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The Unmumsy Mum

THIS IS NOT A PARENTING MANUAL. THIS IS REAL LIFE. 
 
The Unmumsy Mum writes candidly about motherhood like it really is: the messy, maddening, hilarious reality, how there is no 'one size fits all' approach and how it is sometimes absolutely fine to not know what you are doing. 
 
The lessons she's learnt while grappling with two small boys - from birth to teething, 3am night feeds to toddler tantrums, soft play to toilet training - will have you roaring with laughter and taking great comfort in the fact that it's definitely not just you... 
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What readers are saying: 
 
***** 'Not just hilarious (although it is definitely that), it was helpful, emotional, and totally honest as usual!' 
***** 'Made me feel not alone and had me laughing out loud, and welling up at times, too, for the honesty.' 
***** 'I felt connected to so much in this book ... here's to the imperfect parents!' 
 
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Praise for The Unmumsy Mum: 
 
'The Unmumsy Mum is hilarious. She says all the things we're scared to share - I love her!' Giovanna Fletcher 
'Hilarious, irreverent and searingly candid.' Bella magazine.

The hilarious, relatable No.1 Sunday Times bestseller

Jane Yardley

It is the summer of 1965. Annie Cradock, the only child of exacting parents who run the village school, is an imaginative girl with a head full of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Annie whiles away the school holiday with her friends: Ollie the rag-and-bone man (and more importantly his dog); the beautiful piano-playing Mrs Clitheroe who turns Beethoven into boogie-woogie (and like Annie sees music in colour); and Annie's best friend Babette - streetwise, loyal, and Annie's one solid link with common sense. But everything changes when the village is rocked by a series of murders and the girls know something they've no intention of telling the police. 
 
In the present day, adult Annie is a successful singing coach in a stifling marriage. Her ambitious American husband, impatient with his quirky wife, is taking a job in New York - but is she staying with him? As Annie struggles with her future, she first has to come to terms with the bizarre events of 1965.

Painting Ruby Tuesday

Anne Youngson

Tender and humorous novel of second chances and life-changing new friendship for fans of Rachel Joyce, Clare Chambers and Barbara Pym 
 
'Life-affirming and funny' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 
'Anne Youngson's witty and elegant novel is a celebration of friendship and a timely reminder that it is never too late to take on a life-changing new challenge' DAILY MAIL 
 
Meet Eve, who has departed from her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia, a defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation. 
 
Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia. As they glide gently - and not so gently - through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of canalboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds. 
 
Disarmingly truthful and narrated with a rare wit, THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT is a journey over the glorious waterways of England and into the unfathomable depths of the human heart by an inspirational new talent now in her seventies. 
 
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What customers are saying: 
 
'Moving, tender and just a balm for the soul' ***** 
'Perfect for those in need of an uplifting read' **** 
'A warm and enjoyable read' *****

Three Women and a Boat

A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Title

The warm, life-affirming BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick

John Harding

On a remote South Pacific island paradise, an elderly tribesman is translating Hamlet into local Pidgin English. Much to his annoyance, his struggles with the Bard are interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected visitor. William Hardt is a young American lawyer, he has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and he has come to help. And from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same. For what (and who) he finds there will challenge both his and our values and our ideas about love, life and even death. 
Bursting with good things, from the islanders themselves - with their curious logic, strange notions about sex and addictive rendering of English - to moments of aching sadness as much as life-affirming farce, this exuberantly original novel confirms John Harding as one of contemporary fiction's most entertaining and observant chroniclers of the human condition.

One Big Damn Puzzler

Joanna Trollope

'Pacy, absorbing and compassionate' Daily Mail 
'Brilliantly perceptive' Daily Telegraph 
'An important novel' Evening Standard 
_______________________________ 
 
Will a journey into the past lose them more than they gain? 
 
Nathalie and David have been good and dutiful children to their parents, and now, grown-up, with their own families, they are still close to one another. Brother and sister. 
 
