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Operation Bunny: The Detective Agency's First Case (The Fairy Detective Agency #1)
by Sally GardnerEmily Vole makes headline news in the first weeks of her life, when she is found in an abandoned hatbox in Stansted Airport. Then, only a few years later, her neighbour Mrs String dies leaving Emily a mysterious inheritance: an old shop, a small bunch of golden keys and a cat called Fidget. It's the beginning of an adventure of a lifetime as the old Fairy Detective Agency comes back to life. It is up to Emily to reopen the shop, and recall the fairies to duty. Together they must embark on their first mystery and do battle with their great fairy-snatching enemy, Harpella.
Operation Chaos: The Vietnam Deserters Who Fought the CIA, the Brainwashers, and Themselves
by Matthew Sweet'A remarkable story of subterfuge and brainwashing that few Hollywood scriptwriters could have made up' Simon Heffer, author of The Age of DecadenceIn 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, an exodus begins. A thousand American deserters and draft-resisters escape the brutal fighting for the calm shores of Stockholm. These defectors are young, radical and want to start a revolution. The Swedes treat their new guests like rock stars - but the CIA is going to put a stop to that.It's a job for the deep-cover men of Operation Chaos and their allies - agents who know how to invade radical organizations and crush them from the inside. And within a few months, the GIs have turned on each other - and the interrogations and recriminations begin. A gripping espionage story filled with a host of extraordinary and unbelievable plays, Operation Chaos is the incredible but true account of the men who left the war, how they betrayed each other and how they became lost in a world where anything seemed possible - even the idea that the CIA had secretly programmed them to kill their friends.
Operation Foreplay (Operation #2)
by Christine HughesSLOWING DOWN THE SEX-CELERATOR . . .Melody Ashford hates waiting for anything-especially sex. But after a disastrous affair and a one-nighter with Mr. Micropenis, Mel realizes she's suffering from some bad bedroom juju. And no amount of hot, casual, or friends-with-benefits hookups is going to fix it. Instead, Mel's decided to resist the demands of her ladyparts.Saying no might have been no problem . . . except that her temporary roommate, Jared Myers, is all kinds of hot male sex on a stick. Now Mel is consumed by all manner of dirty thoughts, and remembering why she decided to "go slow" is getting harder and harder . . .(70,000 words)
Operation One Night Stand (Operation #1)
by Christine HughesIT'S TIME TO CHANGE HER SEXUAL KARMACaroline Frost had it all-until her boyfriend banged the superskank intern, and poof! Caroline's happy little bubble disappeared. Now it's been six weeks of weeping, a mountain of ice cream, and a permanent buttprint on the couch. Enough is enough. She and her ladybits need an intervention-now.Enter Operation: One Night Stand: Find a man who is hotness personified and have some much-needed sexy time. The only problem is that Caroline is torn between a flirtatious, well-built guy and the ridiculously hot bartender serving her shots. This was supposed to be all fun and no games, but like the perfect scotch on the rocks, no good fling finishes without a twist . . . "A sexy and witty read. Christine Hughes had me laughing and fanning myself simultaneously." --Sawyer Bennet, New York Times bestselling author "OPERATION ONE NIGHT STAND is a fun, seriously hot story about a woman's journey through life. I liked the pacing of this book and never thought it lagged. There is a good balance of romance, sexiness, and the trials of everyday life. I look forward to the next book in this Operation series by Christine Hughes to see what's in store for Caroline's friends." --Fresh Fiction
Operation Trumpsformation
by Ross O'Carroll-Kelly'Our nation's great satirist ... the most sustained feat of comic writing in Irish literature' Irish TimesIt's the end of the world as Ross knows it ... this time, there's no way of escaping another monumental fock-up!Sorcha had thrown me out of the family home - this time apparently for good. And yet that was the least of my worries ...My old dear was in prison, accused of murdering her second husband. My sons were showing an unhealthy interest in - someone call social services - soccer! And my daughter wanted everyone to call her Eddie. But don't even go there!On top of all that, a blond wig discovered in a dusty attic, had given my old man delusions of power. Suddenly, he was running for election, promising to tear up the bailout deal and take Ireland out of Europe. And that's to say nothing of his secret plan for Ireland's second city ...But shush! Don't mention the wall!
