Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth - Frank Cottrell Boyce
About the Book
Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an adventure about the Blythes: a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm and sometimes foster children. Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word.
Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik. The family all think Sputnik is a dog and chaos is unleashed as suddenly household items come to life – like a TV remote that fast-forwards people and a toy lightsaber that entertains guests at a children's party, until one of them is nearly decapitated by it – and Prez is going to have to use his voice to explain himself.
As Sputnik takes Prez on a journey to finish writing his guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by, but they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever . . .
The Ungrateful Refugee - Dina Nayeri
About the Book
What is it like to be a refugee? It is a question many of us do not give much thought to, and yet there are more than 25 million refugees in the world.
Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother and lived in the crumbling shell of an Italian hotel–turned–refugee camp. Eventually she was granted asylum in America. She settled in Oklahoma, then made her way to Princeton University. In this book, Nayeri weaves together her own vivid story with the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers in recent years, bringing us inside their daily lives and taking us through the different stages of their journeys, from escape to asylum to resettlement. In these pages, a couple fall in love over the phone, and women gather to prepare the noodles that remind them of home. A closeted queer man tries to make his case truthfully as he seeks asylum, and a translator attempts to help new arrivals present their stories to officials.
Nayeri confronts notions like “the swarm,” and, on the other hand, “good” immigrants. She calls attention to the harmful way in which Western governments privilege certain dangers over others. With surprising and provocative questions, The Ungrateful Refugee challenges us to rethink how we talk about the refugee crisis.
The Shadow King - Maaza Mengiste
About the Book
Set during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. At its heart is orphaned maid Hirut, who finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations, of betrayals and overwhelming rage. What follows is a heartrending and unputdownable exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.
The Doll Factory - Elizabeth Macneal
About the Book
Elizabeth Macneal’s first novel The Doll Factory, has been translated into 29 languages. It is a Sunday Times bestseller, a Radio 2 Book Club pick, a Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and a Waterstones Book of the Month.
In 1850s London, The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of a moment – forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, a collector entranced by the strange and beautiful, that meeting marks a new beginning.
When Iris is asked to model for pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint. Suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of art and love.
But Silas has only thought of one thing since their meeting, and his obsession is darkening . . .
The Pact - Amy Heydenrych
About the Book
What if a prank leads to murder?
Published in 2019, The Pact is Amy Heydenrych’s second book. It is a gripping and chilling suspense novel about the deadly intentions of office life.
When Freya arrives at her dream job with the city's hottest start-up, she can't wait to begin a new and exciting life, including dating her new colleague Jay. However, Nicole, Jay's ex and fellow employee, seems intent on making her life a misery. After a big deadline, where Nicole continually picks on her, Freya snaps and tells Jay about the bullying and together they concoct a revenge prank.
The next morning, Nicole is found dead in her apartment . . .
Is this just a prank gone wrong? Or does Freya know someone who is capable of murder - and could she be next?
Carnival Caper - Alex Milway
About the Book
Written by Alex Milway in 2019, Carnival Caper is the third of the fabulous four book Hotel Flamingo series.
It's the last of the autumn days before winter sets in, which means it's time for CARNIVAL! And Hotel Flamingo, the sunniest hotel in town, is all set to join the party. Animal Boulevard is a riot of colour, and every establishment is preparing a float for the annual procession. Anna is determined to win the prize for Hotel Flamingo for the best display, despite rival hotel the Glitz having won it every year since the Carnival began.
Meanwhile Hotel Flamingo is welcoming its usual array of eclectic guests. Wilbur the sheepdog, who has no home, and needs a place to stay and someone to give him a chance at a new start. Mr and Mrs Kunkworth, a pair of skunks, who are rather anxious, and Mac Macaw the parrot, who is quite the opposite ... Things start to get complicated, though, when Anna gets some very unexpected guests - the mega-famous band The Nocturnal Animals! How will she keep their stay a secret while also making sure her guests don't get kept awake by the band's night-time practising and antics?
Then on top of this, disaster strikes! The rainy season comes early, and high winds and torrential rain lash down across the Boulevard. Can Anna save the Carnival, the band and the day?
The Dead Fathers Club - Matt Haig
About the Book
Dead Fathers Club was written by bestselling author Matt Haig in 2006. The plot may strike one as oddly familiar as it embodies a modern retelling of the infamous Shakespeare play; Hamlet.
