Literature & Fiction

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.

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.

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...

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.

Arthur Candlewick spends three days in a disused mineshaft with only his son’s drug stash, a book on the concept of ‘effective altruism’ and a bottle of medium-priced Bordeaux for company. When he emerges, he has made the life-changing decision to become a good man. Deciding to sell the family timber business and give away his wealth to charity, Arthur’s family become convinced that he has lost his mind. His university-bound daughter, Evangeline, wants to change the world but perhaps not at the cost of her own privileged life.

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.

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.

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.

Waffle Jones has a problem: his girlfriend has left him and he’s not sure why. It could be because he can’t hold down a job, is totally unreliable, and fritters all their money away on dope, lager and chicken bhuna, but who knows for sure? Still, he decides to clean up his life, get his act together, and win her back. The plan goes swimmingly for the first ten minutes until a large and mysterious bag lands at his feet. What’s inside leads to him being pursued across London by villains, detectives, and yoga instructors.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Despite the oddballs that keep turning up on her dates, Anna couldn’t be happier. As a 30-something with a job she loves, life has turned out better than she dared dream. However, things weren’t always this way, and her years spent as the ‘Italian Galleon’ of an East London comprehensive are ones she’d rather forget. So when James Fraser – the architect of Anna’s final humiliation at school – walks back into her life, her world is turned upside down. But James seems a changed man. Polite. Mature. Funny, even. People can change, right? So why does Anna feel like she’s a fool to trust him?

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

Rediscover the warmth, laughter, and unforgettable moments of the good old days with Timeless Short Stories for Seniors—the #1 nostalgic collection that brings cherished memories back to life. Do you ever miss the simple joys of yesterday—sharing stories, hearty laughs, and life’s gentle lessons with the people who mattered most? This nostalgic book is your invitation to revisit those meaningful moments and celebrate them all over again.

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.

Kash owes a lot of money. His restaurant, specialising in exotic meats and catering to New York’s elite, was doing well. Then business dried up, and now Boris the loan shark wants his investment back. But Kash has a plan. There’s a rumour of a dinner club, hosted in turns by billionaires. Lots of ego, and lots of money. If Kash can get the gig, it would pay off Boris and then some. He will need to offer something new, something that five of the richest men on the planet will have never tasted before. Something entirely unprecedented …

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.

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.

As Scruff Sanders struggles with the challenges of being manipulated by disguised power as well as the rewards of becoming a national celebrity, his own integrity is put to the test. Puzzled by who to trust, his life, his career, and his values are put in the crucible. The wrong answer might cost him everything. But is there a right answer? With the presidential election looming, decisions must be made.

This is the legend of Saint Frank, and the great deeds he what did to earn that Sainthood, not born a Saint, in the beginning he was just, Frank, but not long after some stuff that took long, he became Sir. Frank. Sir. Frank may or may not have slayed a Dragon, if he did then this is the Tale of how Sir. Frank became Saint Frank, and if he did not then this is the story of nearly a Saint Frank and a triumphant Dragon.