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By Lydia Davis. 2011
Winner of the Man Booker International Prize"You read Lydia Davis to watch a writer patiently divide the space between epiphany…
and actual human beings by first halves, then quarters, then eighths, and then sixteenths, into infinity," says The Village Voice. Indeed, Lydia Davis is mathematician, philosopher, sculptor, jeweler, and scholar of the minute. Few writers map the process of thought as well as she, few perceive with such charged intelligence.The Cows is a close study of the three much-loved cows that live across the road from her. The piece, written with understated humor and empathy, is a series of detailed observations of the cows on different days and in different positions, moods, and times of the day. It could be compared to some sections of Wallace Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" or to Claude Monet's paintings of Rouen Cathedral.Forms of play: head butting; mounting, either at the back or at the front; trotting away by yourself; trotting together; going off bucking and prancing by yourself; resting your head and chest on the ground until they notice and trot toward you; circling each other; taking the position for head-butting and then not doing it.She moos toward the wooded hills behind her, and the sound comes back. She moos in a high falsetto before the note descends abruptly, or she moos in a falsetto that does not descend. It is a very small sound to come from such a large, dark animal.By Halle Butler. 2020
From the author of the 'great' (Dolly Alderton), 'terrific' (Zadie Smith) The New Me, comes a subversive, hilarious portrait of…
two colleagues, each more like the other than they would care to admit.'Wretchedly riveting' Jia Tolentino, New Yorker'Butler is an essential contemporary voice' Literary Hub'A master of writing about work and its discontents' The MillionsMegan is only twenty-four but her life feels like a dead end. Working as a gastroenterologist's receptionist and resenting the success and happiness of her friends, the only thing that makes her feel better is obsessively critiquing the behaviour of her colleague, Jillian. A grotesquely optimistic thirty-five-year-old single mother, Jillian's chirpy positivity obscures her mounting struggles - until her downfall is precipitated by the purchase of a dog . . .'Outrageous and amusing ... reads like rubbernecking or a junk-food binge, compelling a horrified fascination and bleak laughter' Kirkus'The funniest book I've read in a long time, but also one of the most important ones' The Rumpus'A hilarious, laugh-out-loud romance that is a breath of fresh air' 5* reader reviewFrom the author of the 100,000 copy-selling…
rom-com, Love to Hate You! No one makes you laugh like Jo Watson! If you love by Mhairi McFarlane, Sophie Ranald, Sophie Kinsella and Paige Toon, you'll LOVE Jo's rom-coms!Preorder Jo's hilarious and heartfelt new rom-com, Just The Way I Am, now! Just search: 9781472265586Readers are raving about Truly, Madly, Like Me!'A masterclass in character development... This is truly a novel for the times we live in. I would highly recommend' 5* reader review'Another absolutely gorgeous read by one of my favourite authors...completely impossible to put down' 5* reader review'I can't heap any more praise on this book, it just made me feel so happy! I laughed, I cried, I smiled, but most of all I LOVED!!' 5* reader reviewShe's used to faking it. Now it's time to get real.It all started with a faulty elevator... When social media influencer Frankie Paulson's followers turn on her after an embarrassing public break-up with her perfect #couplegoals boyfriend, and she almost plummets to her death with two strangers in a faulty elevator, all she wants to do is hide. A town with no internet is the ideal sanctuary, but Frankie has never done anything without sharing it on one of many apps she can't live without. After all, surely it's much more satisfying to take the perfect photograph of her breakfast than eat it? When Fate, in the form of a new four-legged companion, plays a hand in keeping her in the town, Frankie starts to make tentative but genuine connections with the people she meets. Suddenly every rule she's been living by seems far less meaningful and she begins to wonder if her apparently #blessed life wasn't as real as she thought...Love funny, romantic stories? You don't want to miss Jo Watson:'The perfect choice for fans of romantic comedies' Gina's Bookshelf'It was amazing, it was hilarious' Rachel's Random Reads'A brilliant read from beginning to end' Hopeless Romantics'Sitting here open mouthed in disbelief at just how wonderful this book is' Rachel's Random Reads 'A stunning heart-warming read' Donna's Book BlogBy Andrea Frazer. 2014
Reverend Florrie Feldman has put the unpleasantness of her old parish behind her and made a fresh start in the…
