New York Times Bestseller ""There is no writer quite like Dolly Alderton working today and very soon the world will know it.” —Lisa Taddeo, author of #1 New York Times bestseller Three Women “Dolly Alderton has always been a sparkling Roman candle of talent. She is funny, smart, and explosively engaged in the wonders and weirdness of the world. But what makes this memoir more than mere entertainment is the mature and sophisticated evolution that Alderton describes in these pages. It’s a beautifully told journey and a thoughtful, important book. I loved it.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and City of Girls The wildly funny, occasionally heartbreaking internationally bestselling memoir about growing up, growing older, and learning to navigate friendships, jobs, loss, and love along the ride When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all. In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends and—above all else— realizing that you are enough. Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it. Like Bridget Jones’ Diary but all true, Everything I Know About Love is about the struggles of early adulthood in all its terrifying and hopeful uncertainty.

Everything I Know About Love

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK “Hard to put down, harder to forget.” — Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from R.F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel. Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently readable.

Yellowface

"Il mio libro più autobiografico. La storia di Eve è la mia storia." Sophie Kinsella Eve, una famosa scrittrice, un giorno si sveglia in un letto di ospedale senza ricordare come ci sia finita. Il marito, sempre presente, le spiega che è stata sottoposta a un intervento chirurgico per rimuovere un grosso tumore al cervello. Mentre impara nuovamente a camminare, parlare e scrivere, Eve deve fare i conti con la sua diagnosi e affrontare la malattia trovando anche il modo di spiegare quanto le sta accadendo ai suoi amati figli. Inizia a rendersi conto di cosa per lei sia più importante: le lunghe camminate mano nella mano con il marito, le serate passate a fare giochi da tavolo in famiglia e quel vestito scintillante in vetrina che non rinuncerà mai a comprare. Cosa si prova è composto da brevi capitoli, ognuno dei quali è un tentativo di rispondere al tipo di domande impossibili che tutti coloro che navigano nel labirinto del dolore conoscono bene. Questo libro coraggioso e toccante, pieno di humour e calore, è una gemma preziosa sul valore della vita che spezzerà il cuore del lettore e lo ricomporrà al tempo stesso. Nelle sue pagine riverbera la personalità luminosa di una grande autrice che si trova ad affrontare una diagnosi terribile e impara a vivere e amare in modo nuovo...

Cosa si prova

'I absolutely LOVED this book! It’s that perfect blend of funny and emotional … A genuinely entertaining and heartwarming read!' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A darkly funny riot’ The Times, Book of the Month A GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR FICTION 2024Would you want to know what your colleagues say behind your back? Jolene certainly doesn’t. She’s riddled with anxiety, depressed, and hates her coworkers. The less she knows about them, the better. So when a catastrophic IT f*ck up grants her access to all of their emails and private messages, she’s initially horrified. The last thing she wants is to be privy to their sad discussions about dying desk plants and marital troubles. That’s until, with job cuts looming, she realises the power this new-found knowledge gives her. But as she digs deeper and deeper into the private lives of her colleagues, Jolene uncovers a lot more than she bargained for… And the walls she’d so carefully built start crumbling down. For readers who loved The Office US and Really Good, Actually comes the awkward heroine you’re about to fall in love with 'I haven’t been a reader for a long time, however found this in the airport book shop before a recent trip and this had me glued to it. Would thoroughly recommend – had me chuckling away' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book caught me off guard! It made me laugh, it made me cry… it's truly incredible and the best book I've read so far this year' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Ever since I found out about this book on bookstagram I've become obsessed. Five months later, I FINALLY got my hands on a proof copy and OMG I loved this immensely!!' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Please make this into a TV series!' READER REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I Hope This Finds You Well

Bellissimo e presuntuoso, il giovane medico JOSH CHEN non ha mai incontrato una donna capace di resistergli. Tranne Jules Ambrose, la migliore amica di sua sorella.

Twisted

Twisted hate

Tre redattori editoriali, dopo aver frequentato a lungo autori che si dilettano di scienze occulte, società segrete e complotti cosmici, decidono di inventare, con avventata leggerezza, un Piano. Ma qualcuno li prende sul serio. Affabulatorio, incalzante e coltissimo, è questo un romanzo che spazia furiosamente nel tempo, dove fanno la loro comparsa una sterminata serie di personaggi, di miti, di leggende, dai Templari ai Rosacroce, dai Miti Celtici ai Culti dell’antico Egitto, dal Santo Graal ai Vangeli Apocrifi, da Napoleone a Hitler, a Cagliostro.

