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Garnett Girls 
 
'A compelling and comforting read that reminds us about the power, support and importance of found family' Kate Sawyer, Costa Prize shortlisted author of The Stranding 
 
‘Barnett has that rare talent, like Curtis Sittenfeld or Kate Atkinson, of building up the mundane aspects of everyday life until they acquire meaning’ The Times 
 
Readers love Births, Deaths & Marriages: 
 
‘Four Weddings and a Funeral meets One Day...I couldn't put it down.’ 
 
'A rich, emotional read. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself rooting for each of them.' 
 
'An emotional, heartfelt book about the joys and sorrows of life. It is about love in all its forms, the friendships that shape us, and the quiet moments that define who we become.' 
 
'Perfect blend of humour, poignancy, and authenticity' 
 
‘Wow! Just wow! A book for anyone who has loved, for anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one, for anyone who has contemplated or been married, for every parent, indeed, for anyone who has lived.’ 
 
‘A hugely enjoyable novel which celebrates the durability of friendships that have weathered the storm of growing up.’ 
 
'Relatable, funny, moving and hopeful — a fantastic, life-affirming read.' 
 
'Characters so real you feel they could be your friends.' 
 
'A celebration of life’s milestones and the friendships that endure them.' 
 
'I couldn’t bear to leave that world behind — I wanted more!'

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Syou Ishida

The highly anticipated new novel - The Kokoro Clinic for the Soul reopens in this delightful follow-up to the award-winning, bestselling Japanese novel We'll Prescribe You a Cat for fans of The Travelling Cat Chronicles and The Cat Who Saved Books 
 
It’s time to revisit the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. 
 
Though it is mysteriously located at an uncertain address, the Kokoro clinic can always be found by those who need it. And it has proven time after time that a prescribed cat has the power to heal the emotional wounds of all its patients. 
 
This irresistible sequel introduces a new loveable cast of healing cats, from Kotetsu, a four-month-old Bengal who unleashes his energy by demolishing bed linen, to curious Shasha, who won't let her tiny size stop her, and lazy Ms. Michiko, who is as soft and comforting as mochi. 
 
As characters from one chapter re-appear as side characters in the next, we follow a young woman who cannot help pushing away the man who loves her; a recently widowed grandfather whose grandson refuses to leave his room; and an anxious man working at a cat shelter who seeks to show how difficult cats can be the most rewarding. 
 
This moving, magical novel proves just how eternally unknowable cats are for we humans, even while we continue to cherish their special gift of transforming our lives. 
 
**Contains five exquisite line drawings by artist Alissa Levy @levysfriends

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat

Jan Carson

From the award-winning author of The Raptures and The Fire Starters, a stunning, imaginative novel about a community living on a small group of islands. Sometimes a utopia is not all that it seems... 
 
In Few & Far Between, award-winning writer Jan Carson, imagines an alternative version of Northern Ireland’s recent past. A prime minister with a mad plan to create a new county. An archipelago of haunted islands. A community seeking refuge from the Troubles. The perfect place to escape to - or so it appears. 
 
It’s summer 2017 and the last few residents of the Lough Neagh Archipelago are facing imminent eviction. The flood planned to combat a devastating algae outbreak will submerge their homes, forcing them back to the Mainland for the first time in fifty years. How will they cope with modern life? Will the Ark give up its secrets before it sinks? Can they leave the past behind? 
 
_____ 
 
Praise for Jan Carson: 
 
'Jan Carson is a born storyteller: her work is so imaginative, whimsical, mischievous and brave, but tender and curious too — you never know where she's going to take you next, so reading her is always an adventure. Exactly how it should be' Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies 
 
'Jan Carson is a unique and very special writer, one of the greatest of the modern fabulists' Donal Ryan, author of Heart be at Peace 
 
'[The Fire Starters] blew me away with its power, anger and wit' Joseph O'Connor, Books of the Year 
 
'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation.' Sunday Times 
 
'Absolutely magnificent: dark, witty, charming' Marian Keyes, author of My Favourite Mistake 
 
'Heart-rending, hilarious . . . It's a belter.' Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses

Few and Far Between

Komail Aijazuddin

Discover the must-read, coming-of-age queer memoir about learning how to love yourself in a world that doesn’t want you to. 
 
