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Wives Like Us
by Plum Sykes'So wickedly smart, so effortless, so chic and hilarious. Plum Sykes is in a class of her own when it comes to peeling back the layers of status paranoia amongst the poshest of the posh as she delivers a delectable tale that you never want to end.' Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians *Take a grand English country house, one (heartbroken) American divorcée, three rich wives, two tycoons, and one (bereaved) butler; put them all into the blender and out comes the impossibly funny Wives Like Us.Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire and the Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female: the Country Princess.Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to the Old Coach House to teach her husband, Bryan, a lesson.But things don't go to plan: Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door, refuses Tata's neighborly overtures; and Tata's very best friends, Fernanda Ovington-Williams and Sophie Thompson, are distracted by their own heartaches. Worst of all, Ian has nowhere to store his collection of vintage Gucci loafers.With the help of a pig farmeress moonlighting as a personal assistant, a male model moonlighting as a stable hand, and a London barrister moonlighting as a gentleman farmer, can Ian restore harmony to the Bottoms?'A fabulous and funny bucolic romp – Plum Sykes does it again.' Hannah Rothschild, author of The Improbability of Love'Wives Like Us may be set in the most gorgeous English manor house, but I'd happily sleep in the shed if it meant I could tag along with these marvelous characters – Tata, Minty, and their chic and crafty butler.' Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street'Delightful' Vogue'I absolutely adored Wives Like Us, I thought it was so fun and funny, a romp and a riot - and a glorious dollop of much needed escapism.' Daisy Buchanan'A stiletto-sharp look at the glamorous end of the Cotswolds. I loved it!' Katie Fforde* Readers are loving Wives Like Us:'I devoured this in one day' *****'Gloriously good fun' *****'Absolutely delightful' *****'A perfect summer read' *****
The World's Stupidest Headlines
This is an entertaining collection of the world's stupidest headlines, featuring over 300 examples of the most ludicrous headlines ever to be printed in newspapers throughout the world. At first glance they might seem perfectly reasonable, but on closer inspection their implied meaning can be something else entirely ... and it's not always pretty.
The World's Stupidest Inventions
by Adam Hart-DavisSometimes the stupidity of humankind is overwhelming, so much so that it is difficult to imagine that we ever walked on the moon or created the wheel. We have distinguished ourselves by our need to invent. Occasionally, however we can get it wrong, very wrong indeed. This is an amusing compilation of the some of the hiccups and the stupidest inventions that very nearly worked.
Bored Of The Rings: A Parody (GOLLANCZ S.F.)
by The Harvard Lampoon50th anniversary edition of the ultimate Tolkien Parody !Sometimes childish, sometimes rude, always clever and always very, very funny, this book has delighted most, and outraged a few, Tolkien fans in the US for more than 40 years.Pulling in references to popular culture and fantasy literature as a whole, this is a killingly effective parody of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. From the dreary Goddamn (Gollum) to the feckless Arrowroot (Aragorn), the bungling Goodgulf (Gandalf) to the timid, mean-minded boggies Frito (Frodo) and Dildo (Bilbo), no character is safe. Fleeing the Nozdrul, bored by acid-casualty Tim Benzedrine and harassed throughout by the minions of Sorhed, the fellowship move through a Middle Earth like no other. Short, sharp and very much to the point, even Tolkien would be hard-pressed to surpress a giggle at BORED OF THE RINGS.