Il pendolo di Foucault

'American storytelling at its era-spanning best . . . An immersive, multi-layered portrait of a marriage, Nathan Hill’s follow-up to The Nix is a work of quiet genius.' – The Observer 'The incredible scope of this dazzlingly detailed state-of-the-nation satire almost defies description . . . Brilliant doesn’t begin to describe it, but I’ll say it anyway.' – Daily Mail 'I doubt I'll enjoy many books this year as much as Wellness.' – The Times An Oprah's Book Club Pick. A powerfully affecting novel about how we change, grow and age, Wellness is a story of marriage, middle age, our tech-obsessed health culture, and the bonds that keep people together. When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the 90s, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in Chicago’s thriving underground art scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to married life, and the no-longer-youthful dreamers are forced to face their demons, from unfulfilled career ambitions to painful childhood memories of their own dysfunctional families. In the process, Jack and Elizabeth must undertake separate, personal excavations, or risk losing the best thing in their lives: each other. Moving from the gritty 90s Chicago art scene to a suburbia of detox diets and home renovation hysteria, Wellness mines the absurdities of modern technology and modern love to reveal profound, startling truths about intimacy and connection. In this follow-up to Nathan Hill’s electric debut The Nix, Wellness reimagines the love story with healthy doses of insight, irony and heart.

Wellness

**Order the paperback of Bella Mackie's latest hilarious novel, WHAT A WAY TO GO, now** THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER‘I loved this book’ RICHARD OSMAN ‘Funny, sharp, dark and twisted’ JOJO MOYES ‘Chilling, but also laugh-out-loud funny. Another corker’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH They say you can’t choose your family. But you can kill them. Meet Grace Bernard. Daughter, sister, serial killer… Grace has lost everything. And she will stop at nothing to get revenge. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- ‘Funny and furious and strangely uplifting. Grace is a bitter and beguiling anti-hero with a keen eye for social analysis – even in her most grisly deeds, you never stop rooting for her’ PANDORA SYKES ‘Deliciously addictive…brilliantly executed’ i PAPER ‘Addictive… Grace Bernard is one of the most intriguing and bewitching protagonists I've read in years’ EMMA GANNON ‘A funny, compulsive read about family dysfunction and the media’s obsession with murder’ SUNDAY TIMES STYLE ‘You’ll be gripped… Grace’s emotional detachment throughout will give you chills’ Rated 5 stars by COSMOPOLITAN ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Hilarious and dark’ ELLE ‘Ironic twists and caustic commentary on everything from liberal guilt to the consumerist con that is “selfcare” sharpen this debut novel’ OBSERVER ‘Brilliantly tongue-in-cheek stuff from the Vogue columnist’ IRISH INDEPENDENT ‘Witty, waspish satire of a murderer with no regrets’ GRAZIA ‘Original, funny, unique and such a refreshing read’ PRIMA ‘A deliciously dark debut novel’ RED ‘One very entertaining read’ WOMAN’S WAY How To Kill Your Family was number 1 in the Sunday Times paperback chart on 26/04/2022

How to Kill Your Family

A Most Anticipated Book of 2025: Goodreads • USA TODAY • Marie Claire • BookPage • Literary Lifestyle • Book Riot • Sunset Magazine • Totally Booked with Zibby Owens #1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

My Friends

In questo nuovo volume, gli autori della pagina Facebook “Se i social network fossero sempre esistiti” raccontano venti storie di disagio, facendo luce sulle biografi e di altrettanti personaggi che hanno spaccato il mondo nonostante il mondo si sia accanito su di loro come gli invitati sul buffet di un matrimonio. Se nessuno si stupirà di trovare Giacomino “Mainagioia” Leopardi in questo elenco di celebri sfigati, altri illustri protagonisti del libro vi lasceranno a bocca aperta. Passerete insieme a Frida Kahlo attraverso gli “incidenti” della vita, scoprendo che a volte un bel bicchiere di tequila è il rimedio miracoloso a ogni male. Scenderete negli abissi tormentati di Poe, il poeta dell’orrore che preferiva una gita al cimitero alla compagnia dei suoi simili ancora in vita. E quando andrete a passeggio con Van Gogh vi assicuriamo zero noia, qualche gita in manicomio e più di qualche malattia venerea!Di certo c’è – e i nostri sfigati lo confermano – che, quando incontra il genio, nemmeno la sfiga resiste. D’altronde, come cantava Il Faber, dai diamanti non nasce niente, dal letame nascono i fior.

