Steve Roud was Local Studies Librarian for the London Borough of Croydon and served as Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society for over fifteen years. He has been researching British folklore for over thirty years and is the joint author of the Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore, plus other books on traditional drama and folk song, and the Penguin Guide to the Superstitions of Britain and Ireland, which won the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award in 2004. His publications include London Lore (2008) and The Lore of the Playground (2010). He also compiles the Folk Song Index and the Broadside Index, two internationally acclaimed computer databases of traditional folk and popular song. He lives in Sussex.

Steve Roud

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Jessica M. Goldstein

Ash is a failed actress who is done trying to ‘make’ something of her life. Until a golden opportunity drops in her lap: a job at Retro, an agency who organise trips into the past for the ultra-wealthy. 
 
Energised by her new role, Ash throws herself into leading bachelorette parties in the Old West, birthday parties at Woodstock and a situationship with a hard-drinking detective from 1937. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that Retro’s shadowy founder Ro has terrifying designs for the company’s future – and for the part Ash herself can play in it.

Retro

Steve Jones

Ray might be about to die. But he&rsquo;s sure as hell not going quietly &hellip; 
 
Former policeman Ray &lsquo;Sugar&rsquo; Leonard is no stranger to bad breaks. But even Walter White never had to open up and share his feelings with a bunch of misfits like Ray&rsquo;s chemotherapy group: a giant God-bothering Welsh bouncer, a sharp-suited wannabe Wolf of Wall Street, and a misanthropic, potty-mouthed little old lady. Compared to that lot, getting mugged on his way home from the clinic was almost a relief. 
 
But Ray is not your average victim. And when his training kicks in and his would-be attacker winds up dead, he wonders, who else might be equally deserving of such summary justice? After all, he&rsquo;s got cancer, what&rsquo;s he got to lose? 
 
Then Ray lets slip his new philosophy to the group and it soon becomes clear that he&rsquo;s not the only one with murder in mind &hellip;

Terminally Kill

Simone St. James

1960s: 
 
Three siblings are all haunted in three very different ways. Violet wakes to a strange and cold woman looming over her bed, Dodie wakes in a constant state of drowning and Vale wakes to beaming light and probing figures. But the one thing that haunts them the most is the disappearance of their little brother, Ben, who went missing during a game of hide and seek. 
 
1980s: 
 
Violet is notified that Ben's spirit is seen wondering their haunted childhood home calling for them to return and the three siblings do just that. But secrets become un-earthed, their past traumas seem more connected that they thought and all siblings are faced with a very angry spirit who wants revenge.

A Box Full of Darkness

Matt Dinniman

Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds. The top ten list is populated, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price. They each now have a bounty on their head. They have to work with other crawlers to solve the puzzle of the floor, but how can they do that when they don’t know who to trust? The secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly-useless book. Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook

Now on the third floor, Carl and Donut have to fight harder than ever. They’ve already proven that a Coast Guard vet and once-and-forever feline royalty are an almost unstoppable team. Their ratings are off the chart. The watchers can’t get enough. But the dungeon gets more dangerous each day, and now there’s a whole new problem to deal with. Quests. They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered women rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose. Can Carl and Donut solve the mystery in time? And can Carl finally find some pants?

Carl's Doomsday Scenario

As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they’re forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Races. Get from point A to point B, and don’t come in last. It all seems a a little too simple. 
 
Ignore those whispers about what’s happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it “a coming-out party for the ages.” 
 
So Carl is planning a party of his own. 
But if it goes wrong, it’s not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been.

A Parade of Horribles

Gillian McAllister

A road trip across America with her teenage daughter was meant to be much-needed bonding time for Simone before Lucy leaves home for university. 
 
But on the first night of their stay, in a cabin deep in the Texan desert, Simone wakes to find Lucy missing and a mobile phone in her place. The phone rings and the voice on the other end issues instructions: Don’t tell the police. Come to this location. Be prepared to do a deal… 
 
There is nothing Simone wouldn’t do to save her daughter. Hide the truth. Commit a terrible crime. Become a wanted woman. 
 
But there’s one thing Simone hasn’t considered. 
 
What if this is just what the kidnappers want?

Caller Unknown

New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that’s talent. 
 
Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy’s most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, that there’s only one thing they can count on apart from each other: they never know what’s coming next. And this floor is no exception. 
 
A floating fortress occupied by warrior gnomes. A castle made of sand. A derelict submarine guarded by malfunctioning machines. A haunted crypt surrounded by lethal traps. 
 