‘A beautiful celebration of being different.’ TOM ALLEN 
 
‘An important story, told with a sharp wit and disarming humour’ MOHSIN ZAIDI author of A Dutiful Boy 
 
‘Brilliant, spectacularly witty and genuinely moving. I loved it.’ MATTHEW TODD, author of Straight Jacket 
 
I’m just a man, standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a cake. 
 
What do you do when you’re too gay for Pakistan, too Pakistani to be gay in America and you’re ashamed of your body everywhere? 
 
Even as a young child in Lahore, Komail Aijazuddin knew he was different. Other boys didn’t pirouette off their desks, get bullied for their ‘manboobs’ or spontaneously burst into songs from The Little Mermaid. Other boys didn’t play together like that. 
 
Starved of a crucial part of himself, he ate. And ate. Before long, his own body became another burden to carry everywhere and to hide. Komail began to believe his only chance at a happy, meaningful life would be found elsewhere: in America, land of the free, home of the gays. But he would soon learn that finding happiness takes a lot more than a plane ticket. 
 
This is Aijazuddin’s riotous, intelligent memoir of searching for his place between two worlds while navigating a minefield of expectations, prejudice and self-doubt. In Manboobs, Aijazuddin confidently announces himself as a sharp new voice in humour with his moving, wickedly funny search for love and the bravery required to be yourself.

Manboobs

A very queer memoir

It’s the tabloid sensation of the year: two well-known footballers standing in the dock, charged with sexual assault, a series of vile text messages pointing towards their guilt. 
 
As the trial unfolds, Evan Keogh reflects on the events that have led him to this moment. Since leaving his island home, his life has been a lie on many levels. He’s a talented footballer who wanted to be an artist. A gay man in a sport that rejects diversity. A defendant whose knowledge of what took place on that fateful night threatens more than just his freedom or career. 
 
The jury will deliver a verdict but, before they do, Evan must judge for himself whether the man he has become is the man he wanted to be.

Earth

Hiro Arikawa

THE PERFECT CURL-UP READ FOR CAT LOVERS 
 
'Bewitching... as self-possessed and comforting as - well, a cat' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 
 
'A book about kindness and love, and how the smallest things can provide happiness' STYLIST 
___ 
 
It's not the journey that counts, but who's at your side. 
 
Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van. 
 
Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn't know why and Satoru won't say. 
 
Set against the backdrop of Japan's changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana's story explores the wonder and thrill of life's unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take. 
 
At the heart of this book is a powerful message about the importance of kindness. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives. 
___ 
 
Readers love THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES: 
 
'Delightful, insightful, full of warmth with plenty of humour' 5 stars ***** 
'Uplifting and heart wrenching in equal measure' 5 stars ***** 
'It had me in floods of tears but filled me with hope too' 5 stars *****

The Travelling Cat Chronicles

The uplifting million-copy bestselling Japanese translated story

On the face of it, Freya lives a gilded existence, dancing solely to her own tune. She has all the trappings of wealth and privilege, a responsible job as a surgeon specialising in skin grafts, a beautiful flat in a sought-after development, and a flash car. But it wasn’t always like this. Hers is a life founded on darkness. 
 
Did what happened to Freya as a child one fateful summer influence the adult she would become – or was she always destined to be that person? Was she born with cruelty in her heart or did something force it into being? 
 
In Fire, John Boyne takes the reader on a chilling, uncomfortable but utterly compelling psychological journey to the epicentre of the human condition, asking the age-old question: nurture – or nature?

Fire

Kang Jiyoung

A hilariously unsettling tale of love, food and one woman's unconventional quest to support her family. 
_____________ 
 
I am no ordinary ajumma. I am a killer 
 
When Mrs Shim - widowed, unemployed, with two children at home and a fridge to fill - answers a job ad at the Smile Detective Agency, she boosts its fortunes forever. For Mrs Shim is sharp as a blade, handles business cleanly and is like a padlock when it comes to keeping secrets. 
 
By day, she prepares kimchi for her family and her neighbour with dementia; by night Mrs Shim is out on a contract. 
 
But what starts as a need for survival escalates into a thirst for vengeance. For Mrs. Shim is done with being everyone’s doormat. 
 
