Products
Falling Animals, Sheila Armstrong ( Paperback from July 2024)
£14.99
'Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book.' Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong's debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspensefulOn an isolated beach set against a lonely, windswept coastline, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap, his ankles are crossed and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face.
Months later, after a fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave. But the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake. From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.
Told through a chorus of voices, Falling Animals follows the crosshatching threads of lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present. Slowly, over great time and distance, the story of one man, alone on a beach, begins to unravel. Elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting, Sheila Armstrong's debut novel marks her arrival as one of the most uniquely gifted writers at work in literary fiction today.
Paperback from May 2024
Family of Liars, E Lockhart ( paperback May 2023)
£8.99
The thrilling prequel to the TikTok phenomenon and #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Liars takes readers back to the story of another summer, another generation, and the secrets that will haunt them for decades to come. A windswept private island off the coast of Massachusetts. A hungry ocean, churning with secrets and sorrow.A fiery, addicted heiress. An irresistible, unpredictable boy. A summer of unforgivable betrayal and terrible mistakes.
Welcome back to the Sinclair family. They were always liars. SPOILER ALERT! Read We Were Liars first.
(No word of a lie, it's better that way ...)
Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl ( paperback )
£7.99
On a hill above the valley there was a wood. In the wood there was a huge tree. Under the tree there was a hole.
In the hole lived Mr Fox and Mrs Fox and their four Small Foxes. . .
"Mr Fox is a very clever fox - every evening he creeps down into the valley and helps himself to food from the nearby farms. Chickens from Farmer Boggis, ducks and geese from Farmer Bunce, and turkeys from Farmer Bean. But now the farmers have had enough, and together they hatch a plan to get rid of Mr Fox for good!But what they don't know is Mr Fox has some help, and a fantastic escape plan of his own...
The text in this edition of Fantastic Mr Fox was updated in 2022 for young independent readers. A great way of reading to your younger child, engaging their love of language, and encouraging independent reading.
note that from 2020-2023 Dahl has come in for some criticism for some of his language being dated in terms of race or gender bias. These texts have been slightly amended in line with current sensitivities
Farewell to the Horse : The Final Century of Our Relationship, by Ulrich Raulff (2018)
£12.99
THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
A beautiful and thoughtful exploration of the role of the horse in creating our world' James Rebanks'
For millennia horses provided the strength and speed that humans lacked. How we travelled, farmed and fought was dictated by the needs of this extraordinary animal. And then, suddenly, in the 20th century the links were broken and the millions of horses that shared our existence almost vanished, eking out a marginal existence on race-tracks and pony clubs.
Farewell to the Horse is an engaging, brilliantly written and moving discussion of what horses once meant to us. Cities, farmland, entire industries were once shaped as much by the needs of horses as humans. The intervention of horses was fundamental in countless historical events.
A well researched, entertaining book for anyone with an interest in the horse.
Feather, MG Leonard ( paperback Feb 2024)
£7.99
The final unputdownable adventure in the bestselling birdwatching detective series from the internationally acclaimed author of Beetle Boy and Adventures on Trains, wildlife queen M.G. Leonard. On a school trip to the Royal Swan Natural History Museum, Ava finds herself at the centre of a heist: hundreds of invaluable bird of paradise skins from the Alfred Wallace Collection have been stolen! When she discovers a large jet-black feather, she's sure it's a clue, but the police won't listen to her.Slipping away, she takes the case to the Twitchers in an investigation that leads them to the bizarre and sinister world of fly-fishing, and to a mysterious girl with a pet Raven called Caliban and a dangerous ring of thieves and smugglers... Feather is an exciting winter mystery adventure about friendship, bravery and protecting nature, perfect for readers 9+ and for fans of Robin Stevens, Lauren St John and Jenny Pearson. It can be enjoyed as a stand-alone adventure or read as part of The Twitchers series.
Praise for The Twitchers:“Leonard knows her audience and the jeopardy comes in flocks ... Find your nest, curl up and enjoy.†The Times, Children's Book of the Week on Twitch"A twist-laden, thriller-like tale of a bird-mad boy, some bullies and an escaped convict hiding in the nearby woods."
