Service Alert
Website maintenance April 24 10pm ET
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
On Wednesday April 24 at 10pm ET the CELA website will be unavailable for about 15 minutes for planned maintenance.
Showing 21981 - 22000 of 43803 items
By Carrie Snyder. 2014
Aganetha Smart was a poor farm girl who could run like the wind, but this was rural Canada in the…
1920s when girls didn't run, or dream of the Olympics and they certainly didn't win. Aganetha Smart was about to change all that. Girl Runner, Carrie Snyder's debut novel, is the story of Aganetha Smart, a former Olympic athlete who was famous in the 1920s, but now, at age 104, lives in a nursing home, alone and forgotten by history. For Aganetha, a competitive and ambitious woman, her life remains present and unfinished in her mind.When her quiet life is disturbed by the unexpected arrival of two young strangers, Aganetha begins to reflect on her childhood in rural Ontario and her struggles to make an independent life for herself in the city.Without revealing who they are, or what they may want from her, the visitors take Aganetha on an outing from the nursing home. As ready as ever for adventure, Aganetha's memories are stirred when the pair return her to the family farm where she was raised. The devastation of WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic, the optimism of the 1920s and the sacrifices of the 1930s play out in Aganetha's mind, as she wrestles with the confusion and displacement of the present.Part historical page-turner, part contemporary mystery, Girl Runner is an engaging and endearing story about family, ambition, athletics and the dedicated pursuit of one's passions. It is also, ultimately, about a woman who follows the singular, heart-breaking and inspiring course of her life until the very end.By Mary Renault. 1962
'Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is…
like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us' HILARY MANTEL'Mary Renault's portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent, infused at every turn with her life-long passion for the Classics. Her characters live vividly both in their own time, and in ours' MADELINE MILLERThe sequel to The King Must Die. The Bull from the Sea continues the story of the hero Theseus after his return from Crete.Having freed the city of Athens from the onerous tribute demanded by the ruler of Knossos - the sacrifice of noble youths and maidens to the appetite of the Labyrinth's monster - Theseus has returned home to find his father dead and himself the new king. But his adventures have only just begun: he still must confront the Amazons, capture their queen, Hippolyta, and face the tragic results of Phaedra's jealous rage. Piecing together the fragments of myth and using her deep understanding of the cultures reflected in these legends, Mary Renault has constructed an enthralling narrative of a time when heroes battled monsters and gods strode the earth.'There's much to say about her interweaving of myth and history and, just as interestingly, there's much to wonder at in the way she fills in the large dark spaces where we know next to nothing about the times she describes . . . an important and wonderful writer . . . she set a course into serious-minded, psychologically intense historical fiction that today seems more important than ever' Sam Jordison, GuardianBy Jonathan Trigell. 2015
After the crucifixion, Jesus's followers - now led by his brother, James the Just - remained devout Jews, vigorously opposed…
to the Roman occupiers. But a rival faction emerged, via the charismatic itinerant Paul of Tarsus. Some called him Saint, some called him a liar, but Paul began telling the stories that would transform a small sect of Judaism into a world religion.In The Tongues of Men or Angels Jonathan Trigell shows the night sky of Biblical-era Galilee lit, not by guiding stars, but by flames of terror. He shows contested soil, on which miracles were performed and battles raged. He shows men of flesh and of blood, by turns loving and brutal. In so doing, he unseals a tale of the ages. The Tongues of Men or Angels is a dazzling act of imagination and learning.By James Welch. 1974
A contemporary classic from a major writer of the Native American renaissance — "Brilliant, brutal and, in my opinion, Welch's…
best work." —Tommy Orange, The Washington Post During his life, James Welch came to be regarded as a master of American prose, and his first novel, Winter in the Blood, is one of his most enduring works. The narrator of this beautiful, often disquieting novel is a young Native American man living on the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana. Sensitive and self-destructive, he searches for something that will bind him to the lands of his ancestors but is haunted by personal tragedy, the dissolution of his once proud heritage, and Montana's vast emptiness. Winter in the Blood is an evocative and unforgettable work of literature that will continue to move and inspire anyone who encounters it.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.By HRH Princess of Kent. 2014