Businessmen as Lovers
by Rosemary TonksFun, witty and sun-soaked – literary cartwheels and seaside capers from the astoundingly brilliant mid-century writer who destroyed her own books. Great friends, Mimi and Caroline, are off on holiday to a beautiful Italian island. There they find themselves part of an eccentric cast of characters including their debonair host and his mistress, a relentless venture capitalist and a villain in the form of the local dentist. There is also Beetle, with whom Mimi is completely and simply in love. As everyone relaxes into island living and the demands of real life drift away, the holiday hijinks culminate in a very Mediterranean prank – the cutting down of the dentist’s prize lemon tree.Back in print after many decades, this is a glorious novel by an extraordinary and little-known writer, the inimitable Rosemary Tonks.'Everyone could do with a bit of Tonks in their lives' Stewart Lee
Dimension of Miracles (Penguin Science Fiction)
by Robert Sheckley'Hilarious SF satire. Douglas Adams said it was the only thing like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, although written ten years earlier. It's wonderful' Neil GaimanThis madcap cosmic farce relates the adventures of the hapless human Carmody, as he attempts to make his way home to Earth after winning the grand prize in the Intergalactic Sweepstake, encountering parallel worlds, incompetent bureaucrats and talking dinosaurs on the way.'The greatest entertainer ever produced by science fiction ... a feast of wit and intelligence' J. G. Ballard
A House for Mr Biswas: Picador Classic (Picador Collection #3)
by Sir V. S. NaipaulWith an introduction by author Teju Cole, A House for Mr Biswas is Nobel Prize in Literature winner V. S. Naipaul's unforgettable masterpiece. Heart-rending and darkly comic, it has been hailed as one of the twentieth century's finest novels, a classic that evokes a man's quest for autonomy against the backdrop of post-colonial Trinidad.He was struck again and again by the wonder of being in his own house, the audacity of it: to walk in through his own front gate, to bar entry to whoever he wished, to close his doors and windows every night.Mr. Biswas has been told since the day of his birth that misfortune will follow him – and so it has. Meaning only to avoid punishment, he causes the death of his father and the dissolution of his family. Wanting simply to flirt with a beautiful woman, he ends up marrying her, and reluctantly relying on her domineering family for support. But in spite of endless setbacks, Mr. Biswas is determined to achieve independence, and so he begins his gruelling struggle to buy a home of his own.
Mothering Sunday
by Noel StreatfeildSeventy-year-old widowed Anna Caldwell likes to be alone, happy to potter around her garden chatting to her friend Miss Poe. However, the bliss of Anna’s peaceful lifestyle causes her five children much dismay.Jane, the eldest and most organised, gathers her siblings together to visit Anna on Mothering Sunday. Henry the politician, Margaret the doctor and the youngest, Felicity, all agree to attend with their partners . . . but that leaves Tony, the shadow on the family’s respectable past.Carnegie Medal winning author Noel Streatfeild pieces together a startling image of the post-war British family in her novel Mothering Sunday.
Portnoy's Complaint: When She Was Good; Portnoy's Complaint; Our Gang; The Breast (Vintage Blue #5)
by Philip Roth'The most outrageously funny book about sex written' GuardianPortnoy's Complaint n. [after Alexander Portnoy (1933-)]:A disorder in which strongly-felt ethical and altruistic impulses are perpetually warring with extreme sexual longings, often of a perverse nature.Portnoy's Complaint tells the tale of young Jewish lawyer Alexander Portnoy and his scandalous sexual confessions to his psychiatrist. As narrated by Portnoy, he takes the reader on a journey through his childhood to adolescence to present day while articulating his sexual desire, frustration and neurosis in shockingly candid ways. Hysterically funny and daringly intimate, Portnoy's Complaint was an immediate bestseller upon its publication and elevated Roth to an international literary celebrity.