FIA and the Last Snow Deer (hardback Sept 2024)
£14.99
An Post Irish Book Award 2024 WINNER
Born under the same solstice sky thirteen years ago, Fia and her snow deer Solas have always had a powerful and unbreakable connection. But as Fia's village face a seemingly eternal winter, they turn their sights to Solas and an ancient prophecy that promises the return of sunlight and life, if the ultimate sacrifice is made . .
Refusing to allow the worst to happen, Fia and her cousin Mish run from the village with Solas, seeking out the Deer Mother - the mythical being who wakes the sun at the winter solstice and who might be their only hope. But the wilderness is harsh and shadows lurk at every turn.
Can they make it to the Deer Mother? And, if they do, what choices will Fia face to bring back the sun and save her village?A powerful and beautiful tale set in snowy pre-historic Ireland, about hope, kindness and the power of friendship, from exceptional new writing talent, Eilish Fisher, brought to life with stunning illustrations from Dermot Flynn.
'Tender, hopeful and thrillingly wild' Abi Elphinstone, bestselling author of Sky Song'A beautiful, lyrical read full of love, hardship and hope . .. I cannot recommend this book highly enough'
Fifteen Wild Decembers, Karen Powell ( paperback Sept 2023)
£14.99
Isolated from society, Emily Bronte and her siblings spend their days inventing elaborate fictional realms or roaming the wild moors above their family home in Yorkshire. When the time comes for them to venture out into the world to earn a living, each of them struggles to adapt, but for Emily the change is catastrophic. Torn from the landscape to which she has become so passionately bound, she is simply unable to function.
To the outside world, Emily Bronte appears taciturn and unexceptional, but beneath the surface her mind is in a creative ferment. A violent phenomenon is about to burst forth that will fuse her imaginary world with the landscape of her beloved Yorkshire and change the literary world forever. Fifteen Wild Decembers is the dazzling second novel from a writer who has been compared to Shirley Hazzard and Graham Greene, and whose first novel was described as 'utterly stunning', 'mesmerizing' and hailed as 'a masterpiece.'
Described as Little Women for the Bronte's
Fifty Fifty, Steve Cavanagh ( paperback, Jul 2020)
£9.99
TWO SISTERS ON TRIAL FOR MURDER. THEY ACCUSE EACH OTHER. WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?
'911 what's your emergency?''My dad's dead.
My sister Sofia killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.''My dad's dead.
My sister Alexandra killed him. She's still in the house. Please send help.'One of them is a liar and a killer.
But which one?
'Very clever, darkly funny, moving, fast-paced.' Jane Casey
Addictive, clever, pacy. Eddie Flynn is one of my heroes.' Jo Spain
Fight Night, Miriam Toews (paperback June 2023)
£8.99
Swiv has taken her grandmother's advice too literally. Now she's at home, suspended from school. Mom is pregnant and preoccupied - and so Swiv is in the older woman's charge, receiving a very different form of education from a teacher with a style all her own.Grandma likes her stories fast, troublesome and funny. She's known the very worst that life can throw at you - and has met it every time with a wild, unnamable spirit, fighting for joy and independence every step of the way. But will maths lessons based on Amish jigsaws and classes on How to Dig a Winter Grave inspire the same fire in Swiv, and ensure it never goes out?Time is running short.
Grandma's health is failing, the baby is on the way, as a family of three extraordinary women prepare to face life's great changes together. Poignant, hilarious and deeply moving, Fight Night is a girl's love letter to the women raising her and a tribute to one family's fighting spirit.
Find Peace in a Poem ( hardback Jan 2024)
£12.99
This is a book of poetry for everyone. Inside is a treasure trove of writing celebrating mindfulness. Read the poems aloud or curl up with them in a quiet corner.
Begin your journey into a lifelong love of poetry. This beautifully illustrated collection features powerful poems written by a wide range of contemporary voices. They share their unique perspectives on the topic of mindfulness, from listening for silence and living in the moment to the colour of our dreams and what the trees can teach us.
