Literature & Fiction

Desperate to escape their high-pressure life in Los Angeles, the Finch family moves to rural Oregon. But it doesn’t take long to learn that “small town” is not code for “stress-free.” As the new owners of Applegate's one and only general store, the Finches find that the simple life’s anything but simple when your little store is the town's only grocery store, gas station, hardware store, fire station, and occasional dentist’s office.

Gentle-mannered, former sweet factory security guard and versatile singer/organist, John Shuttleworth records his fascinatingly mundane life on a tape recorder. With contributions from his foolish next-door neighbour (and sole agent) Ken Worthington, his tight-lipped wife, dinner lady Mary, not to mention her blousy friend, man-eater Joan Chitty. In the hands of John, no idea is too small, no plot too trivial, and no subject unsuitable for a song played on his trusty portable Yamaha keyboard.

Londoner Bill, gave up his beloved Stepney home in order to move to Cheshire. He’s renting the spare room in his son Trevor’s new marital home to help with the mortgage. Local dentist Trevor, is still trying to figure out ‘the nature of wives’ as he embarks upon his new life as a married man with his dad in tow. His wife, Katherine is dismayed at her father-in-law’s uncouth manners which threaten to lower the tone of her pretentious aspirations.

Hilaire is a famous Mayfair hairdresser – he is also a secret agent. Returning from Hamburg with a secret tape revealing the hide-out of a top wartime Nazi, he finds an attractive blonde half-strangled in his sleeping compartment on the Nord Express train. He soon wonders if there is more to her than meets the eye...

This hilarious full-cast series reveals the afterlife of some famous characters from children's fiction. George from Enid Blyton’s Famous Five reflects on her life - and reveals the fate of other members of the adventurous group of children - Julian, Dick, Anne and their dog Timmy. Cinderella's siblings speak out, giving their version of what happened after the ball, and the naive, golden-haired, Little Lord Fauntleroy is revealed as a grown-up, evil scoundrel.

Alexis Spencer will use any inspirational quote to rationalize her failures and shortcomings. Her closest friends are a distant memory, and her college debt is still as high as the day she left. But that’s all fine and dandy, because “whatever will be, will be.” However, when Alexis loses her job and her relationship on the same day, there’s no quote strong enough to get her through that. In typical fashion, she blames the world for her problems, including her younger self, who should have tried harder.

A galloping tale of love, inheritance, lies and scandal, all set against the backdrop of a stunning country estate in the beautiful English countryside. Eden Ennis is a stranger to high society. So when she turns up at the Elmsleigh House estate, determined to tell billionaire owner Troyden Castle that she is his niece, she is completely out of her depth. Jed Harris is not only the star polo-player, he’s Troyden’s stepson. He’s also the only man she’s ever fainted at the sight of – or that could just be her allergy to horses.

Timothy ‘Timbo’ Smith, part-time healer and self-styled security analyst, travels down the dark canyons of global capitalism, from short-selling scams in the City to the depleted rainforests of Brazil. His accomplices in this irresistible safari through the late modern world are two reformed alcoholics, the lovely and brilliant Lee ‘Lethal’ Thorold, and her husband Professor Luke Deverill, lecherous Oxford philosopher and caustic computer wizard.

It is 2003 – ten years since Spud Milton’s class of 93 matriculated and the boys went their separate ways. Despite their seemingly unbreakable bond, the Crazy Eight have not kept in touch. Or at least, not as far as Spud knows. When he receives an invitation from the school to attend the ten-year reunion weekend, Spud is determined to avoid the event at all costs, but he hasn’t reckoned with the bombardment of intrusive messages and threatening phone calls from his former dorm mates.

As a daughter of the notorious Wyverne family, Lady Amelia is used to being the subject of gossip. But while she has accepted her marred reputation – however unfair it is – she hates the horrible men it attracts. Amelia decides she needs a suitor of impeccable repute to save her from the attentions of ungentlemanly gentlemen, and who better than the handsome and famously moral Lord Thornfalcon? Since coming into his title, ‘Thorn’ has been besieged by women who want to marry him, or have an affair with him, or both – so perhaps a pretend relationship might suit him too?

Hilda Tablet is a fictitious ‘twelve-tone composeress’ created by Henry Reed in a series of radio mockumentaries. She first appeared in the play A Very Great Man Indeed, which follows the quest of a fictional biographer, Herbert Reeve, who is writing the biography of the equally fictional novelist Richard Shewin.

When she hears a man has been killed by a Great White shark, Gwen races to the beach only to find that all that remains of her husband is his swimming cap and a piece of torn, blood-stained wetsuit. Her grief is soon interrupted by Tish, screaming for information about the accident. When Gwen reassures her that it's her husband, Jason Riley, who’s perished, Tish's response is earth-shattering for them both: Jason was her husband too.