The Bloater: The brilliantly original rediscovered classic comedy of manners
by Rosemary TonksWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY STEWART LEE'Should The Bloater be republished? Oh God, absolutely, it's fantastic' Stewart LeeMin works at the BBC as an audio engineer, where she is struggling to replicate the sound of a heartbeat. At home, other matters of the heart are making a mockery of life as Min knows it.Min has found herself the object of her lodger's affection. An internationally renowned opera singer she's nicknamed 'The Bloater', Min is disgusted and attracted to him in equal measure. But with a husband so invisible that she accidentally turns the lights off on him even when he's still in the room, Min can't quite bring herself to silence The Bloater's overtures. Vain, materialistic, yet surprisingly tender, The Bloater is a sparklingly ironic comedy of manners for all flirtatious gossips who love to hate and hate to love.PRAISE FOR THE BLOATER'A wonderfully unromantic romantic comedy' Daily Telegraph'Uncommonly good' Guardian 'It is the perfect aperitif, makes you feel warm and careless and much, much happier' The Times
Bound to Violence
by Yambo Ouologuem‘A great novel ... bone-chilling black satire … it deserves many readings’ New York TimesA mock epic of explosive power, Bound to Violence races through the history of the imaginary African kingdom of Nakem, from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Recounting the bloody adventures of successive inglorious dynasties, the arrival of white exploiters and the fates of ordinary, endlessly persecuted citizens – most notably the tragicomic, Paris-educated hero Raymond-Spartacus Kassoumi – this iconoclastic, outrageous 1968 novel takes a wry, sideways look at empire and nationalism, and at the sex, violence and power that run through human relationships.‘A startling energy of language’ John Updike, New YorkerTranslated by Ralph ManheimWith an Introduction by Chérif Keïta
Coping with Christmas: A Fabulously Festive Christmas Companion
by Fanny Cradock Johnnie CradockWith a new introduction by Felicity Cloake “Fanny Cradock is the Queen of Christmas cooking” – The Telegraph
La Guerre, Yes Sir!
by Roch CarrierVital, funny, moving and assured, La Guerre, Yes Sir! is a surrealist fable set in rural Quebec during WWI and one of the major achievements in Canadian fiction. Canadian Literature greeted its first appearance in these terms: It is the French-Canadian writer Roch Carrier who comes closest to the significance, power and artistry of Faulkner at his best … He might well be able to do for French Canada what Faulkner did for the American South.
Only When I Larf (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Len Deighton'Dazzling ingenuity and cleverness' IndependentThree con artists are on the make, and making millions. There's Silas, the leader, slick and self-assured; Liz, his glamorous lover; and Bob, the young cockney upstart (who's also falling for Liz). As this uneasy trio's swindles take them from New York high-rises to sixties London, corrupt governments to, finally, the ultimate con in the Middle East, will their luck start to run out?'For sheer readability he has no peer' Evening Standard
Rosy is My Relative: A Novel (Pan Heritage Classics #11)
by Gerald DurrellWritten with Gerald Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, Rosy is my Relative will delight fans both old and new.At the age of thirty, Adrian Rookwhistle's life hasn't quite turned out the way he'd have hoped. Working an unfulfilling job as a clerk in the city and living under the tyranny of his fearsome landlady, he can't help but think that there is more to life.However, all of this suddenly changes when he receives a curious letter from his dying uncle who has bequeathed him £500 and an elephant by the name of Rosy who has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for liquor. At a loss of what to do with his unexpectedly gargantuan - and rarely sober - inheritance, Adrian sets forth on a journey believing to have the answer to his dilemma; he'll give her away to the circus. Together Adrian and Rosy carve a trail of destruction through the peaceful countryside of southern England, meeting a curious cast of misfits along the way. Drunk or sober, Rosy spreads chaos in her wake, until the full weight of the law finally catches up with her . . .
Under the Glacier
by Halldór Laxness'Wildly original, morose, uproarious... It is also one of the funniest books ever written' Susan SontagA naive young man is sent by the bishop of Iceland to investigate a small town that has reportedly lost its faith. The church is boarded up and the errant pastor lives with a woman who is not his wife. He has also allowed a corpse to be lodged in the glacier. So the rumours go.What he discovers is a community that regards itself as the centre of the world - earthly yet otherworldly, banal yet astonishing. Brimming with humour, mystery, and the supernatural this is a surprising and moving novel from the Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY SUSAN SONTAG
Breakthrough
by Richard CowperThe ability to distinguish reality from fantasy is supposedly the root of sanity.But if a man lives in two worlds, and both are real, what then? Is he mad, or sane? One person, or two? And if one of his worlds should begin to grow dim, a shadow world, could one say he was in danger of going sane?
