-
Das Einzige Kind / The Only Child
Christian is the epitome of the modern working youth who goes out with the love of his life, Yolanda. He finds meaning in the realm of family relationships, where he reconnects with his half-sister Amelia on a holiday to Sweden. Through his working relationship, he meets his boss, who is his uncle when he works as a scientist. As he gains in popularity with his acting career, he is able to forge his career as a scientist too at the same time. The book emphasizes the importance of real day romance and family relationships in a modern working world.
£3.50 -
Greenwich Meridian
A terminally ill woman dying in a hospital in Redondo Beach, California. A Colombian teenage girl who has to face an extreme test alone. A young Welsh physicist and rugby player who has to take up service at CERN, in Geneva. A Sicilian boy on a very risky mission in the North. A disillusioned postal worker and dull family man in the Soviet Union. A Chinese thief waiting to serve her sentence. A young Australian Aboriginal becoming a man.
The lives of these seven people, who have never met or known each other and live thousands of miles apart, are united by a common destiny with an eighth man: their story in fact culminates on the day of John F. Kennedy’s murder in Dallas.
Precisely then, each of them faces the ultimate meaning of their existence in a personal yet shared moment, while life does not stop, and the world goes on as it does every day…
£3.50 -
The Serious Man
In The Serious Man, Richard, the protagonist, relocates from Melbourne to Bonn to pursue a course in hospitality and to be closer to his mother. Recently married to Josef, a man whose political ambitions keep him more at work than at home, Richard’s mother is now part of a new life in Germany. During his time in Melbourne, Richard formed a connection with Philip, a renowned Norwegian pianist, and the two remain in touch. In Germany, Richard also reunites with his friend Johannes. This story emphasises friendship and the importance of family relationships in a world that is fast-paced. Richard manages to get an internship at a hotel, and he now works there in the field of hospitality.
£3.50 -
Matritto | Motherhood
In the town of Woking, a story of motherhood unfolds. At its core is Lucy, a fifteen-year-old girl labeled by society as a lost cause, a soul grappling with deep troubles, overshadowed by her mother’s battle with depression and alcoholism. Under constant scrutiny from social services, Lucy and her half-sister strive to find stability in their fractured world.
However, Lucy’s world takes an unexpected twist when she becomes pregnant at the age of fifteen. This newfound circumstance casts a glaring spotlight on their family, fuelling suspicions of Lucy’s involvement with a South Asian gang. As a result, both the police and social services hone in on Lucy’s case, their attention now undivided.
As her world collides with that of determined social worker Milly and Detective Sergeant David, a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and redemption unfolds. A compelling narrative that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.
Motherhood is a work of fiction that delves into the issue of child sexual exploitation in England, drawing inspiration from real-life cases involving South Asian gangs and the exploitation of young girls. Originally published in Bangla as Matritto in Bangladesh, the book has gained popularity and critical acclaim.
£3.50 -
Providence
Providence tells the story of four friends, Josie, Seren, Helene and Chloe, who begin their studies at Oxford University. It shows how they develop a special bond that makes them like sisters as they go through college life. They find the ideal house to live in while they study and run a business. They plan a fun trip to Greece after they graduate. In Greece, they have a secret that makes them even closer, and they agree to keep it to themselves. One of them stays in Greece. They face reality when they are apart and have to start their careers. One of them goes back to Oxford and gets into some unexpected trouble that leads her to buy an expensive sculpture. How long will they be able to hide the truth and who will expose it? They all go to a wedding where they have to meet again for the first time since the secret and more surprises come out. Some secrets can no longer be kept, and it was time to reveal another one. In the end there was one person who had a truth that could never be revealed.
£3.50 -
Homeless Companions
Harmony Harringdon is a teenager with her whole life ahead of her. She is beautiful, sweet, and talented. Harmony and her best friend Jake Butler are inseparable. As the pair grow from children to teenagers, their friendship becomes love. They weren’t to know what fate has planned for them. It would all become too much for Harmony, despite having Jake there to support her.
Fleeing the shame and devastation she believes she has caused, Harmony leaves all she knows behind her. Bearing witness to the cruel realities of life, this time fate is kind and brings Harmony a Carnival.
With newfound purpose, Harmony’s talent and tenacity propels her on an unexpected journey. However, all Harmony longs for more than anything is for something or someone to save her.
