Products
Light Rains Sometimes Fall : A British Year in Japan's 72 Seasons by Lev Parikian(paperback May 2022)
£9.99
See the British year afresh and experience a new way of connecting with nature - through the prism of Japan's seventy-two ancient microseasons. Across seventy-two short chapters and twelve months, writer and nature lover Lev Parikian charts the changes that each of these ancient microseasons (of a just a few days each) bring to his local patch - garden, streets, park and wild cemetery. From the birth of spring (risshun) in early February to 'the greater cold' (daikan) in late January, Lev draws our eye to the exquisite beauty of the outside world, day-to-day.Instead of Japan's lotus blossom, praying mantis and bear, he watches bramble, woodlouse and urban fox; hawthorn, dragonfly and peregrine. But the seasonal rhythms - and the power of nature to reflect and enhance our mood - remain. By turns reflective, witty and joyous, this is both a nature diary and a revelation of the beauty of the small and subtle changes of the everyday, allowing us to 'look, look again, look better'.
It is perfect gift to read in real time across the British year. ___'A fresh new look at the microseasons of nature's calendar, seen through Lev Parikian's eyes - with his usual humour, attention to detail and beautifully written prose.' Stephen Moss 'Buy this book. Plant it somewhere handy and whenever you're in need of a "spark of joy" pick it up and read a few pages.
Its wit will make you smile. It will transport you to a wilder, gentler, more beautiful world.' Ann Pettifor
Lightning Falls, Amy Wilson ( Paperback August 2021)
£7.99
'Truly the most magical story ... iridescent and lyrical and heartwarming' - Hilary McKay
Lighting Falls is a fantastical story of ghosts and friendship from Amy Wilson, 'the rising star of children's fantasy'. Valerie has been living at Lightning Falls nearly all her life.
She's perfectly happy helping Meg and the rest of the family to haunt the guests who come to stay there at the crumbling Ghost House. One night, she sees a strange boy, Joe, up on the viaduct. There she discovers that beneath the river is a bridge - one that will take her to the world of Orbis, which Joe claims is her real home.
A world that is under threat. Plunged into a dangerous adventure, as the link between the two worlds begins to crumble, Valerie is forced to confront the truth about herself . .
Like A Curse, Elle McNicoll ( paperback Feb 2023)
£7.99
Stuck in Loch Ness while Edinburgh falls under the control of a terrifyingly powerful Siren, Ramya Knox is frustrated. She's supposed to be learning magic from her Aunt Opal, but that isn't going as smoothly as she'd hoped. As she pushes to rescue her Hidden Folk friends in the city, long-buried secrets come to light and legends come to life.
Ramya knows she's different; she knows she's a witch. But now she must learn the true meaning of her powers... before all she loves is lost.
Like a Charm Series : Book 2
See below for Book 1 ( Like A Charm)
Listening Still, Anne Griffin ( paperback March 2022)
£8.99
From the bestselling author of When All is Said comes a delicious new novel about a young woman who can hear the dead - a talent which is both a gift and a curse. Jeanie Masterson has a gift: she can hear the recently dead and give voice to their final wishes and revelations. Inherited from her father, this gift has enabled the family undertakers to flourish in their small Irish town.Yet she has always been uneasy about censoring some of the dead's last messages to the living. Unsure, too, about the choice she made when she left school seventeen years ago: to stay or leave for a new life in London with her charismatic teenage sweetheart. So when Jeanie's parents unexpectedly announce their plan to retire, she is jolted out of her limbo.
In this captivating successor to her bestselling debut, Anne Griffin portrays a young woman who is torn between duty, a comfortable marriage and a role she both loves and hates and her last chance to break free, unaware she has not been alone in softening the truth for a long while.
Literary Jigsaws 1000 pc
£16.99
The World of Jane Austen / Shakespeare/ Dickens is a new 1000 piece puzzle, featuring a wide cast of the author's contemporaries and characters.