Except that they aren't - brother and sister that is.They were both adopted, when their loving parents, found that they couldn't have children themselves. And up until now it's never mattered. 
 
But suddenly, Nathalie discovers a deep need to trace her birth parents and is insisting that David makes the same journey. And through this, both learn one of the hardest lessons of all, that sometimes, the answers to who we are and where we come from can be more difficult than the questions ... 
 
This is an emotional and thought-provoking novel about who we are and where we come from is insightful and prescient, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Noble, Erica James and Amanda Prowse. 
_______________________________ 
 
Readers love Brother & Sister: 
 
'5 stars' 
'Kept me really interested all the way through' 
'Another Joanna Trollope winner' 
'Very entertaining and thought provoking'

Brother & Sister

a deeply moving and insightful novel from one of Britain’s most popular authors

John Irving

'A work of genius' Independent 
 
'Marvellously funny . . . What better entertainment is there than a serious book which makes you laugh?' Spectator 
 
 
'If you care about something you have to protect it. If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.' 
 
Summer, 1953. In the small town of Gravesend, New Hampshire, eleven-year-old John Wheelwright and his best friend Owen Meany are playing in a Little League baseball game. When Owen hits a foul ball which kills John's mother, their lives are changed in an instant. 
 
It is dismissed as a tragic accident but Owen disagrees. He believes that he is God's instrument, put on Earth for a higher purpose. And as the boys come into adulthood to the background of the Vietnam War, a series of remarkable events show that perhaps Owen's divine plan was not imagined after all. 
 
Discover the funny yet poignant classic by the bestselling author of The World According to Garp. 
 
 
'So extraordinary, so original, and so enriching' Stephen King, The Washington Post 
 
'May justly join the classic American list' Anthony Burgess, Observer

A Prayer For Owen Meany

a ‘genius’ modern American classic

'An elegant, witty and deeply perceptive book' Woman's Journal 
'Bubbly, amusing, touching, and ultimately poignant' Sunday Express 
'Demonstrates again how good Joanna Trollope is at describing village life and how sure is her touch' Evening Standard 
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ONE ENCOUNTER AND LIFE IS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN... 
 
The Logans were an enchanting and admirable couple. Archie had snatched Liza from her own engagement party to someone else, wooed her, swept her off to his father in Scotland, and finally married her. 
 
Now bedded firmly into country life - three children, Archie the village doctor, Liza a teacher, everything comfortable, funny, affectionate - they awaited the arrival of Archie's father, the brilliant Sir Andrew Logan, a widower for over thirty years. 
 
When his city-clean Rover stopped in the drive, Sir Andrew was not alone. Beside him was a golden lady in caramel suede, a warm, witty, desirable widow whom everyone - except Archie - adored at once. 
 
Archie saw his father's mistress as the worm in the bud of his perfect life - a life that was to be wrenched apart before he and Liza could re-create their world. 
_______________________________ 
 
Readers love A Passionate Man: 
 
'Captivating' 
'Brilliant' 
'Her writing is, for me, perfection' 
'One of her best I think' 
'I didn't want it to finish!'

A Passionate Man

another masterful and insightful novel shining a light on the relationships of ordinary people and their ordinary lives from one of Britain’s best loved authors, Joanna Trollope

Miranda Innes

In 1996, former Country Living garden editor Miranda Innes decided to change her life completely. 
 
Tired of urban living, bored of her career, out of love with her long-standing partner, she and her son spied a romantic ruin in Andalusia amid its own olive groves, and made an offer. What happened next - selling her London house, and handing in her notice at the magazine - was going to be straightforward, or so she thought. She had not counted on the sudden emergence of a New Man in her life, the plans of Arsenal football ground to purchase her back garden, a badly slipped disc and the logistics involved in moving a lifetime's possessions. Nor had she realised what a struggle re-building the house, room by room, or planting a garden in the hostile terrain of southern Spain would be. But helped by her new husband, Dan, and an assortment of eccentric locals, not least by the worldly wisdom of Juan the builder, she made it, and over the ensuing four years, the house and pool were built and the garden began to take shape. 
 
