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The Beach House
by Jane GreenNumber one bestseller Jane Green - author of Straight Talking and Mr Maybe - tells a heart-warming story of life, family and relationships in her captivating novel The Beach House.Nan, a widow whose family has flown the nest, is an independent, free-spirited woman who couldn't care less what people think about her living alone in her beloved beach house. But when she discovers that money is running out and she might lose her home, she knows it's time for a drastic change. Nan decides to rent out rooms for the summer and people start moving into the house, filling it with noise, laughter and tears. Among them is Daniel, a recently divorced father, who's struggling to find out who he really is, and Daff, the single mother of a truculent teenager who blames her mother unreservedly for her parents' divorce. As the house comes to life again, Nan finds her family growing. Her son comes home for the summer and an unexpected visitor turns up, turning all their lives upside down . . .Compelling, absorbing and poignant, The Beach House is a story of friendship, love and those moments that can change your life.
Black Mischief (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Evelyn Waugh'We are Progress and the New Age. Nothing can stand in our way.' When Oxford-educated Emperor Seth succeeds to the throne of the African state of Azania, he has a tough job on his hands. His subjects are ill-informed and unruly, and corruption, double-dealing and bloodshed are rife. However, with the aid if Minister of Modernization Basil Seal, Seth plans to introduce his people to the civilized ways of the west - but will it be as simple as that?
Can We Have Our Balls Back, Please?: How the British Invented Sport
by Julian NorridgeLong before Drake refused to interrupt his game of bowls when the Armada was sighted, the British have had a passionate relationship with sport. Julian Norridge goes through the stories of fourteen major sports from cricket to boxing to football, from their very beginning and throughout the British Isles, whether it’s Welsh inventor and tobacco enthusiast Major Walter Clopton Wingfield coming up with a game that could use those new fangled rubber balls (modern tennis) or the Scots inventing the golf club – 500 years after the game. But this is far more than a book about sport, it takes a very funny, very British look at our popular history, mythology and most importantly the highly eccentric figures that made it. It chronicles the constant battle between fair play and gambling; between advances in the game and plain cheating (such as turning up with a cricket bat wider than the wicket).Can We Have Our Balls Back Please? proves that there is an awful lot to be proud of in our history and where that strange feeling of superiority really comes from. It shows why we get just so excited when we take on any other nation in any sporting event and are so disappointed when we lose...
Phantom Hitchhikers and Decoy Ducks: The strange stories behind the urban legends we can't stop telling each other
by Albert Jack'Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. Was Sir Winston Churchill really a Druid? Did Charlie Chaplin lose a lookalike competition? Did The Who's drummer Keith Moon drive his Rolls Royce into a swimming pool? The man with the answers is Albert Jack...' - Daily ExpressFrom Walt Disney's frozen head to the kidnap of JFK's brain, Albert Jack gathers together all the strangest, sickest, funniest and most unforgettable urban legends and recounts them with his usual deadpan humour. But this is more than just a collection of urban legends, it is also a detective story. Exploring the real events behind conspiracy theories, the exaggerations of history and the assumptions of old wives’ tales, Albert Jack shows us that the truth can definitely be stranger than fiction…
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Stars
by Gervase PhinnTwinkle, Twinkle Little Stars is the second delightful collection of stories and poems from Gervase Phinn.Following on from the terrific success of A Wayne in a Manger, Gervase Phinn has collected together from his bestselling Dales books his favourite stories about children, and included some poems from his popular Puffin poetry books. In this humorously illustrated book, the stories have one thing in common - the wonderfully funny (and usually innocent) things that children say. What makes Naomi's granny wobble? What's the secret ingredient in Richard's jam tarts? What is Billy's unconventional method for making babies?Whether they are stories about children who cannot read very well but know the names of many breeds of sheep or children who are more privileged (coming to school in a Wolls-Woyce), they are simply delightful. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars is a heart-warming book will enchant you, as Gervase Phinn helps you look at life through a child's eyes - and that's quite a special thing.'Gervase Phinn's memoirs have made him a hero in school staff-rooms' Daily TelegraphGervase Phinn is an author and educator from Rotherham who, after teaching for fourteen years in a variety of schools, moved to North Yorkshire to be a school inspector. He has written autobiographies, novels, plays, collections of poetry and stories, as well as a number of books about education. He holds five fellowships, honorary doctorates from Hull, Leicester and Sheffield Hallam universities, and is a patron of a number of children's charities and organizations. He is married with four adult children. His books include The Other Side of the Dale, Over Hill and Dale, Head Over Heels in the Dales,The Heart of the Dales, Up and Down in the Dales and Trouble at the Little Village School.