Jane Austen ... Hidden amongst the rolling hills of Derbyshire, Hampshire, Lyme Regis and more, you can see Mr Darcy at home in Pemberley, or find Mr Knightly enjoying a stroll around the garden, plus many more familiar characters hidden alongside Austen's peers. Shortlisted for the 2021 Gift of The Year Awards!
Little Bang, Kelly McCaughrain ( paperback Jan 2024)
£8.99
A bittersweet Northern Irish romance that takes a new look at teen pregnancy, the magic and mess of first relationships, and a young woman's right to choose her own future. Beneath the New Year's Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble, but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal.Mel's religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid's feminist mum pushes for a termination. Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her. This story skillfully and sensitively manages the emotional debate over the pro's and con's of babies and abortions, not always predictable, and very relatable. Holly Bourne is a great advocate of young teens reading about difficult issues as a 'safe space' to consider and discuss those issues, this book does a great job in that sphere.
From the author of the award-winning Flying Tips for Flightless Birds. "Kelly McCaughrain is one to watch" Susin Nielsen
Little Cloth Bound Classics ( From Penguin)
£9.99
Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.
Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil. Today, George Orwell is perhaps most famous for his iconic novels - Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm - but in his own time it was his remarkable nonfiction writing which drew most attention.
Kind-hearted, intelligent, often funny, occasionally indignant, always insightful: his essays are some of the best ever written. Among others, this selection includes 'Shooting an Elephant', 'Such, Such Were the Joys' and 'Some Thoughts on the Common Toad'.
Little Eyes, Samanta Schweblin ( paperback Mar 2021)
£8.99
A visionary novel about our interconnected world, about the collision of horror and humanity, from the Man Booker-shortlisted master of the spine-tingling tale ( Mouthful of Birds, Fever Dream)
They're not pets. Not ghosts or robots. These are kentukis, and they are in your home.
They're everywhere. They're watching you... They've infiltrated apartments in Hong Kong, shops in Vancouver, the streets of Sierra Leone, town squares of Oaxaca, schools in Tel Aviv, bedrooms in Indiana.
Anonymous and untraceable, these seemingly cute cuddly toys reveal the beauty of connection between far-flung souls - but they also expose the ugly truth of our interconnected society. Samanta Schweblin's wildly imaginative new novel pulls us into a dark and complex world of unexpected love, playful encounters and marvellous adventures. But beneath the cuddly exterior, kentukis conceal a truth that is unsettlingly familiar and exhilaratingly real.
Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng ( paperback)
£8.99
As dramatised by Reese Witherspoon on Amazon Prime...
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
Little Robin Red Vest, Jan Fearnley ( paperback Sept 23)
£7.99
Celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Little Robin Red Vest with this deluxe edition of the bestselling picture book classic. One frosty evening, a week before Christmas, Little Robin washes and irons seven warm vests for the chilly nights to come. As the days go by, he comes across lots of cold and shivering animals, and kindly offers them his vests to wear.But - oh no! - on Christmas Eve, Little Robin is cold and all alone with no vests left! That is, until Father Christmas arrives to reward his kindness and generosity with a perfect little red vest . . .
which is just how a robin got his red breast! Now 25 years old, this much loved tale about the true meaning of Christmas remains the perfect festive bedtime story. From acclaimed children's author, Jan Fearnley, creator of Mr Wolf's Pancakes. Every Nosy Crow paperback picture book comes with a free 'Stories Aloud' audio recording - just scan the QR code and listen along!
Little White Lies / Deadly Little Scandals ( Paperback Jan 2024, Jennifer Lynn Barnes)
£8.99
Welcome to the page-turning, twisty, gasp-inducing world of the Debutantes - an addictive YA mystery duology from the author of #1 bestselling, TikTok sensation INHERITANCE GAMES series. 'A plot twist every twenty pages . .. Barnes is at her page-turning best.' E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars A six-figure offer.
A family mystery to solve. A town of buried secrets. When Auto mechanic Sawyer Taft's estranged grandmother offers her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season, Sawyer's first instinct is to run a mile.
