Products
Ghost Wedding, David Park ( hardback May 2025)
£16.99
For fans of Sebastian Faulks, Donal Ryan and Anne Tyler comes this beautiful novel following two troubled men, separated by nearly a century, bound by the ghosts of their past.
When George Allenby is put in charge of building a lake in the grounds of an imposing Irish manor house, he intends to do the job as swiftly as possible and return to Belfast. Allenby is still wrestling with his time as an officer during the First World War, burdened by the many things he could have done differently. Almost a century later, Alex and Ellie are preparing for their wedding, sparing no expense to hire a venue overlooking the very lake Allenby built all those years ago.
Like Allenby before him, Alex is haunted by decisions he made in the past. Now, with the wedding drawing ever closer, he is at a crossroads. Telling the truth might free him from his guilt; it might also take away everything he cares about, including Ellie.
In this masterful portrait of love and betrayal, David Park reveals the many ways the past seeps into the present: destructive, formidable, but also hopeful, in the moments of fragile beauty that remain.
Giant, Judith McQuoid ( paperback, March 2025)
£7.99
Thrilling historical fiction on the childhoodof beloved author CS Lewis. Davy, a working-class boy living in East Belfast in 1908, is sent to work at the wealthy Lewis household. When he meets Jacks – the name by which CS Lewis was known to friends and family – Davy is captivated by his friend’s world of books and stories.
Together the boys plunge into imagining and adventuring, and Davy discovers his own artistic talent. But when Davy is offered a job at the shipyard, and Jacks’s mother falls gravely ill, their wondrous days of make-believe seem numbered. Will they lose their extraordinary shared world forever?
Gift From the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh ( hardback)
£12.99
One of our consistently best selling little books in the shop. A lovely gift for new mums, or new retirees.
'Quietly powerful and a great help. Glorious' Emma Thompson
'Women need solitude in order to find again the true essence of themselves.' Holidaying by the sea, and taking inspiration from the shells she finds on the seashore, Anne Morrow Lindbergh meditates on youth and age, love and marriage, peace, solitude and contentment. First published in 1955 and an instant bestseller, Gift from the Sea's insights - into aspects of the modern world that threaten to overwhelm us, the complications of technology, the ever multiplying commitments that take us from our families - are as relevant today as they ever were, perhaps even more so.
GIFT SUBSCRIPTION: HARDBACK
£25.00
You can order this for yourself or a friend.
Each month will cost £25 : this includes choice of hardback, plus postage ( UK only; other destinations TBC)
Your recipient will first receive a letter from us introducing the gift and service. In this pack will be a return letter and stamped addressed envelope ; the recipient can give us as much or as little information as they wish to help us 'prescribe' the best books.
Once this has been returned, we will send them a mystery book each month. Please note they will get a personalised service, not a standard 'gift book' each time. You can order the service for one month,twelve or anything in between!
The hardback service would be recommended for people who are avid readers, or who enjoy non fiction. This way they are likely to get new books which they have not read, and it allows us more flexibility to choose a range of non fiction titles.
GIFT SUBSCRIPTION: PAPERBACK, per month
£14.50
You can order this for yourself or a friend.
Each month will cost £14: this includes choice of paperback, plus postage ( UK only; other destinations postage TBC)
Your recipient will first receive a letter from us introducing the gift and service. In this pack will be a return letter and stamped addressed envelope ; the recipient can give us as much or as little information as they wish to help us 'prescribe' the best books.
Once this has been returned, we will send them a mystery book each month. Please note they will get a personalised service, not a standard 'gift book' each time. You can order the service for one month or twelve!
Gift Wrap
£2.00
Range of occasion appropriate flat wrap, priced at £2 per sheet
Also tissue paper, and gift bags - choice may vary.
Gigantic, Rob Biddulph ( picture book Feb 2024)
£7.99
A powerful and standout sea-life story featuring one very small and determined blue whale from bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Rob Biddulph Meet Gigantic, the smallest blue whale in the Atlantic. Dwarfed by the other whales, Gigantic keeps to himself, making new friends and perfecting his somersaults and flips in the bay. But one day when Gigantic’s brother, Titan, gets stuck on the sand, it’s down to Gigantic and his smallest sea creature friends to save the day.
Can they show it’s possible to be tiny and tough? A swimmingly good story about little fins and big hearts from bestselling author and illustrator, Rob Biddulph.