It was supposed to be easy. One bubble. Four castles. Fifteen days. Capture each one, and the stairwell is unlocked. Here's the thing. It's never easy. Going it alone is not an option this time, so Carl and his team must rely on the help of the low-level, I-can't-believe-these-idiots-are-still-alive crawlers trapped in the bubble with them. But can they be trusted? 
 
Welcome, Crawler. Welcome to the fifth floor of the dungeon.

The Gate of the Feral Gods

Chaos reigns on the eighth floor. 
 
Coast Guard vet Carl and Princess Donut have survived longer—and climbed higher—than anyone expected in the galaxy’s favorite reality show, but now the game is wide open. The task: capture six monsters and turn them into battle cards. The stronger the creature, the better the hand.But there’s always a catch. To win, Carl and Donut must claim the deadliest monster of all: Shi Maria, the Bedlam Bride—once wed to a now-missing god, her very attack can shatter the mind.Capturing a monster is one thing. Taming it? That’s another story entirely.

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic, intergalactic game show. That’s what. 
 
Join Coast Guard veteran Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game-like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. 
 
Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Jane Fallon

Georgia and Lydia are so close they're practically sisters. 
 
So when Lydia starts an online business that struggles, Georgia wants to help her - but she also understands Lydia's not the kind to accept a handout. 
 
Setting up a fake Twitter account, Georgia hopes to give her friend some anonymous moral support by posing as a potential customer. 
 
But then Lydia starts confiding in her new internet buddy and Georgia discovers she doesn't know her quite as well as she thought. 
 
Especially when Lydia reveals a secret that could tear Georgia's marriage apart . . .

Worst Idea Ever

What’s a little white lie between best friends?

Fran Littlewood

Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick. 
 
Or so they thought . . . Until on their annual family holiday, Patrick accidentally lets slip that he has a favourite daughter - causing other long-buried secrets to come to light. 
 
Set over a single week, but examining the highs and lows that define a family over the decades, The Favourite is a story about rivalries and long-held resentments, about loss and grief and blame – and, above all, about love.

The Favourite

Shirtaloon

It's a tale as old as time: 9-5 worker Jason wakes up in a mysterious world of magic and monsters. Oh wait. 
 
It’s not easy making the career jump from office-supplies-store middle manager to heroic interdimensional adventurer. At least, Jason tries to be heroic, but it's hard to be good when all your powers are evil. 
 
He’ll face off against cannibals, cultists, wizards, monsters...and that’s just on the first day. He’s going to need courage, he’s going to need wit, and he’s going to need some magic powers of his own. But first, he’s going to need a pair of pants.

He Who Fights With Monsters: Outworlder

Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Lonely college student Minnie feels invisible until she stumbles upon HOURglass: America’s new K-pop inspired boyband obsession. Soon she is memorising the lyrics to every song and staying up late to watch their livestreams, hoping that her favourite member, bad-boy Halo, will see her in the comments.On the other side of the screen, Halo is also becoming addicted to the adoration from his fans, using their love to paper over the cracks of the tragic past he is determined to keep hidden.But when Minnie is drawn to a shadowy fan community who believe they need to protect the band members from a dark conspiracy, the line between fandom and obsession begins to blur...

Superfan

All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking. But when his planet's transfer gate finally opens and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora, there’s a complication. The colossal Apex Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” and they charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines, remotely pilot them and make it a game. Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against these machines. But with the help of an old book from his grandfather, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.

Operation Bounce House

Laura Dickerman

This isn't the office romance you expected... Perfect for fans of You've Got Mail, Attachments and Good Material 
'Hilarious, heartbreaking, satirical, cutting and FUN' Laura Jane Williams 
'For anyone who loves Curtis Sittenfeld, Nora Ephron, Alison Espach' Joanna Rackoff 
'Super smart and assured . . . Fans of Tom Lake and The Flatshare will love it' Sarra Manning 
'Rollicking and entertaining' People Magazine 
'Captures all the thrills and aches of setting out in the world' Morgan Dick 
 