But then she realizes her grandmother's offer might mean solving the biggest mystery of her life - her father's identity. So she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses and even bigger egos. .
. However, Sawyer doesn't expect to find a group of fellow debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own and soon it's clear that the truth about her father is just one of the shocking secrets buried deep in this high-society world . .
. And no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. Shocking twists, family secrets, a fish-out-of water protagonist and a page-turning mystery combine in Little White Lies and Deadly Little Scandals (The Debutantes Duology) - perfect for fans coming from THE INHERITANCE GAMES series looking for their next addictive read from the Master of YA Mysteries, Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Little Wing, Freya North (paperback Sept 2022)
£8.99
Florence Lawson, a 16-year-old schoolgirl who dreams of being an artist, finds herself pregnant and banished to one of the most remote parts of the UK. 1986. Dougie Munro, searching for adventure, leaves the Isle of Harris - the island of his birth - for art college and a career in London as a photographer.2005. Nell Hartley, content with her life managing a care-in-the-community cafe in Colchester, discovers a shocking truth about her family. Between the sprawl of London, suburban Essex, and the wild, unpredictable Outer Hebrides, three lives collide and interweave as questions are asked and secrets surface.
What happened to Florence? Why is Dougie now so reluctant to return home? How can Nell make peace with the lies she's been told?Little Wing is a novel about resilience, forgiveness and the true meaning of family, about finding one's place in the world and discovering how we all belong somewhere and to someone.
Living the Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron ( paperback Jan 2024)
£18.99
LIVING THE ARTIST'S WAY is a Six-Week Artist's Way Program that explores the fourth essential Artist's Way tool of guidance. Bestselling author Julia Cameron has inspired millions through creative recovery with her essential tools including Morning Pages, Artist Dates, Walks, and now, Writing for Guidance. Through the practice of morning rituals and the faith of listening, Julia takes us further and shows how we can set the stage to receive guidance in both our lives and creative art.Writing about how she uses these tools to handle doubts in her life, Living the Artist's Way reveals a personal side and shares Julia's pathway toward a happier, lighter life. Grounding and reassuring, guidance can quell our doubts and fears, and lead us to our inner wisdom and authentic selves. Living the Artist's Way is an invitation to seek the answers to navigate all areas of our lives, by tapping into our own wisdom and ultimately, guiding ourselves back to creativity.
Living with Ghosts : The Inside Story from a 'Troubles' Mind by Brian Rowan ( large paperback Sept 2022)
£16.99
Brian Rowan is a former BBC correspondent in Belfast. Since the late 1980s, he has reported on all the major developments on Northern Ireland’s journey from war to peace; stories he has told using a range of sources – IRA, loyalist, police, military, intelligence, political, Church and others. Rowan left the BBC in 2005, the year the IRA ended its armed campaign. Four times he has been a category winner in the Northern Ireland Press and Broadcast awards, including twice as Specialist Journalist of the Year. Living With Ghosts is his seventh book.
For many of us who have lived through the troubles, the past is something we’ve tried to forget, move on from, suppress. But it’s still there in our politics, in our sense of who we are and where we are going. I have long respected Brian Rowan’s work and enjoyed this book which explores the unreported world of the troubles; the secrets, the corruption, the lies, and the struggles. Brian argues that we cannot create a seamless narrative of the past, a full and agreed account of the past is not achievable, but, as he argues in the chapter on amnesty, there is a way out of it, albeit messy and never complete. We will never know the whole story but books like these help.
Lola in Belfast, Pallavi Padma-Uday ( hardback, May 2024)
£10.00
The second collection, again as beautifully produced as before, from Belfast based and Indian born Pallavi Padma- Uday.
With a foreword by Nandi Jola.
Pallavi's poems touch on both cultures, and the absolute universalities of life as a woman, of illness, and love, and home.