Opie Jones and the Superhero Slug
by Nat LuurtsemaDr Dolittle meets Kid Normal in a hilarious middle grade superhero series that tells you what your pets are really thinking, from Bafta-nominated comedian Nat Luurtsema
Opie Jones Talks to Animals
by Nat LuurtsemaDr Dolittle meets Kid Normal in a hilarious middle grade superhero series from comedian Nat Luurtsema. Perfect for fans of David Baddiel, Charlie Changes into a Chicken, My Brother is a Superhero and Lightning Girl
The Opposite Bastard
by Simon PackhamForced to take employment as live-in carer for a genius quadriplegic undergraduate, failed actor Timothy Salt is not optimistic. His charge, Michael Owen, is only at Oxford to please his devoted mum. When ersatz aristo Phillip Sydney offers the leading role in his student production of Hamlet to Michael, Timothy’s humiliation seems complete. Meanwhile, fellow student thespian Anna Jenkins, deciding that Phillip is the ‘perfect gentleman’ who Mummy so wants her to find, accepts the part of Ophelia. Then TV producer Nikki Hardbody (Kids with Cancer and Pepé: The Boy with No Nose) arrives to immortalise Michael in her latest documentary, and Timothy realizes that the only way he can salvage any self-respect is by sabotaging the production of Hamlet. Michael, meanwhile, is horrified to find himself falling for Anna. As rehearsals progress, Anna discovers that her perfect partner isn’t Phillip Sydney after all. No one is more delighted than cynical Nikki Hardbody. The Opposite Bastard is a dark comedy of manners. An uproarious and moving commentary on love, disability, dignity, political correctness and media opportunism, it is a strikingly original and provocative debut.
The Opposite of Lonely (The Skelfs #5)
by Doug JohnstoneA body lost at sea, arson, murder, astronauts, wind phones, communal funerals and existential angst … This can ONLY mean one thing! The Skelfs are back, and things are as tense, unnerving and warmly funny as ever!The Skelf women are recovering from the cataclysmic events that nearly claimed their lives. Their funeral-director and private-investigation businesses are back on track, and their cases are as perplexing as ever.Matriarch Dorothy looks into a suspicious fire at a travellers’ site, and takes a grieving, homeless man under her wing. Daughter Jenny is searching for her missing sister-in-law, who disappeared in tragic circumstances, while grand-daughter Hannah is asked to investigate increasingly dangerous conspiracy theorists, who are targeting a retired female astronaut … putting her own life at risk.With a body lost at sea, funerals for those with no one to mourn them, reports of strange happenings in outer space, a funeral crasher with a painful secret, and a violent attack on one of the family, The Skelfs face their most personal – and perilous – cases yet. Doing things their way may cost them everything…Tense, unnerving and warmly funny, The Opposite of Lonely is the hugely anticipated fifth instalment in the unforgettable Skelfs series, and this time, danger comes from everywhere…
The Optimist
by Sophie KipnerMeet Tabitha Gray, a delusional girl from Topanga, California, who redefines what it means to be a truly hopeless romantic. Tabby suffers from an aggressive strain of cock-eyed optimism – no amount of failure, embarrassment or humiliation can dent her fierce belief that real, true, lasting love is just around the corner.Where most people think, fantasize and dream, Tabby says, feels and does. Whether waiting in her lingerie for Harrison Ford to open the door of his hotel room; following Al Pacino around a Russian bathhouse; seeking passion with a blind man on the advice of a wise old woman with dementia; or sending intimate photos to a random sexter with an apparently charming dick, Tabby refuses to be crushed by her many misadventures.In this warmly witty debut novel, Sophie Kipner takes a satirical look at the extremity of romantic desperation, and pays tribute to the deep human need to keep on heroically searching for love despite our many absurdities.