This is the story of how Miranda got to mañana, of her love affair with Spain, and a countryside where 'great jagged peaks range above little fields, white villages tumble like sugar cubes down the sides of hills, and white houses grow room by room in a puzzle of rectangles, topped by corrugated cinnamon-brown terracotta tiles moulded on a man's thigh'. 
 
Illustrated throughout with line-drawings by Dan Pearce, Getting to Mañana is a book to read and treasure.

Getting To Manana

Judy Astley

If you like Carole Matthews and Milly Johnson, you'll love Judy's delightful and funny novel about changing your luck once and for all . . . 
 
Viola hasn't had much luck with men. Her first husband, Marco, companion of her youth and father of her only child, left her when he realised he was gay. Her second, Rhys, ended his high-octane, fame-filled life by driving his Porsche into a wall. No wonder her family always believes she needs Looking After, and her friends think she really shouldn't be allowed out on her own... 
 
Which is why, at the age of thirty-five, she finds herself shamefully back at home, living with Mum. 
 
Viola knows she has to take charge; she needs to get a life, and fast. With a stroppy teenage daughter, a demanding mother, and siblings who want to control her life for her, where is she going to turn? 
 
Readers love Judy Astley: 
"Warm, funny and unerringly true to life" Katie Fforde 
"Irresistible" Daily Mail 
"An enjoyable light read" Sunday Mirror

I Should Be So Lucky

an uplifting and hilarious novel from the ever astute Astley

Trisha Ashley

'Trisha Ashley writes with remarkable wit and originality - one of the best writers around.' KATIE FFORDE 
‘Trisha at her best.’ CAROLE MATTHEWS 
 
Alice Rose is a foundling, discovered on the Yorkshire moors above Haworth as a baby. Adopted but then later rejected again by a horrid step-mother, Alice struggles to find a place where she belongs. Only baking – the scent of cinnamon and citrus and the feel of butter and flour between her fingers – brings a comforting sense of home. 
 
So it seems natural that when she finally decides to return to Haworth, Alice turns to baking again, taking over a run-down little teashop and working to set up an afternoon tea emporium. 
 
Luckily she soon makes friends – including a Grecian god-like neighbour – who help her both set up home and try to solve the mystery of who she is. There are one or two last twists in the dark fairytale of Alice’s life to come . . . but can she find her happily ever after? 
 
Readers love The Little Teashop of Lost and Found: 
 
***** ‘delightful, charming and pure escapism’ 
***** ‘intrigue, laughs and compassion . . . a truly lovely novel’ 
***** ‘full of warm-hearted characters, beautifully settings, delicious cakes and that special touch of magic which makes it stand out as a Trisha Ashley novel’

The Little Teashop of Lost and Found

A heart-warming and life-affirming read from the Sunday Times Bestseller

On a New England campus, Viennese housewife Utchka and her aspiring writer husband live a rather placid life with their two children.Until, that is, they meet Severin Winter, Professor of German and wrestling coach, and his delicate wife Edith at a faculty party. Utchka and Severin are rather taken with one another, and, conveniently, their spouses appear to be similarly smitten.A bizarre ménage a quatre is the result of these convoluted desires, and what starts out as a bit of fun is soon subject to the darker machinations of obsession,..

The 158-Pound Marriage

In a spirited opening piece, John Irving explains how he became a writer. There follow six scintillating stories written over the past twenty years, inlcuding The Pension Grillparzer, previously only to be found inside The World According to Garp, and now given its first independent airing.

Trying To Save Piggy Sneed

Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson’s first travel book, The Lost Continent, was unanimously acclaimed as one of the funniest books in years. In Neither Here nor There he brings his unique brand of humour to bear on Europe as he shoulders his backpack, keeps a tight hold on his wallet, and journeys from Hammerfest, the northernmost town on the continent, to Istanbul on the cusp of Asia. Fluent in, oh, at least one language, he retraces his travels as a student twenty years before. 
 