Lonely Castle In The Mirror, Mizuki Tsujimura (paperback Sept 2022)
£9.99
For fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, fairy tale and magic are weaved together in sparse language that belies a flooring emotional punch. 'Strange and beautiful. Imagine the offspring of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with The Virgin Suicides' GUARDIAN
Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami.
Would you share your deepest secrets to save a friend? In a tranquil neighbourhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining. At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle filled with winding stairways, watchful portraits and twinkling chandeliers. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish.
But there's a catch: if they don't leave the castle by five o'clock, they will be punished. As time passes, a devastating truth emerges: only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved. Tender, playful, gripping, LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR is a mesmerizing tale about the importance of reaching out, confronting anxiety and embracing human connection.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore ( paperback 31 Dec 2020)
£8.99
SELECTED BY BARACK OBAMA AS ONE OF HIS BEST BOOKS OF 2020
Once inseparable, sisters Mickey and Kacey are on different paths, but they walk the same streets. Mickey on her police beat and Kacey in the shadows of the city's darkest corners where the drug addicts and sex workers preside.
When a string of murders coincides with Kacey's disappearance, Mickey is terrified her sister could be next. But in a community where death and murder is rife, will Mickey be able to save her sister before it's too late?
A remarkable, profoundly moving novel about the ties that bind and the irrevocable wounds of childhood. It's also a riveting mystery, perfectly paced.
Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner ( hardback July 2024)
£20.00
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Fleishman Is in Trouble comes a darkly exhilarating novel about an American family and its inheritance - the safety and wealth that they fought for, and the precarity of their survival that is their legacy. In 1980, a wealthy businessman named Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway in the nicest part of the nicest part of Long Island.
He is brutalised, held for ransom and then returned to his family. Miraculously, Carl, his wife and his three kids are left to move on with their lives, and resume their prized places in the ongoing saga of the American dream. But nearly forty years later, when Carl's mother dies, the trauma that has been bubbling beneath the Fletchers' lives all this time surfaces at last.
It becomes apparent that Carl has been quietly pursuing closure to the kidnapping for all these years, and his wife and children must face that the money that they believed bought them safety was actually never capable of doing any such thing. Long Island Compromise spans generations, winding through decades of history all the way through to the wild present, dealing along the way with all the mainstays of American Jewish life and the timeless questions about wealth, trauma, and the American soul.
Too many good reviews to copy!
Look Here : On the Pleasures of Observing the City, Ana Kinsella I paperback July 2022)
£9.99
This is a book about the joy of city life. The joy that comes from chance encounters, unexpected sights and sounds, glimmers of beauty flashing out from the grey and the rush of the everyday. The mix of people, shoulder to shoulder, sunbathing in parks, having a coffee, jumping on a bus, daydreaming on a bench. From this thrum of activity and these private spots of solitude, inspiration, emotion and memory are drawn.
Exploring the delight to be found in everyday interactions and chance observations, Look Here charts an affecting map of London, navigating ideas of anonymity and identity, freedom, ownership and community, while reflecting on whether the carousel of clothing we see on those around us holds some deeper meaning.
Wherever she goes, Irish born Ana Kinsella looks around her with a keen eye for small, illuminating details, and a love for variety and emotional connection. Look Here is a gorgeous, layered portrait of a city and its people, a book that urges us to slow down, look closer and find beauty.
Look! It’s a Woman Writer! Edited By Eilis Ni Dhuibhne (paperback, April 2021)
£30.00
This is a scholarly and yet intensely readable book. It takes female writers who were largely born in the 1950's and asks each one to reflect on her experience of being published, read and taken seriously as a writer in Ireland. The vast majority of these women do so, against a backdrop of raising families, holding down 'proper' jobs and generally swimming against the tide of what is expected from them. I found it inspiring, and humbling. In the words of Mark Twain, many of us might say "I'm writing a novel" to which his sharp reply was "Neither am I". These pioneers demonstrated through sheer will and dedication , to actually follow through. Some are more personal, some more academic, but an essential read for anyone interested in gender studies, writing in Ireland and creative endeavour.
