Previous recommended reads
Adult fiction
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
Shehan Karunatilaka
Winner of the Booker Prize 2022
A searing satire set amid the murderous mayhem of Sri Lanka beset by civil war.
Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet gay, has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira lake and he has no idea who killed him. At a time where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest.
But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka.
Ten years after his prizewinning novel Chinaman established him as one of Sri Lanka's foremost authors, Karunatilaka is back with a rip-roaring epic, full of mordant wit and disturbing truths.
'Fizzes with energy, imagery and ideas against a broad, surreal vision of the Sri Lankan civil wars' The Booker judges
A Heart Full of Headstones
Ian Rankin
John Rebus stands accused on trial for a crime that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. Although it's not the first time the legendary detective has taken the law into his own hands, it might be the last.
What drove a good man to cross the line? Or have times changed, and the rules with them? Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke faces Edinburgh's most explosive case in years, as a corrupt cop goes missing after claiming to harbour secrets that could sink the city's police force.
But in this investigation, it seems all roads lead to Rebus - and Clarke's twin loyalties to the public and the police will be tested to their limit.
Dawnlands
Philippa Gregory
In a divided country, power and loyalty conquer all…
It is 1685 and England is on the brink of a renewed civil war against the Stuart kings with many families bitterly divided. Alinor, now a successful businesswoman, has been coaxed by the manipulative Livia to save Queen Mary from the coming siege. The rewards are life-changing: the family could return to their beloved Tidelands, and Alinor could rule where she was once lower than a servant.
Inspired by news of a rebellion against the Stuart kings, Ned Ferryman returns from America with his Pokanoket servant to join the uprising against roman catholic King James. As Ned swears loyalty to the charismatic Duke of Monmouth, he discovers a new and unexpected love.
Meanwhile, Queen Mary summons her friend Livia to a terrified court. Her survival, and that of the Stuart kings, is in the balance, and only a clever and dangerous gamble can save them…
A compelling and powerful story of political intrigue and personal ambition, set between the palaces of London, the tidelands of Fowlmire and the shores of Barbados.
Desert Star
Michael Connelly
A year has passed since LAPD detective Renee Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralisation, and endless red tape. Yet, after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving 'the Late Show' to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.
For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn't been able to crack - the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his 'white whale' with the resources of the LAPD behind him.
The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer.
The Satsuma Complex
Bob Mortimer
‘Funny, clever and sweet… there is a lot of Mortimer’s ridiculousness’ – Sunday Times
Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn't catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: 'The Satsuma Complex'. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers.
And so begins Gary's quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life.
A page-turning story with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Satsuma Complex is the brilliantly funny first novel by bestselling author and comedian Bob Mortimer.
It Starts With Us
Colleen Hoover
Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again.
After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date. But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life - and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter's life.
Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, 'It Starts with Us' picks up right where the epilogue for 'It Ends with Us' left off.
Heart of the Sun Warrior
Sue Lynn Tan
Instant Sunday Times bestseller
An unspeakable terror is sweeping across the realm as the Celestial Emperor tightens his grip on power. The fragile peace Xingyin fought so hard for when freeing her mother is under threat.
Forced to flee her home, Xingyin ventures into the unexplored lands of the Immortal Realm to seek aid in her fight, but, with alliances shifting quicker than the tides, she has to overcome past grudges and enmities to forge a new path forward, seeking aid where she never imagined.
Xingyin must uncover the truth of her heart and claw her way through devastation – to rise against evil before it destroys everything she holds dear, and the worlds she has grown to love … even if doing so demands the greatest price of all.
The stunning sequel to the Sunday Times bestselling Daughter of the Moon Goddess delves deeper into beloved Chinese mythology, concluding the epic story of Xingyin – the daughter of Chang’e and the mortal archer Houyi – as she battles a grave new threat to the realm, in this powerful tale of love, sacrifice, and hope.
No Plan B
Lee Child
Gerrardsville, Colorado. One tragic event. Two witnesses. Two conflicting accounts. One witness sees a woman throw herself in front of a bus - clearly suicide. The other witness is Jack Reacher. And he sees what really happened - a man in grey hoodie and jeans, swift and silent as a shadow, pushed the victim to her death, before grabbing her bag and sauntering away.
Reacher follows the killer on foot, not knowing that this was no random act of violence. It is part of something much bigger - a sinister, secret conspiracy, with powerful people on the take, enmeshed in an elaborate plot that leaves no room for error. If any step is compromised, the threat will have to be quickly and permanently removed.
But when the threat is Reacher, there is no Plan B.
Bourneville
Jonathan Coe
In Bournville, a placid suburb of Birmingham, sits a famous chocolate factory. For eleven-year-old Mary and her family in 1945, it's the centre of the world. The reason their streets smell faintly of chocolate, the place where most of their friends and neighbours have worked for decades. Mary will go on to live through the Coronation and the World Cup final, royal weddings and royal funerals, Brexit and Covid-19. She'll have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Parts of the chocolate factory will be transformed into a theme park, as modern life and the city crowd in on their peaceful enclave.