One of my favourite picture book creators, this is fun, and has lots of lovely values of bravery, plus appreciating and looking out for your brother! Linda
Giles Andreae: Giraffes Can’t Dance / Every Little Hippo Can
£7.99
From the creators of the internationally bestselling Giraffes Can't Dance comes an empowering story about a little hippo who discovers that success often requires a little patience, and simply TRYING can bring its own unexpected rewards . . ."It's not that you CAN'T DO IT . . You just can't do it YET."Horace the hippo and his sister Hope love going to the lake every day with their granny. But the long walk has become a little too long for Granny. So Horace and Hope make a plan to bring the lake to her instead.
But little Horace can't carry as much water as his sister, and he always comes back with an empty bucket. Can Granny help him to see that, with every little splash and spill, an even more wonderful gift is growing?An empowering new picture book about growth mindset and the 'power of yet' from the creators of the bestselling Giraffes Can't Dance. Giraffes Can't Dance is a beloved favourite that has found its way into the hearts, and on to the bookshelves, of a whole generation of children.
Girl at the Front of The Class, Onjali Rauf ( HARDBACK picture book Oct 2024)
£12.99
A stunning new picture book from Onjali Q. Raúf and Pippa Curnick. There's a new girl in my class.
She has eyes as wide and as golden as a tiger's, a face as pale as a glass of milk, and hair as shiny as a mirror. I'd like to be her friend. But she never wants to play with me in the playground or make sandcastles in the sandpit.
The cleverest people I know say that the new girl is sad because she had to leave her home, her family, her school, her toys, her books and all her friends too. But I've got a plan! There's something I can do to make her feel better when she's missing everything she's left behind . .
. With bold, beautiful artwork by Pippa Curnick, this heartfelt story about the power of friendship and kindness shows young readers what steps they can take to make refugee children feel welcome.
Girl, by Edna O’Brien ( pb)
£9.99
The new novel by the legendary Edna O'Brien.
Captured, abducted and married into Boko Haram, the narrator of this story witnesses and suffers the horrors of a community of men governed by a brutal code of violence. Barely more than a girl herself, she must soon learn how to survive as a woman with a child of her own.
Just as the world around her seems entirely consumed by madness, bound for hell, she is offered an escape of sorts - but only into another landscape of trials and terrors amidst the unforgiving wilds of northeastern Nigeria, through the forest and beyond; a place where her traumas are met with the blinkered judgement of a society in denial. How do we love in a world that has lost its moorings? How can we comprehend the barbarism of our enemies, and learn forgiveness for atrocities committed in the name of ideology? Edna O'Brien's new novel pierces to the heart of these questions.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (paperback, 2020)
£9.99
***WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2019****SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2020*
From Newcastle to Cornwall, from the birth of the twentieth century to the teens of the twenty-first, Girl, Woman, Other follows a cast of twelve characters on their personal journeys through this country and the last hundred years. They're each looking for something - a shared past, an unexpected future, a place to call home, somewhere to fit in, a lover, a missed mother, a lost father, even just a touch of hope . .
.A choral love song to black womanhood in modern Great Britain' Elle 'Ambitious, flowing and all-encompassing, an offbeat narrative that'll leave your mind in an invigorated whirl... [It] unites poetry, social history, women's voices and beyond.'
Recently featured in our BooksPaperScissors bookclub, see BLOG for review.
Glasgow Boys, Margaret McDonald ( paperback May 2024)
£8.99
Two boys can't remember the last time they had a hug. Meet Finlay.
He's studying for his nursing degree at Glasgow University, against all the odds. But coming straight from care means he has no support network. How can he write essays, find paid work and NOT fall for the beautiful boy at uni, when he's struggling to even feed himself?Meet Banjo.
He's trying to settle in with his new foster family and finish high school. But he can't forget all that has happened, and his anger and fear keep boiling over. How can he hold on to the one good person in his life, when his outbursts keep threatening his already uncertain future?Can Finlay and Banjo let go of the past before it drags them under?