Lords of the Desert : Britain's Struggle with America to Dominate the Middle East, James Barr ( 2019)
£9.99
Upon victory in 1945, Britain still dominated the Middle East. But her motives for wanting to dominate this crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa were changing. Where 'imperial security' - control of the route to India - had once been paramount, now oil was an increasingly important factor.So, too, was prestige. Ironically, the very end of empire made control of the Middle East precious in itself: on it hung Britain's claim to be a great power. Unable to withstand Arab and Jewish nationalism, within a generation the British were gone.
But that is not the full story. What ultimately sped Britain on her way was the uncompromising attitude of the United States, which was determined to displace the British in the Middle East. Using newly declassified records and long-forgotten memoirs, including the diaries of a key British spy, James Barr tears up the conventional interpretation of this era in the Middle East, vividly portraying the tensions between London and Washington, and shedding an uncompromising light on the murkier activities of a generation of American and British diehards in the region, from the battle of El Alamein in 1942 to Britain's abandonment of Aden in 1967.
Reminding us that the Middle East has always served as the arena for great power conflict, this is the tale of an internecine struggle in which Britain would discover that her most formidable rival was the ally she had assumed would be her closest friend.
Lost Whale, Hannah Gold ( paperback Feb 2023)
£7.99
The enchanting second novel from the author of The Last Bear: the bestselling debut hardback of 2021.
Rio has been sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California, while his mum is in hospital. All Rio wants is for Mum to get better so he can return home. But everything changes when he joins a whale-watching trip and meets White Beak, a gentle giant of the sea.
Rio forms an instant bond with the whale, and for the first time in ages he feels a spark of hope. Then White Beak goes missing and Rio may be the only person who can help. Can Rio draw on their special connection to somehow find and save his whale .
For readers 8 +
LOST, by Mariajo Ilustrajo (hardback Jan 2023)
£12.99
A new book from award-winning illustrator Mariajo Ilustrajo, Lost is the story of a polar bear who finds himself lost, in a big concrete city. He politely asks the city folk for help but everyone is much too busy and impatient to help the newcomer. He finds himself travelling on the subway only to be noticed, finally by a little girl.The girl takes the homesick bear by the paw and under her innocent wing. Under the nose of her seemingly unaware mum, she feeds him dinner, gives him a bath and they read stories together. When the polar bear wistfully looks at a poster of the North Pole on her bedroom wall, the little girl realises that her friend needs help to get home.
This is a story about the power friendship has to help you feel found, and even to transport you home.
Lottie Brook's Essential Guide to Life, by Katie Kirby ( paperback Oct 24)
£7.99
From hilarious MEGA-bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new Lottie Brooks book with a twist! Hi, Lottie Brooks here! I’ve just found out that you’ve all been reading about my most EMBARRASSING moments for years . . .
it’s meant to be my TOTALLY SECRET PRIVATE DIARY!!Seems like it’s only fair then that it’s YOUR TURN! Lottie has been sharing her most cringe-inducing moments for years, and this book sums up all of Lottie’s knowledge and wisdom for a totally ESSENTIAL guide to life. Lottie and her friends are here to help you through those tweenage years with their best advice on school, friendship, crushes and, most importantly, SNACKS. Filled with BRAND-NEW stories and Lottie inspired activities, plus space for you to write and draw as well, grab a pen (and maybe a KitKat Chunky, for energy) and get ready to learn from Lottie!What will you find inside:Tips and advice from LottieHilarious activities including Would you Rather, design your Drink of Dreams, list your top snacks, quizzes and more!Space to write and illustrate your very own diaryTakeovers from Jess and AmberMum’s guidance on the ‘Amazing Journey to Womanhood’ (hmm, actually you might want to skip that page)
Louise Mulgrew cards
£3.50
Louise Mulgrew Designs is a Brighton based father and daughter team. Louise has been creating her quirky and warm hearted cards for three years now and the company is winning awards and selling throughout Europe already.