As we travel through seventy-five years of social change, from James Bond to Princess Diana, and from wartime nostalgia to the World Wide Web, one pressing question starts to emerge: will these changing times bring Mary's family - and their country - closer together, or leave them more adrift and divided than ever before?
Bournville is a rich and poignant new novel from the bestselling, Costa award-winning author of Middle England. It is the story of a woman, of a nation's love affair with chocolate, of Britain itself.
The Boys From Biloxi
John Grisham
For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, drugs . . . even contract killings. The vice was controlled by a small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumoured to be members of the Dixie Mafia.
Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith's father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to 'clean up the Coast.' Hugh's father became the 'Boss' of Biloxi's criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father's footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father's clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.
Rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters, The Boys from Biloxi is a sweeping saga of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves in a knife-edge legal confrontation in which life itself hangs in the balance.
In this novel, Grisham takes his powerful storytelling to the next level, his trademark twists and turns will keep you tearing through the pages until the stunning conclusion.
22 Seconds
James Patterson
22 seconds until Lindsay Boxer loses her badge - or her life. SFPD Sergeant Boxer has guns on her mind. There's buzz of a last-ditch shipment of drugs and weapons crossing the Mexican border ahead of new restrictive gun laws.
Before Lindsay can act, her top informant tips her to a case that hits disturbingly close to home. Former cops. Professional hits. All with the same warning scrawled on their bodies. You talk, you die. Now it's Lindsay's turn to choose.
Elektra
Jennifer Saint
The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.
Clytemnestra's hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister, Helen, is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. Her husband raises a great army against them and determines to win, whatever the cost.
Cassandra, Princess of Troy, is cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall.
Elektra, the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. But can she escape the curse, or is her own destiny also bound by violence?
No Less The Devil
Stuart MacBride
An instant Sunday Times Bestseller
'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'
It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?
People Person
Candice Carty-Williams
If you could choose your family… you wouldn’t choose the Penningtons.
Dimple Pennington knew of her half siblings, but she didn't really know them. Five people who don't have anything in common except for faint memories of being driven through Brixton in their dad's gold jeep, and some pretty complex abandonment issues.
Dimple has bigger things to think about. She's thirty, and her life isn't really going anywhere. An aspiring lifestyle influencer with a terrible and wayward boyfriend, Dimple's life has shrunk to the size of a phone screen. And despite a small but loyal following, she's never felt more alone.
That is, until a catastrophic event brings her half siblings Nikisha, Danny, Lizzie and Prynce crashing back into her life. And when they're all forced to reconnect with Cyril Pennington, the absent father they never really knew, things get even more complicated.
From The Sunday Times bestselling author of QUEENIE comes a propulsive story of heart, humour, homecoming, and about the truest meaning of family you can get when your dad loves his jeep more than he loves his children.
Gwendy’s Final Task
Stephen King | Richard Chizmar
'I loved Lessons in Chemistry and am devastated to have finished it!' - Nigella Lawson.
When Gwendy Peterson was twelve, a stranger named Richard Farris gave her a mysterious box for safekeeping. It offered treats and vintage coins, but it was dangerous. Pushing any of its seven coloured buttons promised death and destruction.
Years later, the button box re-entered Gwendy's life. A successful novelist and a rising political star, she was once more forced to deal with the temptations that the box represented - an amazing sense of wellbeing, balanced by a terrifyingly dark urge towards disaster.
With the passing of time, the box has grown ever stronger and evil forces are striving to possess it. Once again, it is up to Gwendy Peterson, now a United States Senator battling the early symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, to keep it from them. At all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?
Gwendy's Final Task is a wildly suspenseful and at the same time deeply moving novel in which 'horror giants' (Publishers Weekly) Stephen King and Richard Chizmar take us on a journey from Castle Rock to another famous cursed Maine city to the MF-1 space station, where Gwendy must execute a secret mission to save the world. And, maybe, all worlds.
A Wedding In Provence
Katie Fforde
1963, a château in Provence. It's late afternoon when Alexandra arrives, and the château before her is old, substantial and its four large towers seem to grow out of the soil. It is, she thinks, reassuring in its permanence and solidity.
Less reassuring are the three silent, rather hostile children waiting for her inside. They are to be her charges for a month: a boy and two girls badly in need of some love, attention, and an English education.
Fresh from London and a recent cookery course, Alexandra has always loved a challenge and feels equipped to deal with most things life throws her.
What she is a good deal less sure about is whether she'll be able to deal with their father - an impossibly good-looking, entirely unsuitable French count with whom she is trying very hard not to fall in love.
When We Were Birds
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
Mesmerising, mythic and timeless, the most unmissable debut novel of 2022 - for fans of Arundhati Roy, Toni Morrison and Monique Roffey
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the Trinidadian city of Port Angeles to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother and the Rastafari faith she taught him, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets.
Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, where the city meets the rainforest, Yejide's mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide: the power to talk to the dead. The women of Yejide's family are human but also not - descended from corbeau, the black birds that fly east at sunset, taking with them the souls of the dead.