From HRH Princess Michael of Kent, bestselling author of The Queen of Four Kingdoms, comes the extraordinary second volume in…
the Anjou trilogy.Yolande, the Queen of Four Kingdoms is dead. Agnès Sorel, beautiful, innocent, twenty years old, had arrived a year earlier with the court of Yolande's son, René D'Anjou, and remained with his mother at her request, knowing how much the King of France, her dissolute son-in-law Charles VII, would need wise guidance. As a trusted confidant of Yolande, Agnès captivates everyone she meets, and in her role as a demoiselle to René's wife, Isabelle of Lorraine, Agnès finds herself firmly ensconced in the royal court. Soon though, whispers at court regarding Charles's burgeoning feelings for her begin to grow, and despite her best efforts to resist, Agnès is alarmed to discover that she too is in love.Plagued by guilt but unable to deny her feelings for the King, Agnès is forced to choose between her love for Charles, and her duty to herself . . . Praise for The Queen of Four Kingdoms: 'Meticulously researched and powerfully evoked.' Philippa Gregory 'Takes the reader to the heart of this glamorous, dangerous world, and holds them spellbound. I loved it.' Julian Fellowes 'Riveting . . . spellbinding.' Mail on Sunday'A page-turning blend of epic battles, betrayal, seduction and heroism.' HelloBy Alexander Cordell. 1994
Iestyn Mortymer was sentenced to twenty-one years transportation to the colonies for his part in the Chartist Rebellion of 1839.…
But three years on, he escaped during the massacre of the British Army in Afghanistan, and returned to Wales under a false identity.His beautiful Afghan lover Durrani, granddaughter of Dost Mahommed, the King of Kabul, having been banished from her country because of her relationship with Iestyn, joins him with their son, Suresh, to begin a new life in West Wales, farming at Cae White, near Carmarthen.However, Durrani's grandfather has other ideas. His kingship is under threat from Akbar Khan, his traitorous warrior son. To prevent Akbar from seizing the throne, Dost Mahommed changes his mind about his granddaughter's banishment and now seeks to have young Suresh returned to Kabul, in order for the child to take the throne, with his mother as Queen regent. The Dost's insistent command finds little welcome among the residents of Cae White Farm, however, and Iestyn prepares for battle...By Alexander Cordell. 1997
1848. When the French people besiege Paris, King Louis Philippe flees to England and the French aristocracy run for their…
lives. Even the Pope deserts the Vatican.Europe is in turmoil. Fearing economic and social collapse, the French provisonal government distractsworld attention by recruiting a Queen voctoria 'look alike', one madame Alicia Bernard, and then claiming that they have succeeded in abducting Victoria for a trial in Paris for'crimes against the poor'. Alicia Bernard stands alone before the howling mobs, until barrister Andre Pelon is appointed to defend her...By Herman Wouk. 1952
When Lieutenant Commander Philip Queeg is given the captaincy of the destroyer-minesweeper USS Caine, Ensign Willie Keith believes that the…
tough Naval Academy graduate will bring much needed discipline to the Caine's rough crew. But Queeg soon reveals himself to be a cowardly, paranoid man. When his actions begin to endanger not just the crew but the war effort itself, Keith finds himself faced with a terrible choice: obey Queeg, and risk the lives of his shipmates and allies - or mutiny. Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life and mutiny on a Navy warship in the Pacific theatre was immediately embraced, upon its original publication in 1951, as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of World War II. In the intervening half century, The Caine Mutiny has become a perennial favourite of readers young and old, has sold millions of copies throughout the world, and has achieved the status of a modern classic.By Christian Cameron. 2015
480 BC. Arimnestos of Plataea has already lived through several lifetimes' worth of adventure, from being a rich man's slave…
in Ephesus to winning glory at the battle of Marathon against the might of the Persian Empire. But the gods - and the Persians - aren't finished with him yet. As an experienced sea captain - his enemies might say pirate - he has a part to play in the final epic confrontation of the Long War between the Greeks and Persians, the Battle of Salamis. It is a battle where many debts of blood will be repaid, ancient grudges settled, fame won and treachery exposed, where the Greeks must finally bury their differences and fight as one - for against them Xerxes, the Great King, has assembled the greatest fleet the world has ever known, his sworn purpose to brutally extinguish the flame of freedom and make every Greek his slave.By Leigh Bardugo. 2014