Each card is 6 x 6 “ and costs £3.50
Minimum order of 3 cards per despatch. Approximate cost of postage is £1.20 for 3 cards. Postage charges will be calculated at cost and added to the credit card charge.
Love After Love, Ingrid Persaud (paperback, Jan 2021)
£9.99
WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2020
Meet the Ramdin-Chetan family: forged through loneliness, broken by secrets, saved by love. Irrepressible Betty Ramdin, her shy son Solo and their marvellous lodger, Mr Chetan, form an unconventional household.
Happy in their differences, they build a home together. Home: the place keeping these three safe from an increasingly dangerous world - until the night when a glass of rum, a heart to heart and a terrible truth explodes the family unit, driving them apart. Brave and brilliant, steeped in affection, Love After Love offers hope to anyone who has loved and lost and has yet to find their way back.
Love in a Time of Hate : Art and Passion in the Shadow of War, 1929-39 by Florian Illies
£10.99
1930s Europe - as the Roaring Twenties wind down and the world rumbles towards war, the great minds of the time have other concerns. Jean-Paul Sartre waits anxiously in a Parisian café for his first date with no-show Simone de Beauvoir. Marlene Dietrich slips from her loveless marriage into the dive bars of Berlin.Father and son Thomas and Klaus Mann clash over each other's homosexuality. And Vladimir Nabokov lovingly places a fresh-caught butterfly at the end of Verá's bed. Little do they all know, the book burning will soon begin.
Love in a Time of Hate skilfully interweaves some of the greatest love stories of the 1930s with the darkening backdrop of fascism in Europe, in an irresistible journey into the past that brings history and its actors to vivid life. Original and absorbing.
Love in Five Acts, Daniela Klein ( paperback April 2022)
£8.99
An intelligent study of female desire, ambition and frailty" Observer
Bookseller Paula has lost a child, and a husband. Where will she find her happiness? Fiercely independent Judith thinks more of horses than men, but that doesn't stop her looking for love online. Brida is a writer with no time to write, until she faces a choice between her work and her family.
Abandoned by the "perfect" man, Malika struggles for recognition from her parents. Her sister Jorinde, an actor, is pregnant for a third time, but how can she provide for her family alone? Love in Five Acts explores what is left to five women when they have fulfilled their roles as wives, mothers, friends, lovers, sisters and daughters. As teenagers they experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall, but freedom brings with it another form of pressure: the pressure of choice.
Punchy and entirely of the moment, Love in Five Acts engages head-on with what it is to be a woman in the twenty-first century. Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch.
Love is Blind, by William Boyd (paperback May 2019)
£9.99
A real treat for the many fans of William Boyd. A rich story of the talented piano tuner Brodie Moncur, who escapes a suffocating family life in the Scottish Borders and heads off to Paris for adventure in the late 19th century.
Around the turn of the twentieth century young pianist Brodie Moncur quits Edinburgh's slate skies for the lights of Paris, his preacher father's words of denunciation ringing in his ears. There he joins forces with the fiery Irish virtuoso John Kilbarron and together the pair take Europe by storm. But when he falls for Kilbarron's lover - the mesmerizing Russian soprano Lika Blum - Brodie quickly realizes that the tide has turned and he must flee across a continent, haunted by his love for Lika, and pursued by the vengeful wrath of his rival.
A perfect mix of historical context, immersive narrative and engaging prose. William Boyd is a master !
Love Is in the Little Things, Jane Massey ( paperback Jan 2025)
£7.99
A celebration of all the little ways we show our love from the talented Jane Massey. Love is in the little things. A kiss, a smile, a cup of tea.
Just me and you sitting quietly. A song, a hug, a helping handthat lifts us up so we can stand. Join Big and Small as they journey through the moments that make a relationship - from blowing bubbles in the bath, to saying 'sorry'.