Darwin and Yejide both have something that the other needs. Their destinies are intertwined, and they will find one another in the sprawling, ancient cemetery at the heart of the island, where trouble is brewing...
Rich with magic and wisdom, When We Were Birds is an exuberant masterpiece that conjures and mesmerises on every line. Ayanna Lloyd Banwo weaves an unforgettable story of loss and renewal, darkness and light; a triumphant reckoning with a grief that runs back generations and a defiant, joyful affirmation of hope.
The Locked Room
Elly Griffiths
Ruth Galloway and DCI Nelson are on the hunt for a murderer when Covid rears its ugly head. But can they find the killer despite lockdown?
Ruth is in London clearing out her mother's belongings when she makes a surprising discovery: a photograph of her Norfolk cottage taken before Ruth lived there. Her mother always hated the cottage, so why does she have a picture of the place? The only clue is written on the back of the photo: Dawn, 1963.
Ruth returns to Norfolk determined to solve the mystery, but then Covid rears its ugly head. Ruth and her daughter are locked down in their cottage, attempting to continue with work and home-schooling. Happily, the house next door is rented by a nice woman called Zoe, who they become friendly with while standing on their doorsteps clapping for carers.
Nelson, meanwhile, is investigating a series of deaths of women that may or may not be suicide. When he links the deaths to an archaeological discovery, he breaks curfew to visit the cottage where he finds Ruth chatting to her neighbour whom he remembers as a carer who was once tried for murdering her employer.
Only then her name wasn't Zoe. It was dawn.
The Man Who Died Twice
Richard Osman
'I absolutely loved it. He's not only done it again, but he's done it even better' PHILLIPA PERRY
It's the following Thursday. Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?
But this time they are up against an enemy who wouldn't bat an eyelid at knocking off four septuagenarians. Can the Thursday Murder Club find the killer, before the killer finds them?
Bewilderment
Richard Powers
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2021
Theo Byrne is a promising young astrobiologist who has found a way to search for life on other planets dozens of light years away. He is also the widowed father of a most unusual nine-year-old. His son Robin is funny, loving, and filled with plans. He thinks and feels deeply, adores animals, and can spend hours painting elaborate pictures. He is also on the verge of being expelled from third grade, for smashing his friend's face with a metal thermos.
What can a father do, when the only solution offered to his rare and troubled boy is to put him on psychoactive drugs? What can he say when his boy comes to him wanting an explanation for a world that is clearly in love with its own destruction? The only thing for it is to take the boy to other planets, while all the while fostering his son's desperate campaign to help save this one.
Snow Country
Sebastian Faulks
Sunday Times Bestseller
1914: Young Anton Heideck has arrived in Vienna, eager to make his name as a journalist. While working part-time as a private tutor, he encounters Delphine, a woman who mixes startling candour with deep reserve. Entranced by the light of first love, Anton feels himself blessed. Until his country declares war on hers.
1927: For Lena, life with a drunken mother in a small town has been cosseted and cold. She is convinced she can amount to nothing until a young lawyer, Rudolf Plischke, spirits her away to Vienna. But the capital proves unforgiving. Lena leaves her metropolitan dream behind to take a menial job at the snow-bound sanatorium, the Schloss Seeblick.
1933: Still struggling to come terms with the loss of so many friends on the Eastern Front, Anton, now an established writer, is commissioned by a magazine to visit the mysterious Schloss Seeblick.
Sweeping across Europe as it recovers from one war and awaits the coming of another, ‘Snow Country’ is a landmark novel of exquisite yearnings, dreams of youth and the sanctity of hope.
Freckles
Cecelia Ahern
Five people.
Five chances.
One woman’s search for happiness.
Allegra Bird’s arms are scattered with freckles, a gift from her beloved father. But despite her nickname, Freckles has never been able to join all the dots. So when a stranger tells her that everyone is the average of the five people they spend the most time with, it opens up something deep inside.
The trouble is, Freckles doesn’t know if she has five people. And if not, what does that say about her? She’s left her unconventional father and her friends behind for a bold new life in Dublin, but she’s still an outsider.
Now, in a quest to understand, she must find not one but five people who shape her – and who will determine her future.
Told in Allegra’s vivid, original voice, moving from modern Dublin to the fierce Atlantic coast, this is an unforgettable story of human connection, of friendship, and of growing into your own skin.
Adult non-fiction
Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing
Matthew Perry
'Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.'
So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.
In an extraordinary story that only he could tell - and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it - Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he's found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humour, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fuelled it despite seemingly having it all.
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening - as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.
One: Simple One-Pan Wonders
Jamie Oliver
'There is only one Jamie Oliver. Great to watch. Great to cook' Delia Smith
In ONE, Jamie Oliver will guide you through over 120 recipes for tasty, fuss-free and satisfying dishes cooked in just one pan. What's better: each recipe has just eight ingredients or fewer, meaning minimal prep (and washing up) and offering maximum convenience.