Molesworth: A Guide To Sukcess For Tiny Pupils, Including All There Is To Kno About Space (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Philip Hensher Geoffrey Willans Ronald SearleSchool is 'wet and weedy', according to Nigel Molesworth, the 'goriller of 3B', 'curse of St Custard's' and superb chronicler of fifties English life. Nothing escapes his disaffected eye and he has little time for such things as botany walks and cissy poetry with an assortment of swots, snekes and oiks. Instead he is very good at missing lessons, charming masters and putting down little brothers, in fact he is exceptional at most things except spelling. Wildly funny and full of sharp observations on life, the ‘Molesworth tetralogy’ is magnificently complemented by the illustrations of Ronald Searle
Albert Jack's Ten-minute Mysteries: The World's Secrets Explained, from the Real Loch Ness Monster to Who Killed Marilyn Monroe
by Albert JackAlbert Jack now turns his attention to the mysteries that have haunted us throughout history. Albert Jack's Ten Minute Mysteries cleverly combines his research with riveting stories and hilarious observations. All life's most perplexing questions answered: UFOs, Crop Circles and Alien invasions ? Where is the Mona Lisa? (clue: it's not in the Louvre) ? Is the Loch Ness Monster really a circus elephant? ? Will the real Paul McCartney please stand up? ? What happened to the Mary Celeste? ? Who killed Marilyn Monroe? ? What was Agatha Christie's own mystery? ? Who was Jack the Ripper? and many, many more... With enough entertaining information to fuel hundreds of pub conversations, fascinating illustrations and all kinds of discoveries to surprise even the most expert conspiracy theorist , Albert Jack's Ten Minute Mysteries is the perfect present for anybody who's ever wondered why...
Anybody Out There: British Book Awards Author of the Year 2022 (Walsh Family)
by Marian Keyes*** CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS AUTHOR OF THE YEAR 2022***Discover the warm, witty and compelling story of a woman trying to get her life back on track, from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups'Searingly insightful, Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions' Independent'High quality entertainment' Marie Claire_________Meet Anna Walsh. Lying in her parents' Good Front Room, covered in bandages, Anna dreams of leaving Dublin and returning to her beloved New York.To her home. To her job. And most of all to her husband Aidan.Unfortunately, her family have other ideas. She's staying put. And Aidan? He's refusing to even take her calls. The last thing Anna wants is to think about how she ended up in this mess. But with nothing else to do, she's forced to ask herself why she's thousands of miles from the life she loves. Where did it all go wrong? And can she fix it, before it's too late? Love the Walsh sisters? Don't miss out on the eagerly awaited sequel to Rachel's Holiday: AGAIN, RACHEL . . ._________'A wonderful, subtle, hilarious and highly sophisticated novel' Evening Standard'Richly enjoyable' Daily TelegraphFAMOUS FANS AND WHY THEY LOVE MARIAN KEYES'Marian's writing is the truth. With big laughs' Dawn French'A giant of Irish writing' Naoise Dolan'Will make you laugh and make you cry, but will also reveal the truth of who you really are' Louise O'Neill'Keyes weaves the joy and pain of life in a unique and magical way' Cathy Rentzenbrink'One of the most honest writers writing today' Pandora Sykes'Compassionate, tender, incisive writing' Lucy Foley'Her talent for tackling serious issues with such humanity and wit is balm for the soul' Nigella Lawson'Marian Keyes is a brilliant writer. No one is better at making terrifically funny jokes while telling such important, perceptive and agonizing stories of the heart. She is a genius' Sali Hughes'Irresistible, profound. Keyes's comic gift is always evident' Independent'Joyful. Keyes' clever way with words and extraordinary wit. People stared at me as I laughed to myself' C.L. Taylor'A born storyteller' Independent on Sunday
Death by Chocolate
by Toby MooreIn the Twenty-First Century of Our Lord, Christ the Fit, it has been illegal to be fat for three years, except in Louisiana and Alabama, where they cling to their chicken-fried-fullest-fat-cream-sodden-gumbo-dunkin'=mall-waddling-lives as if their souls depended on it. Matt Devlin is a Health Enforcement Agent. His is humdrum work, busting the eateasys selling illegal burgers and chocolate, checking weight permits, issuing tickets ... When a beautiful woman is found dead, dressed only in sweet-scented 'brown', Homicide call for help. It looks like murder, but is it also a food crime?'Imagine a world where fatty foods and chocolate are illegal, with health enforcement officers doing random spot checks to ensure that you fit into your weight bracket. Well, that's the setting behind this intriguing murder mystery, where a girl is found dead, dressed only in chocolate ... [Toby Moore] gets you turning those pages, trying to suss out who the guilty party is before the detectives do. Brilliant!' New Woman
Erewhon: Or, Over The Range (Çol. Utopias Ser.)