The Optimist's/Pessimist's Handbook: A companion to hope and despair
by Niall Edworthy Petra CramsieAre optimists just reckless dreamers? Are pessimists miserable doom-mongers or just erring on the side of caution? Is the glass half empty or half full?Brilliantly compiled and beautifully written, this is a rich anthology of evidence from both sides of any argument. Covering everything from Beauty to Happiness, Patriotism to Walking, it is the perfect tool for squabbling families, a counterbalance for arguing couples and a mine of detail for the quarrelsome. The Optimist on the Afterlife: My heaven will be filled with wonderful young men and dukes. (Dame Barbara Cartland)And the Pessimist: 'That's what Hell will be like, small chat to the babbling of Lethe about the good old days when we wished we were dead. (Samuel Beckett)
OPUS: 25 Years of His Sunday Best (Bloom County Ser.)
by Berkeley BreathedFrom one of the funniest minds -- and pens -- of our time, at last, the definitive collection of the very best of Opus, everyones favorite maladjusted penguin.One of Americas most beloved comic geniuses is back, with this collectible 25th anniversary compendium of the best of Opus, joined by his hilarious supporting cast, including Binkley, Milo, Bill the Cat, Steve Dallas, Ronald Ann, and the rest of the residents of Bloom County and Outland. From Antarctica to Omaha, Opus has cavorted with space creatures, impersonated rock stars, fended off accusations of penguin lust, and even campaigned for office. Now, in addition to the classic strips, Berkeley Breathed also brings us never-before-collected Bloom County cartoons and original all-new material from his Opus comics. Brace yourself for the sidesplitting, table-pounding, milk-through-the-nose-spewing laughter that only Opus and his outlandish friends can generate. The perfect collection for both die-hard fans and those discovering the matchless humor of Berkeley Breathed for the first time.
Orange World
by Karen RussellKaren Russell's comedic genius and mesmerising talent for creating outlandish predicaments that uncannily mirror our inner lives are on display in these exuberant, unforgettable stories. In 'The Bad Graft', a couple on a road trip stop in Joshua Tree National Park, where the spirit of a giant tree accidentally infects the young woman, their fates becoming permanently entangled. In 'The Prospectors' two opportunistic young women fleeing the Depression strike out for new territory, but find themselves fighting for their lives. In the brilliant and hilarious title story a new mother desperate to ensure her baby's safety strikes a diabolical deal – as long as the devil protects her baby, she'll do anything. Stories of survival, love and of surreal and magnificent transformation – even in their darkness, these stories give us an escape. Just as many of the characters make a leap – whether to a different world or a different state – we go along for the ride as Russell takes us to strange and exhilarating new heights. This is haunting and beautiful work from one of America's most gifted writers.'Russell can take Antarctic tailgaters, an army of seagulls or simply a window and twist a tale that explodes on the page and lingers in the mind' The Times
An Orc on the Wild Side
by Tom Holt'Uniquely twisted . . . cracking gags' - Guardian'Holt doesn't skimp on the flashes of brilliance' - SFX'Clever, funny, tirelessly inventive' - Christopher MooreWINTER IS COMING, SO WHY NOT GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?Being the Dark Lord and Prince of Evil is not as much fun as it sounds, particularly if you are a basically decent person. King Mordak is just such a person. Technically he's more goblin than person, but the point is that he is really keen to be a lot less despicable than his predecessors. Not that the other goblins appreciate Mordak's attempts to redefine the role. Why should they when his new healthcare program seems designed to actually extend life expectancy, and his efforts to end a perfectly reasonable war with the dwarves appear to have become an obsession? With confidence in his leadership crumbling, what Mordak desperately needs is a distraction. Perhaps some of these humans moving to the Realm in search of great homes at an affordable price will be able to help? An Orc on the Wild Side is the latest comic masterpiece from one of the funniest writers in fantasy.Books by Tom Holt: Walled Orchard Series Goatsong The Walled Orchard J.W. Wells & Co. Series The Portable Door In Your Dreams Earth, Air, Fire and Custard You Don't Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But It Helps The Better Mousetrap May Contain Traces of Magic Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages YouSpace Series Doughnut When It's A Jar The Outsorcerer's Apprentice The Good, the Bad and the Smug Novels Expecting Someone Taller Who's Afraid of Beowulf Flying Dutch Ye Gods! Overtime Here Comes the Sun Grailblazers Faust Among Equals Odds and Gods Djinn Rummy My Hero Paint your Dragon Open Sesame Wish you Were Here Alexander at World's End Only Human Snow White and the Seven Samurai Olympiad Valhalla Nothing But Blue Skies Falling SidewaysLittle PeopleSong for NeroMeadowlandBarkingBlonde BombshellThe Management Style of the Supreme BeingsAn Orc on the Wild Side