 1982Jane Kinloch arrives at the legendary townhouse offices of the East River Review as a wide-eyed intern with big dreams. When she strikes up a friendship with glamorous fellow intern Rose, the two soon become inseparable. But Rose’s attraction to their married boss, literary titan Edward David Adams, threatens to drive a wedge between them. 
2022Once upon a time in publishing, editors had their own offices. But now, to her great chagrin, Rebecca Blume of Avenue Publishing must share custody of a ‘hot desk’ with Ben Heath, editor at rival imprint Hawk Mills. What starts as a battle of passive-aggressive Post-it notes about an unwatered cactus notes escalates after the death of renowned writer Edward David Adams. He has left behind an unpublished manuscript, and Ben and Rebecca are soon vying for the career-making opportunity to publish it. 
But when Rebecca discovers that the manuscript contains a decades-old secret about her mother, Jane, she is determined to stop it from seeing the light of day. 
Can she persuade her infuriating (and annoyingly handsome) rival deskmate to let it go? 
A funny, sexy, unexpectedly moving novel that weaves a contemporary workplace romance with a gripping historical narrative set in the 1980s New York publishing industry.

Hot Desk

Austin Taylor

When Zoe and Jack meet in a chemistry classroom in Harvard, they couldn’t be more different: she’s the daughter of a renowned MIT professor, he’s escaping an upbringing steeped in poverty – but they are immediately drawn to one another. 
 
Neither knows it yet, but in two years’ time, they will have dropped out of college and become business partners in a billion-dollar company that promises longer life. But as they become wrapped up in a maelstrom of insatiable ambition, greed and ultimately deceit, their love for each other will be tested to its very limit…

Notes on Infinity

K. L. Slater

Emily is ready to leave the lies behind. With a beautiful new home and money in the bank, her partner Oliver promises their life as con artists is over. Orchard Lane seems perfect — friendly neighbours, quiet dinners, a fresh start.But something isn’t right. Unsettling messages arrive. Emily feels watched. Oliver starts acting strangely.As paranoia grows and secrets resurface, murder strikes the street. And Emily realises there’s only one thing she knows for certain about her husband:He’s a very good liar.

We Tell Lies

J. M. Gutsch

Maxim Leo

Meet Frankie the cat. He’s a stray who belongs to no one, and that’s just how he likes it. 
 
Until one day, everything changes. He crosses paths with Richard. 
 
Richard isn’t doing so well. Grieving the loss of his wife, he’s turned his back on hope and is ready to end it all. But his plans are halted when Frankie the cat is injured on his doorstep. 
 
Frankie needs help. But then, so does Richard. What Richard doesn’t know is that Frankie is no ordinary cat. 
 
It’s an unlikely partnership. But it might be exactly what they both need . . .

Frankie

Olivia Ford

In their sixty years together, Jennifer Quinn has only kept two secrets from her husband. One is that her love of baking has just won her a spot as a contestant on primetime TV show Britain Bakes. The other she hopes will stay hidden forever . . . 
 
Whisked into an unfamiliar world of cameras, timed challenges and celebrity judges, Jenny finds herself in with a chance of being crowned the best baker in Britain. 
 
But as her star begins to rise, the past collides with the present, and Jenny struggles to conceal that long held secret which could shatter the very foundations of her decades long marriage . . .

Mrs Quinn’s Rise to Fame

Elizabeth Enfield

On a beautiful late-summer's morning, Cate Challoner's daughter, Beth, heads to the beach with her best friend. The girls will spend the day flirting with boys and enjoying the thrill of being young. Beth is eighteen and soon leaving home for college. Her mother is already missing her. 
 
That afternoon, the doorbell rings. Cate immediately knows something is wrong. CPR. Resuscitation. What do these words have to do with two teenagers enjoying an afternoon at the beach? 
 
Cate's daughter is her everything. Beth's presence at home is inescapable. How can a child stop existing? How can a mother survive such loss? Can a shattered world be put back together?

After Beth

Mark Edwards

Patrick couldn’t believe his luck when Holly fell for him. She’s wickedly funny, beautiful, and with an intimidatingly successful father, Charles. 
So when she invites him to Charles’ mansion for a New Year’s break in Scotland, all he’s hoping is that they’ll accept him as one of the family. 
But everything feels a little off. Whispers in hallways. Rumours of a body that got found nearby the previous year. And something very strange about Charles’ new girlfriend. 
Every family has secrets, and Patrick tells himself all he needs to do is survive the next few days. 
But then the first body is found, and Patrick realises that all he needs to do is survive the next few days…

One of the Family

Lee Onhwa

When twenty-seven-year-old Yeon-hwa loses her grandmother, enigmatic proprietor of the Hwawoldang, she decides to respect her wishes by keeping the store going for at least a month, between the hours of 10pm and midnight. She has never learnt to make the traditional desserts herself, and hopes to learn more about her grandmother. 
 