Showcasing original poems alongside existing works, this is a book to share and treasure forever. Featuring brilliant poetry by:Mandy Coe,Jack Prelutsky,Pat Mora,Kate Wakeling,James Carter,Nikita Gill,Joseph Coelho,Valerie Bloom,Amina Jama,Michael Rosen,Sue Hardy-Dawson,Mary Ann Hoberman,Georgia Heard,Sophia Thakur,Sanah Ahsan,Elizabeth Acevedo,Kit Wright,Naomi Shihab, NyeZaro Weil, alongside beautiful artwork.
Finding Bear, Hannah Gold ( hardback September 2023)
£12.99
April Wood has returned home from her adventure on Bear Island. But, over a year later, she can't stop thinking about Bear.
When April hears that a polar bear has been shot and injured in Svalbard, she's convinced it's her friend and persuades her dad to travel with her to the northernmost reaches of the Arctic. So begins an unforgettable journey across frozen tundra and icy glaciers. But along the way, she discovers much more than she bargained for - a tiny polar bear cub, desperately in need of her help.
In freezing temperatures, April must navigate the dangerous Arctic terrain and face her deepest fears if she's to save him. Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold, Finding Bear is a stunning story of survival and a heartwarming tale of love that shows us how hope is born from the smallest of beginnings.
Beautifully illustrated by Levi Pinfold and perfect for readers 8+
Finding Wonder, Lauren St John ( paperback Sept 23)
£7.99
Orphaned Roo Thorn feels like the unluckiest girl in the world. Until she discovers a letter. A letter which urges her to 'Grab life by the wings and fly.'With the help of her aunt, Joni, Roo sets out to buy her dream horse - a fiery showjumper named Wonder Boy.Then Wonder vanishes without a trace. Determined to save him, Roo and Joni investigate his disappearance. But as the mystery deepens and more prize horses are stolen, the pair find themselves drawn into a thrilling - but dangerous - adventure .
. . How far will they go, and what will they risk, to find Wonder?
Fire and Fortitude, John C McManus ( SIGNED PAPERBACK)
£19.99
One Signed Copy Left
Out here, mention is seldom seen of the achievements of the Army ground troops,' wrote one officer in the fall of 1943, 'whereas the Marines are blown up to the skies.' Even today, the Marines are celebrated as the victors of the Pacific. Yet the majority of fighting and dying in the war against Japan was done not by Marines, but by unsung Army soldiers.
John C. McManus, one of the most highly acclaimed historians of World War II, takes readers from Pearl Harbor - a rude awakening for a ragtag militia woefully unprepared for war - to Makin, a sliver of coral reef where the Army was tested against the increasingly desperate Japanese. In between were nearly two years of punishing combat as the Army transformed, at times unsteadily, from an undertrained garrison force into an unstoppable juggernaut, and America evolved from an inward-looking nation into a global superpower.
At the pinnacle of this richly told story are the generals: Douglas MacArthur, a military autocrat driven by his dysfunctional lust for fame and power; Robert Eichelberger, perhaps the greatest commander in the theater yet consigned to obscurity by MacArthur's jealousy; Vinegar Joe Stillwell, a prickly soldier miscast in a diplomat's role; and Walter Krueger, a German-born officer who came to lead the largest American ground force in the Pacific.
Enriching the narrative are the voices of men otherwise lost to history: the uncelebrated army grunts who endured stifling temperatures, apocalyptic tropical storms, rampant malaria and other diseases, as well as a fanatical enemy bent on total destruction.
This is an essential, ambitious book, the first of two volumes, a compellingly written and boldly revisionist account of a war that reshaped the American military and the globe, and continues to resonate today.
Fireborn: Twelve and the Frozen Forest, by Aisling Fowler ( Sept 2022 Paperback)
£7.99
Set in the snowy northern forests of a prehistoric world, Fireborn is the middle-grade debut of the decade.
By turns exciting, funny and heart wrenchingly sad, it marks the introduction of an unstoppable new voice in children's storytelling. A FIERCE HEROINE RISES Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters, and she won't choose a new one until she has earned it.
But when her friend is taken, Twelve sets off on a dangerous journey to rescue her. Teaming up with Dog, the stone Guardian of the Hunting Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name - and her entire world. The second book in the FIREBORN series, Phoenix and the Frost Palace, is available from October 2023 in paperback.