The Order of the Phoenix Park
by Twenty MajorFor three years Twenty Major has written a daily blog. Now though comes a tale so bizarre and abominable that mere words on a computer screen wouldnt have been able to do it justice. These words need to be on paper ...When Twenty Major's friend, record-shop-owner Tom OFarrell is brutally shot in the stomach, his dying act was to scrawl the number 60 in blood on his chest and dial Twenty's number into his phone. When Twenty is called to the scene of the crime he hasnt a clue why Tom was trying to contact him or what the hell the number 60 means. But himself and Tom go back a long way and he vows to find Tom's killer.Then things take a turn for the worse: Folkapalooza is announced - a massive free concert due to take place in the Phoenix Park with headlining acts Damien Rice, James Blunt and David Gray.Something is wrong, really wrong. Why are people obsessed with Folkapalooza? What has turned the Goths outside the Central Bank into acoustic loving drips? Who is the ginger albino and how does it all link to Tom?Can Twenty, Jimmy the Bollix, Stinking Pete, Dirty Dave, Lucky and even Ron himself, save the people of Dublin and, less importantly, the rest of Ireland, from a fate that is, quite literally, worse than death? And solve a murder along the way?
Ordinary Joe
by Jon TeckmanA brilliant, fast-paced comedy about life behind the scenes in the film business, and how to survive when your greatest fantasy comes true and threatens to wreck your perfectly ordinary life.
Oreo (Picador Classic #89)
by Fran RossWith an introduction by the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James'Oreo's satire on racial identity reads like a story for our times . . . Could Oreo be this year's Stoner? Observer‘A rollicking little masterpiece . . . one of the most delightful, hilarious, intelligent novels I’ve stumbled across in recent years’ Paul AusterOreo has been raised by her maternal grandparents in Philadelphia. Her black mother tours with a theatrical troupe, and her Jewish deadbeat dad disappeared when she was an infant, leaving behind a mysterious note. Oreo’s quest is to find her father, and discover the secret of her birth.What ensues in Fran Ross's opus is a playful, modernized parody of the classical odyssey of Theseus with a feminist twist, immersed in seventies pop culture, and mixing standard English, black vernacular, and Yiddish with wisecracking aplomb.Oreo, our young hero, navigates the labyrinth of sound studios and brothels and subway tunnels in Manhattan, seeking to claim her birthright while unwittingly experiencing and triggering a mythic journey of self-discovery like no other.
The Original Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts: The Original Radio Scripts
by Douglas AdamsMarch 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission – 42 being the answer, of course, to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan are bringing back into print The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts with a brand-new introduction from Simon Jones.The collection also includes the previously 'lost' Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, 'Sheila's Ear' and the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams.This collection, which is a faithful reproduction of the text as it was first published in 1985, features all twelve original radio scripts – Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. For those who have always loved Douglas Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading and a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia.This special anniversary edition will sit alongside reissued eye-catching editions of the five individual Hitchhiker books coming in May 2020: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless.
Orlando: Two Renderings For The Stage (Macmillan Collector's Library #135)
by Virginia WoolfOrlando is a young Elizabethan nobleman whose wealth and status afford him an extravagant lifestyle. Appointed ambassador in Constantinople, he wakes one morning to find he is a woman. Unperturbed by such a dramatic transformation, and losing none of his flamboyance and ambition, the newly female Orlando charges through life and English history so that by the end of this extraordinary biography she is a modern, 1920s woman. Virginia Woolf’s wildly imaginative, comic novel was inspired by the life of her lover, Vita Sackville West. This beautiful Macmillan Collector’s Library edition of Orlando is published with the original illustrations and with an introduction by the academic and novelist, Professor Susan Sellers.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.