sleepy little village of Ford Hollow, a community at peace – on the surface. Underneath the calm façade the usual rivalries and petty jealous are simmering. There is also a deep undercurrent of resentment towards a company which plans to build a new housing estate, altering the ancient landscape irrevocably.Shortly after Florrie takes over the parish reins, the church choir’s oldest member is found in his usual seat, dead as a doornail, his neck broken. Enter Detective Inspector Harry Falconer and Detective Sergeant ‘Davey’ Carmichael …With accusations of dirty deals, nefarious businessmen, and crooked committees, the atmosphere in the village is tense – and murderous! Falconer and Carmichael tackle the escalating events in their usual style – and there is emotional turmoil for Falconer in the shape of his ‘old flame’, Dr Honey Dubois …By Andrea Frazer. 2013
Another tongue - in - cheek romp for our intrepid decrepit heroes. Lady Amanda Golightly and her housemate Hugo Cholmondeley -…
Crichton - Crump return from their visit to Scotland to find a letter informing them that Hugo's sister will be arriving the following day for a month's visit, which sours Lady A's mood as Tabitha constantly bullied her at school.Her manservant's announcement that he is now betrothed to Enid Tweedie, sort of friend and general gopher for his employer, has already unsettled her. If that wasn't enough to cope with, it appears that, while they were away, the security of Belchester Towers had been breached and there had been thefts. To top it all, somebody started systematically killing off the domestic staff! Enter Detective Inspector Moody and Detective Sergeant Glenister, and all hell breaks loose!By Andrea Frazer. 2012
In the village of Steynham St Michael, the old Strict and Particular Chapel is, at last, undergoing renovation, to the…
delight of the local inhabitants, who believe it will prove useful as a tourist attraction for the village. The renovations, however, have been dogged by the sightings of mysterious hooded figures, and tributes of flowers, left here and there on the site. The newly painted interior is then found defaced by a mysterious message in red paint, and this last prompts a call to the police. DI Falconer and DS Carmichael of the Market Darley CID make an initial visit, and believe that the unexplained events at the Chapel may be the work of a small cult, believed to originate from the college in Market Darley. When a new DC, on secondment, arrives, Falconer immediately sends him undercover as a student, spending his own time trying to lay his hands on a local drug dealer. Then, a body is found on the stone altar table in the Chapel, and events begin to spiral out of control.By Andrea Frazer. 2012
A Christmas short story.The first of an occasional series of short stories (covering the elapsed time between the books in…
The Falconer Files series.)On Christmas Day the two detectives are summoned to a block of apartments in Market Darley, to investigate the unexplained death of a young woman whose fiance was due to move in with her on New Year's Day.At first, her death seems a complete mystery, then, something that Dr Christmas discovers on the internet indicates that her death could just have been a tragic accident, or was it?WINNER OF THE RNA ROMANTIC COMEDY OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019'Such a funny, sparky book... An ideal read for anyone…
who is a fan of Christmas or dogs - or both!' Sophie KinsellaCharlie hates the holidays, and this year is shaping up to be her worst yuletide ever. Her boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, her flat is out of bounds after a gas leak, and her mother has gone to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her fifth husband. Finding herself single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie hesitantly agrees to dust off her wellies and spend the festive season in Devon, looking after Cosy Canine Cottages, her cousin Jez's dog-care centre. However, her plans for a quiet rural Christmas with only the four-legged friends for company are dashed as soon as she meets Malcolm the deaf Great Dane, Hugo, his gorgeous (but engaged) owner, and Cal, the undeniably attractive but unbearably haughty and patronising local vet...'Fabulous romantic escapism' Heat* Not Just for Christmas is published as Mutts and Mistletoe in the US. *By Charlotte Wood. 2020
A #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER One of The Times books of the year: 'Ripples with wit, insight and vitality' 'The Weekend…