First Term at Fernside, Sheena Wilkinson ( paperback Sept 2024)
£8.99
It’s a new term at Fernside boarding school, and Robin can’t wait for fun in the dorm, playing games and maybe even winning the coveted Form Shield. But for new girl Linnet, Robin’s younger cousin, there are just too many new faces and strict rules. Luckily, she has Robin for help and her very own hideaway.
And when the adorable puppy Rudy disappears, it is Linnet who is determined to find him. Even if it means dragging Robin and all her new friends headfirst into danger. There may be daring rescues, secret missions and adventures galore, but best of all are the true friendships to be made at Fernside.
Five Survive, Holly Jackson ( hardback July 2023)
£8.99
THE EXPLOSIVE NEW YA CRIME THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER.
WINNER of the CrimeFest award 2022 for Best Crime Fiction Novel for Young Adults! 'A blisteringly good standalone thriller.'The Observer, YA Books of the Year, 4/12/2022
Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. Spirits are high.
Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There's a sniper out there.
He's watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for. As a game of cat-and-mouse plays out, the group desperately tries to get help.
Buried secrets are forced to light and tensions within the group reach deadly levels. Only one thing is for sure. Not everyone will survive the night .
Five Tuesdays in Winter, Lily King ( paperback Jan 2023) )
£9.99
Writers & Lovers established Lily King as one of our most beloved authors of contemporary fiction. Now, for the first time ever, King collects ten of her finest short stories, opening fresh realms of discovery for avid and new readers alike.Told in the intimate voices of unique and endearing characters of all ages, these tales explore desire and heartache, loss and discovery, moments of jolting violence and the inexorable tug toward love at all costs. A bookseller's unspoken love for his employee rises to the surface, a neglected teenage boy finds much-needed nurturing from an unlikely pair of college students hired to housesit, a girl's loss of innocence at the hands of her employer's son becomes a catalyst for strength and confidence, and a proud nonagenarian rages helplessly in his granddaughter's hospital room. Romantic, hopeful, brutally raw, and unsparingly honest, some even slipping into the surreal, these stories are, above all, about King's enduring subject of love.
Lily King's literary mastery, her spare and stunning prose, and her gift for creating lasting and treasured characters is on full display in this curated selection of short fiction. Five Tuesdays in Winter showcases an exhilarating new form for this extraordinarily gifted author writing at the height of her career. 'Lily King is one of our great literary treasures' - Madeline Miller, author of Circe
Fix The System Not The Women, Laura Bates ( PB April 2023)
£9.99
Get your daughters to read this, but only after your partners and sons have finished it' Jo Brand'
Too often, we blame women. For walking home alone at night. For not demanding a seat at the table.
For not overcoming the odds that are stacked against them. This distracts us from the real problem: the failings and biases of a society that was not built for women. In this explosive book, feminist writer and activist Laura Bates exposes the systemic prejudice at the heart of five of our key institutions.
Education Politics Media Policing Criminal justice
Combining stories with shocking evidence, Fix the System, Not the Women is a blazing examination of sexual injustice and a rallying cry for reform.
Flying Tips for Flightless Birds, by Kelly McCaughrain (paperback)
£7.99
Twins Finch and Birdie Franconi are stars of the flying trapeze. But when Birdie suffers a terrifying accident, Finch must team up with the geeky new kid, Hector Hazzard, to form an all-boys double act and save the family circus school.
Recently shortlisted for the Great Reads Award, this debut YA novel is funny, warm hearted and encouraging for anyone who feels they just don’t fit ‘the mould’.
Flyntlock Bones 2 : The Eye of Mogrod, Derek Keilty (March 21, pb)
£7.99
A priceless golden chalice has been stolen from Fergus McSwaggers, fearsome chief of the squelchy Bog Islands ... and he wants it back! Can Flynn and the crew of the Black Hound solve their most dangerous case yet, battling deadly ice pirates, outsmarting squabbling clans, and facing the scariest beast of all the Seven Seas, the monstrous, cat-like Mogdrod?
All books in the series available below. Ideal for building reading confidence and vocabulary.