Whether braving the homicidal motorists of Paris, being robbed by gypsies in Florence, attempting not to order tripe and eyeballs in a German restaurant or window-shopping in the sex shops of the Reeperbahn, Bryson takes in the sights, dissects the culture and illuminates each place and person with his hilariously caustic observations. He even goes to Liechtenstein.

Neither Here, Nor There

Travels in Europe

Gin Phillips

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'So electrifyingly suspenseful and so brilliantly vivid, that I had to put it down to catch my breath at times - and I mean this as a compliment! There are so many beautiful details woven into this completely original concept exploring the visceral fears of motherhood, that any reader's heart will race, and then break, and then race again, from beginning to end.' Ashley Audrain 
 
Lincoln is a good boy. At the age of four, he is curious, clever and well behaved. He does as his mum says and knows what the rules are. 
 
'The rules are different today. The rules are that we hide and do not let the man with the gun find us.' 
 
When an ordinary day at the zoo turns into a nightmare, Joan finds herself trapped with her beloved son. She must summon all her strength, find unexpected courage and protect Lincoln at all costs - even if it means crossing the line between right and wrong; between humanity and animal instinct. 
 
It's a line none of us would ever normally dream of crossing. 
 
But sometimes the rules are different. 
 
Previously published as Fierce Kingdom. 
 
'A page-turning, adrenaline-soaked read . . . an eloquent and meditative insight into motherhood and what it means, its many small trials and wonders.' Alison Flood, Observer

Fierce

‘Electrifyingly suspenseful’ Ashley Audrain, author of THE PUSH

Robert Edric

It is 1847, northern England, and Charles Weightman has been given the unenviable task of overseeing the flooding of the Forge Valley and evicting its lingering inhabitants. Weightman is heartily resented by these locals, and he himself is increasingly unconvinced both of the wisdom of his appointment and of the integrity and motives of the company men who posted him there. He finds some solace, however, in his enigmatic neighbour, Mary Latimer. Caring for her mad sister, Mary is also an outsider, and a companionship develops between the two of them which offers them both some comfort and support in their mutual isolation. 
 
As winter closes steadily in and as the waters begin to rise in the Forge Valley, it becomes increasingly evident that the man-made deluge cannot be avoided; not by the locals desperate to save their homes, nor by the reluctant agent of their destruction, Weightman himself. 
 
In a masterful new novel, Edric captures powerful human emotions with grace and precision. The hauntingly resonant backdrop to this story of David and Goliath marks Edric's dramatic return to historical literary fiction.

Gathering The Water

Renée Knight

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTON'S OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2016 
LONGLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2016 
 
'Sensationally good. . . Exactly what a great thriller should be.' LEE CHILD 
 
'Prepare to cancel all other commitments.' STYLIST 
 
'Fabulously gripping.' MARIAN KEYES 
 
'Fiendishly clever.' DAILY MAIL 
 
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IMAGINE IF THE NEXT THRILLER YOU READ WAS ALL ABOUT YOU . . . 
 
When an intriguing novel appears on Catherine's bedside table, she curls up and begins to read. 
 
But as she turns the pages she is horrified to realize she is a key character, a main player. 
 
This story will reveal her darkest secret. 
 
A secret she thought no one else knew . . . 
 
DISCLAIMER 
*Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental . . . 
 