On her very first day at work, she is soon interrupted by one of her grandmother’s most regular visitors, who hints that Hwawoldang is no ordinary pastry shop, and its customers not entirely alive… 
 
With each new customer at the store, Yeon-hwa is taken into their memories – but will this bring her the closure she craves, and continue her grandmother’s legacy of aiding those left in the land of the living?

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang

India-Rose Bower

Britian, two years after they came . . . 
Most people have been devoured by the eldritch creatures. 
Sara and her family have been fighting for survival. 
And the only thing that works against these monsters - these Witches - is their knowledge of folklore and pagan rituals. 
When a girl named Parsley suddenly appears in the garden of their current camp, she cannot remember where she came from or why she's there. 
As Sara and Parsley begin to develop feelings for each other, disaster strikes, and Sara's younger brother Noah is snatched by the Witches. 
They must find him and set out across desolate moors full of merciless terror, to hunt the very creatures they've been hiding from. 
Can they succeed in saving Noah? Will Parsley and Sara's burgeoning love survive these bloodthirsty Witches? and, who can Sara trust in a world void of humanity?

We Call Them Witches

The path from retail middle management to interdimensional wizard adventurer wasn’t easy, but Jason Asano is settling into his new life. 
 
Now, a contest draws young elites to the city of Greenstone, competing for a grand prize. Jason must gather a band of companions if he is to stand a chance against the best the world has to offer. 
 
While the young adventurers are caught up in competition, the city leaders deal with revelations of betrayal as a vast and terrible enemy is revealed. Jason thinks he’s on the sidelines—until it becomes clear he’s already crossed the wrong path. With allies and enemies closing in, one thing is certain: this contest is only the beginning, and the coming conflict will change everything.

He Who Fights With Monsters: Adventurer

They call it Faction Wars. 
 
The ninth floor: nine armies led by wealthy alien elites, all battling to seize the central castle. Strategy, alliances, treachery—it’s perfect television.After all, none of these powerful aliens really die when they’re playing war.But not this season. Winner takes all, and the fallen stay dead.With the AI collapsing, Carl and his team seize the chaos and join the war as one of the nine factions—just as a tenth army rises: NPCs, who have become fully self-aware and formed a team of their own.And for Donut and Katia, only one can leave this level.If they all want to survive, they’re going to need a little help from a veteran or two.This. Is. War.

This Inevitable Ruin

Leodora Darlington

Natalie’s in tears in her bedroom. She’s had a huge argument with her husband. Slowly, she realises she’s already holding a knife. 
 
She’s telling herself she doesn’t want to do it. Not again. 
 
Because Natalie has an awful secret. Sometimes, on her worst nights, she blacks out. She loses control. 
 
What do you do when there’s a killer in your house, and you think it might be you?

The Exes

Jodi Picoult

On September 11, 2001, two-month-old Molly Fitzgerald’s mother goes to an appointment at the World Trade Center and never comes home. 
She is raised by her father and new stepmother, but grows up with a healthy dread of disasters. 
She now runs the local Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response, mapping out plans to save lives in disasters. She and her husband Jesse – a police polygraph expert with his own history of crisis – have found a love that is a solace in a dangerous world. 
Until the unexpected upends their marriage, leading them to question everything they thought they knew…

Hollow Bones

Attention. The gates are down. The hunters are loose. Run.A deadly jungle. Bloodthirsty dinosaurs. A fallen princess seeking revenge. And a mysterious celebration known as The Butcher’s Masquerade. Coast Guard veteran Carl and Princess Donut think they’ve seen everything the galaxy’s favorite game show can throw at them—until they reach the sixth floor: The Hunting Grounds.Now, for the first time, outside tourists are allowed in, eager to stalk and kill the remaining crawlers. Among them is Vrah, a legendary hunter determined to claim her greatest trophy yet. But this season, the prey is fighting back.Welcome, crawlers, to the sixth floor.

The Butcher's Masquerade

Fredrik Backman

The father has a story he needs to share before it's too late. As he tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away, he reveals even more about himself; his past regrets, his hopes for the future. 
 
Now, on Christmas Eve, he has been given the chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of the little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal the answer. 
 
With humour and compassion, Fredrik Backman's The Deal of a Lifetime reminds us that life is a fleeting gift, and our legacies rest in how we share that gift with those we love.

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