Packed with budget-friendly dishes you can rustle up any time, ONE has everything from delicious work from home lunches to quick dinners the whole family will love; from meat-free options to meals that will get novice cooks started.
Simple dishes like Juicy Tahini Chicken, Hassleback Aubergine Pie and Squodgy Croissant Loaf will soon become your firm new favourites.
There are plenty more no-fuss, tasty recipes that make ONE sit alongside 5 Ingredients and 15-Minute Meals as your go-to kitchen companions.
Are You Really OK?
Roman Kemp
Capital DJ Roman Kemp has achieved much success but he hasn’t had an easy ride. He’s battled depression since the age of 15, once contemplated suicide, and has bravely fought to smash the stigma still surrounding medication and mental health.
During the pandemic Roman’s life changed when his best friend - the producer who’d nurtured his career every step of the way - tragically took his own life. Amidst the shock, loss and confusion, Roman bravely made a moving BBC3 documentary about the alarming rates of suicide amongst young males. He’s well aware he too, could have been a statistic.
In this page-turning book - peppered with hilarious and surprising anecdotes from his youth - Roman also unflinchingly tackles the taboo of suicide, in the hope that by talking about his own struggles and sharing advice, he can help others. Roman shares all the experiences that have shaped him, and why love, marriage and having his own family one day are so important to his future dreams.
Lioness: My Journey to Glory
Beth Mead
Beth Mead is one of the world's most talented footballers - Golden Boot winner and Player of the Tournament at the UEFA Euro 2022, England Player of the Year 2021-22, Arsenal Player of the Season 2021-22, and runner-up for the 2022 Ballon d'Or. But long before this, Beth was just an ordinary kid from Hinderwell, North Yorkshire who wanted to play football.
From being placed in the local boys' team as a child because her mum wanted her to run off her boundless energy, to joining Middlesbrough FC's Centre of Excellence and making her professional debut at Sunderland, Beth and women's football have come a long way.
Now, Beth shares the challenges that shaped her, what she faced on the journey to the top, and the life events that made her stronger - from being dropped from the England squad and receiving devastating family news, to finding her best form under the guidance of Jonas Eidevall and Sarina Wiegman. Filled with positive lessons and an exclusive account of England's triumphant Euros campaign, Beth offers readers of all ages a heartfelt, behind-the-scenes look into her remarkable journey to glory.
Parenting Hell
Rob Beckett | Josh Widdicombe
Sunday Times bestseller
What's it really like to be a parent? And how come no one ever warned Rob or Josh of the sheer mind-bending, world-altering, sleep-depriving, sick-covering, tear-inducing, snot-wiping, bore-inspiring, 4am-relationship-straining brutality of it all? And if they did, why can't they remember it (or remember anything else, for that matter)?
And just when they thought it couldn't get any harder, why didn't anyone warn them about the slices of unmatched euphoric joy and pride that occasionally come piercing through, drenching you in unbridled happiness in much the same way a badly burped baby drenches you in milk-sick?
Join Josh and Rob as they share the challenges and madness of their parenting journeys with lashings of empathy and extra helpings of laughs. Filled with all the things they never tell you at antenatal classes, Parenting Hell is a beguiling mixture of humour, rumination and conversation for prospective parents, new parents, old parents and never-to-be parents alike.
Menopausing
Davina McCall
Menopause affects every woman, and yet so many approach it with shame, fear, misinformation or silence.
Why is no one talking about this? Who has the correct information? And how can we get it?
That’s how this book has come about. We are going to tell you the truth, so you can make an informed decision about your life and your body … mic drop.’
For too long, women have had to keep quiet about the menopause – its onset, its symptoms, its treatments – and what it means for us. Menopausing will build an empowered, supportive community to break this terrible silence once and for all. By exploring and explaining the science, debunking damaging myths, and smashing the taboos around the perimenopause and menopause, this book will equip women to make the most informed decisions about their health… and their lives.
Menopausing will also celebrate the sharing of stories, enabling women to feel less alone and more understood, and talk openly and positively about menopause.
Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries
Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman remains one of the most beloved actors of all time across almost every genre, from his breakout role as Die Hard's villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape, and beyond. His air of dignity, his sonorous voice and the knowing wit he brought to each role continue to captivate new audiences today.
But Rickman's artistry wasn't confined to just his performances. Rickman's writing details the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid. He takes us behind the scenes on films and plays ranging from Sense & Sensibility, the Harry Potter series, Private Lives, My Name is Rachel Corrie and many more.
The diaries run from 1993 to his death in 2016 and offer insight into both a public and private life. Here is Rickman the consummate professional actor, but also the friend, the traveller, the fan, the director, the enthusiast: in short, the real Alan Rickman. Here is a life fully lived, all detailed in intimate and characteristically plain-spoken prose. Reading the diaries is like listening to Rickman chatting to a close friend.
Madly, Deeply also includes a foreword by Emma Thompson and a selection of Rickman's early diaries, dating from 1974 to 1982, when his acting life first began.
