Literature & Fiction

Darkness comes to Sidmouth, when, unable to cope after a devastating tragedy, late-night radio talk show host Edward Temmis is let go from his beloved job. Cast adrift, his outlook is bleak – until he meets Stevie, whose grandmother, a devoted listener, died in a suspicious fire last year. Well, nobody hurts his listeners and helping Stevie might just give him the purpose he needs. When their investigation stalls, they enlist local estate agent Kim, with whom Edward had a doomed fling last year. Working together, they discover Stevie’s grandmother wasn’t the only one of his listeners targeted.

Being best friends with a mega-star has its perks, and music journalist Nicole Wilde takes full advantage of them. But it also has its responsibilities. When lead singer Dylan King disappears the night before a charity gig, it’s up to Nicole to track him down. Half a dozen groupies, a haunted hotel, a tattoo parlour, a reality show runner-up and a crazy bed-hopping, sleepless night later – will she find him before the tour bus leaves town? And when she does, is it time to head home? Or to jump on the tour bus and go along for the ride?

Sir Lenny Henry has had a long and successful career as a comedian, impressionist, actor and presenter. Having starred in several plays in the West End and on radio, he was inspired to complete an MA in screenwriting and in 2011 penned his first radio drama, Corrinne Come Back and Gone, which opens this collection. He continued his writing career with three more Radio 4 plays and nine episodes of his comic monologue series Lenny Henry’s Rogues Gallery. Collected here for the first time, listen to these poignant and humorous original dramas.

Vienna, 1911. Gustav Klimt, the most famous painter in the Austrian Empire, the darling of Viennese society, spots a woman’s nude body in the Danube canal. He knows he should summon a policeman, but he can’t resist stopping to make a sketch first. And as he draws, the woman coughs. She’s alive! Back at his studio, Klimt and his model-turned-muse Wally tend to the erstwhile-drowned girl. She’s nearly feral and doesn’t remember who she is, or how she came to be floating in the canal. Klimt names her Judith, after one of his most famous paintings, and resolves to help her find her memory.

Cultivation is all fun and games. Until someone kills Merlin. Apparently, the only logical response to this fairly important change to Arthurian lore is for me to be reincarnated into Dark Age Cornwall. But don't worry, I have an absolute understanding of feudal power dynamics, Qi cycling, and anti-Saxon spell flinging. Oh, I also lie a lot. There's just the smallest chance that our timeline is doomed.

In the early 1970s, Poe is living a nomadic life, hopping trains, sleeping rough, and juggling to feed himself. He eventually settles in Philadelphia and masters his street act before ever-growing crowds. When one of his fellow buskers presents him with an opportunity—a bank heist—he should have refused, an innocent bystander is killed, and he splits town a felon.

Partisan de la position allongée, Oblomov ne trouve le bonheur que dans le sommeil. Ni son ami Stolz, incarnation de l'énergie et de l'esprit d'entreprise, ni la belle Olga avec qui se nouera l'embryon d'une idylle, ne parviendront à le tirer de sa léthargie. Entreprendre et aimer sont décidément choses trop fatigantes. Grand roman de mœurs, Oblomov offre une satire mordante des petits fonctionnaires et des barines russes.

Alter egal – alles Liebe! Anne kriegt die Krise. Da hat sie monatelang die Goldene Hochzeit ihrer Eltern vorbereitet, dann verkündet ihre Mutter, sie werde sich scheiden lassen. Altersstarrsinn oder Late Life Crisis? Als die alte Dame noch dazu einen deutlich jüngeren Mann präsentiert, wendet sich Anne verzweifelt an Tom, den Sohn des neuen Lovers – doch der hat kein Problem damit. Prompt bringt eine ganz und gar überraschende Versuchung auch Annes Leben durcheinander, und sie muss sich fragen: Ist die Liebe zu einem jüngeren Mann wirklich so abwegig?

A week-long spa break is just what Jess needs. She’s going to be there with her best friends, Stella and Em. And the spa is so high-end it has an ethos about cleansing the mind and soul. The laughter, gourmet food and cocktails are what every twenty-something needs. And then there’s the beautiful man she spots in the pool on the first day. A perfect addition to her week. Until Jess finds out that he’s someone from her past. Someone she really should have recognized. Someone she should not find attractive. And that’s when things start getting a little confusing…

Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone’s surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another. Now thirty-three years old, Cléo is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight.

Maggie Flynn isn’t your typical 1960s mum. She’s a spy, an unsuspecting operative for MI5, stalking London’s streets in myriad disguises. Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a Beatles-mad teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession – providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death. But Maggie’s world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband.

Join the hilarious and heartwarming adventures of Samuel Pickwick and his quirky band of companions in The Pickwick Papers, Dickens’ delightful and timeless comedic masterpiece. When the kindly but bumbling Mr. Pickwick forms the Pickwick Club and sets out on a series of journeys to investigate the curiosities of life, he unwittingly stumbles into one misadventure after another, from bizarre legal battles to laugh-out-loud encounters with eccentric characters.

I'm willing to admit that I shouldn't read spicy scenes in public. But in my defense, the opportunity rarely rises elsewhere. As a single mom and farm owner, my time is stretched thinner than horse hair. Besides, I'd reached a pivotal peak in the story and couldn't put it down. That is, until someone bumps into me. My phone launches into the air like a base hit, but the device is caught before smashing into the ground. It comes as no surprise, considering the guy is a professional baseball star.