The Third Policeman (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
by Flann O’BrienA masterpiece of black humour from the renown comic and acclaimed author of ‘At Swim-Two-Birds’ – Flann O’Brien.
Uncle And The Treacle Trouble
by J. P. Martin Quentin Blake R N CurreyA great mural, commissioned by the King of the Badgers after the defeat of the Badfort crowd at Crack House, is to be painted on the wall at Homeward by Waldovenison Smeare. To protect the mural while it is being painted Uncle employs a watchman called Sleepy Sam, who sleeps in a wheelbarrow and is paid two loaves of bread and two quarts of Koolvat. Sleepy Sam is immediately put to work when Beaver Hateman tries to climb in through Uncle's window . . .
The Lord of the Rings
by J. R. TolkienFor the first time ever, a very special edition of the classic masterpiece, with the complete text and illustrated throughout by the author himself.
Penguin Readers Level 2: Roald Dahl The Magic Finger (Penguin Readers Roald Dahl)
by Roald DahlLearn English with The Magic Finger! A Penguin Readers book. Discover fifteen famous Roald Dahl adventures, adapted for learners of English aged 7+. Can you read them all?Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. Readers include simplified text, illustrations and language learning exercises. Please note that the eBook edition does NOT include access to the audio edition and digital book.In these Penguin Readers editions, Roald Dahl's stories have been aligned to the CEFR framework A1 to A2+, in four levels. Each book is also Lexile measured. The graded readers feature illustrated new words, language activities, and fun games between chapters, encouraging students and teachers to structure learning and make real progress. Every book also includes projects and discussions.Visit the Penguin Readers website for downloadable quizzes, worksheets and answer keys. Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock a digital book and audio edition (not available with the eBook).The Magic Finger, a Level 2 Reader, is A1+ in the CEFR framework. Sentences contain a maximum of two clauses, introducing the future tenses will and going to, present continuous for future meaning, and comparatives and superlatives. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear on most pages.A girl gets very angry because her friends are not kind to animals. But the girl is special because she has a Magic Finger! What strange things will happen to her friends? Will they learn an important lesson?
Richard Scarry’s Storybook Dictionary
by Richard ScarryanythingIt is time to give Babykins his bath.Mother is wearing her raincoat.Babykins isn't wearing anything.Kids will have hours of fun and learning with Richard Scarry characters like Lowly Worm and Hilda Hippo as they go on an adventure of discovery from A to Z. With thousands of pictures in full colour and charming stories, this one-of-a-kind treasure is sure to be a favourite with parents and kids alike.'An awe-inspiring legacy.' Dapo Adeola'Treasure troves of detail.' Chris Mould'A delight.' Sara Ogilvie'What a talent.' David Tazzyman'The epitome of charm.' Sheena Dempsey'One of my favourite illustrators.' Allen Fatimaharan'So much fun.' Neal Layton'Zen-like chaos.' Rikin Parekh'Extraordinarily detailed illustrations.' Arthur Robins
Uncle And His Detective
by J. P. Martin Quentin BlakeIt begins with the arrival not of a detective, but of disaster: Badfort is for sale, but when Uncle decides to buy it, demolish it, and build a pleasantly appointed park on the site, he is forestalled. Beaver Hateman has sold it cheaply to someone on the condition that he, Hateman, is allowed to stay on as a paying guest. Forgetting that the man who has bought Badfort is certain to regret the "bargain", Uncle tries to console himself by continuing his never-ending exploration of Homeward. He soon discovers the mysterious Crack House - lair of a vicious and horribly squawking creature, half-bat, half-bird, called Batty - where there are rumours of buried treasure. Uncle is in need of a detective . . .