is so great I am struggling to find the words to do it justice... Wood is an agonisingly gifted writer: I am now going to read all her other books!'Marian Keyes'It was refreshing to encounter a novel that so profoundly sympathises with women on the forbidding cusp of being classified as "elderly". Wood ably conveys that older women didn't used to be old, and that the experience of ageing is universally bewildering'Lionel Shriver (Observer, Books of the year) 'Riveting' Elizabeth Day 'A perfect, funny, insightful, novel about women, friendship, and ageing. I loved it'Nina Stibbe 'Authentic, funny, brutally well-observed... As with the novels of Elizabeth Strout or Anne Tyler, these are characters not written to please, but to feel true'The Sunday Times 'Glorious... Charlotte Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout' Guardian'The Weekend triumphantly brings to life the honest, inner lives of women' Independent'A lovely, lively, intelligent, funny book' Tessa Hadley 'One sharp, funny, heartbreaking and gorgeously-written package. I loved it' Paula Hawkins'One of those deceptively compact novels that continues to open doors in your mind long after the last page' Patrick GaleSylvie, Jude, Wendy and Adele have a lifelong friendship of the best kind: loving, practical, frank and steadfast. But when Sylvie dies, the ground shifts dangerously for the remaining three.These women couldn't be more different: Jude, a once-famous restaurateur with a spotless life and a long-standing affair with a married man; Wendy, an acclaimed feminist intellectual; Adele, a former star of the stage, now practically homeless. Struggling to recall exactly why they've remained close all these years, the grieving women gather for one last weekend at Sylvie's old beach house. But fraying tempers, an elderly dog, unwelcome guests and too much wine collide in a storm that brings long-buried hurts to the surface - a storm that will either remind them of the bond they share, or sweep away their friendship for good.By Sun-Mi Hwang. 2012
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR SUN-MI HWANG This is the story of a dog named Scraggly. Born an outsider because…
of her distinctive appearance, she spends most of her days in the sun-filled yard of her owner's house. Scraggly has dreams and aspirations just like the rest of us. But each winter, dark clouds descend and Scraggly is faced with challenges that she must overcome. Through the clouds and even beyond the gates of her owner's yard lies the possibility of friendship, motherhood and happiness - they are for the taking if Scraggly can just hold on to them, bring them home and build the life she so desperately desires. The Dog Who Dared to Dream is a wise tale of the relationship between dog and man, as well as a celebration of a life lived with courage. Translated into English for the first time, it is a classic from Sun-mi Hwang, the international bestselling author.By Andrea Frazer. 2012
In the village of Steynham St Michael, the old Strict and Particular Chapel is, at last, undergoing renovation, to the…
delight of the local inhabitants, who believe it will prove useful as a tourist attraction for the village. The renovations, however, have been dogged by the sightings of mysterious hooded figures, and tributes of flowers, left here and there on the site. The newly painted interior is then found defaced by a mysterious message in red paint, and this last prompts a call to the police. DI Falconer and DS Carmichael of the Market Darley CID make an initial visit, and believe that the unexplained events at the Chapel may be the work of a small cult, believed to originate from the college in Market Darley. When a new DC, on secondment, arrives, Falconer immediately sends him undercover as a student, spending his own time trying to lay his hands on a local drug dealer. Then, a body is found on the stone altar table in the Chapel, and events begin to spiral out of control.By Andrea Frazer. 2012
A Christmas short story.The first of an occasional series of short stories (covering the elapsed time between the books in…
The Falconer Files series.)On Christmas Day the two detectives are summoned to a block of apartments in Market Darley, to investigate the unexplained death of a young woman whose fiance was due to move in with her on New Year's Day.At first, her death seems a complete mystery, then, something that Dr Christmas discovers on the internet indicates that her death could just have been a tragic accident, or was it?By Andrea Frazer. 2013
Another tongue - in - cheek romp for our intrepid decrepit heroes. Lady Amanda Golightly and her housemate Hugo Cholmondeley -…
Crichton - Crump return from their visit to Scotland to find a letter informing them that Hugo's sister will be arriving the following day for a month's visit, which sours Lady A's mood as Tabitha constantly bullied her at school.Her manservant's announcement that he is now betrothed to Enid Tweedie, sort of friend and general gopher for his employer, has already unsettled her. If that wasn't enough to cope with, it appears that, while they were away, the security of Belchester Towers had been breached and there had been thefts. To top it all, somebody started systematically killing off the domestic staff! Enter Detective Inspector Moody and Detective Sergeant Glenister, and all hell breaks loose!By Andrea Frazer. 2014
Reverend Florrie Feldman has put the unpleasantness of her old parish behind her and made a fresh start in the…