The Climate Book
Greta Thunberg
We still have time to change the world. From Greta Thunberg, the world's leading climate activist, comes the essential handbook for making it happen.
You might think it's an impossible task: secure a safe future for life on Earth, at a scale and speed never seen, against all the odds. There is hope - but only if we listen to the science before it's too late.
In The Climate Book, Greta Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts - geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders - to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster. Alongside them, she shares her own stories of demonstrating and uncovering greenwashing around the world, revealing how much we have been kept in the dark. This is one of our biggest challenges, she shows, but also our greatest source of hope. Once we are given the full picture, how can we not act? And if a schoolchild's strike could ignite a global protest, what could we do collectively if we tried?
We are alive at the most decisive time in the history of humanity. Together, we can do the seemingly impossible. But it has to be us, and it has to be now.
Gloves Off
Tyson Fury
Son. Father. Husband. Brother. Fighter. Showman. Mental health champion. Told with unflinching honesty and rock-star charisma, Gloves Off by Tyson Fury is the autobiography of a sporting icon, the like of which we may never see again.
The undefeated heavyweight champion Tyson Fury looks back on his life and career to understand his remarkable rise, fall, and rise again, which has seen him journey from the brink of suicide to boxing immortality, culminating in his sensational knockout victory against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in front of a record-breaking 94,000 fans.
Tyson's book reveals surprising and personal new sides to his character: he opens up about his fairy-tale romance with beloved wife Paris, and their down-to-earth life raising six beautiful children. He describes how his Traveller upbringing forged him, and how his fighting family, including dad John and his brothers, have sustained him.
In the process, Tyson discusses his mental health and weight battles, his faith and his greatest boxing experiences. He discloses deeply moving new stories: in the weeks before the biggest fight of his career, Tyson was sleeping on a hospital floor in intensive care tending to his baby daughter, Athena, who was born premature and fighting for her life.
Funny, frank and never less than entertaining, this is Tyson Fury at his very best, as you have never read before.
Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It
Janina Ramirez
Instant Sunday Times Bestseller
The Middle Ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings: a patriarchal society which oppressed and excluded women. But when we dig a little deeper into the truth, we can see that the 'dark' ages were anything but.
Oxford and BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women's names struck out of historical records, with the word FEMINA annotated beside them. As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, our view of history has been manipulated.
Only now, through a careful examination of the artefacts, writings and possessions they left behind, are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging. Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women like Jadwiga, the only female King in Europe, Margery Kempe, who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety, and the Loftus Princess, whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England. See the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories.
Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors
Tom Bower
The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding, watched and celebrated around the world, was the beginning of a new era for the Windsors. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family's fate seems persistently threatened.
The public remains puzzled. Meghan's success has alternatively won praise, bewildered and outraged. Confused by the Sussexes' slick publicity, few understand the real Meghan Markle. What lies ahead for Meghan? And what has happened to the family she married into? Can the Windsors restore their reputation?
With extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews from insiders who have never spoken before, Tom Bower, Britain's leading investigative biographer, unpicks the tangled web of courtroom drama, courtier politics and thwarted childhood dreams to uncover an astonishing story of love, betrayal, secrets and revenge.
Becoming Molly-Mae
Molly-Mae Hague
Molly-Mae is no stranger to the limelight, having found fame on TV and online. But behind the polished exterior there is a young girl with a unique story. It's the Molly not everyone gets to see.
In Becoming Molly-Mae she unravels herself completely for the first time to open up about how she nurtured her creativity from a young age, took ownership of her body image, battle self-doubt and built a happy life.
Along the way she shares the moments, relationships and life lessons that have made her who she is. From the energetic child who loved Irish dancing and pageants, to the teenager holding down a job at Boots whilst building her dreams at fashion school, her journey to Love Island and how she copes with fame today.
By sharing these parts of herself, Molly-Mae gives a fresh take on finding beauty and balance in a busy world.
This is Your Own Time You’re Wasting
Lee Parkinson | Adam Parkinson
Sunday Times bestseller
The side-splittingly hilarious and heart-warming next book from your favourite teacher duo, The Two Mr Ps.
Now put that thing down! Yes YOU.
It’s time to sit up and listen …
From the stars of Two Mr Ps in a Pod(Cast) and the bestselling authors of Put a Wet Paper Towel On It comes a book filled with chaos, clangers and confessions from the … classrooms.
You’ll be taken on a journey where you’ll meet a rogues’ gallery of classroom characters, read some juicy teacher confessions and learn why every primary teacher’s least favourite lesson is the dreaded … SEX EDUCATION! You’ll even get the inside scoop on what it was like (attempting) to teach during a pandemic.
So, settle down, grab a cuppa and enjoy this book as we pull back the curtain on the weird and wonderful world of primary schools.
After all, THIS IS YOUR OWN TIME YOU’RE WASTING.
Killer in the Kremlin: The Explosive Account of Putin’s Reign of Terror
John Sweeney
A gripping and explosive account of Vladimir Putin's tyranny, charting his rise from spy to tsar,
exposing the events that led to his invasion of Ukraine and his assault on Europe.