Diving headfirst into her new career among petty criminals, crooked cops, ghosts and assassins, Mrs Shim's past comes hurtling towards her. 
 
Savage and unexpectedly moving, Kang Jiyoung presents a kaleidoscopic tale of twisted love, unhinged loathing and hopeful reinvention. Her world of endearing misfits, dead bodies and good food marks the exuberant arrival of a major new international literary voice.

Mrs Shim is a Killer

Curtis Sittenfeld

YOUR NEXT READ FROM THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of ROMANTIC COMEDY, PREP and AMERICAN WIFE 
 
'Messy and delicious' New York Times 
 
'Sittenfeld is in a league of her own' Guardian 
 
'One of my favourite authors' KATE ATKINSON, author of Death at the Sign of the Rook 
 
'Anything Sittenfeld writes, we'll read' People 
 
'She understands women so well; like having someone look straight into your soul' Reader review***** 
______ 
Razor-sharp, glittering tales exploring marriage, fame and female friendship, from the Sunday Times bestselling author. 
 
In this compulsive collection of twelve witty stories, Sittenfeld shows why she’s as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels, as she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends. 
 
In ‘The Patron Saints of Middle Age,’ a woman visits two friends she hasn’t seen since her divorce. In ‘A for Alone,’ a married artist embarks on a project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can’t spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in ‘Lost but Not Forgotten,’ Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a new window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an awkward school reunion. 
 
Witty, confronting and full of tenderness, Sittenfeld peels back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice. 
 
READERS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF CURTIS SITTENFELD: 
 
'Small windows into modern life and as such highly entertaining. Curtis, you're a star!' ***** 
 
'Sittenfeld understands women so well, it’s like having someone look straight into your soul'***** 
 
'Devoured! You'll recognise yourself and others in these pages' ***** 
 
'No-one else writes with such precision and amusement' Red Magazine

Show Don't Tell

Melvyn Grant

A Discworld series tie-in picture book, a companion to Thud! (part of the City Watch novels). Go beyond the novels to discover more about the fantastically funny and gloriously inventive world of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. 
 
At six o'clock every day, without fail, with no excuses, Sam Vimes must go home to read Where's My Cow?, with all the right farmyard noises, to his little boy. There are some things you have to do.It is the most loved and chewed book in the world. 
 
But his father wonders why it is full of moo-cows and baa-lambs when Young Sam will only ever see them cooked on a plate. He can think of a more useful book for a boy who lives in a city. 
 
So Sam Vimes starts adapting the story. A story with streets, not fields. A book with rogues and villains. A book about the place where he'll grow up.

Where's My Cow?

(Discworld Novels)

A Discworld graphic novel omnibus featuring The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic in a full-colour edition. Go beyond the novels to discover more about the fantastically funny and gloriously inventive world of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. 
 
Stunningly depicted in comic format for the first time - a fun read for established fans and new audiences alike. 
 
'Excellent and wacky as a good Pratchett should be' -- ***** Reader review 
'A must-have for any Discworld fan' -- ***** Reader review 
'Awesome' -- ***** Reader review 
 
************************************************************* 
Imagine a flat world, sitting on the backs of four elephants, who hurtle through space balanced on a giant turtle. This is the Discworld - a place (and a time) parallel to our own - but also very different. 
 
The Discworld Graphic Novels presents the very first two volumes of this much-loved series (The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic) in graphic novel form. Introduced here are the bizarre misadventures of Twoflower, the Discworld's first ever tourist, and possibly - portentously - its last, and his guide Rincewind, the spectacularly inept wizard. Not to mention the Luggage, which has a mind of its own... 
 
A gift like no other, this stunning package expertly conjures up the sights, sounds, people and places of Sir Terry Pratchett's incredible Discworld in ways fans have previously only been able to imagine.

The Discworld Graphic Novels: The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic

a stunning gift edition of the first two Discworld novels in comic form

Bella Jackson

There is a narrative we’ve become comfortable with: Mental health services are underfunded and understaffed. But that is only half the story. The other half is messy and confronting; uncomfortable enough to make us look sharply away. 
 
It is the story of the staff who believed they could make a difference, but were worn down by morally ambiguous tasks, impossible workloads and a systemic resistance to change. It is the story of the patients who are failed by hastily made diagnoses, overreliance on medication, coercion, stigma and inconsistency of care, and of the inspiring individuals struggling for justice and revolution. 
 