Storie di sfigati che hanno spaccato il mondo

In una perfida e divertentissima enciclopedia dei momenti di cui è fatta la vita, Francesco Piccolo mette a nudo i piaceri più inconfessabili, i tic, gli attimi di volatile felicità che costellano le nostre giornate, ma anche i contrattempi, gli accidenti e i lancinanti dolori momentanei, che spesso risultano assolutamente esilaranti. Dai due volumi sono tratti il film Momenti di trascurabile felicità, diretto da Daniele Luchetti e interpretato da Pif, e il monologo teatrale portato in scena dallo stesso autore. Un regalo dell’autore: il brano che inizia con “C’è stato un problema tra me, mia madre e Giorgio Napolitano” è stato registrato nella versione teatrale, ampliata rispetto al testo originale.

Momenti di trascurabile felicità e infelicità

Cosa succede quando la regina Elisabetta II scopre casualmente il piacere della lettura? Quando Sua Maestà per finire in pace un libro arriva in ritardo a tutti gli appuntamenti ufficiali?  Scene esilaranti, descritte con ironia e raffinatezza, che si concludono con un grande colpo di scena finale.

La sovrana lettrice GOLD

David Sedaris's remarkable ability to uncover the hilarious absurdity teeming just below the surface of everyday life is surpassed only by his ability to make his stories even more hilarious when he reads them aloud. This is his third series for Radio 4, and he reads diary entries and essays from his books. Episode 1 Attaboy In the Waiting Room Episode 2 Author Author Front Row Centre With Thaddeus Bristol Episode 3 Memory Lapse If I Ruled the World Episode 4 Put a Lid on It Episode 5 Easy Tiger Possession Episode 6 Rubbish Jesus Shaves

Radio 4 series

Meet David Sedaris: Series Three

The best kept secrets are waiting to be found…‘A lovely read … leaving you with a warm glow and a smile your face’ Jo Thomas ‘The perfect summer read … I loved everything about it!’ Bella Osborne ‘Fresh and original, haunting and evocative’ Jules Wake ‘A delicious ice-cream of a book’ Josie Lloyd With an air of faded splendour, Willoughby Hall was an idyllic childhood home to Ruben de Lacy. Gazing at it now, decades later, the memories are flooding back, and not all of them are welcome… In a tumbledown cottage in Willoughby’s grounds, Dolly and Olive King lived with their eccentric explorer father. One of the last things he did was to lay a treasure hunt before he died, but when events took an unexpected turn, Dolly and Olive left Willoughby for good, never to complete it. But when Ruben uncovers a secret message, hidden for decades, he knows he needs Olive and Dolly’s help. Can the three of them solve the treasure hunt, and will piecing together the clues help them understand what happened to their families that summer, all those years ago? A glorious summer read with a delightful cast of characters from the bestselling author of The Summer We Ran Away. Praise for One Lucky Summer: ‘A lovely read. A real journey, with wrong turns along the way and a delightful arrival at their destination. It's like a summer outing leaving you with a warm glow, and a smile your face’ Jo Thomas, author of Chasing the Italian Dream ‘This is the perfect summer read. Full of fun, mystery and warmth. I loved everything about it!’ Bella Osborne, author of The Promise of Summer ‘Fresh and original, haunting and evocative’ Jules Wake, author of The Spark ‘A delicious ice-cream of a book. Loved it! Essential holiday reading’ Josie Lloyd, author of The Cancer Ladies' Running Club ‘[A] must read’ Bella ‘A twisty, wistful novel perfect for long sunny afternoons’ New Praise for Jenny Oliver: ‘You know you’re in for a treat when you open a Jenny Oliver book’ Debbie Johnson, bestselling author of Maybe One Day ‘The perfect summer read’ Sarah Morgan, bestselling author of The Summer Seekers

One Lucky Summer

New York Times bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates and contributor to NPR’s This American Life Sarah Vowell embarks on a road trip to sites of political violence, from Washington DC to Alaska, to better understand our nation’s ever-evolving political system and history. Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other—a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage. From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue—it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and—the author’s favorite—historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult.