In Killer in the Kremlin, award-winning journalist John Sweeney takes readers from the heart of Putin's Russia to the killing fields of Chechnya, to the embattled cities of an invaded Ukraine.
In a disturbing exposé of Putin's sinister ambition, Sweeney draws on thirty years of his own reporting - from the Moscow apartment bombings to the atrocities committed by the Russian Army in Chechnya, to the annexation of Crimea and a confrontation with Putin over the shooting down of flight MH17 - to understand the true extent of Putin's long war.
Drawing on eyewitness accounts and compelling testimony from those who have suffered at Putin's hand, we see the heroism of the Russian opposition, the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance, and the brutality with which the Kremlin responds to such acts of defiance, assassinating or locking away its critics, and stopping at nothing to achieve its imperialist aims.
In the midst of one of the darkest acts of aggression in modern history - Russia's invasion of Ukraine - this book shines a light on Putin's rule and poses urgent questions about how the world must respond.
Mezcla: Recipes to Excite
Ixta Belfrage
'This is such a beautiful and joyful book.' Nigella Lawson
Everyday eating with built-in wow factor - from the Ottolenghi protégé shaking up the food world. 'Mezcla' means mix, blend or fusion in Spanish and in her first solo cookbook, Ixta Belfrage - loved for her inventive ingredient combinations - shares her favourite mezcla of flavours.
Helpfully divided into quick recipes (for when you need something great on the table, fast) and longer recipes (for when you have time to slow down and savour the process), here are 100 bold, impactful recipes inspired by Italy, Brazil, Mexico and beyond. Creative, colourful and always delicious, this is food for every day and every occasion.
Breathe In Breathe Out
Stuart Sandeman
It’s time to get your breath back.
Since tragic loss brought him to breathwork, Stuart Sandeman has helped thousands of people transform their lives, simply by changing the way they breathe.
This title is a powerful antidote to the stress and anxiety that are now stark realities of modern life. Our always-on lifestyles and addiction to smartphones, as well as global uncertainty and the climate emergency, have taken a toll on our wellbeing.
What people need are techniques to help them take charge of their own health - techniques that are simple, accessible and effective. But the techniques in this book can do much more than bring some calm to the stressed and anxious. They can protect the lungs and strengthen the immune system. They can aid physical recovery and improve performance for those looking for a competitive edge.
And they can help people come to terms with grief and trauma, rewiring their brains so they can approach the world with a fresh perspective.
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World
Jonathan Freedland
In April 1944 nineteen-year-old Rudolf Vrba and fellow inmate Fred Wetzler became the first Jews ever to break out of Auschwitz. Under electrified fences and past armed watchtowers, evading thousands of SS men and slavering dogs, they trekked across marshlands, mountains and rivers to freedom. Vrba's mission: to reveal to the world the truth of the Holocaust.
In the death factory of Auschwitz, Vrba had become an eyewitness to almost every chilling stage of the Nazis' process of industrialised murder. The more he saw, the more determined he became to warn the Jews of Europe what fate awaited them. A brilliant student of science and mathematics, he committed each detail to memory, risking everything to collect the first data of the Final Solution. After his escape, that information would form a priceless thirty-two-page report that would reach Roosevelt, Churchill and the pope and eventually save over 200,000 lives.
But the escape from Auschwitz was not his last. After the war, he kept running - from his past, from his home country, from his adopted country, even from his own name. Few knew of the truly extraordinary deed he had done.
Now, at last, Rudolf Vrba's heroism can be known - and he can take his place alongside those whose stories define history's darkest chapter.
Dominique’s Kitchen
Dominique Woolf
Winner of Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge
Dominique's Kitchen is packed with quick, delicious recipes perfect for any night of the week.
In her signature style, Dominique will show you just how easy it can be to cook with ingredients from around Asia, creating big, bold, flavourful dishes you'll want to cook again and again. Giving you the perfect introduction into Asian-inspired food, you'll find a whole array of exciting and achievable recipes to try.
From small plates, salads and noodles to stir-fries, curries, sweet things and more, there's plenty to inspire you in the kitchen.
Pinch of Nom Comfort Food
Kate Allinson | Kay Featherstone
More than 100 hearty, easy and slimming recipes from Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone, authors of the bestselling Pinch of Nom series.
From satisfying savoury dishes to indulgent desserts, Pinch of Nom Comfort Food is packed with slimming-friendly, delicious dishes that will keep you and your loved ones happy and healthy. From lazy weekend breakfasts to filling mains and warming puddings, this book is brimming with tasty meals that are easy to make. Many of the dishes have alternative cooking methods, so you can choose whether to cook in the oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker, depending on your schedule.
From Katsu Chicken Bites, Steak and Chips Pie and Cheesy Aubergine Bake to Slow Cooker Stroganoff, Halloumi Couscous Burgers and Millionaire Shortbread, you'll be spoilt for choice on what to cook first. Feeling adventurous? Try Danger Dogs! Need a sweet and fruity fix? Cherry Pie ticks all the boxes.