This charming picture book is the ideal gift for parents welcoming home a new baby or to share with a loved one on a special occasion. Perfect for fans of I'm Sticking with You by Smriti Halls and Steve Small, I Love You to the Moon and Back by Amelia Hepworth and Tim Warnes, and I Love You When You're Angry by Erin Winters and Kaitin Bucher.
Love Marriage, Monica Ali ( paperback 2 Feb 2023)
£9.99
TWO CULTURES. TWO FAMILIES. TWO PEOPLE.
The new novel from the bestselling, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of BRICK LANE
Yasmin Ghorami has a lot to be grateful for: a loving family, a fledgling career in medicine, and a charming, handsome fiancee, fellow doctor Joe Sangster. But as the wedding day draws closer and Yasmin's parents get to know Joe's firebrand feminist mother, both families must confront the unravelling of long-held secrets, lies and betrayals. As Yasmin dismantles her own assumptions about the people she holds most dear, she's also forced to ask herself what she really wants in a relationship and what a 'love marriage' actually means.
Love Marriage is a story about who we are and how we love in today's Britain - with all the complications and contradictions of life, desire, marriage and family. What starts as a captivating social comedy develops into a heart-breaking and gripping story of two cultures, two families and two people trying to understand one another. 'Ali's wit and insight illuminate the complications of modern love in Britain today.
Love, Politics and Possibly Murder, Jane Ions ( paperback Sept 2022)
£9.99
Jane Ions is such a naturally, genuinely funny writer. I hugely enjoyed her first book 'Domestic Bliss and Other Disasters' ( avialable to order below ) and this sequel, about the same crazy family, was just as good if not better. The central narrator, Sally, is so endearing as she tries to maintain dignity and control but her circumstances - unreasonable friends, a politician husband she hardly sees, a houseful of guests that gets added to just like that - militate against this. Some super narrative hooks at the beginning - Jen's confession that she MAY have murdered her husband, Sally's indiscreet revelations about 10 Downing Street shenanigans in a letter that has 'disappeared', and a growing attachment to Max at her history course - really kept me reading, but the strength of the writing itself did the same.
I loved your book which brightened up my life no end. I laughed out loud so hard that I frightened the cat. I think you are a wonderful writer. So few books that say they are funny actually are and yours is magnificent.' Cathy Rentzenbrink
Published by Bluemoose Books, one of my favourite small publishers. Watch out for their stuff!
Loved and Missed, Susie Boyt ( Paperback August 2022)
£9.99
Susie Boyt writes with a mordant wit and vivid style, which are at their best in Loved and Missed.
When your beloved daughter is lost in the fog of addiction and you make off with her baby in order to save the day, can willpower and a daring creative zeal carry you through?
Examining the limits, disappointments and excesses of love in all its forms, this marvellously absorbing novel, full of insight and compassion, delights as much as it disturbs. ~'She takes the study of love into uncharted territory and every sentence has its depth and pleasure' Linda Grant 'I am so moved: it carries a huge emotional power... I ache for them all'
If you enjoy an emotional read such as A Little Life, you will enjoy this.
Lucy By The Sea (paperback Sept 23)
£9.99
In March 2020 Lucy's ex-husband William pleads with her to leave New York and escape to a coastal house he has rented in Maine. Lucy reluctantly agrees, leaving the washing-up in the sink, expecting to be back in a week or two. Weeks turn into months, and it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the sea.
Rich with empathy and a searing clarity, Lucy by the Sea evokes the fragility and uncertainty of the recent past, as well as the possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this miraculous novel are the deep human connections that sustain us, even as the world seems to be falling apart. 'A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own' Hilary Mantel
Also available : the two 'prequels' with the same characters : My Name is Lucy Barton, and Oh William!
