Category Archives: Travel Guides
Girl – Longlisted for the Women`s Prize for Fiction 2020
Longlisted for the Women`s Prize for Fiction 2020Captured, abducted and married into Boko Haram, the narrator of this story witnesses and suffers the horrors of a community of men governed by a brutal code of violence. Barely more than a girl herself, she must soon learn how to survive as a woman with a child
Leila
Shalini will never forget her daughter Leila`s third birthday party: it was the last time she saw her alive. Sixteen years have passed and Shalini`s life is unrecognizable. Her husband gone: beaten and dragged from their home the night Leila disappeared. Shalini, once privileged, is now disgraced. She trawls the streets desperate to discover where
The Children of Men
The year is 2021. No child has been born for twenty-five years. The human race faces extinction.Under the despotic rule of Xan Lyppiat, the Warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the Warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere. That is, until a chance
Five Children on the Western Front
An incredible, heart-wrenching sequel to E. Nesbit`s Five Children and It, set on the eve of the First World War. The five children have grown up – war will change their lives for ever. Cyril is off to fight, Anthea is at art college, Robert is a Cambridge scholar and Jane is at high school.
The Private Patient
When the notorious investigative journalist, Rhoda Gradwyn, books into Mr Chandler-Powell`s private clinic in Dorset for the removal of a disfiguring scar, she has every prospect of a successful operation and the beginning of a new life. But she was never to leave Cheverell Manor alive. Dalgliesh and his team are called in to investigate
Out of Darkness, Shining Light
Petina Gappah`s epic journey through nineteenth-century Africa – following the funeral caravan who bore Bwana Daudi`s body – is engrossing, beautiful and deeply imaginative.This is the story of the body of Bwana Daudi, the Doctor, the explorer David Livingstone – and the sixty-nine men and women who carried his remains for 1,500 miles so that
Freshwater
`Completely blew me away.` Daisy Johnson, author of `Everything Under`One of the most dazzling debuts I`ve ever read.` Taiye Selasi, author of `Ghana Must Go`I`m urging everyone to read it.` Sophie Mackintosh, author of `The Water Cure` Ada has always been unusual. Her parents prayed her into existence, but something must have gone awry. Their
The Secret Life of Cows
“A lovely, thoughtful little book about the intelligence of cows.” James Rebanks, author of `The Shepherd`s Life`Cows are as varied as people. They can be highly intelligent or slow to understand, vain, considerate, proud, shy or inventive.Although much of a cow`s day is spent eating, they always find time for extra-curricular activities such as babysitting,
English, August: An Indian Story
Agastya Sen, known to friends by the English name August, is a child of the Indian elite. His friends go to Yale and Harvard. August himself has just landed a prize government job, which takes him to Madna – a town with the highest temperatures in India – deep in the sticks. There he finds
Death Is Hard Work
`Death Is Hard Work` is a tale of three people embarking on an absurd quest – an unforgettable journey into a contemporary heart of darkness.At a hospital in Damascus, Syria, Abdel Latif`s final wish is to be buried in the family plot near Aleppo – just a two-hour drive away. Bolbol, his youngest son, persuades
The Secret Starling
Abandoned children running wild on the moors, evil child catchers, cunning cats and mysterious ballet shoes abound in this incredible first novel.Clara has lived a life of solitude, home schooled under her mean uncle`s strict regime . . . until now! The day that Uncle abandons Clara, leaving her with nothing but a wedge of
Funeral Rites
Jean Genet, French playwright, novelist and poet, turned the experiences in his life amongst pimps, whores, thugs and other fellow social outcasts into a poetic literature, with an honesty and explicitness unprecedented at the time. Widely considered an outstanding and unique figure in French literature, Genet wrote five novels between 1942 and 1947, now being
Rescue
How far would you go to save a life? Scrambling from the wreckage of his school after an earthquake, a nine-year-old Sichuan boy rescued two unconscious friends. `I was hall monitor,` he said afterwards. `It is my job to look after my classmates.`Whether dragging a friend from a blazing car, masterminding a search far below
In My Mind`s Eye: A Thought Diary
Winner of the 2018 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Award`s Outstanding Contribution to Travel WritingA treat for fans of Alan Bennett`s diaries and the works of Bill Bryson and Diana Athill.`I have never before in my life kept a diary of my thoughts, and here at the start of my ninth decade, having for the moment
Kudos
`A landmark in twenty-first-century English literature.` Andrew Anthony, Observer`Kudos is one of the most astoundingly original and necessary books I`ve ever read. It made me laugh, think and cry . . . I envy anyone who hasn`t read it yet.` Julie Myerson, GuardianA woman on a plane listens to the stranger in the seat next
A Complicated Kindness
We`re Mennonites. As far as I know, we are the most embarrassing sub-sect of people to belong to if you`re a teenager.Sixteen-year-old Nomi Nickel longs to hang out with Lou Reed and Marianne Faithfull in New York City`s East Village. Instead she`s trapped in East Village, Manitoba: a town with no train station, no bar,
In Paris With You
Because their story didn`t end at the right time, in the right place, because they let their feelings go to waste, it was written, I think, that Eugene and Tatiana would find each other ten years later, one morning in winter, under terra firma on the Meteor, Line 14 (magenta) of the Paris metro.Eugene and
Survivors
Winner of the Best Book With Facts Blue Peter Book Award 2017Beautifully presented in a large, paperback format, and fully illustrated in colour throughout, this wonderful anthology is a treat for all the family. Be shocked and amazed by these incredible real-life stories of extreme survival, including… The Man Who Sucked Blood from a Shark,
Golden Child – Longlisted for the 2020 Jhalak Prize
Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2019Longlisted for the 2020 Jhalak Prize “Startling… Remarkable.” Economist”Right away I was utterly absorbed.” Sarah Jessica ParkerOne father. Two sons. An impossible choice.When thirteen-year-old Paul doesn`t return home one afternoon, even his twin brother, Peter, doesn`t know where he is. So their father, Clyde, must set out into the
Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales
The acknowledged `Queen of Crime`, P. D. James, was a past master of the short story, weaving together motifs of the Golden Age of crime-writing with deep psychological insight to create gripping, suspenseful tales. The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories contained four of these perfectly formed stories, and this companion volume contains a further six,