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'Plunges us into our worst nightmare.' VAL McDERMID 
 
'An addictive novel with shades of Gone Girl' SUNDAY TIMES 
 
'An outstandingly clever and twisty tale that's been perfectly engineered to make heads spin.' NEW YORK TIMES 
 
 
 
Renee Knight, Sunday Times No.1 bestseller, January 2016

Disclaimer

The astonishing Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller, perfect for fans of Anatomy of a Scandal

Abbie Ross

In 1972 Abbie Ross’s cosmopolitan parents move the family from London to rural North Wales, exchanging a town house in Islington for a remote farmhouse on a hill. 
Abbie’s Liverpudlian grandparents – dedicated followers of Liberace, sleek in scented mohair and patent leather – are sure they’ve lost their minds. For Abbie, though, the only cloud on the horizon is the nearby hippy commune and its inhabitants. There are worrying signs that this is the sort of ‘better life’ that her parents have in mind. 
Brilliantly evoking a particular time and place, Abbie’s memoir re-creates a world of dens and pineapple chunks, of John Craven’s Newsround and fishing for sticklebacks – and the joy but also the burning powerlessness of being a child. Disgusted by her father’s ‘yogic flying’ and her mother’s taste for brown bread and billowing cheesecloth (with no bra), Abbie is desperate not to be different. Far better, she thinks, to fit in with shouting, pathologically nosy Sara across the fields,or stay close to Philip next door – paralysingly shy and with a preference for orange food and no trousers (‘nice to have a bit of air’) ... 
Rich with detail that reveals a whole world, Hippy Dinners is very funny and full of heart. It is also a delicate and astute portrait of the brutal realities of ‘a simple life’.

Hippy Dinners

A memoir of a rural childhood

Joanne Harris

An enthralling and enchanting collection of short stories from the bestselling author of Chocolat and The Strawberry Thief... Perfect for fans of Kate Atkinson and Kate Mosse as well as readers of Eve Chase and Stacey Halls. 
 
'A vibrant tombola of stories...' -- Time Out 
'Strongly plotted and written in registers that are variously comical, sad and surreal...' - Independent 
 'A jewel of a book' -- ***** Reader review 
 'Sublime and touching' -- ***** Reader review 
'Unputdownable' -- ***** Reader review 
'Compelling - you can lose yourself one story at a time' -- ***** Reader review 
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Stories are like Russian dolls; open them up, and in each one you'll find another story. 
 
Come to the house where it is Christmas all year round; meet the ghost who lives on a Twitter timeline; be spooked by a newborn baby created with sugar, spice and lashings of cake. 
 
Conjured from a wickedly imaginative pen, here is a new collection of short stories that showcases Joanne Harris's exceptional talent as a teller of tales, a spinner of yarns. 
 
Sensuous, mischievous, uproarious and wry, here are tales that combine the everyday with the unexpected; wild fantasy with bittersweet reality.

A Cat, a Hat, and a Piece of String

a spellbinding collection of unforgettable short stories from Joanne Harris, the bestselling author of Chocolat

Priya Basil

An epic Romeo and Juliet for the 21st century 
 
In a bustling London café, Anil, now a famous architect, sits waiting for Lina. It is years since he last laid eyes on her, the love of his life. 
 
Lina is running for the train - punctuality has never been her strength. After all this time she cannot be late to meet Anil. 
 
Together, they think back to tragedies both personal and political, betrayals large and small. A past played out across three continents that house their rival worlds: Sikh and Muslim, wealthy and modest, liberal and orthodox, corrupt and moral.... 
 
Lina has one more revelation that must be shared with Anil. Might it unite them once and for all, or has it come too late?

The Obscure Logic of the Heart

Catherine Ryan Hyde

The story of a love that transcends time, place and human weakness from Richard &amp; Judy bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Perfect for fans of Mark Haddon, Mitch Albom and Alice Sebold. 
 
'A work of art...enchanting' -- San Francisco Chronicle 
'A magnificent storyteller' -- Denver Post 
'What a quirky wonderful book! It moved me and made me laugh - what a wee gem!' -- ***** Reader review 
'A beautiful, moving and thoughtful book' -- ****** Reader review 
'Read it in one sitting. Really enjoyed it - had me laughing one minute and crying the next.' -- ***** Reader review 
'A beautiful story about love in its various forms.' -- ***** Reader review 
'Heartbreaking and uplifting.' -- ***** Reader review 
'I highly recommend this book, it'll move the hardest of hearts!'-- ***** Reader review 
 
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THE MAGICAL STORY OF A YOUNG BOY'S SEARCH FOR BELONGING 
 
Mitch is a 25-year-old with commitment issues. Leonard is a five-year-old kid with asthma and vision problems, who captivates everyone he meets. Pearl is Leonard's teenage mother, who's trying to hide a violent secret from her past. Life has given Pearl every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbour, Mitch. 
 