by Samuel Butler Peter MudfordSetting out to make his fortune in a far-off country, a young traveller discovers the remote and beautiful land of Erewhon and is given a home among its extraordinarily handsome citizens. But their visitor soon discovers that this seemingly ideal community has its faults - here crime is treated indulgently as a malady to be cured, while illness, poverty and misfortune are cruelly punished, and all machines have been superstitiously destroyed after a bizarre prophecy. Can he survive in a world where morality is turned upside down? Inspired by Samuel Butler's years in colonial New Zealand and by his reading of Darwin's Origin of Species, Erewhon (1872) is a highly original, irreverent and humorous satire on conventional virtues, religious hypocrisy and the unthinking acceptance of beliefs.
In My Sister's Shoes
by Sinéad MoriartyIn one of the many fantastic reviews for Sinéad Moriarty's fourth novel, In My Sister's Shoes, the reviewer praised Sinéad's ability to apply 'the light tender touch to dark, painful subjects'. It's a perfect description of how Sinéad tells the story of a younger sister stepping in to help out when her older sister is diagnosed with cancer. In a similar way to Marian Keyes, Sinéad manages to balance light and dark with wonderful finesse, warmth and humour.Kate O'Brien is thirty and has very little to think about except trying to keep her balance as she totters up London's media-land ladder.Fiona O'Brien is Kate's responsible older sister - with a husband, twin boys, a dog and now ... a life-changing problem.It's a problem that means Kate going back to Dublin. Pronto. There she finds herself stepping into Fiona's shoes - and discovering that she's definitely not cut out to be a domestic goddess. On top of that, the ex she thought she'd got over years ago turns up to haunt her.Will either of the O'Brien sisters survive? And even if they do, can either of them slip back into their old shoes ever again?Sinéad Moriarty's novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland and the UK and she is a four times nominee for the popular fiction Irish Book Award. She has won over readers and critics telling stories that are funny, humane, moving and relevant to modern women. In My Sister's Shoes is Sinéad at her very best.Sinéad Moriarty lives with her family in Dublin. Her other titles are: The Baby Trail; A Perfect Match; From Here to Maternity; Keeping It In the Family (also titled Whose Life Is It Anyway?); Pieces of My Heart; Me and My Sisters and This Child of Mine.
L'Affaire
by Diane JohnsonA wickedly funny and observant novel about the delicate questions of love, death and money.Amy Hawkins, Californian millionairess, is travelling in Europe, to find her culture, her roots and a cause to which she might devote her considerable fortune. She lands at one of the finest small hotels in the French Alps - a hotel noted for skiing and its famous cooking lessons - and soon finds that Americans are not the flavour of the month in France.A few days into her trip, she narrowly survives an avalanche. Two of the hotel's other guests, English publisher Adrian Venn and his much younger wife Kerry, are not as fortunate and both lie comatose in a nearby hospital. Amy steps in as Adrian's children - young and old, legitimate and illegitimate - assemble in Valmeri to protect their interests should he not pull through, and in her innocence sets in motion a series of events in France and England that threaten to topple carefully built family alliances once and for all. Add one or two small affaires and soon it is, as the French would say, a situation.
Superloo: Queen Victoria's Potty (Superloo Ser. #Vol. 4)
by W. C. FlushingSuperloo has an ego as big as a planet, a microchip that belongs to NASA and a mission to rescue its toilet ancestors from the past. In this fourth book, it's off to Victorian times with Finn, his reluctant human helper, to rescue the magnificent musical 1812 Overture Toilet, designed by the great Sir Walter Closet. Along the way Finn gets stuck in a chimney while Superloo ends up at the bottom of the river - but nothing stops our heroes when there's a toilet in peril! A rollicking, rumbustious ride through Victorian times, involving slums, evil factory owners and a great deal you never knew about Victorian potties.All history books should be like this!