Philip Noble is an eleven-year-old in crisis. His pub landlord father has died in a road accident, and his mother is succumbing to the greasy charms of her dead husband's brother, Uncle Alan. The remaining certainties of Philip's life crumble away when his father's ghost appears in the pub and declares Uncle Alan murdered him. Arming himself with weapons from the school chemistry cupboard, Philip vows to carry out the ghost's relentless demands for revenge.
Although he yearns to bring peace to his father’s soul, he hesitates, wondering what kind of peace can truly be won by giving the wheel of violence another turn. Can the words of a ghost be trusted any more than the lies of the living?
Lie Down With Lions - Ken Follett
About the Book
Lie Down With Lions is the thrilling tale of suspense and deceit from master of the spy story, Ken Follett. A Dangerous Romance. In Paris, rival spies Ellis and Jean-Pierre both fall in love with Jane, and all three become gripped in a tangled web of lust and deception as they battle terrorist conspiracies.
A Dangerous Romance
In Paris, rival spies Ellis and Jean-Pierre both fall in love with Jane, and all three become gripped in a tangled web of lust and deception as they battle terrorist conspiracies. Ultimately Jane can marry only one and chooses Jean-Pierre.
A Fight for Freedom
In Afghanistan the Mujahedeen are fighting to free their country of the Soviet invasion and the newlyweds travel to the Valley of the Five Lions to help the cause as doctors. Fierce fighting means they must find a way out of the line of fire.
A Perilous Escape
Help unexpectedly comes in the form of Jean Pierre’s nemesis, Ellis, and knowing both men have dangerous secrets, Jane must once again choose who to trust if she is to make her escape over one of the most remote mountain ranges in the world . . .
Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi
About the Book
Zélie remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. When different clans ruled – Burners igniting flames, Tiders beckoning waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoning forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, anyone with powers was targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Only a few people remain with the power to use magic, and they must remain hidden.
Zélie is one such person. Now she has a chance to bring back magic to her people and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must learn to harness her powers and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where strange creatures prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to come to terms with the strength of her magic – and her growing feelings for an enemy.
The Other Woman - Sandie Jones
About the Book
The Other Woman by debut author Sandie Jones, is a gripping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Michelle Frances's The Girlfriend and B A Paris's Behind Closed Doors.
When Emily meets Adam she knows he is the One.
That together they can deal with anything that is thrown at them.
But lurking in the shadows is another woman, Pammie.
Emily chose Adam, but she didn't choose his mother.
There's nothing a mother wouldn't do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants . . .
The Boy Who Flew With Dragons - Andy Shepherd
About the Book
Dragons, mischief and mayhem abound in this wonderful third story in THE BOY WHO GREW DRAGONS series.
Tomas can't imagine life without his little dragon, Flicker. He's become more than a pet - he's a friend like no other. And growing dragons on the dragonfruit tree in the garden with his friends Ted, Kat and Kai is the most amazing thing ever.
But Tomas has promised Grandad something - that he and his friends will let their dragons go back to where they belong. The only problem is - that isn't such an easy thing to do. Not when they are still having so much fun with dragons Flicker, Sunny, Crystal and Dodger. Not when they still have to work out where the dragons' home is and how to get the dragons to leave. And not when Tomas is so close to uncovering the true story of the mysterious dragonfruit tree...
Stories of Hope - Heather Morris
About the Book
In Stories of Hope, Heather will explore her extraordinary talents as a listener - a skill she employed when she first met Lale Sokolov, the tattooist at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the inspiration for her bestselling novel. It was this ability that led Lale to entrust Heather with his story, which she told in her novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz and the bestselling follow up, Cilka's Journey.
Now Heather shares the story behind her inspirational writing journey and the defining experiences of her life, including her profound friendship with Lale, and explores how she learned to really listen to the stories people told her - skills she believes we can all learn.
Hitler’s Secret - Rory Clements
About the Book
Autumn 1941. The war is going badly for Britain and its allies. If Hitler is to be stopped, a new weapon is desperately needed.
In Cambridge, professor Tom Wilde is approached by an American intelligence officer who claims to know of such a weapon - one so secret even Hitler himself isn't aware of its existence. If Wilde can smuggle the package out of Germany, the Third Reich will surely fall.
But it is only when he is deep behind enemy lines that Wilde discovers why the Nazis are so desperate to prevent the 'package' falling into Allied hands. And as ruthless killers hunt him through Europe, a treacherous question hangs over the mission: if Hitler's secret will win them the war, why is Wilde convinced it must remain hidden?