Then one day, with a heart full of agony, Pearl drops Leonard off with Mitch and never returns. 
 
How do you go on loving someone who isn't there? With Leonard's absolute conviction in 'forever love' always present, Leonard and Mitch grow up side by side and piece together the layered truths and fictions of their almost magical lives. 
 
Pearl, Leonard and Mitch each have a story to tell - as their lives unfold, profound questions arise about the nature of love and family. The answers are heartbreaking, but ultimately triumphant.

Love In The Present Tense

the heart-warming and uplifting novel from Richard & Judy bestseller Catherine Ryan Hyde

Rachel Joyce

WINNER OF THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE | BEST PUBLISHED NOVEL 
WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR and A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
'The perfect escape novel for our troubled times.' PATRICK GALE 
 
 
It is 1950. In a devastating moment of clarity, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist. 
Enid Pretty, in her unlikely pink travel suit, is not the companion Margery had in mind. And yet together they will be drawn into an adventure that will exceed every expectation. They will risk everything, break all the rules, and at the top of a red mountain, discover their best selves. 
 
This is a story that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries. 
 
 
'A girl's own adventure...This is Rachel Joyce's best book yet ...Exciting, moving and full of unexpected turns.' THE TIMES 
 
'Brilliant and elegant and wise...powerful and moving...I can't recommend it enough.' JOANNA CANNON 
 
'A beautiful portrayal of female friendship in all its frailties, contradictions and strengths.' RAYNOR WINN 
 
WOMAN & HOME BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; DAILY MAIL BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020; BOOKMARK BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020; GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2020 
 
Rachel Joyce's latest novel, The Homemade God is out now.

Miss Benson's Beetle

An uplifting story of female friendship against the odds

'A feel-good book of the first order. One to curl up with... Read it' OBSERVER 
 
In the small French village of Lansquenet, nothing much has changed in a hundred years. Then an exotic stranger, Vianne Rocher, blows in on the changing wind with her small daughter, and opens a chocolate boutique directly opposite the church. Soon the villagers cannot keep away, for Vianne can divine their most hidden desires. 
 
But it's the beginning of Lent, the season of abstinence, and Father Reynaud denounces her as a serious moral danger to his flock. Perhaps even a witch... 
 
'Sensuous and thought-provoking... subtle and brilliant' DAILY TELEGRAPH 
 
'Is this the best book ever written? Truly excellent' LITERARY REVIEW 
 
'Moody and atmospheric... a richly textured tale' INDEPENDENT

Chocolat

(Chocolat 1)

the enchanting bestseller from international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris

Readers of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Milly Johnson will love this delightfully light-hearted, witty and sparkling romantic comedy. Perfect to settle down with! 
 
'Fast and fun' -- Woman &amp; Home 
'I loved it!' -- ***** Reader review 
'Gripping from beginning to end' -- ***** Reader review 
'A book best read in one sitting' -- ***** Reader review 
 
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IS IT EVER TOO LATE TO REKINDLE AN OLD FLAME? 
 
When Nell was a student, she and Patrick were a serious item. They were inseparable, and she really thought he was The One. 
 
But then Alex came along...the safer, more restful option, and thanks to her over-controlling mother she opted for him instead. 
 
Now nothing is going right. Alex has left her to live in New York with a younger, blonder woman. Escaping to the Caribbean for a recuperative holiday, she is mugged at Gatwick and her bag is stolen. It's crisis time - and she makes two decisions: 
 
First - she will take lessons in self-defence. 
 
Second - she will try and find Patrick again. 
 