Every month at St. Pete’s Tavern in rugged western Montana, a meeting is convened by the Basic Bigfoot Society’s members—both of them. Jute and Vergil are lifelong friends, bound by an affinity for the elusive North American Wood Ape. Their monthly meetings and annual expeditions are a tradition that keep their friendship alive when so much else about their small town has fallen away. But things are about to get exciting for the Basic Bigfoot Society.

Delia Moss isn’t quite sure where she went wrong. When she proposed and discovered her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else – she thought it was her fault. When she realised life would never be the same again – she thought it was her fault. And when he wanted her back like nothing had changed – Delia started to wonder if perhaps she was not to blame… From Newcastle to London and back again, with dodgy jobs, eccentric bosses and annoyingly handsome journalists thrown in, Delia must find out where her old self went – and if she can ever get her back.

Welcome to Funcliffe park. It’s a crusty old caravan park that's falling into the sea, the neighbours are all weird, but forget about that! Have a cuppa and a crumpet instead. It’s 1999 and Nanna wants to keep her football-mad grandson Nobby out of trouble, but everything’s going wrong. Nobby’s having a terrible birthday, she’s just whacked the local MP with a marigold glove and worst of all, she’s just stewed the tea. Will Nanna and Nobby triumph? Or is it full time for Funcliffe?

Von Berlin nach Spreeweide: Eingeladen von Stefan und Ariane besucht Renate Bergmann das verschlafene Örtchen in der brandenburgischen Provinz. Aber wo Renate ist, ist selten Ruhe! Kaum angekommen, gerät sie mit Bürgermeister Brummer aneinander. Überteuerte Friedhofsgebühren, schmuddelige Parkbänke, beschmierte Busfahrpläne: Das würde mit einer Renate Bergmann in Amt und Würden gleich ganz anders aussehen! 82 Jahre hin oder her, der Adenauer, die Amis und die Online-Omi powern in diesem Alter erst richtig los. Und ehe man sich's versieht, hängt Renates Wahlplakat an jeder Dorflaterne.

Quando gli zombie incontrano i social, vince la fama o la fame? Essere famosi non è facile: non hai privacy, i passi falsi non sono contemplati e nessuno conosce chi sei davvero. E poi c’è quella storia del perdere la testa. Il che è davvero un grosso problema. Soprattutto se sei uno zombie. Zack è un diversamente vivo, attrazione in uno zoo della Georgia, e desidera solo essere visto. Purtroppo l’America si è stufata degli zombie, e l’unica sua prospettiva sembra una pensione a forma di proiettile.

Santa’s wife Sandra insists that they go on holiday pretending to be normal people. What could possibly go wrong? But, of course, Santa stands as an innocent bystander to his own chaos as Sandra's hopes for a quiet sunshine holiday fall into disarray

Michael Frayn's classic is set in the crossword and nature notes department of an obscure national newspaper during the declining years of Fleet Street, where John Dyson dreams wistfully of fame and the gentlemanly life—until one day his great chance of glory at last arrives.

A witty story from the bestselling author of Excavations, Salty takes us to a tropical paradise with a hurricane on the way, where two estranged sisters uncover their rich employers’ reckless development—could these yacht owners have something to do with the dead body found in the marina?

Six friends, a psychotic dog and a transgender assassin set out to save humanity from itself. Their journey takes them to the most unimaginable times and places, exposing them to the best and worst of mankind — and themselves. A simple question at a dinner party stimulates a conversation that leaves everyone present knowing that their lives will be inexorably changed. However, none anticipate the extent or immediacy of the changes about to engulf their lives as the normal they know, defined so simply by Einstein’s elegant formula, is completely blown apart.

Sarah Todd is pregnant. She doesn’t believe in cravings, and is determined to live the next seven months giving her baby all they nutrients it needs to grow into a healthy boy, or girl. The baby, however, has other plans. How far is she willing to go to succumb to her… CRAVINGS?

Vanity Fair centers on the young Becky Sharp and her dear friend Amelia Sedley during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Rebecca Sharp is the daughter of an art teacher and a French dancer, being ambitious, intelligent, and strong willed in order to get what she wants out of society. She is often touted as amoral and an anti-heroine. Alternately, her friend Amelia is kind, good natured, and born into wealth. The interwoven fortunes of the two women play out among a backdrop of social skirmishes and human afflictions of pride and ego.

Ashleigh Carmichael has it all: money, fame, expensive cars, a multi-million-pound London house and the adoration of millions of social media followers. Curtis Redding does not have it all: homeless, penniless, down on his luck and he doesn’t even own a phone. Plus, he’s wanted to kill Bryan Matthews since he was a child. Ashleigh (through no fault of her own) winds up getting dragged into the power-play between Curtis and Bryan, who clearly have ongoing issues with each other.

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