Glassborn, Peter Bunzl ( paperback Nov 23)
£7.99
Fairy Tree tall and grand, open a path to Fairyland. The year is 1826, and the four Belle siblings arrive at their new home - Fairykeep Cottage. Here Acton, the youngest member of the family, discovers a hidden key that opens a door into Fairyland.But when he ventures through, he's kidnapped by the Fairy Queen's servants. Cora, Elle and Bram set out on a quest to rescue their brother. But Fairyland is full of dangers...and to overcome the Fairy Queen they will need all their courage, cunning and a great deal of hope.
An enthralling tale of magic and mystery, from the bestselling author of The Cogheart Adventures.
Gliff by Ali Smith ( hardback October 2024)
£18.99
O brave new world, that has such people in't. Once upon a time not very far from now, two children come home to find a line of wet red paint encircling the outside of their house. What does it mean?It’s a truism of our time that it’ll be the next generation who’ll sort out our increasingly toxic world.
What would that actually be like?In a state turned hostile, a world of insiders and outsiders, what things of the past can sustain them and what shape can resistance take?And what’s a horse got to do with any of this?Gliff is a novel about how we make meaning and how we are made meaningless. With a nod to the traditions of dystopian fiction, a glance at the Kafkaesque, and a new take on the notion of classic, it's a moving and electrifying read, a vital and prescient tale of the versatility and variety deep-rooted in language, in nature and in human nature. 'As always, Ali’s inventiveness and intelligence lit fireworks in my mind.
Gliff is an irresistible invitation to rethink and reword our way to a truly brave new world' Michelle de KretserAli Smith, winner of the Orwell Award, 2021
Go As A River, Shelley Read ( PB 25 April 2024)
£9.99
On a cool autumn day in 1948, Victoria Nash delivers late-season peaches from her family's farm set amid the wild beauty of Colorado. As she heads into her village, a dishevelled stranger stops to ask her the way. How she chooses to answer will unknowingly alter the course of both their young lives.
So begins the mesmerising story of split-second choices and courageous acts that propel Victoria away from the only home she has ever known and towards a reckoning with loss, hope and her own untapped strength. Gathering all the pieces of her small and extraordinary existence, spinning through the eddies of desire, heartbreak and betrayal, she will arrive at a single rocky decision that will change her life for ever. GO AS A RIVER is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story and a drama of enthralling power.
If you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing you'll love this.
Goddesses and Heroines, Jean Menzies ( hardback July 2023)
£16.99
Goddesses and Heroines : Meet More Than 80 Legendary Women From Around the World
A beautifully illustrated collection of profiles of more than 80 goddesses and other powerful women retold for children aged 7-9. Delve into a world of key female figures from all over the world in this thrilling compendium of goddesses and heroines. With more than 30 stories about goddesses and powerful women, this is a must-have introduction for young readers interested in female figures from different cultures.
This collection of tales for children aged 7-9 includes stories like how Japanese goddess of the dawn Ame-no-Uzume saved the day by dancing and how ancient Greek witch Medea helped to defeat a dragon. The enthralling stories introduce famous figures from around the world, while a handy reference section is packed with information about the goddesses and heroines themselves. Perfect for children aged 7 to 9, this collection contains more than 30 beloved stories retold by award-winning author Dr Jean Menzies, with striking illustrations bringing the tales to life.
Gods of Jade and Shadow, Silvia Moreno- Garcia ( paperback 2020)
£9.99
Inspired by Mexican folklore, Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical, wildly imaginative coming-of-age tale for fans of Katherine Arden, Naomi Novik and Helene Wecker. The Jazz Age is in full swing, but it's passing Casiopea Tun by.She's too busy scrubbing floors in her wealthy grandfather's house to do anything more than dream of a life far from her dusty, small town in southern Mexico. A life she could call her own. This dream is impossible, distant as the stars - until the day Casiopea opens a curious chest in her grandfather's room and accidentally frees an ancient Mayan god of death.
He offers her a deal: if Casiopea helps him recover his throne from his treacherous brother, he will grant her whatever she desires. Success will make her every dream come true, but failure will see her lost, for ever. In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed only with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey, from the jungles of Yucatan to the bright lights of Mexico City and deep into the darkness of Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.
Gods of Want ( Stories), K-Ming Chang ( paperback August 2023)
£9.99
In her singular, electrifying style, K-Ming Chang peels back questions of body, power and identity, and the relationships of Asian American women, with vivid imagination. A stream of women adjust to American life by sneaking kisses from women at temple and buying tubs of vanilla ice cream to prepare for citizenship tests.Ghost-cousins cross space, seas and skies to haunt their living cousin. Two girls explore each other's bodies for the first time in the belly of a plastic shark. Brimming with moths and mothers, nine-headed birds and storm-chasers, these queer, fabulist tales delve viscerally into myth and memory, corporeality and ghostliness, beauty and the grotesque.