For kids 5 - 9
Following Frankenstein, Catherine De Bruton ( paperback October 2021)
£7.99
A brilliantly-conceived and hugely imaginative 'sequel' to Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Following Frankenstein is a hugely exciting and beautifully-written historical adventure, perfect for 9-12 year olds. Sometimes I was jealous of the monster of Frankenstein. I grew up believing my father cared more for him than he did for me.And was I wrong? Maggie Walton's father has dedicated his life to a single pursuit: hunting down the monster created by Victor Frankenstein. It has cost Maggie and her family everything - and now her father is staking everything on one last voyage to the Arctic, with Maggie secretly in tow, where he hopes to find the monster at last. But there they make a shocking discovery: Frankenstein's monster has a son...
A breath-taking, epic adventure, spanning the icy wastes of the Arctic Tundra to the vaudeville circus of New York, from the award-winning author of No Ballet Shoes in Syria and Another Twist in the Tale.
Foreign Bodies, Simon Schama (paperback Feb 2024)
£12.99
Cities and countries engulfed by panic and death, desperate for vaccines but fearful of what inoculation may bring. This is what the world has just gone through with Covid-19. But as Simon Schama shows in his epic history of vulnerable humanity caught between the terror of contagion and the ingenuity of science, it has happened before. Characteristically, with Schama the message is delivered through gripping, page-turning stories set in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: smallpox strikes London; cholera hits Paris; plague comes to India.
Threading through the scenes of terror, suffering and hope – in hospitals and prisons, palaces and slums – are an unforgettable cast of characters: a philosopher-playwright burning up with smallpox in a country chateau; a vaccinating doctor paying house calls in Halifax; a woman doctor in south India driving her inoculator-carriage through the stricken streets as dead monkeys drop from the trees. But we are also in the labs when great, life-saving breakthroughs happen, in Paris, Hong Kong and Mumbai. At the heart of it all, an unsung hero: Waldemar Haffkine.
A gun-toting Jewish student in Odesa turned microbiologist at the Pasteur Institute, hailed in England as ‘the saviour of mankind’ for vaccinating millions against cholera and bubonic plague in British India while being cold-shouldered by the medical establishment of the Raj. Creator of the world’s first mass production line of vaccines in Mumbai, he is tragically brought down in an act of shocking injustice. Foreign Bodies crosses borders between east and west, Asia and Europe, the worlds of rich and poor, politics and science.
‘This splendid and often moving work of history… Schama has a gift for combining novelistically colourful detail, serious analysis and wryly amusing asides’ Daily Telegraph
Foster, Claire Keegan ( paperback)
£8.99
From the author of the Booker-shortlisted Small Things Like These, a heartbreaking, haunting story of childhood, loss and love by one of Ireland's most acclaimed writers. 'A real jewel.' Irish Independent'A small miracle.' Sunday Times'A thing of finely honed beauty.' Guardian'Thrilling.' Richard Ford'As good as Chekhov.' David MitchellIt is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm, not knowing when she will return home.
In the strangers' house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. But in a house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers how fragile her idyll is.
Now a stunning and emotional film, The Quiet Girl ( part Irish / Eng with subtitles)
Four Shots in the night, by Henry Hemming ( hardback March 2024)
£22.00
HOW THE DEATH OF A SPY IN THE IRA LED TO ONE OF THE BIGGEST MURDER INVESTIGATIONS IN BRITISH HISTORY.
'Henry Hemming wears his extensive research very lightly and manages to shape a great narrative from a complex and dark episode from our recent history. An important and skilfully crafted book.' JOHN O'FARRELL.
On 26th May 1986, the body of an undercover British agent was found by the side of a muddy lane, with a rope tied around its wrists and tape over each eye.
Years later, it was reported that this murder might have been carried out by another undercover British agent, known as 'Stakeknife'. In 2016, a detective began to investigate this case, and would soon find himself running the largest murder investigation in British history. In a compulsive blend of investigative journalism and true crime thriller, Henry Hemming exposes the parallel worlds of the IRA and British intelligence through the lives of those inextricably bound up in both.