Is she trying to put the past behind her - or setting out to ruin her future?

Laying The Ghost

bestselling author Judy Astley hits the funny bone again in this upbeat and laugh-out-loud rom-com about second chances

Fans of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Milly Johnson will love this uplifting and upbeat comic novel from bestselling author Judy Astley. The perfect dose of escapism! 
 
'As irresistible as triple choc fudge cake - with extra cream' -- Mail on Sunday 
'A witty take on a modern dilemma' -- Woman and Home 
'You'll love this funny novel' -- Sun 
'Real wit...The story is so entertaining' -- Scottish Daily Record 
'A refreshingly good read' -- ***** Reader review 
'Good fun' -- ***** Reader review 
'I couldn't put the book down. Great read!' -- ***** Reader review 
 
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Does losing weight make you a happier person? 
 
Jay has always envied her cousin Delphine. While Jay was brought up in a large, noisy and chaotic family, Delphine was indulged, perfectly dressed with a co-ordinated bedroom, an immaculate wardrobe, dancing lessons and monogrammed silver-backed hairbrushes. 
 
Now Jay lives happily with her architect husband and their three teenage children, running a successful cleaning company and trying to keep some kind of order on her disorderly household, while Delphine has long since disappeared to Australia with her second husband. 
 
But Jay does sometimes wonder whether she should be more like her cousin - utterly well-organised and with a seemingly perfect body. 
 
So Jay decides to diet. But what should it be? She tries a range, with a variety of successes and failures. 
 
But then Delphine reappears, with a third husband in prospect and the same old air of apparently effortless superiority. But Jay never considers that perhaps Delphine is the envious one...

Size Matters

a witty and warm-hearted comedy from bestselling author Judy Astley

Sophie Kinsella

'Left me giddy with laughter. I loved it' JOJO MOYES 
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Those we think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most . . . 
 
After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. They have a happy marriage and believe they know everything there is to know about each other. Until it's casually mentioned to them that they could be together for another sixty-eight years... and panic sets in. 
 
They quickly decide to create little surprises for each other, to keep their relationship fresh and fun. But in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me - anything from unexpected gifts to restaurant dates to photo shoots - mishaps arise with disastrous and comical results. 
 
Gradually, the surprises turn to shocking discoveries. And when a scandal from the past is uncovered, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all. . . 
 
***** EVERYBODY LOVES SOPHIE KINSELLA: ***** 
 
'One of the most relatable books I've read in a long time, I couldn't put it down' LOUISE PENTLAND (SprinkleofGlitter) 
 
'This is Sophie Kinsella at her heart-warming and hilarious best' COSMOPOLITAN 
 
'Life doesn't get much better than a new Sophie Kinsella novel' RED 
 
'This is the funniest book Sophie Kinsella has ever written' JENNY COLGAN 
 
'Kinsella at her put-a-smile-on-your-face best' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 
 
 
Sophie Kinsella, Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, June 2024

Surprise Me

Kate Atkinson

The magnificent novel by bestselling and award-winning Kate Atkinson: 'A masterpiece' - Telegraph; 'Pageturner' - Evening Standard; 'Wise, funny and paced like a thriller' Observer 
 
In 1940, eighteen-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past for ever. 
 
Ten years later, now a producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence. 
 
Transcription is a work of rare depth and texture, a bravura modern novel of extraordinary power, wit and empathy. It is a triumphant work of fiction from one of this country’s most exceptional writers. 
 
'How vehemently most novelists will wish to produce a masterpiece as good' Telegraph 
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Transcription

A story of love, growth, fight and hope from Richard &amp; Judy bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Mitch Albom and Alice Sebold, this is a moving novel that packs a hefty punch. 
 