Going Home, Tom Lamont (paperback from March 2025)
£9.99
A beautiful, funny tale of London and lives new and old'SUNDAY TIMES'
'Very funny in places and deeply poignant in others - I loved it . . .word-perfect'INDIA KNIGHT'
Tom Lamont writes in clear, swift prose about the power struggles that exist in even the most loving of families and the longest of friendships.
Local boy Téo Erskine is back in the north London suburb of his youth, visiting his father - stubborn, selfish, complicated Vic. Things have changed for Téo: he's got a steady job, a brand-new car and a London flat all concrete and glass, with a sliver of a river view. Except, underneath the surface, not much has changed at all. He's still the boy seeking his father's approval; the young man playing late-night poker with his best friend, unreliable, infuriating Ben Mossam; the one still desperately in love with the enigmatic Lia Woods.
Lia's life, on the other hand, has been transformed: now a single mum to two-year-old Joel, she doesn't have time for anyone - not even herself. When the unthinkable happens, Joel finds himself at the centre of an odd constellation of men - Téo, Vic, Ben - none of whom is fully equipped to look after him, but whose strange, tentative attempts at love might just be enough to offer him a new place to call home.
Good Girl, Bad Blood, by Holly Jackson
£9.99
The highly-anticipated and brilliantly crafted crime-thriller sequel to the no.1 debut of 2019, A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER
Pip Fitz-Amobi is not a detective anymore. With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year.
The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her. But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared but the police won't do anything about it.
And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time EVERYONE is listening. But will she find him before it's too late? Perfect for fans of One of Us Is Lying, Eva Dolan, C L Taylor, We Were Liars and Riverdale
'There is a lot to really enjoy in this story and there is great energy to the writing, as well as some fine characterization' - Peter James, award-winning and no.1 bestselling crime thriller author of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series
I laughed. I cried. And I very much enjoyed attempting to solve the case with Pip (who I now want to be my best friend).... suitable for 13+
Good Husbands, Cate Ray ( paperback May 23)
£9.99
Jess, Priyanka and Stephanie are all happily married to men they think they know inside out. Then each woman receives a letter accusing her husband of involvement in a sexual assault that took place 20 years ago.Who do they believe, what should they do and can they come together as their lives are upended?A compelling, beautifully crafted thriller about consent, friendship and prejudice which asks - would you sacrifice your family life in support of another woman?'In AN EMOTIONAL AND POWERFULLY EVOCATIVE STORY, three women grapple with a discovery that could shatter their lives.
Good Material, Dolly Alderton ( paperback August 2024)
£18.99
Every relationship has one beginning. This one has two endings.Andy loves Jen. Jen loved Andy. And he can't work out why she stopped.
Now he is. . .
1. Without a home2. Waiting for his stand-up career to take off3.
Wondering why everyone else around him seems to have grown up while he wasn't lookingSet adrift on the sea of heartbreak at a time when everything he thought he knew about women, and flat-sharing, and his friendships has transformed beyond recognition, Andy clings to the idea of solving the puzzle of their broken relationship. Because if he can find the answer to that, then maybe Jen can find her way back to him. Andy still has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story.
From the bestselling author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love: a sharply funny, beautifully observed and exquisitely relatable story of heartbreak and friendship, and how to survive both.
Goshawk Summer, James Alfred ( paperback May 2023)
£10.99
WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022
A beautiful inspirational tale set in an extraordinary time.' Ray Mears'Wonderful ... they don't come much more expert than James Aldred' Lauren Laverne What happens to nature when we are no longer there? In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of goshawks in the New Forest. Then lockdown.
No more cars, no more aeroplanes, no one in the woods - except James - in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life. In these silver nights and golden days, there were tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring goshawks - shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A goshawk summer unlike any other; an extraordinary season in the forest.
Gozzle, Julia Donaldson, (hardback March 2025)
£12.99
Meet a very cute little gosling! Written by the brilliant Julia Donaldson and stunningly illustrated by the award-winning Sara Ogilvie, Gozzle is a funny and heartwarming story about family and growing up. It's springtime. Bear has woken up hungry and finds a lost egg outside his cave.