The Fat Ladies Club: Facing the First Five Years
by Andrea Bettridge Hilary Gardener Lyndsey Lawrence Sarah GrovesFollowing up from the huge success of their first book, The Fat Ladies Club now write about their experiences as mums of under 5's. In their refreshingly open and intimate style, they talk about all the issues that every new mum faces ...How do you deal with a toddler who will only eat chocolate? How do you juggle a second and third child into your hectic life? What do you do when your potty trained child does a wee on a fake tree in a restaurant? Will you ever get a full night's sleep again, without the entire family ending up in one bed? What happens to your sex and social lives? And how on earth will you cope when you eventually have to wave goodbye to your child on their first day of school?
The Vicar of Wakefield: Der Landprediger Von Wakefield
by Oliver Goldsmith Stephen CooteWhen Dr Primrose loses his fortune in a disastrous investment, his idyllic life in the country is shattered and he is forced to move with his wife and six children to an impoverished living on the estate of Squire Thornhill. Taking to the road in pursuit of his daughter, who has been seduced by the rakish Squire, the beleaguered Primrose becomes embroiled in a series of misadventures - encountering his long-lost son in a travelling theatre company and even spending time in a debtor's prison. Yet Primrose, though hampered by his unworldliness and pride, is sustained by his unwavering religious faith. In The Vicar of Wakefield, Goldsmith gently mocks many of the literary conventions of his day - from pastoral and romance to the picaresque - infusing his story of a hapless clergyman with warm humour and amiable social satire.
The Diary of a Nobody: Large Print (Isis Large Print Ser.)
by George Grossmith Weedon Grossmith Ed GlinertTHE DIARY OF A NOBODY began as a serial in Punch and the book which followed in 1892 has never been out of print. The Grossmith brothers not only created an immortal comic character but produced a clever satire of their society. Mr Pooter is an office clerk and upright family man in a dull 1880s suburb. His diary is a wonderful portrait of the class system and the inherent snobbishness of the suburban middle classes. It sends up contemporary crazes for Aestheticism, spiritualism and bicycling, as well as the fashion for publishing diaries by anybody and everybody.
Vanity Fair: A Novel Without A Hero
by John Carey William ThackerayNo one is better equipped in the struggle for wealth and worldly success than the alluring and ruthless Becky Sharp, who defies her impoverished background to clamber up the class ladder. Her sentimental companion Amelia, however, longs only for caddish soldier George. As the two heroines make their way through the tawdry glamour of Regency society, battles - military and domestic - are fought, fortunes made and lost. The one steadfast and honourable figure in this corrupt world is Dobbin with his devotion to Amelia, bringing pathos and depth to Thackeray's gloriously satirical epic of love and social adventure.
A Long Way Down: the international bestseller (Tie-in Ser.)
by Nick HornbyNarrated in turns by a dowdy, middle-aged woman, a half-crazed adolescent, a disgraced breakfast TV presenter and an American rock star cum pizza delivery boy, A Long Way Down is the story of the Toppers House Four, aka Maureen, Jess, Martin and JJ. A low-rent crowd with absolutely nothing in common - save where they end up that New Year's Eve night. And what they do next, of course. Funny, sad, and wonderfully humane, Nick Hornby's new novel asks some of the big questions: about life and death, strangers and friendship, love and pain, and whether a slice of pizza can really see you through a long, dark night of the soul.
Animal Farm: Large Print (Penguin Modern Classics #Vol. 8)
by George Orwell Malcolm Bradbury'All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others'When the downtrodden animals of Manor Farm overthrow their master Mr Jones and take over the farm themselves, they imagine it is the beginning of a life of freedom and equality. But gradually a cunning, ruthless élite among them, masterminded by the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, starts to take control. Soon the other animals discover that they are not all as equal as they thought, and find themselves hopelessly ensnared as one form of tyranny is replaced with another.
Arm-ball to Zooter: A Sideways Look at the Language of Cricket
by Lawrence BoothWhat's the difference between short leg and deep midwicket? When would you be thinking about bowling a yorker? What's so great about the sound of leather on willow? Cricket’s vocabulary is a mixture of jargon and cliché, poetry and prose, misty-eyed romanticism and old-gits’ cynicism. Arm-ball to Zooter is a witty guide to the peculiarities of the game, its history and major figures; cricket-lovers might find their own pet hates confirmed; cricket newcomers might be amazed at what cricket-lovers have been up to all these years.