Featuring Pinch of Nom’s trademark big flavours, these recipes use easy-to-find ingredients to create dishes that everyone will love – whether they’re watching their waistline or not.
Children and young adults
Little Monsters
David Walliams
Suitable for ages 0-5
Howler is a small werewolf with a big problem. He is just not scary! And that makes him the odd one out at Monster School.
But when Howler finds some new friends, he discovers that being the odd one out might just make him the coolest one of all.
The Baddies
Julia Donaldson
Suitable for ages 0-5
The Baddies are the meanest, nastiest ghost, witch and troll in the land.
They just adore being bad, and fight over who is the worst.
When a little girl moves into a nearby cottage, the Baddies can’t wait to scare her out of her wits.
But the little girl quickly shows them that you don’t have to be big to be brave, and baddies don’t always win.
Max Magic
Stephen Mulhern
Suitable for ages 7-9
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Max Mullers loves doing magic tricks - his gran has taught him everything he knows! But his tricks aren't enough to keep Bottley the Bully off his back.
Then a run-in with Bottley at his parents' market stall gets Max into even bigger trouble - now the notorious East End gangsters the Crayfish Twins are after him! If Max is going to get out of this one, he'll need A MIRACLE. Fortunately for Max, with magic . . . anything is possible!
An unforgettable adventure celebrating friendship, family and . . . MAGIC!
Spaceboy
David Walliams
Suitable for ages 7-9
America. The 1960s
Ruth loves climbing trees, making a mess and throwing stones. But the thing she loves most is SPACE.
The girl is OBSESSED. She spends her days reading comics about alien invasions, doodling UFOs, watching B-movies about Earth being invaded by creatures from Mars… and gazing at the stars through her old, battered telescope.
Until one night, Ruth creeps out of bed in the attic room of her rickety old farmhouse to watch the stars – and is just dozing off when she spots something blazing across the sky. Something that looks like a flying saucer! Is she dreaming? No! And the flying saucer is on fire…
But when the UFO crash-lands in the cornfield, and Ruth rushes to help, she finds a mystery – and an adventure – beyond her wildest dreams…
Happy To Help (Eventually)
Liz Pichon
Suitable for ages 9-11
It's TIDY UP Saturday, but Tom is VERY busy relaxing and not helping out much.
Until he spots the art box of his dreams in a shop window and everything changes. He's suddenly focused on earning extra pocket money and helping with EVERYTHING.
But nothing quite goes to plan. Washing and shrinking Delia's clothes isn't a good start. And the hours spent carefully cleaning cars with Derek are ruined overnight when a storm hits Oakfield Town, causing even MORE chaos.
At this rate it's going to take a MILLION years for Tom to get the art box of his dreams - or will it?
Cruel Illusions
Margie Fuston
Suitable for ages 14+
Ever since a vampire murdered her mother, Ava has been determined to get revenge. This all-encompassing drive has given her the fuel she needed to survive foster home after foster home.
But it's been ten years since anyone's seen a vampire, and Ava has lost hope that she'll ever find one . . . until she stumbles across a hidden magic show where she witnesses impossible illusions. The magicians may not be the bloodsuckers she's hunting, but Ava is convinced something supernatural is at play, so she sneaks backstage and catches them in acts they can't explain.
But they've been waiting for her.
The magicians reveal they're part of an ancient secret society with true magic, and Ava has the same power in her blood that they do. If she joins them, they promise to teach her the skills she needs to hunt vampires and avenge her mother. But there's a catch: if she wants to keep the power they offer, she needs to prove she's worthy of it. And to do so, she must put on the performance of her life in a sinister and dangerous competition where illusion and reality blur, and the stakes are deadly.
Princess of Souls
Alexandra Christo
Suitable for ages 14+
In this Rapunzel-inspired fantasy, a young witch, groomed to steal souls for an immortal king, meets the reckless, rebellious boy to whom her fate is tied.
For sixteen years, Selestra has been trapped in her tower on the Floating Mountain, preparing to take her mother's place as the King's Witch, who foretells deaths in the Festival of Predictions. Outrunning your fate earns a wish and the chance to steal the King's immortality. But die and your soul is forfeit. And though thousands have tried, nobody has ever beaten death.
A soldier in the King's army, Nox is an unlikely candidate for the Festival, but, driven by revenge, he is determined to steal the King's immortality and kill the entirety of his court, starting with Selestra.
Yet when Selestra touches Nox in her very first prediction, their fates become entwined, and death seeks to take both their souls. Only by working together can they survive long enough to escape the dark fate and the immortal King that now hunts them.
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories
Jeff Kinney
Suitable for ages 9-11
Scare yourself silly with Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney, the #1 international bestselling author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
Grab a flashlight, crawl under the covers, and dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley Jefferson's imagination. You'll meet zombies, vampires, ghosts, and much more in these comically terrifying tales.
Rowley's spooky stories might leave you laughing, but beware-you could end up sleeping with the lights on!