The Orphans of St Halibut's (The Orphans of St Halibut's #1)
by Sophie WillsStolen cakes, major explosions and an unforgettable cast of characters – dive into this hilarious caper from debut author Sophie Wills and million-copy bestselling illustrator, David Tazzyman.Life has been perfect ever since the orphans of St Halibut's buried their matron – don't look like that, it was an accident! Tig, Stef, Herc, and Pamela the goat just have to make sure nobody finds out they're on their own.Discovering that an Inspector is on his way, they'll need to convince him that everything is peachy or they'll be sent to the Mending House – where badly behaved orphans go, never to return. But the Inspector is not quite what he seems and things very quickly go from bad to spectacularly out of hand . . .Can these crafty kids outsmart the adults and save their home? 'A fabulously funny tale of clever orphans, rambling houses, angry goats and grizzly ends' Kirsty Applebaum, author of The Middler'The most effortlessly hilarious book I've read in a long time with an unforgettable cast' Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
The Orphans of St Halibut's: Pamela's Revenge (The Orphans of St Halibut's #2)
by Sophie WillsAccidental fires, villainous grown-ups and a mission to rescue a very grumpy goat – don't miss the hilarious second Orphans of St Halibut's adventure from Sophie Wills, illustrated by the million-copy bestselling David Tazzyman. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket.St Halibut’s has burned to the ground, but there’s no time to mope. With the sinister Ministry of FUN – Forms, Underlining and Notices – on their case, the rag-tag bunch of orphans must make a new home, and protect it from those who want to smash it (and them) to smithereens.But their tight-knit family is unravelling: Tig and Stef can’t see eye to eye, and all Herc can think about is cooking the perfect marshmallows. Worst of all, just when they need her sharp horns and unpredictable temper most, is Pamela giving up the fight? Side-splitting mischief, big trouble and a spectacular cast of quirky characters – dive into the hilarious world of the The Orphans of St Halibut's: Pamela's Revenge.Praise for The Orphans of St Halibut's:'This book reminded me of an old fashioned film caper – a little like St Trinians meets Oliver with a twist of Matilda thrown in' Year 6 Teacher and Parent‘I would recommend this book to people that like spooky, funny and adventurous stories’ Reader, aged 8
Osama
by Lavie TidharWinner of the World Fantasy Award Tenth Anniversary Edition, with a new introduction and three extra stories.It's a rainy day when the woman approaches Joe. He is a private detective and she is looking for someone, as these things often go. Her quarry is the obscure author of a series of pulp novels featuring one Osama bin Laden: Vigilante.Joe's quest will take him across the world in search of the writer. And every step of the way – from the backwaters of Laos to Paris and London – he is plagued, by assailants he cannot name, by questions he cannot hope to answer and by ghostly entities he cannot seem to shake.Joe knows how the story should end, but even he is not ready for the truths he will find in New York and atop a quiet hill above Kabul, nor for the choice he will have to make there...
Osbert the Avenger: Book 1 (Tales from Schwartzgarten #1)
by Christopher William HillLike Roald Dahl - but different!The first book in the gruesomely funny Tales from Schwartzgarten series.Meet Osbert Brinkhoff, the unlikeliest of avengers. His is a tale of dark delights and ghastly goings-on, of injustice and revenge. The villains are vicious. The settings are sinister. And good does NOT always prevail...If you prefer cleavers to kittens and fiends to fairies...then welcome to the GRUESOMELY FUNNY Tales from Schwartzgarten.-Osbert the Avenger is the first in a thrilling series of four books, all set in the fictional city of Schwartzgarten-With shades of Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl, the Tales from Schwartzgarten are as hilarious as they are dark-These brilliantly woven mock-gothic horror stories have huge child appeal
Oscar and the CATastrophe (Ask Oscar Ser. #3)
by Alan MacDonaldThe third book in a brilliantly funny new series for 6+ readers from bestselling Dirty Bertie author Alan MacDonald, about a boy and his incredible talking dog. Sam had a very ordinary life, until Oscar the dog arrived on his doorstep. Because Oscar has a big secret – he can talk!
Oscar and the Dognappers (Ask Oscar Ser.)
by Alan MacDonaldThe second book in a brilliantly funny new series from bestselling Dirty Bertie author Alan MacDonald, about a boy and his incredible talking dog. Oscar's back … and he's got plenty to talk about! Sam had a very ordinary life, until Oscar the dog arrived on his doorstep. Because Oscar has a big secret – he can talk!