sleepy little village of Ford Hollow, a community at peace – on the surface. Underneath the calm façade the usual rivalries and petty jealous are simmering. There is also a deep undercurrent of resentment towards a company which plans to build a new housing estate, altering the ancient landscape irrevocably.Shortly after Florrie takes over the parish reins, the church choir’s oldest member is found in his usual seat, dead as a doornail, his neck broken. Enter Detective Inspector Harry Falconer and Detective Sergeant ‘Davey’ Carmichael …With accusations of dirty deals, nefarious businessmen, and crooked committees, the atmosphere in the village is tense – and murderous! Falconer and Carmichael tackle the escalating events in their usual style – and there is emotional turmoil for Falconer in the shape of his ‘old flame’, Dr Honey Dubois …Charlie hates the holidays, and this year is shaping up to be her worst yuletide ever. Her boyfriend has left…
her for his personal trainer, her flat is out of bounds after a gas leak, and her mother has gone to spend Christmas in Melbourne with her fifth husband. Finding herself single, mildly concussed and temporarily homeless, Charlie hesitantly agrees to dust off her wellies and spend the festive season in Devon, looking after Cosy Canine Cottages, her cousin Jez's dog-care centre. However, her plans for a quiet rural Christmas with only the four-legged friends for company are dashed as soon as she meets Malcolm the deaf Great Dane, Hugo, his gorgeous (but engaged) owner, and Cal, the undeniably attractive but unbearably haughty and patronising local vet...Read by Candida Gubbins(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018By Didier Decoin. 2017
A mesmerising fable with a difference, set in Japan over 1000 years agoFor readers of Alessandro Baricco's Silk, Patrick Süskind's…
Perfume and Takashi Hiraide's The Guest Cat.The village of Shimae is thrown into turmoil when master carp-catcher Katsuro suddenly drowns in the murky waters of the Kusagawa river. Who now will carry the precious cargo of carp to the Imperial Palace and preserve the crucial patronage that everyone in the village depends upon?Step forward Miyuki, Katsuro's grief-struck widow and the only remaining person in the village who knows anything about carp. She alone can undertake the long, perilous journey to the Imperial Palace, balancing the heavy baskets of fish on a pole across her shoulders, and ensure her village's future.So Miyuki sets off. Along her way she will encounter a host of remarkable characters, from prostitutes and innkeepers, to warlords and priests with evil in mind. She will endure ambushes and disaster, for the villagers are not the only people fixated on the fate of the eight magnificent carp. But when she reaches the Office of Gardens and Ponds, Miyuki discovers that the trials of her journey are far from over. For in the Imperial City, nothing is quite as it seems, and beneath a veneer of refinement and ritual, there is an impenetrable barrier of politics and snobbery that Miyuki must overcome if she is to return to Shimae.By Jane Urquhart. 2010
Solitary, nostalgic Liz Crane returns to her family's now-deserted farmhouse to study the migratory habits of the Monarch butterfly. A…
rich family history - all the anecdotes and blarney of successful Irish immigrants - is now tainted with sadness. Her cousin Amanda, a gifted military strategist, has been killed in Afghanistan, a loss foreshadowed by the earlier disappearance of her charismatic father. Reflecting on the fragility and transcience of human life and relations - mirrored in the Monarchs' restless flight - Liz finds that love is there to be found where you least expect it.CHRISTMAS MOURNING is the eighth instalment of Andrea Frazer's Falconer Files, a detective series chock-full of picture-postcard villages, dastardly deeds,…
and a delightful slice of humour.Praise for Andrea Frazer's twisty and compelling crime novels:***** 'The best laugh I have had for a long time. Great story very well written' Reader Review***** 'I loved the book. A good British mystery. Characters are great. All mystery lovers would enjoy this' Reader Review***** 'I have read all of the Falconer Files and they are all excellent. Well written with lovable and quirky characters' Reader Review***** 'Andrea Frazer's Falconer files are outstanding long may she continue to write them they are like a breath of fresh air' Reader Review***** 'Once again, another gripping story in a perfect village... a lot of twists and turns and wonderful descriptions so that one feels actually "there" amongst it all' Reader Review***** 'Discovered this series of books and can't get enough of them. Characters very appealing and loads of humour. Just what I like best' Reader Review_________The UK is experiencing its worst winter for years.Catastrophic news for DI Harry Falconer, as he has rashly promised to spend Christmas with his sergeant, Carmichael, and Carmichael's rambunctious family, in Castle Farthing - only to find himself snowed in and in and spending a lot longer at chez Carmichael than is desirable...Without