See the Grishaverse come to life on screen with Shadow and Bone, now a Netflix original series.Enter the Grishaverse with…
book three of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy by number one New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo. Perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and Sarah J. Maas.Now with a stunning new cover and exclusive bonus material: The Demon in the Wood (a Darkling prequel story) and a Q&A with Leigh Bardugo. Soldier. Summoner. Saint.The nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.The Darkling rules from his shadow throne while a weakened Alina Starkov recovers from their battle under the dubious protection of the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Now her hopes lie with the magic of a long-vanished ancient creature and the chance that an outlaw prince still survives.As her allies and enemies race toward war, only Alina stands between her country and a rising tide of darkness that could destroy the world. To win this fight, she must seize a legend's power - but claiming the firebird may be her ruin.Read all the books in the Grishaverse!The Shadow and Bone Trilogy(previously published as The Grisha Trilogy)Shadow and BoneSiege and StormRuin and RisingThe Six of Crows DuologySix of CrowsCrooked KingdomThe King of Scars DuologyKing of ScarsRule of WolvesThe Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous MagicThe Severed Moon: A Year-Long Journal of MagicThe Lives of SaintsPraise for the Grishaverse "A master of fantasy." -The Huffington Post "Utterly, extremely bewitching." -The Guardian "The best magic universe since Harry Potter." -Bustle "This is what fantasy is for." -The New York Times Book Review "[A] world that feels real enough to have its own passport stamp." -NPR "The darker it gets for the good guys, the better." -Entertainment Weekly "Sultry, sweeping and picturesque. . . . Impossible to put down." -USA Today "There's a level of emotional and historical sophistication within Bardugo's original epic fantasy that sets it apart." -Vanity Fair "Unlike anything I've ever read." -Veronica Roth, bestselling author of Divergent "Bardugo crafts a first-rate adventure, a poignant romance, and an intriguing mystery!" -Rick Riordan, bestselling author of the Percy Jackson seriesBy Judith Lennox. 1989
His only thought is for revenge... Inspired by the murder of Sir Thomas Overbury in 1615, Judith Lennox's magnificent novel…
tells the story of Reynardine, the mysterious highwayman. Perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Kate Morton.Seventeenth-century London: corrupt, decadent and dangerous; a playground for the ambitious in search of power, wealth and position. Richard Galliers, returning from three years in exile, wants none of it. His only thought is for revenge.Mall Conway, the beautiful and headstrong daughter of a Cambridgeshire gentleman is bored; bored with country life and with the restrictions of society. But her peaceful existence is shattered all too soon when Galliers inadvertently involves her in his determination to bring down a deadly enemy...Galliers' relentless quest takes him from the squalor of taverns and brothels and the tawdry glitter of playhouses to the decadent allure of Jacobean London's great houses. And to the bleak wastes of the East Anglian Fens, where Reynardine, the mysterious highwayman, reigns, the terror of all weary travellers. What readers are saying about Reynardine: 'A super novel and one of Judith Lennox's best if you want excitement, mystery and romance''She writes so beautifully and nostalgically... Judith Lennox is truly a great writer''Five stars'By Margaret Sunley. 1989
For decades Jonadab Oaks has rules his family and farm with a rod of iron . . .Now Joseph, his…
eldest son, has announced that he has to marry pretty Mary Butler. Not only that, but Jonadab's two daughters, Beth and Tamar, become the focus of unwanted attention and his son, George, is showing signes of demanding an independence that Jonadab isn't ready to grant. Set against the touchness and beauty of the Yorkshire Dales in mid-Victorian England, The Quiet Earth celebrates real family life: its strengths, its tussles, it's losses and gains. Jonadab has to face scandal, tragedy and the challenge of new directions - and the triumph of Margaret Sunley's rich and many layered novel is that she creates her story with unforgettable vividness and heartwarming truth.By Elizabeth Chadwick. 2020
Shortlisted for the RNA Historical Romantic Novel AwardThe long-awaited prequel to Elizabeth Chadwick's bestselling and beloved first novel The Wild…