This Green and Pleasant Land - Ayisha Malik
About the Book
In the sleepy village of Babel's End, trouble is brewing.
Bilal Hasham is having a mid-life crisis. His mother has just died, and he finds peace lying in a grave he's dug in the garden. His elderly Auntie Rukhsana has come to live with him, and forged an unlikely friendship with village busybody, Shelley Hawking. His wife Mariam is distant and distracted, and his stepson Haaris is spending more time with his real father.
Bilal's mother's dying wish was to build a mosque in Babel's End, but when Shelley
gets wind of this scheme, she unleashes the forces of hell. Will Bilal's mosque project bring his family and his beloved village together again, or drive them apart?
Below the Big Blue Sky - Anna McPartlin
About the Book
How does a family pick up the pieces, when the one person who held them all together has gone?
When forty-year-old Rabbit Hayes dies, she leaves behind a family broken by grief. Her mother Molly is distraught and in danger of losing her faith. Her father Jack spends hour upon hour in the family attic, poring over his old diaries, losing himself in the past.
Rabbit's brother Davey finds himself suddenly guardian to her twelve-year-old daughter Juliet. Juliet might be able to fill a hole in Davey's heart - but how can he help Juliet through her grief when he can barely cope with his own?
Meanwhile, Rabbit's sister Grace is struggling with the knowledge that she carries the same gene that made her sister ill, and Rabbit's best friend Marjorie is lost, struggling to remain a part of a family she has always wished was her own now that her link to them is gone.
But even though the Hayes family are all fighting their own battles, they are drawn together by their love for Rabbit, and their love for each other. In the years that follow her death they find new ways to celebrate and remember her, to find humour and hope in the face of tragedy, and to live life to its fullest, as Rabbit would have wanted.
Below the Big Blue Sky will make you laugh, cry and shout with joy for the colourful, unruly Hayes family as they battle with the loss of their beloved Rabbit, the daughter, mother, sister and friend, who in her own crazy way taught each of them how to live, and goes on showing them how to love from beyond the grave.
The Wreck - Meg Keneally
About the Book
1820, London.
Sarah McCaffrey, fleeing arrest for her part in a failed rebellion, finds herself alone and on the run. She boards the Serpent, bound from London to the colony of New South Wales - and when the captain's reckless actions lead the ship to be dashed onto Sydney's notorious rocks, Sarah is the only survivor.
Adopting a false identity, Sarah determines to make a new life for herself. She takes the first work she can find, under the formidable Molly Thistle, who runs a sprawling trade empire. Sarah begins to see that there is more than one way of changing the world, but her new life is thrown into chaos when her past follows her across the seas.
The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox - Claire Gradidge
About the Book
April 1941, Romsey, England.
Josephine 'Jo' Fox hasn't set foot in Romsey in over twenty years. As an illegitimate child, her family - headed by her controlling grandfather - found her an embarrassment. Now, she wants to return to what was once her home and uncover the secret of her parentage. Who was her father and why would her mother never talk about him?
Jo arrives the day after the Luftwaffe have bombed the town. The local pub has been completely destroyed and rescue teams are searching for the remains of the seven people known to have been in the pub at the time the bomb hit. They are shocked, however, to uncover eight bodies instead. The eighth, unidentified, body is that of a teenage girl, who no one in the town claims to know. Who is she, how did she get there, but most importantly - who killed her?
Teaming up with local coroner and old friend, Bram Nash, Jo sets out to establish the identity of the girl and solve the riddle of her death. In doing so, she also uncovers her own personal mystery.
The Dover Café at War - Ginny Bell
About the Book
Dover, 1939
At the heart of Market Square lies Castle's Café, run by the formidable Nellie Castle and her six children.
Since the scandalous birth of her son ten years before, Marianne, Nellie's eldest daughter, has preferred to stay in the kitchen, hidden away from the scrutiny of the town gossips. Overcome with shame, she has never revealed the identity of Donny's father - not even to her own mother.
But with World War II just around the corner, soon Marianne's past catches up with her. And suddenly the lives of the Castle family become a lot more complicated.
Will the secrets from her past destroy their future?
Blunt Force - Lynda La Plante
About the Book
Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison. Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad, she now plies her trade in Gerald Road, a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge.
With only petty crime to sink her teeth into, Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining. That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death with a cricket bat - his body dismembered and disembowelled.
As a big-time theatrical agent, Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but just as many enemies. And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find out which one is the killer, before they strike again.