Bollocks to Alton Towers: Uncommonly British Days Out (Bollocks to Alton Towers #1)
by Joel Morris Jason Hazeley Alex Morris Robin HalsteadThe British Lawnmower Museum, Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music and Mad Jack's Sugar Loaf. In a world of theme parks, interactive exhibits, over-priced merchandise and queues, don't worry, these are names to stir the soul. Reassuring evidence that there's still somewhere to turn in search of the small, fascinating, unique and, dammit, British.In a stumbling journey across the country in search of the best we have to offer our intrepid heroes discovered dinosaurs in South London, a cold war castle in Essex, grown men pretending to be warships in Scarborough, unexplained tunnels under Liverpool and a terraced house in Bedford being kept warm for Jesus's return. And along the way they met the people behind them all: enthusiasts, eccentrics and, you know, those who just sort of fell into looking after a vast collection of gnomes ...Makes you proud!
Yes, But is it Good for the Jews?: How to Bring Out the Jew in You (A\beginner's Guide Ser. #Vol. 1)
by Jonny GellerWhat do google, guilt, musicals and Scarlet Johansson have in common? Answer: they’re all Good for the Jews! But what about Christmas? Or Jordan (the celebrity, naturally)? or Scientology? . Luckily the Judological Institute of Spiritual Mathematics (JISM) are pleased to reveal to the outside world – yes, Non-Jews are allowed to buy this book – the ancient mystical formula for calculating which people, products and places is, in fact, Good for the Jews. Here the secret art of Judology (think of it as a third cousin of Kabbalah) will reveal: • Big Brother is , in fact, Good for the Jews . since when has someone watching your every move, listening to all your conversations, NOT been a Jewish experience? • eBay , of course, is Not . Where else can one happily buy Hitler's nasal trimmer or mint conditioned first editions of Mein Kampf?. Additional help in getting the J factor comes with handy lists of who to marry, which Jews changed their names, and the essential Vacation Spots that are good for the Jews One final note. Please do not borrow this book from a friend or library as borrowing is not Good for the Jews. Buying is. Heimische.
Dead Souls (Pocket Penguins Ser.)
by Robert A Maguire Nikolay GogolChichikov, a mysterious stranger, arrives in the provincial town of 'N', visiting a succession of landowners and making each a strange offer. He proposes to buy the names of dead serfs still registered on the census, saving their owners from paying tax on them, and to use these 'souls' as collateral to re-invent himself as a gentleman. In this ebullient masterpiece, Gogol created a grotesque gallery of human types, from the bear-like Sobakevich to the insubstantial fool Manilov, and, above all, the devilish con man Chichikov. Dead Souls, Russia's first major novel, is one of the most unusual works of nineteenth-century fiction and a devastating satire on social hypocrisy.
Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing Of The Dog (Penguin Modern Classics)
by Jerome K. Jerome Jeremy LewisMartyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather-forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks - not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s small fox-terrier Montmorency. Three Men in a Boat was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and, with its benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian 'clerking classes', it hilariously captured the spirit of its age.
Whose Life is it Anyway?
by Sinéad MoriartyAlso published under the title Keeping It In the Family.In her fifth novel, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Sinéad Moriarty has done it again: taken a complex topic - what happens when a young woman falls in love with someone dramatically different than the kind of man her family would have expected - and created an insightful, gripping and moving story filled with delightfully sparky characters, plenty of straight-talking, and all her trademark fun and humour. In balancing of light and shade, pathos and comedy, Sinéad manages to pull off a unique feat - a story that combines the provocative qualities of a Jodi Picoult story with the warmth and humour of Marian Keyes.It's tricky for Niamh O'Flaherty, growing up in a North London home that's a shrine to all things Irish. But it's even trickier being an adult and realizing that her family expects her to settle down with a nice Irish lad, especially now that she's living in Dublin.When Niamh finally meets the love of her life he is the last person she would expect to fall for her. Pierre is older and an intellectual, but she loves his ability to laugh at himself, his calmness and strength of character, and, of course, his stunning looks.There's just one problem: if Pierre's parents - Jean and Fleur - are sniffy about their pride and joy hooking up with a girl who writes a fluffy newspaper column, her parents, Mick and Annie, are going to go ballistic when they hear that their daughter intends to marry someone who couldn't be less Irish if he tried . . .Sinéad Moriarty's novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland and the UK and she is a four times nominee for the popular fiction Irish Book Award. She has won over readers and critics telling stories that are funny, humane, moving and relevant to modern women. Whose Life Is It Anyway? is Sinéad at her very best. Sinéad Moriarty lives with her family in Dublin. Her other titles are: The Baby Trail; A Perfect Match; From Here to Maternity; In My Sister's Shoes; Pieces of My Heart; Me and My Sisters and This Child of Mine.