power or telephones, and Castle Farthing cut off from the outside world until further notice, Christmas Day greets them... with a murder in St Cuthbert's Church, where the locum vicar has discovered, to his horror, one of Castle Farthing's residents nailed to a gigantic cross.Falconer and Carmichael are left to dig their way out of Carmichael's cottage to investigate the terrible crime, with none of the technology and support normally available to them.As if this is not enough to cope with, Carmichael has agreed to look after a huge Great Dane over the festivities, Kerry Carmichael is just about to give birth - and death is still stalking the snowed-in community, intent on claiming at least one more victim...CHRISTMAS MOURNING is the eighth instalment of Andrea Frazer's Falconer Files, a detective series chock-full of picture-postcard villages, dastardly deeds,…
and a delightful slice of humour.Praise for Andrea Frazer's twisty and compelling crime novels:***** 'The best laugh I have had for a long time. Great story very well written' Reader Review***** 'I loved the book. A good British mystery. Characters are great. All mystery lovers would enjoy this' Reader Review***** 'I have read all of the Falconer Files and they are all excellent. Well written with lovable and quirky characters' Reader Review***** 'Andrea Frazer's Falconer files are outstanding long may she continue to write them they are like a breath of fresh air' Reader Review***** 'Once again, another gripping story in a perfect village... a lot of twists and turns and wonderful descriptions so that one feels actually "there" amongst it all' Reader Review***** 'Discovered this series of books and can't get enough of them. Characters very appealing and loads of humour. Just what I like best' Reader Review_________The UK is experiencing its worst winter for years.Catastrophic news for DI Harry Falconer, as he has rashly promised to spend Christmas with his sergeant, Carmichael, and Carmichael's rambunctious family, in Castle Farthing - only to find himself snowed in and in and spending a lot longer at chez Carmichael than is desirable...Without power or telephones, and Castle Farthing cut off from the outside world until further notice, Christmas Day greets them... with a murder in St Cuthbert's Church, where the locum vicar has discovered, to his horror, one of Castle Farthing's residents nailed to a gigantic cross.Falconer and Carmichael are left to dig their way out of Carmichael's cottage to investigate the terrible crime, with none of the technology and support normally available to them.As if this is not enough to cope with, Carmichael has agreed to look after a huge Great Dane over the festivities, Kerry Carmichael is just about to give birth - and death is still stalking the snowed-in community, intent on claiming at least one more victim...'A hilarious, laugh-out-loud romance that is a breath of fresh air' 5* reader reviewFrom the author of the 100,000 copy-selling…
rom-com, Love to Hate You! No one makes you laugh like Jo Watson! If you love by Mhairi McFarlane, Sophie Ranald, Sophie Kinsella and Paige Toon, you'll LOVE Jo's rom-coms!Preorder Jo's hilarious and heartfelt new rom-com, Just The Way I Am, now! Just search: 9781472265586Readers are raving about Truly, Madly, Like Me!'A masterclass in character development... This is truly a novel for the times we live in. I would highly recommend' 5* reader review'Another absolutely gorgeous read by one of my favourite authors...completely impossible to put down' 5* reader review'I can't heap any more praise on this book, it just made me feel so happy! I laughed, I cried, I smiled, but most of all I LOVED!!' 5* reader reviewShe's used to faking it. Now it's time to get real.It all started with a faulty elevator... When social media influencer Frankie Paulson's followers turn on her after an embarrassing public break-up with her perfect #couplegoals boyfriend, and she almost plummets to her death with two strangers in a faulty elevator, all she wants to do is hide. A town with no internet is the ideal sanctuary, but Frankie has never done anything without sharing it on one of many apps she can't live without. After all, surely it's much more satisfying to take the perfect photograph of her breakfast than eat it? When Fate, in the form of a new four-legged companion, plays a hand in keeping her in the town, Frankie starts to make tentative but genuine connections with the people she meets. Suddenly every rule she's been living by seems far less meaningful and she begins to wonder if her apparently #blessed life wasn't as real as she thought...Love funny, romantic stories? You don't want to miss Jo Watson:'The perfect choice for fans of romantic comedies' Gina's Bookshelf'It was amazing, it was hilarious' Rachel's Random Reads'A brilliant read from beginning to end' Hopeless Romantics'Sitting here open mouthed in disbelief at just how wonderful this book is' Rachel's Random Reads 'A stunning heart-warming read' Donna's Book Blog