You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
'I Never Said I Love You is one of the most electric, enchanting, engrossing and energising memoirs of self-harm, self-loathing, grief, eating disorders, suicide - and sex - that you will read.' The Sunday Times 'Indecently entertaining... one of the most uplifting and eccentric memoirs I have ever read.' Observer 'Brutally honest and relentlessly funny.' Adam Kay, author of 'This is Going to Hurt' 'A brilliant memoir full of gasp-inducing honesty about depression and family and taking control of your own pain. Funny, sad, hopeful, I Never Said I Loved You is an irresistible, strangely empowering read.' Matt Haig 'This mind-blowingly wonderful memoir had me convulsing with laughter even whil...
On an unlikely backpacking trip, Rhik and his mother find themselves speaking openly for the first time in years. Afterwards, the depression that has weighed down on Rhik begins to loosen its grip for a moment - so he seizes the opportunity: to own it, to understand it, and to find out where it came from. Through this begins a journey of investigation, healing and recovery. Along the way Rhik learns some shocking truths about his family, and realizes that, in turn, he will need to confront the secrets he has long buried. But through this, he triumphs over his fears and brings his depression into the light. I Never Said I Loved You is the story of how Rhik learned to let go, and then keep going. With unique humour and honesty, he has created a powerfully rich, funny and poignant exploration of the light and dark in all of us.
'A yearning, tenderly bruising beauty of a book and a brilliant portrayal of friendship in the roaring noughties' Rhik Samadder It was a time of drinking too much and staying out all night. Of boozy al fresco dinners, sneaking into private clubs and midnight strolls on Hampstead Heath. It was a time of friendship, of falling in love and being young. A time when you felt that anything could happen. But the party can't last forever, and for Joni and her friends, sunrise promises something darker than any of them could have imagined, as they face the one undeniable truth: it's not if the party ends; it's how. 'A huge delight. I remained utterly gripped throughout' Sofka Zinovieff, author of Putney 'Engrossing . . . a powerful book with characters that will stay with you' Heat 'I loved Just for Today, a novel written by a young person about young people getting into the sort of muddles with love and friendship that tend to beset you in your twenties' Nicola Shulman, Spectator Books of the Year
“I loved every single page.” —Elton John “The best piece of nature writing since H is for Hawk.” —Neil Gaiman In this moving, critically acclaimed memoir, a young man saves a baby magpie as his estranged father is dying, only to find that caring for the mischievous bird saves him. One spring day, a baby magpie falls out of its nest and into Charlie Gilmour’s hands. Magpies, he soon discovers, are as clever and mischievous as monkeys. They are also notorious thieves, and this one quickly steals his heart. By the time the creature develops shiny black feathers that inspire the name Benzene, Charlie and the bird have forged an unbreakable bond. While caring for Benzene, Charlie...
Put your headphones on, close your eyes. Embrace the possibility of the life-changing power of music. And perhaps one of these songs will change your life too. Music can inspire our greatest creations, salve our deepest wounds, make us fall in – or out of – love. It can also be a window into another’s soul. Based on the popular live storytelling series, OneTrackMinds is a collection of twenty-five compelling answers to the question, ‘What was the song that changed your life?’ Featuring pieces from a stellar cast of contributors including Peter Tatchell, Inua Ellams, Cash Carraway, Rhik Samadder, Ingrid Oliver and Joe Dunthorne, alongside some of the UK’s most exciting new voices, the book compiles many of the standout stories from the live show so far. Just as rich and varied are the songs themselves, by artists ranging from Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell to Aphex Twin and the Replacements via Tupac, Prince and the Spice Girls. The result is an entertaining, enlightening musical guide to the best of what makes us human.
Anna was four years old when Fynn, then only 16 himself, found her wandering round London’s Docklands one foggy night in the 1930s. Badly neglected and abandoned by her parents, he took her home to be cared for by his own family.
‘Captivating and heartbreaking’ Stylist ‘Brought me close to tears’ Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare
How are great turning points in history experienced by individuals? As Britain pulls away from Europe great British writers come together to give voice to their innermost feelings. These writers include novelists, writers of books for children, of comic books, humourists, historians, biographers, nature writers, film writers, travel writers, writers young and old and from an extraordinary range of backgrounds. Most are famous perhaps because they have won the Booker or other literary prizes, written bestsellers, changed the face of popular culture or sold millions of records. Others are not yet household names but write with depth of insight and feeling. There is some extraordinary writing i...
'Completely original, raw and warm' Evening Standard Books of the Summer 'Poignant... written with intelligence and tears' Ben Okri 'Nuanced, absorbing and moving... extraordinary' Observer 'Raw, poetic, beautifully formed' Daisy Johnson When Xanthi Barker's father died when she was in her mid twenties, she could make no sense of her grief for a man who had been absent for most of her life. Her father, poet Sebastian Barker, had left Xanthi, her mother and her brother to pursue writing and a new relationship, when Xanthi was a baby. Growing up she had always struggled to reconcile his extravagant affection - a rocking horse crafted from scavenged wood, the endless stream of poems and drawing...
‘Funny, emotional and deeply inspiring, this is perfect for anyone wanting to break out of their comfort zone’ Heat What would happen if a shy introvert lived as an out-and-out extrovert for one year? Jessica Pan is about to find out... * When she found herself jobless and friendless, sitting in the familiar Jess-shaped crease on her sofa, she couldn't help but wonder what life might have looked like if she had been a little more open to new experiences and new people, a little less attached to going home instead of going to the pub. So, she made a vow: to push herself to live the life of an extrovert for a year. She wrote a list: improv, a solo holiday and... talking to strangers on the...