Products
Long Distance, Aysegul Savas ( paperback July 2025)
£14.99
Acclaimed author of The Anthropologists Aysegül Savas’s acute and tender first collection explores the distances we keep, and those we try to close, in the age of connectivity. A researcher abroad in Rome eagerly awaits a visit from her long distance lover, only to find he is not the same man she remembers. An expat meets a childhood friend on a layover and is dismayed by her unexpected contentment.
A newly pregnant woman considers the taboo of sharing the news too soon, but can't resist when an opportunity comes to patch up a damaged friendship. Long Distance showcases Savas's devastating talent for the short story. Her shrewd encapsulations of contemporary life often centre on characters displaced more by choice than circumstance, characters both determined to install themselves in new lives and preoccupied with the people they've left behind.
‘Don’t be deceived by Savas’s cool, matter-of-fact tone – beneath it lie layers of wisdom, delicacy and subtlety’ Guardian ‘An exceptionally elegant, intelligent, and original writer’ Sigrid Nunez
Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner ( paperback May 2025)
£9.99
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 Forms ,Claire Adam ( hardback June 2025)
£16.99
In the heart-aching new novel from the author of the award-winning Golden Child, a mother searches for the daughter she left behind a lifetime ago. Trinidad, 1980: Dawn Bishop, aged 16, leaves her home and journeys across the sea to Venezuela.
There, she gives birth to a baby girl, and leaves her with nuns to be given up for adoption. Dawn tries to carry on with her life - a move to England, a marriage, a career, two sons, a divorce - but through it all, she still thinks of the child she had in Venezuela, and of what might have been. Then, forty years later, a woman from an internet forum gets in touch.
She says that she might be Dawn's long-lost daughter, stirring up a complicated mix of feelings: could this be the person to give form to all the love and care a mother has left to offer?
'Reads like a Claire Keegan short story expanded by Elizabeth Strout.'JOHANNA THOMAS-CORR.
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+.
MagicBorn, Peter Bunzl ( paperback, May 2022)
£7.99
First in a new trilogy from Peter Bunzl ( Cogheart, Moonlocket)
The Curse is changed. You'll never know. The truth is lost.
The lie will grow. The year is 1726 and the Royal Sorcerer of England is on the hunt for those who are Magicborn. When Tempest is captured, she is taken to Kensington Palace alongside a boy like her, Thomas.
Trapped, Tempest and Thomas find their magic flickering to life and, with it, long-buried memories. For they are the lost prince and princess of Fairyland, bound by a deadly curse. But now the fairies are coming to get them, and with the truth revealed...can they both survive? The first in a sumptuous and enthralling new historical-fantasy adventure series from the bestselling author of The Cogheart Adventures.
Magpie, Elizabeth Day ( paperback April 2022)
£8.99
When Marisa meets Jake, everything falls into place. But then their new lodger Kate arrives. Something isn't right about her.It's the way she looks at Jake, keeps her toothbrush right next to theirs and constantly asks questions about the baby they are trying for. Or maybe it's all in Marisa's head. That's what Jake thinks.
And she trusts him, doesn't she? But Marisa knows something is wrong, and she is determined to find out why, even if it costs her everything. 'A very elegant, tense, literary thriller full of misdirection, unreliable witnesses, motherhood, madness, rage, and the most heart-breaking account of infertility I've read.'SARAH VAUGHAN, AUTHOR OF ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL '
Make Tracks : Building Site, Johnny Dyrander ( board book June 2023)
£7.99
Get to know things that go in these action-packed board books featuring sliding counters. Discover different building site vehicles in this series of interactive board books with easy-to-use moving parts. Learn vehicle vocabulary with simple first words, clear diagrams and helpful text prompts to encourage discussion. Then trace the transport around different tracks with a moving counter on every spread and the cover.The perfect book for children who love diggers and dump trucks - and being in the driving seat! Other titles in the series include: Farm
Making Sense of A United Ireland, Brendan O’Leary ( paperback May 2024)
£10.99
Will Ireland really reunite?A century ago the resolution to Ireland’s long struggle for independence was a settlement that saw six of its northern counties remain in the United Kingdom while the other twenty-six formed the new Republic of Ireland. Since partition the unification of the two parts of the island has seemed impossible, particularly because of the bloody legacy of past conflict. However, by 2030, if not sooner, demographic and electoral advantages of Ulster unionists, who wish to remain part of the UK, will be over.
And in the light of Brexit, the rising popularity of the Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin, political developments both sides of the border, and within Great Britain, Irish unification referendums will become increasingly likely. Yet even those who want these to happen are not prepared. Making Sense of a United Ireland is a landmark exploration of this most contentious of issues.
Distinguished political scientist Brendan O'Leary - a global expert on divided places, who has been profoundly engaged with the Irish question for nearly four decades - argues that the time to consider the future of the island of Ireland is now. 'The first comprehensive manual of Irish unification' Irish Times‘Several books have been written about this subject . .