Breakfast? No! Out hatches Gozzle, a very sweet little gosling who is convinced that Bear must be her daddy – and that she should be able to climb, dig and eat honey just like him. Follow Bear on his journey from reluctant carer to parent in this heartwarming and joyous picture book about what home and family truly mean. A laugh-out loud story from the creators of the bestselling picture books.
Grapefruit Moon, Shirley McMillan ( paperback August 2023)
£8.99
Wealthy, popular Charlotte and quiet, working class Drew couldn't be more different, but both face a common enemy at Cooke's Academy in the form of the Stewards - an elite group of students whose power to manipulate school culture is feared by pupils and teachers alike. Drew, a newcomer to Cooke's, must navigate the strict codes of masculinity laid down by the Stewards in order to have a hope of moving on to university, while Charlotte dreams of speaking freely about the constraints and abuses of the culture which is propelling her towards a life she's not sure she wants. Through drag art and poetry the unlikely pair follow a dangerous trajectory which will lead them closer to one another and further away from the paths laid out for them.
SMcM is brilliant at talking the language of the 15+, not patronising or didactic, she really 'gets' the age group and her stories are gripping. Not just for the teens either! L
Great American Short Stories, ed Jane Smiley ( July 2024, paperback)
£10.99
A dazzling collection of short stories, including The “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving “The Sculptor's Funeral” by Willa Cather “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry And many more.
It's a perfect introduction to all the classic American authors. This edition also features an introduction by Jane Smiley.
Greek Lessons, Han Kang ( paperback Feb 2024)
£9.99
Book of the Year 2023 according to New Yorker, TIME magazine, Kirkus
A powerful novel of the saving grace of language and human connection, from the celebrated author of The Vegetarian. 'Breathtaking . .
In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice.
Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight. Soon they discover a deeper pain binds them. For her, in the space of just a few months, she has lost both her mother and the custody battle for her nine-year-old son.
For him, it's the pain of growing up between Korea and Germany, being torn between two cultures and languages. Greek Lessons is a tender love letter to human connection, a novel to awaken the senses, vividly conjuring the essence of what it means to be alive. 'Another stunning gem: quiet, sharply faceted, and devastating' Kirkus'
Greener, Grainne Murphy ( paperback May 2024)
£9.99
As teenagers, Helen, Annie and Laura were inseparable, bonding over family, boys, and their dreams for the future. But when school ended, so did their friendship.
Twenty-five years later, a snowstorm forces the three women to spend time together, leaving them wondering if they can reconcile the gap between who they are and who they used to be.
GREENER is an exploration of the changing dynamics of adult friendships and asks whether old friends can ever let us become new people.
'Heartbreaking, philosophical and funny' Niamh Prior
'Set in the latter days of the pandemic, Greener is a quiet yet powerful novel which examines the nature of friendship and the compromises that people make in their lives' Madeleine D'Arcy
'Murphy is an accomplished writer with the gift of transferring everyday life onto the page assuredly' Anne Griffin
‘Gráinne Murphy's keen-eyed exploration of the complexities of adult friendship brims with warmth and humour' Danielle McLaughlin
Grief is the thing with Feathers, Max Porter ( 2016)
£9.99
An extraordinary debut novella by Max Porter, loosely about a family dealing with the immediate period of grief following their mother’s death. Crow is the metaphorical visitor. Recently performed as a powerful stage play with Cillian Murphy.
In a London flat, two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother's sudden death. Their father, a Ted Hughes scholar and scruffy romantic, imagines a future of well-meaning visitors and emptiness.
In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow - antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him. This extraordinary debut, full of unexpected humour and emotional truth, marks the arrival of a thrilling and significant new talent.
Grimwood : Let The Fur Fly!
£6.99
Laugh your head off in this second adventure in the bestselling, highly acclaimed Grimwood series. Your favourite fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy are back with an all-new wildly funny story that will have children (and their grown-ups) begging for more. Perfect for readers age 7+, and fans of Dog Man, Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Loki, Bunny vs Monkey and anyone who likes to laugh.Ted and Nancy love their new life in Grimwood - the forest where anything can happen. But the dastardly mayor of neighbouring town Twinklenuts is on a mission to take over Grimwood and kick everyone out. Ted and Nancy must muster up bags of courage, rally their friends, and show off their treebonking skills to save the home they've grown to love.