'A heroic, superbly crafted novel worth reading again and again and again' -- The Denver Post 
'Ryan Hyde spins her tale so effortlessly that the reader closes the book with a 
quiet sense of elation' -- San Francisco Chronicle 
'Very moving, and long after I finished it I couldn't stop thinking about it' -- ***** Reader review 
'Lovely story and wonderful characters. Can't get enough of this author' -- ***** Reader review 
'This lady is amazing. The stories she tells, weaving your emotions into the plot. I've yet to find a book of hers that, once started, I could bear to put down' -- ***** Reader review 
'One word....fantastic' -- ***** Reader review 
 
*********************************************************************** 
 
THE MAGICAL STORY OF A YOUNG BOY'S SEARCH FOR BELONGING... 
 
When Nathan McCann discovers a newborn baby boy half buried in the woods, he assumes he's found a tiny dead body. But then the baby moves and in one remarkable moment, Nathan's life is changed forever. 
 
The baby is sent to grow up with his grandmother, but Nathan can't forget him and is compelled to pay her a visit. He asks for one simple promise - that one day she will introduce the boy to Nathan and tell him, 'This is the man who found you in the woods.' 
 
Years pass and Nathan assumes that the old lady has not kept her promise, until one day an angry, troubled boy arrives on his doorstep with a suitcase . . .

When I Found You

a wonderful novel that is both heart-breaking and heart-warming from Richard & Judy bestseller Catherine Ryan Hyde

Tim Davys

Eric Bear thinks he has escaped his violent past, but when crime boss Nicholas Dove threatens Eric's beloved wife Emma Rabbit, Eric has no choice but to do what he asks: find a way to remove Dove's name from the Death List. Problem is, no one knows if the Death List really exists. Nevertheless, Eric gathers his old team together - sadistic male prostitute Sam Gazelle, sweet but dangerous Tom-Tom Crow, and wily Snake Marek - and they set off to find the elusive list. 
 
What Eric learns will forever change the way he thinks about his life, his family, and his town.

Amberville

Jill Paton Walsh

It is, perhaps, the fifteenth century and the ordered tranquillity of a Mediterranean island is about to be shattered by the appearance of two outsiders: one, a castaway, plucked from the sea by fishermen, whose beliefs represent a challenge to the established order; the other, a child abandoned by her mother and suckled by wolves, who knows nothing of the precarious relationship between Church and State but whose innocence will become the subject of a dangerous experiment. 
 
But the arrival of the Inquisition on the island creates a darker, more threatening force which will transform what has been a philosophical game of chess into a matter of life and death...

Knowledge Of Angels

Man Booker prize shortlist

Rachel Rhys

A STUNNING, ATMOSPHERIC NOVEL SET IN 1940S SOUTH OF FRANCE. YOUR PERFECT ESCAPIST READ. 
 'Perfect. Both gripping and dripping with glamour' RED MAGAZINE ONLINE 
 __________ 
 
 London 1948: Eve Forrester is trapped in a loveless marriage, in a gloomy house, in a grey suburb. 
 Out of the blue, she receives a solicitor's letter. A wealthy stranger has left her a mystery inheritance but in order to find out more, she must travel to the glittering French Riviera. 
 
 Eve discovers her legacy is an enchanting villa overlooking the Mediterranean sea and suddenly, life could not be more glamorous. 
 
 But under the heat of the sun, all is not as it seems. Now, Eve must unlock the story behind her surprise bequest - before things spiral out of control... 
 
 A Fatal Inheritance is an intoxicating story of glamour, intrigue and desire, set against the razzle-dazzle of the French Riviera. 
 ______________________ 
 
 'Utterly tantalising' DINAH JEFFRIES 
 
 'GLORIOUS! Hugely enjoyable escapism. I enjoyed it ENORMOUSLY.' MARIAN KEYES 
 What readers are saying about Fatal Inheritance: 
 ***** 'One to savour and enjoy and be utterly immersed in.' 
 
***** 'This book captured my attention from the first page.' 
***** 'A wonderful story of beauty, mystery and finding yourself.' 
 
 RACHEL RHYS' NEW NOVEL, ISLAND OF SECRETS IS AVAILABLE NOW

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