Beautifully wrought and staggeringly urgent , Fragile Minds documents Bella Jackson's time as a trainee mental health nurse, and the devastation and hope she encountered in winding corridors and behind locked doors. With compassion and care Bella introduces us to a vivid cast of staff and patients, prompting us to look closer, ask questions and demand more for them.

Fragile Minds

Stories from an NHS mental health ward

John Lewis-Stempel

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR NATURE LOVERS 
 
‘To see a hare sit still as stone, to watch a hare boxing on a frosty March morning, to witness a hare bolt . . . these are great things. Every field should have a hare.’ 
 
The hare, a night creature and country-dweller, is a rare sight for most people. We know them only from legends and stories. They are shape-shifters, witches’ familiars and symbols of fertility. They are arrogant, as in Aesop’s The Hare and the Tortoise, and absurd, as in Lewis Carroll’s Mad March Hare. In the absence of observed facts, speculation and fantasy have flourished. But real hares? What are they like? 
 
In The Private Life of the Hare, John Lewis-Stempel explores myths, history and the reality of the hare. And in vivid, elegant prose he celebrates how, in an age when television cameras have revealed so much in our landscape, the hare remains as elusive and magical as ever.

The Private Life of the Hare

A Discworld series tie-in book, a companion to Raising Steam (part of the Industrial Revolution novels). Go beyond the novels to discover more about the fantastically funny and gloriously inventive world of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. 
 
Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook is the complete guide to the railways of Sir Terry Pratchett's number one bestseller Raising Steam. 
 
Authorised by Mr Moist von Lipwig of the Ankh-Morpork and Sto Plains Hygienic Railway himself, Mrs Georgina Bradshaw's invaluable guide to the destinations and diversions of the railway deserves a place in the luggage of any traveller, or indeed armchair traveller, upon the Disc. 
 
The ultimate Discworld artefact - Fully illustrated and replete with useful titbits, Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook offers a view of the Sto Plains like no other. 
 
A must-purchase for any fan of the legendary Sir Terry Pratchett. 
 
___________________ 
 
What fans are saying... 
 
'A must have for any Discworld fan' - ***** Reader review 
'No Discworld fan should have this missing from their collection' - ***** Reader review 
'An absolute gem with all the wit and sarcasm we expect from a Terry Pratchett book' - ***** Reader review 
'Just brilliant!! Typically what you would expect from Terry Pratchett - couldn't put it down' - ***** Reader review

Mrs Bradshaw's Handbook

the essential travel guide for anyone wanting to discover the sights and sounds of Sir Terry Pratchett’s amazing Discworld

K Chiucarello

K is waiting for a phone call from her first love. 
 
Over a decade ago she made a pact with him: if neither had found a partner, they would marry and have a baby. Now, at 35, after years as a career nanny mothering other women’s children, she has been struck with that relentless, near carnal desperation to give birth. And this call may be the cure. 
 
Whilst she waits – in a bar, drinking with friends – she lays out the reasons why she has arrived at this point, and each reason opens a door to the past: to her own childhood; to the wealthy families whose children she has caretaken; to an abusive partnership with a woman that she barely survived. Each thread reveals the complex tangle of thrill and pain, tradition and progress that have led to this call, this choice. 
 
A stunning, rare and unexpectedly funny debut, Nanny Nanny upends every expectation of a motherhood book.

Nanny Nanny

Catherine Newman

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
'The kind of book that pulls up a chair, pours the wine, and dives deep... like spending hours with the friend who sees your mess and loves you more for it.' Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People 
 
'Gorgeously human, tender-hearted, and delightfully funny' Nussaibah Younis, bestselling author of Fundamentally 
 
'A heartbreaking, laugh-provoking, and absolutely Ephron-esque look at the beauty and fragility of everyday life.' Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 
 
'Infectiously funny and surprisingly moving, Wreck reminds us that we are each, in our way, trying to make sense of the big things with some very small tools' Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of The Homemade God 
_______ 
 
Rocky, Nick, Willa and Jamie. A normal loving, anxious, messy, relatable, family. 
 