Hunt'Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel you know you are in for a sumptuous ride'Daily TelegraphThe Welsh Borders, 1069 When Ashdyke Manor is attacked, Lady Christen is forced to witness her husband's murder and the pillaging of her lands at the hands of brutal Norman invaders. It seems the pain is finally over when Miles Le Gallois, Lord of Milnham-on-Wye, calls off the attack. But he has Christen's brother under armed guard and a deal to offer: her brother's freedom for her hand in marriage. Christen finds herself hastily married into the enemy side, with her brother swearing his vengeance on her new husband. Miles and Christen's precarious union invites enemies from all sides and when Miles is summoned for a lengthy campaign by the King, Christen is left to watch his lands. In the midst of war, two enemies must somehow learn to trust one another if they are to survive . . .Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick 'An author who makes history come gloriously alive'The Times 'Stunning . . . Her characters are beguiling, and the story is intriguing'Barbara Erskine 'Meticulous research and strong storytelling'Woman & HomeBy Lynne Francis. 2020
A sweeping saga of love and betrayal, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.Margate, 1786. Dairymaid Molly Goodchild…
dreams of a better life. Up at the crack of dawn to milk her uncle's cows, the one comfort of her day is her friendship with apprentice gardener, Charlie. When dashing naval officer, Nicholas, arrives in town, Molly's head is turned by his flattering attentions and she casually spurns Charlie - believing this is her chance to escape a life of drudgery. Yet when Molly needs Nicholas most, he lets her down.With her hopes in tatters, Molly is forced to flee Margate for London, where she finds herself struggling to survive.What will she risk in her search for a better life? And will she ever find the love she deserves? 'An impressively researched Cinderella tale of a sweetly ambitious country girl, deserving of a better life than being her aunt's drudge. I loved this five star book' Kay Brellend'An engaging, thoroughly researched tale of youthful naivety and courage in the face of adversity, full of rich detail and imagination. Highly recommended!' RoNA award-winning, bestselling novelist Tania Crosse*Originally published as The Margate Maid*By Maggie Mason. 2021
THE BRAND NEW SAGA SERIES BY MAGGIE MASON - MEET THE HALFPENNY GIRLS. . . 'In the grand tradition of…
sagas set down by the late and great Catherine Cookson' Jean Fullerton on Blackpool LassDown on their luck, all the have left is friendship . . .It is 1937 and Alice, Edith and Marg continue to face hardships every day, growing up on one of the poorest streets in Blackpool. Penniless, their friendship has helped them survive this far, but it'll take more than that to see them through the dark days that lie ahead . . .Alice is coping with a violent father and the weight of the duty she carries to support her family, Marg is left reeling after a dark secret about her birth comes to light and threatens to destroy the life she knows, and Edith is fighting to protect her alcoholic mother from the shame of their neighbours and keep her brother on the straight and narrow.A chance encounter at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom promises to set their lives on a new path, one filled with love and safety and hope for a brighter future. Will The Halfpenny Girls, who have never known anything but poverty, finally find happiness? And if they do, will it come at a price?The first in a brand new series from reader favourite Maggie Mason, The Halfpenny Girls is the perfect heart-warming family saga about overcoming hardship and the value of friendship. Perfect for fans of Val Wood, Kitty Neale and Rosie Goodwin.Readers LOVE Maggie Mason's Blackpool sagas:'5 stars - I wish I could give it more. Wonderful read.''Another must read book''What a brilliant book. I couldn't put it down!''I was hooked from the first page . . . this author is a must read''A totally absorbing read'By Valerie Martin. 2015
By M. K. Hume. 2015
The legend of King Arthur lives on..M.K. Hume's exclusive short story The Last Dragon's Voyage is an untold adventure from…
The Ice King (Twilight of the Celts Book III). The perfect read for fans of Ian Ross and Simon Scarrow. 'Hume brings the bloody, violent, conniving world vividly to life...will appeal to those who thrill to Game of Thrones and other tales of intersecting, ever-warring, noble lineages' - Kirkus ReviewWhen Arthur, the illegitimate son of King Arthur, embarks on a dangerous voyage across the uncharted, frozen seas off the coast of Norway, the hazardous ice forces him to shelter in a fjord during the winter. But Arthur and his crew are soon confronted with an even greater danger when an enormous blue whale enters the fjord and starts attacking the natives' vessels. They must risk their lives in a death-defying mission to slay the whale before it destroys them all...What readers are saying about M.K. Hume's novels: 'I love the way [M.K. Hume] breathes life into the characters, giving each individual traits that in the whole make them stronger whilst their own personal foibles allow a vulnerability''Well drawn characters with the right balance of plot and action. A great addition to historical fiction''M.K. Hume brings not only her characters to life but also the sights and sounds of battle'By Anne Jacobs. 2018