Little Fairy
Rhiannon Fielding
Suitable for ages 0-5
A magical new story in the no.1 bestselling Ten Minutes to Bed series, written specifically to help children settle down for bedtime.
Poppy the fairy wishes she could fly as high as all of her friends, but there's just one thing - her wings are very small! When Poppy spots a lost gnome far from his glade, she is determined to use her wings and get him to safety. But can this little fairy fly to the rescue and still get back home before bedtime?
Weaving a journey from lively beginning to gentle end, this enchanting, heartwarming tale is perfect for little readers everywhere and will help them settle down for bed.
Bluey: Daddy Putdown
Bluey
Suitable for ages 0-5
While Mum's away at a baby shower, Dad pulls out all the stops to keep Bluey and Bingo entertained before bed. But will the daddy putdown go to plan?
This playful picture book is the perfect bedtime read for your little ones and would make a fantastic Father's Day present for all the Bandit's out there!
The Magic Faraway Tree: A New Adventure
Jacqueline Wilson
Suitable for ages 5-7
Three kids, Milo, Mia and Birdy, are on a countryside holiday when they wander into an Enchanted Wood. Among the whispering leaves, there is a beautiful tree that stands high above the rest. The Magic Faraway Tree is home to remarkable creatures including a fairy called Silky, her best friend Moonface and more. Birdy is delighted to find that fairies are real. Even her older brother and sister are soon won over by the magic of the Faraway Tree and the extraordinary places they discover above it, including the Land of Unicorns.
But not every land is so much fun. Danger looms in the Land of Dragons. Will Moonface's magic work in time to save the children?
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was Jacqueline Wilson's own favourite book as a young child. Now Britain's favourite contemporary children's author, creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, revisits this glorious magical world, weaving a brand-new story perfect for the next generation of young readers. Discover the magic!
The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond The Fence
Marcus Rashford
Suitable for ages 7-9
The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond the Fence is the first fiction book by England International footballer, child food-poverty campaigner and bestselling author Marcus Rashford MBE, inspired by Marcus's own experiences growing up! Written with Alex Falase-Koya, it is the third title in the Marcus Rashford Book Club and is packed with tons of illustrations by Marta Kissi, making it the perfect book for children aged 8-11.
There's something fishy going on at school . . .
When twelve-year-old Marcus kicks his favourite football over the school fence, he knows he's never getting it back. Nothing that goes over that wall ever comes back. But when Marcus gets a mysterious note inviting him to join the Breakfast Club Investigators, he is soon pulled into an exciting adventure with his new mates Stacey, Lise and Asim to solve the mystery and get his football back!
Packed full of friendship, adventure, community and fun, you won't want to miss The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond the Fence, Marcus Rashford's first fiction book for children.
'Breakfast Club guaranteed I had the best possible start to my day and welcomed me with open arms. It wasn’t just about food. It was about forming friendships, about togetherness, about escape. It was where some of my greatest memories were made. I want to capture that feeling in my debut fiction book.' - Marcus Rashford MBE
The Fart that Changed the World
Stephen Mangan
Suitable for ages 7-9
It's the most important day of the year for King Fabian as he is hosting all the neighbouring rulers. Everything simply must go perfectly.
King Fabian wakes up, stretches, and... farts.
His wife's fury is so huge that he panics and blames the butler, who is carted off to the dungeons. Leaving behind a big problem: Fabian isn't really the brains behind the crown: it is the butler... how will dithery Fabian manage to pull off this high-pressure event alone? His small and smelly fart looks like it will kick off a crisis...
Frank - a kitchen boy with a big imagination - is drafted in as an emergency butler. As the banquet descends into a food fight and processions catapult out of control, Frank finds himself in an all-out farty farce. Can he save the day?
Rise of the Maniacal Badger
Jamie Smart
Suitable for ages 9-11
The Maniacal Badger has arrived, and he's determined to take over the Woods! Wasn't that Monkey's plan? This cannot happen! What japes await in this brand-new adventure, when Bunny and Monkey team up to beat this new menace?! They've never managed to work together before. And will Skunky rediscover his passion for evil inventions, to defeat his rival at their own game?
Slime
David Walliams
Suitable for ages 7-9
Welcome to the Isle of Mulch…
This little island is home to a large number of horrible grown-ups. The school, the local park, the toy shop and even the island’s ice-cream van are all run by awful adults who like nothing more than making children miserable. And the island is owned by the most awful one of all – Aunt Greta Greed!
Something needs to be done about them.
But who could be brave enough?
Meet Ned – an extraordinary boy with a special power. SLIMEPOWER!
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories
Jeff Kinney
Suitable for ages 9-11
Scare yourself silly with Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney, the #1 international bestselling author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
Grab a flashlight, crawl under the covers, and dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley Jefferson's imagination. You'll meet zombies, vampires, ghosts, and much more in these comically terrifying tales.
Rowley's spooky stories might leave you laughing, but beware-you could end up sleeping with the lights on!.