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*Perfect for fans of A BOY MADE OF BLOCKS* **RICHARD AND JUDY summer bookclub read 2013, Amazon Rising star, and shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize** *** A funny and touching story of an unlikely friendship and an improbable journey*** Alex Woods knows that he hasn't had the most conventional start in life. He knows that growing up with a clairvoyant single mother won't endear him to the local bullies. He also knows that even the most improbable events can happen - he's got the scars to prove it. What he doesn't know yet is that when he meets ill-tempered, reclusive widower Mr Peterson, he'll make an unlikely friend. Someone who tells him that you only get one shot at life. That you have to make the best possible choices. So when, aged seventeen, Alex is stopped at Dover customs with 113 grams of marijuana, an urn full of ashes on the passenger seat, and an entire nation in uproar, he's fairly sure he's done the right thing. A tale of an unexpected friendship, an unlikely hero and an improbable journey, Alex's story treads the fine line between light and dark, laughter and tears. And it might just strike you as one of the funniest, most heartbreaking novels you've ever read.
'I loved #TheEndofTime. It is, without doubt, one of my top reads of 2019. I walked every mile with Zain, Mohammed and Jesus. Even when their epic journey seemed hopeless, their story remained hopeful. I've not had such an immersive and important read in a long time.' Carmel Harrington 'Thoroughly enjoyed #TheEndOfTime. It's an epic story of brotherly love, courage and resilience. A sensitively-written, compassionate and heart-warming must-read for this summer.' Sarah J Harris ************** Beneath the stars, on a stony beach, stand two teenage brothers. They are wearing lifejackets that are too big for them and their most precious belongings are sealed in waterproof bags tucked inside the rucksacks on their backs. Turkey is behind them and Europe lies ahead, a dark, desperate swim away. They don't know what will come next, but they're about to meet a man who does. He calls himself Jesus, the Messiah. He is barefoot, dishevelled and smells strongly of alcohol. And he doesn't believe in chance meetings. He believes he has information about the future - information that will change three lives forever . . .
At a rally in the Royal Albert Hall, two Quaker brothers, Paul and Charlie Lamb, sign a pledge of peace that only one of them will honour. Meanwhile, in a draughty Victorian mansion in Hampstead, Mr. Morningstar wonders why his wife, a crystallographer from dynasty of diamond cutters, turns into a cursing somnambulist at night, while their daughter, Miriam, comes home from her shifts at the munitions factory with her stockings inside out. As the streets throng with khaki, the Lambs and the Morningstars must decide how to do good in a world transformed by evil. Should a scientist use her skills to maximise civilian casualties? Should a Quaker stand by as millions are murdered? And is it possible to love someone if you hate their convictions? When the two families are torn apart by war, Paul is forced to choose between his conscience and the woman he loves. Of Love and Other Warsis a profoundly moving tale of faith, longing, and decisions made in the split second of silence between bullets, whose repercussions last a lifetime. With distinctive flair and dazzling creative energy, Sophie Hardach pulls us into lives upended by betrayal, violence and passion.
Shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award ‘A therapeutic dose of high-strength emotion’ GUARDIAN
'Totally enchanting, warm and funny' Ciara Smyth, author of Not My Problem ‘Neurodiversity has a voice, and it’s witty and uplifting and enlightening all at once’ Jasper Fforde, author of The Eyre Affair 'A lovely book' Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project Phoebe is autistic. She prefers to stay in her comfort zone: walking her dog, writing fantasy fiction, surviving school with as few incidents as possible. When her best (and only) friend rebels and gets a secret boyfriend, Phoebe reluctantly agrees to cover for her. Before long, Phoebe’s dealing with all sorts of things she’d rather not, like deception, fashionable jackets, and the bewildering politics of the school chess club. Breaking the rules has never been Phoebe’s thing, but as events take a seriously unexpected turn, she realises there’s more to her than she ever imagined . . .
NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING TOM HANKS The million-copy bestselling phenomenon: a funny, moving, uplifting tale of love and community that will leave you with a spring in your step. 'Warm, funny, and almost unbearably moving' Daily Mail 'Delightful . . . the perfect holiday read' Evening Standard Ove is almost certainly the grumpiest man you will ever meet. He thinks himself surrounded by idiots - joggers, neighbours who can't reverse a trailer properly and shop assistants who talk in code. But isn't it rare, these days, to find such old-fashioned clarity of belief and deed? Such unswerving conviction about what the world should be, and a lifelong dedication to making it just so? In the end, you will see, there is something about Ove that is quite irresistible . . . 'Hilarious and heart-breaking' Stylist 'Rescued all those men who constantly mean to read novels but never get round to it' Spectator Books of the Year
When she was three, Alena's activist mother died. She's been raised by her half-brother and his boyfriend in East London, which is being targeted by a lone bomber. Alena desperately wants to know about her mother, but her brother won't tell her anything. Alena's played by the rules all her life, but that's over. When she starts digging up information herself and does something that costs her brother his job and puts the family in jeopardy, Alena discovers she can be a troublemaker—just like her mother. Now she must figure out what sort of trouble she's willing to get into to find out the truth.
Frank has been in a car accident*. The doctor tells him he lost his spleen, but Frank believes he has lost more. He is missing memories - of those around him, of the history they share and of how he came to be in the crash. All he remembers is that he is a lawyer who specialises in small print**.In the wake of the accident Frank begins to piece together his former life - and his former self. But the picture that emerges, of his marriage, his family and the career he has devoted years to, is not necessarily a pretty one. Could it be that the terms and conditions by which Frank has been living are not entirely in his favour***?In the process of unravelling the knots into which his life has been tied, he learns that the devil really does live in the detail and that it's never too late to rewrite your own destiny.*apparently quite a serious one**words that no one ever reads*** and perhaps never have been
Scarlet's story continues in this romance-filled, action-packed second book in A. C. Gaughen's stunning twist on Robin Hood. * "A rip-roaring tale." --Booklist, starred review, on Scarlet Life can never go back to normal now that Scarlet has been forced to marry the man of her nightmares. In order to win a life with her love, Robin, Scarlet must abandon her knives to fight a different kind of battle--one within the castle walls at court, fought with secrets and skillful manipulation. But doing so will test the limits of Scarlet's courage, especially when she discovers a truth no one was ever supposed to know. A truth that will change the course of her life forever . . . Don't miss these other books from A. C. Gaughen: The Scarlet series Scarlet Lady Thief Lion Heart The Elementae series Reign the Earth Imprison the Sky
Brimming with alternative universes, futuristic landscapes and gleeful metaphysics... Yu's spirit of invention is infectious. - Sunday Times Highly inventive and hilarious - The Times _______________________________________________________________________________________ With only TAMMY - a slightly tearful computer with self-esteem issues - a software boss called Phil - Microsoft Middle Manager 3.0 - and an imaginary dog called Ed for company, fixing time machines is a lonely business and Charles Yu is stuck in a rut. He's spent the better part of a decade navel-gazing, spying on 39 different versions of himself in alternate universes (and discovered that 35 of them are total jerks). And he...