£3.50 -
The Top Valley Enigma
In The Top Valley Enigma, a tale unfolds of a wealthy American conservationist whose solitary and zealous nature leads him to Australia. Motivated by the discovery of ancient human remains and the threat of a new coal mine, his journey takes a turn when he meets a businesswoman from the United States in Melbourne. Their shared interests spark an unexpected partnership, and together they embark on a captivating adventure.
Their journey is marked by serene yachting days and a mesmerizing visit to the Great Barrier Reef, experiences that deepen their bond and become pivotal in their lives. The duo aligns with local conservationists and discovers a cattle farm that is crucial to their quest, revealing significant archaeological finds of early human life.
Meanwhile, the shadows of a complex past, including a major share trading deal, lurk behind the American conservationist. As their mission to thwart the coal mine gains momentum, they become entwined in a web of past endeavors in conservation. This ignites a wave of revenge from individuals with long memories, profoundly impacted by his previous actions. The Top Valley Enigma masterfully weaves a story of archaeological discovery, environmental activism, and the intricate play of human connections and past deeds.
£3.50 -
Transcending Me
This breathlessly compulsive novel, by turns savage and tender, funny and wise, horrifying and uplifting, tells the story of Aloisio, born male in Latin America, who is convinced from an early age that she is a woman in a man’s body. Moving to the United States to work in the theatre, the butterfly emerges; she finds love and her place in the world, but also depravity and danger, as the book’s narrator, Aloisio—Holly to her friends—navigates the ups and downs of her life with style, wit, perceptive intelligence and blazing honesty.Taking inspiration from the impact of transgenderism on the women’s movement, Elba Barnes has created a wonderfully rich, fully alive protagonist and surrounded her with a supporting cast of vividly realised characters.
£3.50 -
Threeways
Tim has lived in Threeways Mental Hospital for thirty odd years. And, as he will tell you, these are odd years.Threeways Mental Hospital, 1975. Tim Cavendish has spent most of his life within the nicotine-stained walls of the institution. With friends Mike and Sid, he endures the never-ending boredom and grinds out his days. It has been a long time since he thought about the possibility of leaving, until well-meaning nurse Ron comes along.Now, faced with the prospect of leaving his girlfriend, Millie, and abandoning his friends to the sadistic man in the hospital workshop, Tim has a decision to make, and something has to give...
£3.50 -
The Smallest Show on Earth
From the 60s through to the present day Patrick Church has worked in the cinema from Peterborough through to Bury St Edmunds. In The Smallest Show on Earth he takes us through that experience in an autobiography that draws the reader into the trials and joys of a being a projectionist screening blockbusters like ‘Jaws' and a curious period of Indian films where half the time is spent splicing the films back together.The role of projectionist was always a low paid, but with the advent of TV and bingo and other demands on people's time it also became a precarious one as the decades rolled by. Sometimes Patrick had to plead his case as cinemas changed hands from ABC, to Odeon and bingo conglomerates, just to keep his job going and the buildings in operation. The fact that he succeeded is testament to his love for cinema and this passion shines through in this engaging book.
£3.50 -
The Pleasure Cats of Nova Playa
The Pleasure Cats of Nova Playa is a story of sex, drugs, alcohol, violence and techno music. Set in the fictional sun soaked Mediterranean resort of Playa Nova where underground, under town, cats mirror the excesses of the sunseekers above. Into this bustling, vibrant underground city arrives the beautiful Napoleona, a charming and cunning cat with a past, but with her eyes fixed squarely on the future, and in particular the coming winter. In the summer the cats feast and party, but the cold desolate winter threatens to thin them out. She encounters new dangers, especially Count Luciano, the second in command to King Louie, gangsters with pretensions of nobility. The pursuit of power and pleasure seems to have no bounds in this subterranean city. How far will Napoleona go to ensure the party never ends?
£3.50 -
The Painting
Using a shoreline for the book’s landscape, The Painting is about re-emergence from a crisis of confidence. It uses the metaphor of a young water-skiing artist painting his life with his beliefs, inspired by a muse. All ages will enjoy identifying with the insight into peer connections and society, reflecting on the wrecked confidence that is pieced back together in reinventing ourselves. Younger readers will appreciate the colourful symbols littered throughout the story for the simple pleasure of reading unpredictable sentences assembled to meet needs not satisfied by daily conversation. This is entertainment sympathetic to the journey of self-healing. Every word has been carefully chosen for its sound, shape (and colour!) which can be interpreted in ways that are as individual as those reading it.
£3.50