He reveals the bravery of those who were crucial in ending the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the bloodiest and longest-running conflict in recent British history, and the determination of one detective in his dogged search for justice and the truth.
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman ( paperback March 2022)
£10.99
The instant Sunday Times bestseller 'Life is finite. You don't have to fit everything in... Read this book and wake up to a new way of thinking and living' EMMA GANNON
What if you stopped trying to do everything, so that you could finally get round to what counts? We're obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, the struggle against distraction, and the sense that our attention spans are shrivelling.
Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the question of how best to use our ridiculously brief time on the planet, which amounts on average to about four thousand weeks. Four Thousand Weeks is an uplifting, engrossing and deeply realistic exploration of the challenge. Rejecting the futile modern obsession with 'getting everything done,' it introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing rather than denying their limitations.
And it shows how the unhelpful ways we've come to think about time aren't inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we've made, as individuals and as a society. Its many revelations will transform the reader's worldview. Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman sets out to realign our relationship with time - and in doing so, to liberate us from its tyranny.
Embrace your limits. Change your life. Make your four thousand weeks count.
Fox and Son,Tailers, Paddy Donnelly ( paperback 2023)
£8.99
FOX & SONS - Makers of the Finest Traditional Tails for All Animals and Every Occasion!Rory’s dad, Fox, is a tailer. The BEST in the business! Animals come from all over to have their tails made by him. Rory helps his dad in the shop and one of his jobs is measuring the customers for the tails - which isn't always easy!But Rory is bored of making the same old tails.
He has his own amazing ideas ... ‘A beautiful story with a heart-warming ending ... and with foxes! I love it.’ - Chris Haughton
France. An Adventure History, Graham Robb ( paperback March 2023)
£10.99
Original, knowledgeable and endlessly entertaining, France: An Adventure History is an unforgettable journey through France from the first century BC to the present day. Drawn from countless new discoveries and thirty years of exploring France on foot, in the library and across 30,000 miles on the author's beloved bike, it begins with Gaulish and Roman times and ends in the age of #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, the Gilets Jaunes and Covid-19. From the plains of Provence to the slums and boulevards of Paris, events and themes of French history may be familiar - Louis XIV, the French Revolution, the French Resistance, the Tour de France - but all are presented in a shining new light.Frequently hilarious, always surprising, this is a sweeping panorama, teeming with characters, stories and coincidences, and offering a thrilling sense of discovery and enlightenment.
Frank and Bert - The One with the Missing Biscuits, Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
£7.99
The hilarious fox and bear double act from bestseller Chris Naylor-Ballesteros is back and better than ever in a third adventure in the Nottingham Children's Book Award winning series!Frank and Bert are off for a picnic in the countryside. And Bert has brought a delicious surprise! But when he falls asleep, Frank can't resist taking a peek . .
. WOW! Bert has made Frank's FAVOURITE biscuits! Surely, he won't mind if Frank eats one . .
. or two . .
. or three . .
. This big-hearted story about friendship and forgiveness is guaranteed to get children giggling.
Frank and Bert, by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros ( paperback 2022)
£6.99
A hilarious new picture book from author of The Suitcase, Chris Naylor-Ballesteros - with neon ink throughout!Frank and Bert are the best of friends and they LOVE to play hide and seek. But Bert the bear isn't quite as good at hiding as he thinks he is . .. and Frank ALWAYS wins! Every. Single.Time. But when it's Bert's turn to hide, and Frank has to decide between winning again OR making his friend happy, Frank learns that friendship is always the true winner. This interactive and entertaining story about friendship is guaranteed to get children giggling!
French Braid, Anne Tyler ( PB March 2023)
£9.99
A brilliantly perceptive, painfully true and funny journey deep into one family's foibles, from the 1950s right up to the changed world of today.When the kids are grown and Mercy Garrett gradually moves herself out of the family home, everyone is determined not to notice. Over at her studio, she wants space and silence. She won't allow any family clutter.Not even their cat, Desmond. Yet it is a clutter of untidy moments that forms the Garretts' family life over the decades, whether that's a painstaking Easter lunch or giving a child a ride, a fateful train journey or an unexpected homecoming. And it all begins in 1959, with a family holiday to a cabin by a lake.