Después de La villa de las telas llega la segunda parte de esta saga romántica histórica para fans de Downton…
Abbey, María Dueñas, Kate Morton o Lucinda Riley, que ha cautivado a más de dos millones de lectoras. Una poderosa familia.Una guerra terrible.Una mansión que esconde más de un secreto... El destino de una familia en tiempos convulsos y un amor que todo lo vence. Augsburgo, 1916. La mansión de la familia Melzer pasa a ser, por necesidad, un hospital militar. Las hijas de la casa, ayudadas por el servicio, se convierten en enfermeras que curan, cuidan y escuchan a los heridos en combate. Entretanto, Marie, la joven esposa de Paul Melzer, se hace cargo de la fábrica de telas en ausencia de su marido. Sin embargo, recibe una terrible noticia: su cuñado ha caído en el frente y Paul es ahora un prisionero de guerra. Marie se niega a que las circunstancias la venzan y lucha con todas sus fuerzas por preservar el patrimonio familiar. Pero, mientras no pierde la esperanza de volver a ver a Paul con vida y se deja la piel en la fábrica, el elegante Ernst von Klippstein aparece en la puerta de la mansión, empeñado en no perder de vista a la joven y bella mujer que tiene entre sus capaces manos el destino de la familia Melzer. Esta apasionante saga familiar continúa en la tercera parte El legado de la villa de las telas. La crítica ha dicho...«Es una gran historia de amor, con tintes dramáticos y secretos familiares, que nos ha gustado tanto por su calidad literaria como por su preciosismo histórico.»Revista Kritica «A todos los que os gustan las sagas familiares estos libros os van a encantar. De esos libros que tiene un ritmo muy bueno en todo momento, no decae para nada y hace su lectura muy agradable.»Blog Leyendo entre páginas «Una historia de familias, de amor, de superación personal y de valentía. Pero de una valentía que no sabes que tienes hasta que la necesitas.»Blog Viajando gracias a los libros «Sigue retratando muy bien el estilo de vida característico de la época, tanto a nivel de las altas esferas como del servicio de la villa.»Blog Lectoras cotorras «Una novela histórica muy entretenida que capta el ambiente de comienzos del siglo XX.»Fränkische Nachrichten «Downtown Abbey en Augsburgo.»Histo-couch «Este libro lo tiene todo, todo que podríamos desear para un día de lluvia: una gran historia de amor, intriga [...] y un gran secreto familiar.»Delmenhorster Kreisblattn «Con su escritura fluida, Anne Jacobs sabe cómo seducir a sus lectoras y transportarlas a la vida de la alta sociedad de hace cien años con todo su glamour pero también con sus sombras.»Weilheimer TagblattBy Christina Jones. 2015
READERS LOVE CHRISTINA JONES' SWEET AND UPLIFTING TALES!'Loved every single moment of this marvellous story. I cried, smiled, and cheered…
inside... another triumph Christina!' ***** Reader review'I absolutely loved this book.. The author has an engaging style of writing that pulls the reader in from the first page... Highly recommended' ***** Reader review'Stayed up till the early hours as couldn't bear to put it down till I was finished... Lovely character's and disruptive words made me think I was right there with Clemmie' ***** Reader review 'Brilliant, can't put it down' ***** Reader review 'Always love Christina's books- really is a perfect summer read' ***** Reader review ___________________________________________________It's the summer of 1969. An exciting time of music, fashion, peace and love...However, the Swinging Sixties appear to have by-passed the village of Ashcote. Seventeen-year-old Clemmie is thinking only of her A-levels, gaining a place at university and the long hot days stretching ahead. But when she meets the gorgeous Lewis Coleman-Beck, Clemmie's life changes in a split second and she's plunged, head-over-heels, into her very own Summer of Love.___________________________________________________Love Christina Jones' charming romances? Then check out the fabulously joyful Summer at Sandcastle Cottage and Christmas at Sandcastle Cottage. You won't be disappointed!By Gabrielle Kimm. 2013
Modena, Italy, 1582. Seventeen-year-old seamstress Sofia Genotti is on the run, falsely accused of theft. Penniless and desperate to avoid…
the perils of whoredom, she is introduced to a troupe of travelling actors, who ask her to join them as costume mistress. Within weeks she is learning to act.Acting will bring her closer to Beppe Bianchi, who plays the anarchic character Arlecchino. As the two become increasingly intimate, Sofia is sure that she has never been happier. But after a fêted performance at an aristocrat's castle, she is accosted by the owner . . . and the following morning he is found dead. Sofia is accused of murder.A tale of blackmail and and sexual jealousy will reveal the true killer and the redemptive power of theatre will triumph. If you like Philippa Gregory you will love The Girl with the Painted Face.