. for sheer intellectual firepower O’Leary wins first prize’ Business Post 'A tour de force' Globe and Mail'A must-read for anyone who lives in Northern Ireland and thinks seriously about its future. [O'Leary has] thought through the implications of possible unity so deeply it would be foolish for anyone who seeks it or opposes it to ignore his book' Cathal Mac Coille
Manifesto, Bernardine Evaristo ( Paperback 2022)
£10.99
The powerful, urgent manifesto on never giving up from Booker prize-winning trailblazer, Bernardine Evaristo. In 2019, Bernardine Evaristo became the first black woman to win the Booker Prize since its inception fifty years earlier - a revolutionary landmark for Britain. Her journey was a long one, but she made it, and she made history. Manifesto is her intimate and fearless account of how she did it.From a childhood steeped in racism from neighbours, priests and even some white members of her own family, to discovering the arts through her local youth theatre; from stuffing her belongings into bin bags, always on the move between temporary homes, to exploring many romantic partners both toxic and loving, male and female, and eventually finding her soulmate; from setting up Britain's first theatre company for Black women in the eighties to growing into the trailblazing writer, theatre-maker, teacher, mentor and activist we see today - Bernardine charts her rebellion against the mainstream and her life-long commitment to community and creativity. And, through the prism of her extraordinary experiences, she offers vital insights into the nature of race, class, feminism, sexuality and ageing in modern Britain. Bernardine Evaristo's life story is a manifesto for courage, integrity, optimism, resourcefulness and tenacity.
Bernardine Evaristo is one of Britain's best writers, an iconic and unique voice, filled with warmth, subtlety and humanity.
Mankind vs Microbes, Nizam Damani ( paperback, 2023)
£12.99
Mankind vs Microbes is part memoir, part history lesson in microbiology and infectious diseases. It is a compelling story written by one of the world's leading clinical microbiologists. Born in a poverty-stricken part of Pakistan, the author shares his personal life experience of infectious diseases, from Cholera to Covid, which he and his family members contracted during their lives.
Despite his impoverished background, he pursues his dream of becoming a doctor. The book follows his journey through many struggles in his early life as he beats the odds to become a clinical microbiologist working across three continents and ultimately becoming one of the world's leading experts in infection prevention and control. Alongside the remarkable life story, the origins of each disease are explored utilising historical context and captivating accounts about the individuals who first fought against them.
Scientific achievements and advances in infection prevention are presented in a succinct and engaging manner. The unique format allows the reader to dip in and out of any section, revealing fascinating facts about one man's lifetime commitment to fighting infections and highlighting how microbes have disrupted our lives since the dawn of mankind.
Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, Maddie Mortimer ( paperback March 2023)
£9.99
Lia has only one child, Iris; her magical, awkward, endlessly creative daughter who has just entered the battleground of her teenage years. Lia and Iris have always been close, but there is a war playing out inside Lia's body, too, and everything is about to change. As she confronts what might be the end, memories of her own childhood and a passionate love affair come rushing into her present, unearthing buried secrets and her family's deepest fears.
But Lia hopes: for more time, for more love, for more Iris. Dancing between voices within Lia's body and without, flitting back and forth in time, this sweeping, dazzling story of a life and what it is to let go marks the arrival of an extraordinary novelist. '
- Longlisted for the Booker Prize
- Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize
- Shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year
- Shortlisted for the Goldsmiths Prize
- Longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize
Marnie Midnight and the Mini Beast Mission, Laura Ellen Anderson ( paperback May 2025)
£7.99
The third in a magical illustrated new young fiction series for children aged 7-9 from best-selling author and illustrator, Laura Ellen Anderson! "A hugely imaginative world with stunning illustrations” – Harriet Muncaster, author of Isadora Moon Marnie the little moon-loving moth and her friends are going on a camping trip! Marnie, Floyd and Star snuggle down for a good night’s sleep tucked up inside their leaf sleeping bags. But when they wake up they realise that they are no longer in the meadow … they're inside a HUMAN HOUSE! As the friends search for a way out of the giant house they stumble across all sorts of weird and wonderful things including a very playful cat and a whole swarm of perplexing wasps. Can the friends go on a MINIBEAST MISSION and make it back to school safely…?
Marriage Portrait, Maggie O’Farrell ( paperback JULY 2023)
£9.99
Marriage was her destiny. Now she must survive it. The breathtaking new novel from the bestselling author of Hamnet, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020.
The Marriage Portrait is a dazzling evocation of the Italian Renaissance in all its beauty and brutality.
Winter, 1561. Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner it occurs to Lucrezia that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing her here.
He intends to kill her. Lucrezia is sixteen years old, and has led a sheltered life locked away inside Florence's grandest palazzo. Here, in this remote villa, she is entirely at the mercy of her increasingly erratic husband.
What is Lucrezia to do with this sudden knowledge? What chance does she have against Alfonso, ruler of a province, and a trained soldier? How can she ensure her survival. The Marriage Portrait is an unforgettable reimagining of the life of a young woman whose proximity to power places her in mortal danger.