Luna and the Sky Dragon, Bethan Woollvin ( paperback June 2023)
£7.99
An inspiring story perfect for little stargazers. Luna loves the sky and finding out about all the wonders she can see above her. But the villagers can't stop worrying about the mythical Sky Dragon - a fearsome creature who is said to dwell in the sky.Can Luna share her love of the sky and show the villagers that the Sky Dragon is nothing to be afraid of?Featuring real constellations as well as facts about the milky way, eclipses, comets and other astronomical delights. Luna and the Sky Dragon is a warm and playful story with lots to learn and talk about
Luna Loves Dance ( children's picture book July 2022)
£7.99
Discover the joy of dancing and the importance of family, whatever your culture, ability or style with Luna, by award-winning Waterstones Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho, the third book in the Luna Loves... series. When Luna dances, she feels like the world's volume turns up, like all colours brighten, like sunlight sparkles behind every cloud.But when she takes her dance exam she ducks, dives, spins and... falls. Luna thinks she can't be a real dancer now.
Can Luna's family convince her otherwise? Celebrate every culture and every style of dance with Luna, featuring a glorious fold out carnival page.
Macmillan Collector’s Library
£9.99
We stock a comprehensive range of the Macmillan hardback classics, beautifully illustrated with quality fly leaf covers and ribbon bookmark.
Please ask if the title you are looking for exists in this format.
Mad About Shakespeare, Jonathan Bate ( paperback April 2023)
£10.99
Mad about Shakespeare : Life Lessons from the Bard
A luminous new exploration of Shakespeare and how his themes can untangle comedy and tragedy, learning and loving in our modern lives. 'The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.' How does one survive the death of a loved one, the mess of war, the experience of being schooled, of falling in love, of growing old, of losing your mind? Shakespeare's world is never too far different from our own 'permeated with the same tragedies, the same existential questions and domestic worries. In this extraordinary book, Jonathan Bate brings then and now together.
He investigates moments of his own life - losses and challenges - and asks whether, if you persevere with Shakespeare, he can offer a word of wisdom or a human insight for any time or any crisis.
This is a personal story about loss, the black dog of depression, unexpected journeys and the very human things that echo through time, resonating with us all at one point or another.
Madame Matisse, Sophie Haydock ( hardback April 2025)
£18.99
This is the story of three women - one an orphan and refugee who finds a place in the studio of a famous French artist, the other a wife and mother who has stood by her husband for nearly forty years.
The third is his daughter, caught in the crossfire between her mother and a father she adores. Amelie is first drawn to Henri Matisse as a way of escaping the conventional life expected of her. A free spirit, she sees in this budding young artist a glorious future for them both.
Ambitious and driven, she gives everything for her husband's art, ploughing her own desires, her time, her money into sustaining them both, even through years of struggle and disappointment. Lydia Delectorskaya is a young Russian emigree, who fled her homeland following the death of her mother. After a fractured childhood, she is trying to make a place for herself on France's golden Riviera, amid the artists, film stars and dazzling elite.
Eventually she finds employment with the Matisse family. From this point on, their lives are set on a collision course.... Marguerite is Matisse's eldest daughter.
When the life of her family implodes, she must find her own way to make her mark and to navigate divided loyalties. Based on a true story, Madame Matisse is a stunning novel about drama and betrayal; emotion and sex; glamour and tragedy, all set in the hotbed of the 1930s art movement in France. In art, as in life, this a time when the rules were made to be broken...
Maggie Sparks and the Truth Dragon ( paperback, 2022)
£6.99
Maggie Sparks is NOT telling the truth!Well, not now after everyone believed her lying cousin Ella over her, landing Maggie in BIG trouble. But the more lies Maggie tells, the more chaos they cause and the less Arthur wants to be friends with her. Luckily, Maggie’s a super powerful, super smart, super talented witch.
She’s determined to use her powers to put things right again, ace her school project and win back Arthur’s friendship. All she needs is a little magic …About the Maggie Sparks series:Step into the magical world of Maggie Sparks: the mischievous little witch who turns every day into an adventure. Join Maggie as she learns how to tackle school, make friends and most confusing of all: understand her emotions – when she’s not facing dragons and meeting aliens, that is! Perfect to bridge the gap between Isadora Moon and Amelia Fang for young readers aged 5+.