Rocky has her own her way of processing disasters: 1. This could happen to us. 2. This couldn’t happen to us. And then there’s a secret third column: ‘This could happen to us unless I am very careful/ superstitious/ grateful…’ 
 
So when a former classmate of Jamie’s dies in a seemingly random accident, Rocky becomes obsessed. She's also developed a niggling medical condition that won't go away. On the surface, she is still living her best life as the irreverent, funny, unpredictable beating heart of her family. Her father is his unique, adorable self; Willa is prone to bouts of existential angst whilst berating the fact that her mother has zero filter; Nick is steady, logical, sometimes infuriating. 
 
But if accidents can happen – and they do – is it safe to love anyone? 
 
Laugh out loud funny and deeply emotional, WRECK follows Rocky and her family through one rollercoaster year as they share the unpredictable, beautiful messiness of life. 
 
_______ 
 
PRAISE FOR SANDWICH & WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS: 
 
'Breezy New York Nora-Ephron-style wit meets hospice memoir to create something profoundly beautiful...comforting, so funny, moving but never mawkish and packed with all kinds of love. It's one of my favourite books ever' bestselling author, MARIAN KEYES 
 
'One of the funniest books I've ever read' FEARNE COTTON, STYLIST 
 
'I adored this book. Jubilant, devastating, tender, heartbreaking, I found myself both in tears and 'snorty-laughing'. A masterclass on friendship, family love, memory, and the messiness of life and love and dying. Pure genius' RACHEL JOYCE, author of the bestseller The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry 
 
'Tragically funny, with moments of clarity and wisdom, Newman writes loss and laughter in equally brilliant amounts' BONNIE GARMUS, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry 
 
'Newman is truly a master of taking complex and chaotic human emotion and making sense of it ... wise and exquisitely written' GUARDIAN 
 
'Sandwich is joy in book form. I laughed continuously, except for the parts that made me cry. Catherine Newman does a miraculous job reminding us of all the wonder there is to be found in life.' ANN PATCHETT, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake

Wreck

For fans of THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES, discover the award-winning Japanese sensation - a charming celebration of the HEALING POWER of CATS. 
 
A cat a day keeps the doctor away ... 
 
On the top floor of an old building at the end of a cobbled alley in Kyoto lies the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. Only a select few - those who feel genuine emotional pain - can find it. 
 
The mysterious centre offers a unique treatment for its troubled patients: it prescribes cats as medication. 
 
Get ready to fall in love: 
- Bee, an eight-year-old female, mixed breed helps a disheartened businessman as he finds unexpected joy in physical labour; 
- Margot, muscly like a lightweight boxer, helps a middle-aged callcentre worker stay relevant at work and at home; 
- Koyuki, an exquisite white cat brings closure to a young mother troubled by the memory of the rescue kitten she was forced to abandon; 
- Tank and Tangerine bring peace to a hardened handbag designer, as she learns to be kinder to herself; 
- Mimita, the Scottish Fold kitten helps a broken-hearted Geisha to stop blaming herself for the cat she lost years ago; 
 
As the clinic's patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them towards healing, self-discovery and newfound hope. 
 
**Contains five exquisite cat line-drawings** 
 
Japanese bestseller, October 2023 
 
Readers adore WE'LL PRESCRIBE YOU A CAT: 
‘The most wonderful book I've ever read’ ***** 
‘A terrific idea, a powerful ending, brilliant storytelling’ ***** 
‘The story drew me in instantly, and I laughed so much’ ***** 
‘I definitely want everyone to read this book’ ***** 
‘There are so many wonderful lines to underscore, but if I write them here, there will be spoilers!’ *****

We'll Prescribe You a Cat

Being in limbo, 30,000 feet in the air, offers time to reflect and take stock. For Aaron Umber, it’s an opportunity to connect with his 14-year-old son as they travel halfway across the world to meet a woman who isn’t expecting them. 
 
Unsettled by his past, and anxious for his future, Aaron is at a crossroads in life. The damage inflicted upon him during his youth has made him the man he is, but now threatens to widen the growing fissures between him and his only child. This trip could bind them closer together, or tear them further apart. 
 
In this penetrating examination of action and consequence, fault and attribution, acceptance and resolution, John Boyne gives us a redemptive story of a father and a son on a moving journey to mend their troubled lives.

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