Martyr! Kaveh Akbar (paperback from 6 Feb 2025)
£9.99
This book is thrilling. It's like watching the novel itself be reinvented' - Ann Patchett, author of Tom Lake'This book vibrates with love of life, beauty and language. I’m in awe...' - Natalie Portman
Cyrus Shams is lost. Ever since his mother’s plane was senselessly shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby, Cyrus has been grappling with her death. Now, newly sober, he is set to learn the truth of her life. When an encounter with a dying artist leads Cyrus towards the mysteries of his past – an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as an Angel of Death, a haunting work of art by an exiled painter – he finds himself once again caught up in the story of his mother, who may not have been who or what she seemed.
As Cyrus searches for meaning in the scattered clues of his life, a final revelation transforms everything he thought he knew. Electrifying, funny, wholly original, and profound, Martyr! was an instant New York Times bestseller w/c 27/1/24
Marzahn Mon Amour, Katja Oskamp ( paperback Feb 2022)
£12.00
A RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME - WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2023
I really enjoyed this quirky little insight into the life of personal service - probably relatable for a range of doctors, therapists and beauty providers. Translated from German.
A woman approaching the 'invisible years' of middle age abandons her failing writing career to retrain as a chiropodist in the suburb of Marzahn, once the GDR's largest prefabricated housing estate, on the outskirts of Berlin. From her intimate vantage point at the foot of the clinic chair, she keenly observes her clients and co-workers, delving into their personal histories with all their quirks and vulnerabilities. Each story stands alone as a beautifully crafted vignette, told with humour and poignancy; together they form a nuanced and tender portrait of a community.
Part memoir, part collective history, Katja Oskamp's love letter to the inhabitants of Marzahn is a stunning reflection on life's progression and our ability to forge connections in the unlikeliest of places.
Master Slave Husband Wife, Ilyon Woo ( paperback May 2024)
£10.99
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR,
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY
The incredible true story of a couple that escaped slavery in the South and eventually made their way to the UK, Africa and beyond. The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as "his" slave. In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in history.
Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North. Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country.
Audiences could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who travelled the country drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionists of the day. But even then, they were not out of danger. With the passage of an infamous new Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, all Americans became accountable for returning refugees like the Crafts to slavery.
Then yet another adventure began, as the Crafts fled to England to embark upon a new life. With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife recounts both a ground-breaking quest for liberty and justice, and an unforgettable love story.
Maurice and Maralyn, Sophie Elmhirst ( hardback May 2024)
£18.99
Maurice and Maralyn : A Whale, a Shipwreck, a Love Story
A Guardian, Observer & Waterstones Nonfiction Book of 2024**'One of those very special books that makes you put everything on hold so you can get back to it' RACHEL JOYCEWhat begins as an eccentric English love story turns into one of the most dramatic adventures ever recorded... Maurice and Maralyn couldn't be more different. He is as cautious and awkward as she is charismatic and forceful.
It seems an unlikely romance, but it works. Bored of 1970s suburban life, Maralyn has an idea: sell the house, build a boat, leave England -- and its oil crisis, industrial strikes and inflation -- forever. It is hard work, turning dreams into reality, but finally they set sail for New Zealand.
Then, halfway there, their beloved boat is struck by a whale and the pair are cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. On their tiny raft, their love is put to the test. When Maurice begins to withdraw into himself, it falls upon Maralyn to keep them both alive.
Filled with danger, spirit, and tenderness, this is a book about human connection and the human condition; about how we survive -- not just at sea, but in life. 'Extraordinary . .
Mavis The Bravest, Lu Fraser (May 2023)
£6.99
An irresistible story about finding the bright spark of braveness inside from the creators of One Camel Called Doug, and the author of award-winning The Littlest Yak. Mavis is not like her adventurous friend Marge. Mavis is a chicken who finds EVERYTHING scary (night-time and daytime and anything hairy!).So when the slumbering peace of their cosy barn is disturbed by someone trying to steal their friend Sandra the sheep, will Mavis be able to find her bright spark of braveness and save Sandra? This adorably warm-hearted story is brimful of humour, reassurance - and two exceedingly courageous chickens!
May All your skies Be Blue, Fiona Scarlet ( paperback 28 August 2025)
£9.99
From the author of the beloved debut Boys Don't Cry - an unforgettable story of love and loss and how the ones we love never really leave us. He's leaning in. I'm leaning in.
'The future is ours to make, Shauns,' he says, lips almost touching. Summer, 1991. Dean: sun-stung and sticky with cool ice-pop juice, walks to the middle of The Green to get a good gawk at the new salon.
And at the owner's kid. Hands deep in his pockets, his jet-black mop of hair hides the tension in his face at the thought of going back home. Shauna: stands well hid behind her ma - her eyes dark and haunted like the rest of her.
The salon is theirs, a fresh start. The smell of her ma's Body Shop perfume clings to her jumper - Shauna can't be anywhere else other than here. Instantly inseparable, their friendship blooms.
But as time passes and tell-tale blushes and school fights develop into something deeper, conflicting responsibilities threaten to pull Shauna and Dean apart. When all seems lost, will they find each other under the same blue sky?
A beautiful, deeply affecting story.' DONAL RYAN'Hugely compelling and utterly persuasive.' JOSEPH O'CONNOR Fíona has a rare talent. For writing, beautiful and sensitively, without resorting to sentimentality.
PAPERBACK FROM END AUGUST 2025