It's the only one the Garretts will ever take, but its effects will ripple through the generations. 'Gorgeous, charming, profound, and written with such lightness of touch' MARIAN KEYES
Friendaholic, Elizabeth Day ( paperback March 2024)
£10.99
As a society, there is a tendency to elevate romantic love. But what about friendships? Aren't they just as – if not more – important? So why is it hard to find the right words to express what these uniquely complex bonds mean to us? In this fascinating, insightful and uniquely moving book, Elizabeth Day embarks on a journey to find out. Friendaholic unpacks the significance and evolution of friendship from the ancient wisdom of Cicero to the modern curse of ghosting.How and why do we make friends? Is friendship an antidote to loneliness? How should we deal with a frenemy? And is it ok to end a friendship that has gone awry? Friendaholic examines what makes a ‘good’ friend and asks us what kind of friend we want to be – to each other but also to ourselves.
Friends and Traitors, Helen Peters ( children's paperback July 2023)
£7.99
Some secrets are just too dangerous to know... A gripping World War II story about how two girls foil an aristocratic plot to bring down the government and hand the country to the Nazis... When Sidney Dashworth's school is evacuated to a huge stately home in the countryside, she thinks she's going to spend the war being very bored.At least her brother must be having fun, flying his Spitfire all over France! But soon Sidney and a housemaid called Nancy discover that the Earl is up to no good. He has secret nighttime meetings with mysterious men from the government and seems to be hiding something sinister on his land. At first it's all terribly thrilling, investigating by creeping about at night and finding secret passageways, but soon everything takes a deadly turn.
Sidney's brother goes missing over France and the war hits home with a terrible reality. The Earl and his evil plotters must be stopped, or nothing will ever be the same again...
Frog Vs Toad, Ben Mantle ( picture book, June 2021)
£7.99
A hilarious, light-hearted fable about seeing past our differences. Frog is a frog. And Toad is a toad.They are totally different from each other. So when a fly mistakes Frog and Toad for two FROGS, it's not long before things get a bit fruity... Luckily, a too-close call with a snappy alligator makes Frog and Toad join forces to see that they're not THAT different after all...
At heart, a laugh-out-loud journey about togetherness, putting differences aside and realizing that friends don't need to be just like you, but they come in all shapes and sizes!
Frogs for Watchdogs, Sean Farrell ( large paperback Feb 2025)
£14.99
After years of moving from place to place, a young family finds shelter in an isolated house in the Irish countryside. Their father is missing, Mum is a healer and B a formidable big sister. In his strange new territory, a wild little boy gives voice to his experience.
Jerry Drain, a local famer, is stealing hay from the barn, someone is making nasty phone calls to the house at night and darkness is gathering at the edges of their lives. With his ferocious imagination the boy will do everything in his power to protect his family. But Jerry will not go away and Mum seems to be falling under his spell.
It will be a year of major wins and baffling defeats for the boy, as Jerry’s true nature insists on revealing itself. Dark, funny, tender and raw, Frogs for Watchdogs thrums with the intensity of childhood. Above all, it is an ode to the blended family: the bewildering joy, wary safety and profound new bonds of love.
I loved the boy's voice in this, how one feels his dark and sinister suspicions and how that too, gradually lifts. A clever and beguiling narrative... Linda
From a Low and Quiet Sea, by Donal Ryan (paperback April 2019)
£9.99
From war torn Syria to small town Ireland, three men, all scarred by what they have loved and lost, are searching for some version of home.
Powerful and moving. Donal Ryan’s writing has the ability to take you straight to the heart of the character - and he makes it look easy !
***LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018******SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2018*
Farouk's country has been torn apart by war. Lampy's heart has been laid waste by Chloe. John's past torments him as he nears his end.
The refugee. The dreamer. The penitent. Each is drawn towards a powerful reckoning, one that will bring them together in the most unexpected of ways.
From Crime to Crime, by Richard Henriques ( paperback 2021)
£10.99
If Henriques were a fictional character, he would be a celebrity, the kind of dashing, hawkish QC who turns up in Agatha Christie novels and is recognised by everybody... There is an undeniable, lawyerly authenticity about Henriques's book. He takes us meticulously through his cases...