Fully illustrated throughout and full of heart, laughs and surprises, this is the must-read second title in the bestselling and fantastically funny Grimwood series. Nadia Shireen has won awards for her picture books including the UKLA Book Award for Good Little Wolf and most recently for Barbara Throws a Wobbler, which has been described as a 'little doorway of joy' by Caitlin Moran. She's also been shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and has been Writer-Illustrator in Residence for BookTrust.
Grimwood is her first series for older readers. Praise for Grimwood:'The inside of Nadia Shireen's brain must be a fun place to be because there are SO MANY funny jokes and hilarious moments in Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly! GO read it now!' Maisie Chan, author of Branford Boase winning Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths 'Funny, anarchic, original and gloriously silly.' Richard Osman'Pure genius!' Louie Stowell'Ted and Nancy are my favourite funny foxes EVER.' Liz Pichon, author of Tom Gates
Growing Brave, Donna Ashworth ( hardback Sept 2024)
£14.99
Growing Brave : Words to soothe fear and let in more life
by Donna Ashworth
In this powerful new collection of wisdom and poetry, Donna Ashworth helps us to find strength and courage on the days we feel lost, to pick ourselves up when times are hard, to soothe fear and self-doubt when we are in their grip, and to let in more life and love as we brave our challenges. Every day we are bombarded by thoughts, feelings and information that make us feel anxious and afraid.
We worry we don't measure up, we are scared of failure and we find it hard to be ourselves. We also feel powerless watching the world getting messier. Fear is a limiting factor for many of us and if we don't challenge it we can find ourselves keeping out more of the good stuff in life than the bad.
With poems such as 'One Day You'll See', 'Growing in Moonlight', 'The Comparing' and 'Always There', bestselling author Donna Ashworth helps us to see that whatever we are facing, no matter how small or afraid we feel, we make the biggest difference in this world and to our own happiness when we are brave enough to show up as ourselves.
Guard Your Heart, Sue Diven ( paperback April 2021)
£8.99
Boy meets girl on the Northern Irish border in Guard Your Heart, by Sue Divin, Derry. Summer 2016. Aidan and Iona, now eighteen, were both born on the day of the Northern Ireland peace deal.Aidan is Catholic, Irish, and Republican. With his ex-political prisoner father gone and his mother dead, Aidan's hope is pinned on exam results earning him a one-way ticket out of Derry. To anywhere.
Iona, Protestant and British, has a brother and father in the police. She's got university ambitions, a strong faith and a fervent belief that boys without one track minds are a myth. At a post-exam party, Aidan wanders alone across the Peace Bridge and becomes the victim of a brutal sectarian attack.
Iona witnessed the attack; picked up Aidan's phone and filmed what happened, and gets in touch with him to return the phone. When the two meet, alone and on neutral territory, the differences between them seem insurmountable. Both their fathers held guns, but safer to keep that secret for now.
Despite their differences and the secrets they have to keep from each other, there is mutual intrigue, and their friendship grows. And so what? It's not the Troubles. But for both Iona and Aidan it seems like everything is keeping them apart , when all they want is to be together .
Hagstone, Sinead Gleeson ( paperback March 2025)
£16.99
The haunting debut novel from beloved, Irish no. 1 bestselling author, Sinéad Gleeson. The sea is steady for now.The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff? On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine.
The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature. All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell’s door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history.
In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew. Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinéad Gleeson’s debut novel takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world.
Hagstone, Sinead Gleeson ( paperback March 2025)
£9.99
For artist Nell, the island is her home and the source of inspiration for her art.
The Iníons, a reclusive community of women, consider it a place of refuge and solace in nature. All the islanders live there alongside strange murmurings that seem to emanate from the depths of the landscape, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning, as the Iníons call it. One day, a letter from the Iníons arrives at Nell’s door.
They invite her to produce an artwork celebrating their Samhain anniversary and Nell cannot resist accepting. But as the fateful day approaches, Nell senses tensions building beneath the placid surface of the commune. Will she be able to unearth the truth behind the events unfolding around her? And how far will someone go to protect what they hold most dear? Beautifully written and gripping, Sinéad Gleeson’s debut novel takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world.
Perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss.
Halloween Picture Books !
£7.99
Some of the newest and most fun books to get in the mood for Halloween with your evening reading :)
- Sticker Dolly Dressing for some fun Halloween activity and decoration
- I am Bat - from the hilarious Scottish Morag Hood
- Room on the Broom - special H'ween edition from Julia Donaldson with extra actitivies in the back of the book
- Five Little Ghosts - rhyming story, with lift the flaps, to put the fun into ghosts and remove any fear!
Hamnet , Maggie O’Farrell ( paperback Apr 2021)
£9.99
WINNER OF THE 2020 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION - THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER 2021'Richly sensuous... something special' The Sunday Times'A thing of shimmering wonder' David MitchellTWO EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE.A LOVE THAT DRAWS THEM TOGETHER. A LOSS THAT THREATENS TO TEAR THEM APART. On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a sudden fever.
Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London.
Neither parent knows that Hamnet will not survive the week. Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright: a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written.
Hang The Moon, Jeannette Walls ( paperback 25 April 2024 )
£16.99
From Jeannette Walls, the bestselling author of The Glass Castle, a riveting new novel about an indomitable young woman in Prohibition-era Virginia. Walls writes a really good, fast paced narrative - highly recommended.
Most folk thought Sallie Kincaid was a nobody who'd amount to nothing. Sallie had other plans. Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of the biggest man in a small town, the charismatic Duke Kincaid.
Born at the turn of the twentieth century into a life of comfort and privilege, Sallie remembers little about her mother, who died in a violent argument with the Duke. By the time she is just eight years old, the Duke has remarried and had a son, Eddie. While Sallie is the Duke's daughter, sharp-witted and resourceful, Eddie is his mother's son, timid and cerebral.
When Sallie tries to teach young Eddie to be more like their father, her daredevil coaching leads to an accident, and Sallie is cast out. Nine years later, she returns, determined to reclaim her place in the family. That's a lot more complicated than Sallie expected, and she enters a world of conflict and lawlessness.
Sallie confronts the secrets and scandals that hide in the shadows of the Big House, navigates the factions in the family and town, and finally comes into her own as a bold, sometimes reckless bootlegger.
Happy Couple, Naoise Dolan (paperback April 2024)
£9.99
Meet the happy couple. Luke and Celine, are in mutual unrequited love with each other, set to marry in a year's time. The best man, Archie, is meant to want to move up the corporate ladder and on from his love for Luke; yet he stands where he is, admiring the view.
The bridesmaid, Phoebe, Celine's sister, has no long-term aspirations beyond smoking her millionth cigarette and getting to the bottom of Luke's frequent unexplained disappearances. Then there's the guest, Vivian, who with the benefit of some emotional distance, methodically observes her friends like ants. As the wedding approaches and these five lives intersect, each character will find themselves looking for a path to their happily ever after - but does it lie at the end of an aisle? Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times, makes the Marriage Plot entirely her own in a sparkling ensemble novel that is both ferociously clever and supremely enjoyable.
Happy In Our Skin, Fran Manushkin ( picture book, 2018)
£7.99
Bouquets of babies sweet to hold: cocoa-brown, cinnamon, and honey gold. Ginger-coloured babies, peaches and cream, too - splendid skin for me, splendid skin for you! A delightfully rhythmical read-aloud text is paired with bright, bustling art from the award-winning Lauren Tobia, illustrator of Anna Hibiscus, in this joyful exploration of the new skin of babyhood. A wonderful gift book for new mums and toddlers, all children can see themselves, and open their eyes to the world around them, in this sweet, scrumptious celebration of skin in all its many, many, wonderful forms.
Happy New Year, Malin Stehn ( Paperback Nov 2022)
£7.99
As midnight approaches, old friends the Wiksells and the Anderssons raise their glasses in celebration. Across town, their teenage children host their own party, finally free to let loose.But the next morning, seventeen-year-old Jennifer Wiksell is missing. The hours tick by. The police get involved.
And no one knows who to trust. Because these two families have a lot to hide. And some will do anything to keep the truth from getting out .
. . _________'A riveting Scandi thriller, depicting every family's worst nightmare in exquisite detail' AMY McCULLOCH, author of BREATHLESS'Wintry, Scandi, twisty and compelling.