Wealthy and devout, Michael and Julia Glynn are the envy of their neighbors and the model Irish Catholic couple, bearing Michael's increasingly painful and crippling arthritis with stoicism. In hope of a miracle, their priest suggests a family pilgrimage to Lourdes. Yet these pious holiday plans are thrown into doubt when anonymous, obscene letters begin to arrive, full of terrible accusations.

Hon började arbeta som femåring, blev föräldralös vid tio, överkörd vid femton. Ingenting tydde på annat än att hon skulle leva ett tag i sitt skjul i Sydafrikas största kåkstad och sedan dö, saknad av ingen. Om hon nu inte varit den hon var, men det var hon ju. Nombeko Mayeki var analfabeten som kunde räkna. Ödet tillsammans med hennes talang för henne bort från Soweto, till internationell storpolitik, till andra sidan jordklotet, till två identiskt lika och väldigt olika bröder.

Efter ett långt och synnerligen händelserikt liv hamnar Allan Karlsson på det äldrehem han tänker ska bli hans sista anhalt på jorden. Problemet är bara att hälsan vägrar ge vika, och en dag bär det sig inte bättre än att det är dags för honom att fylla tresiffrigt. Pompa och ståt väntar, med kommunalråd och lokaltidning på plats. Ett spektakel så oönskat av Allan att han i stället kliver ut genom fönstret. Därmed är han på rymmen från sitt eget födelsedagskalas.

Facing down a shirtless Miles Appleton – best friend to her brother-in-law – Betty is reminded both of everything she dislikes about the talented pastry chef, and how annoyingly gorgeous he is. Boathouse Cottage was meant to be a sanctuary for Betty and her beloved rescue Shetland Pony, Pumpkin, but it seems Fate isn’t done messing with her just yet… Now, as her sister’s marriage implodes and the family cottage in St Aiden becomes a bargaining chip that needs to be protected, Betty and Miles go head to head.

Johanna Kjellander lämnar predikstolen för gott under burop från sin församling. Nå, yrkesvalet var ändå aldrig hennes. Hon skyller på pappa och Gud i lika delar. Per Persson lever ett torftigt liv efter att farfar slarvat bort den förmögenhet som nu borde varit hans. I stället är sonsonen en uselt betald receptionist på ett tredje klassens hotell. Den bortjagade prästen möter av en slump receptionisten på en parkbänk. Båda är lurade på tillvaron och de har inga problem med att luras tillbaka när möjligheten uppstår. Och det gör den–i mötet med Mördar-Anders.

Sofie Wilde’s bestselling fantasy romance series has been breaking bestseller records and readers’ hearts for years. She’s primed to become a worldwide phenomenon as the tenth and final book is set to debut after the annual romance readers convention takes place in Chicago next week. As buzz continues to build toward the book’s release, Sofie is asked to headline the event for the first time, a career milestone. One she won’t let anyone take from her, especially “the next Sofie Wilde.”

"The Torrents of Spring" is a novella by Ernest Hemingway, first published in 1926. It serves as a satirical commentary on the literary world and the nature of artistic creation. Set against the backdrop of post-World War I America, the story follows the journey of two main characters, the aspiring writer and the disillusioned author, as they navigate their personal and professional lives.

A tech-humor cult mainstay for over 30 years, this wayback AcmeVaporware compilation is arguably the weirdest and funniest tech-parody snapshot-of-an-era ever written. Author Gary Clemenceau is a seer and mad hatter of the first order.

One Last Shindig—the new novella from the author of The Sound of Suffering, Nana, Crows, and Chasing the Dragon. The world as we know it is coming to an end, but this group of geriatrics on one last shindig have no idea what’s in store. As far as they’re concerned, they’re on a quick jaunt to see a cave full of glow worms and then back to the hotel for apple pie and custard. So, get the muscle spray ready and change into your big underpants, because you’re going to need them. Take your seat on this hilarious and terrifying coach tour into Hell.

In the little town of Greenley-on-Sea, summer has arrived. The turquoise waters of the sea sparkle in the sunlight and, along the beach’s promenade, holiday-makers spill from ice-cream parlours and vintage shops. For Sarah, summer brings the chance for a fresh start. As well as playing Miranda in the Greenley Players’ production of The Tempest (where she’ll get to spend loads of time with her best friends Lottie and Sid) she finally feels ready to find love again after surviving heartbreak. Could handsome colleague Dr Finn Macdonald be the very man she’s looking for?

AD 1399. One small town in Northumberland. One castle contract. Two apothecaries. Civil war is brewing. Usurpation, rebellion, betrayal, even black magic; these are hard times for the English people. Harder yet for near-destitute apothecary, Harry-the-Cough. Fleeing persecution and trumped-up murder charges, Harry is hunted by the law, jovial cutthroats, confused outlaws and an assassin who cannot die. When a suspected witch with a chequered past and a girl with a chequered present risk life and limb to save him, he is too busy running for his life to question why.

No bairro carioca do Andaraí, dona Sebastiana e Feliciano Campossolo Nunes, chefe de seção do Tesouro Nacional, tentam arranjar pretendentes para a filha Mariazinha, uma jovem bonita de 20 anos. Entre os pretendentes, o mato-grossense Fortunato Guaicuru, um bacharel de direito vaidoso e cheio de artifícios para impressionar, e o carioca Simplício Fontes, um rapaz simples, honesto e dedicado ao seu trabalho.