After taking silk in 1986, over the course of the next 14 years he appeared in no fewer than 106 murder trials, including prosecuting Harold Shipman, Britain's most prolific serial killer, and the killers of James Bulger. In 2000 he was appointed to the High Court Bench and tried the transatlantic airline plot, the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers, the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, and many other cases.
He sat in the Court of Appeal on the appeals of Barry George, then convicted of murdering Jill Dando, and Jeremy Bamber, the White House Farm killer. In From Crime to Crime he not only recreates some of his most famous cases but also includes his trenchant views on the state of the British judicial system; how it works - or doesn't - and the current threats to the rule of law that affect us all.
Frost Goblin, Abi Elphinstone & Fiona Woodcock ( paperback, Nov 23)
£8.99
"The deepest frost has the power to rekindle hope in anyone who's lost it..." In Bertie Crash-Wallop's noisy family, it can sometimes feel like there is no room for a quiet boy like him. But when Bertie meets a family of goblins on the night of the deepest frost, is it possible he might make some magic and discover his own place in the world?Join Bertie and the Frost Goblins on an exciting adventure in this beautifully moving story by the bestselling author of Sky Song and The Unmapped Chronicles, Abi Elphinstone, and renowned illustrator Fiona Woodcock. The perfect book for frosty winter's nights and cosy Christmas mornings.Also by Abi Elphinstone & Fiona Woodcock:The Snow Dragon Praise for The Frost Goblin: 'Atmospheric illustrations and a touching story with an ending that will melt icicles.' - Daily Mail 'A tender, witty, illustrated short story.' - The Sunday Times
Fun and Games, John Patrick McHugh ( hardback April 2025)
£16.99
One of the most exciting writers working in Ireland today’ SALLY ROONEY 'An utter joy to read' COLIN BARRETT '
A stunning debut novel following a teenage boy as he comes of age on the west coast of Ireland, from the author of the acclaimed story collection Pure Gold. Seventeen-year-old John Masterson has no idea what he wants. It’s his last summer on the small island where he has grown up and he should be enjoying the weeks until his exam results come through.
Instead, he’s working mind-numbing shifts at the local hotel and trying to keep his head down after his mother’s nude sext to another man was leaked to the whole island. As John joins the local senior football team, gets caught up in fights and parties, and embarks on a tentative relationship with his slightly older co-worker Amber that he feels both proud and ashamed of, he can almost pretend that this summer will last forever. But soon John must face up to the choices before him: to stay or leave, to stand out or fit in, and whether to love and let himself be loved, despite or perhaps because of, the flaws that make us all human.
Fun and Games is a darkly comic, beautifully crafted debut novel that is full of feeling both harsh and tender. It takes in social class and its firm borders, manhood and its frailties, family and, of course, love.
Gaffs : Why No One Can Get a House, and What We Can Do About it by Rory Hearne (Author)
£9.99
The book that has been waiting to be written - how Ireland's housing policy has locked an entire generation out of the housing market and what we should do about it. Millennials are the first generation in Ireland to be worse off than their parents. Trapped in a game of rental roulette, stuck living at home as adults, and many on the brink of homelessness, the Irish housing crisis has defined the lives of an entire generation - and it is set to continue.With housing costs in Ireland the highest in the EU, the property ladder has been kicked from under thousands. So how did we get here ... and how do we break the cycle? In Gaffs, housing expert Rory Hearne urges us to think about the people behind the statistics, and shows us that there is a way towards a future where everyone has access to a home.
Ghost Mountain, Rónán Hession ( paperback May 2025)
£18.00
Ghost Mountain, is a simple fable-like novel about a mountain that appears suddenly, and the way in which its manifestation ripples through the lives of characters in the surrounding community. It looks at the uncertain fragile sense of self we hold inside ourselves, and our human compulsion to project it into the uncertain world around us, whether we're ready or not. It is also about the presence of absence, and how it shadows us in our lives.
Mountains are at once unmistakably present yet never truly fathomable.
Ronan's writing is sublimely simple, yet moving - a real favourite of mine. Linda