Assassination Vacation

Sense and Sensibility (1811) was Jane Austens first published novel. When their father dies the Dashwood sisters and their mother find themselves destitute and soon, under the influence of his greedy wife Fanny, their half-brother John forces them out of their home in Sussex and the bereaved women have to move to a distant relatives cottage in Devonshire. The two oldest sisters Elinor and Marianne struggle with their newfound lower status, as they fall in love and face heartbreak. Elinor is responsible and restrained whilst Marianne is passionately romantic but both have to meet societys expectations of respectable young ladies despite their hardships. As Austen writes, 'Young women who have no economic or political power must attend to the serious business of contriving material security'. Like Pride and Prejudice and Emma, Sense and Sensibility features Austens trademark witty writing and was, amongst other, turned into the award-winning eponymous 1995 movie, featuring Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman. Jane Austen (1775-1817) is one of the most beloved British writers of all time. During her short life she published six novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, that are all considered as literary classics today. Her writing is full of sharp observations on the society in which she evolved, as well as ripe with timeless irony, and a solid dose of humour. She has created immortal characters that have inspired countless authors, novels, and movies such as Bridget Jones and Clueless.

Svenska Ljud Classica

Sense and Sensibility

A fantastic humorous travelogue by English writer and humorist Jerome K. Jerome, in the same vein as his famous ‘Three Men in a Boat’.

Diary of a Pilgrimage

The stars gave her a mate... and a rhino. Tilly doesn't believe in aliens. At least, she didn't, until she gets abducted along with half the animals of her zoo. When you and your rhino are stuck in a cage on a spaceship, it's hard not to believe. One of them, an elf-eared female, seems ready to help her find a way back to Earth, but is that really what Tilly wants? Bavalla's messed up big time. She wasn't supposed to abduct a sentient being, but now that she's face to face with a female who's not only intelligent but also very attractive, she has to figure out what to do. Telling the Captain would result in severe punishment, but how do you hide a human who's very intent on saving not just herself, but all her animals as well? A fast-paced f/f romance with a strong human woman and a swoon-worthy alien female willing to give up everything for her mate. Part of the Aliens and Animals series.

Aliens and Animals

The Alien's Zookeeper

Read by actor Alex Jennings, At Last is the fifth and final novel in Edward St Aubyn's semi-autobiographical series, The Patrick Melrose Novels, filmed for Sky Atlantic and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as aristocratic addict, Patrick. As friends, relatives and foes trickle in to pay their final respects to his mother Eleanor, Patrick Melrose finds himself questioning whether a life without parents will be the liberation he has so long imagined. Yet as the memorial service ends and the family gathers one last time, amidst the social niceties and the social horrors, the calms and the rapids, Patrick begins to sense a new current: the chance of some form of safety – at last.

Picador Collection

At Last

F. Scott Fitzgerald created the novella "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as a short story, originally published in Collier's magazine in 1922. It tells the tale of Benjamin, son of Roger Button, who was born as an old man and who, over the course of his life, miraculously ages backwards. Beginning life as an octogenarian in his crib, Benjamin grows "older" while his body, conversely, appears younger and younger with each passing birthday. The story takes us through Benjamin's entire life; his difficult adolescence, his marriage, life as a soldier and father and, ultimately, his inevitable descent into infanthood. At once hilarious, frightening and satiric, Fitzgerald's wonderful story has been adapted for both the stage and screen and is presented here in its original, unabridged format.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Unabridged

The Trial is a novel written by Franz Kafka. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed to neither him nor the reader. The terrifying tale of Joseph K, a respectable functionary in a bank, who is suddenly arrested and must defend his innocence against a charge about which he can get no information. A nightmare vision of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the mad agendas of twentieth-century totalitarian regimes. Look at Joseph K., a bank officer living in a country with a constitution. He wakes up one day with strange men in his apartment telling him he's under arrest. Why or for what offense, no one knows. The arresting officers themselves don't know and can't tell him. Even if he's under arrest, however, no one picks him up or locks him in jail. He can still go to his office, work, perform his customary daily chores, and do whatever he wants to do as he awaits his trial. But he is understandably anxious and worried. He is, after all, charged with an unknown but very grave offense. He has a criminal case. He is an accused. He is under arrest. For this problem he consults so many. He gets a lawyer. His uncle comes to his aid. He talks with his lawyer's other client--also charged and under arrest like him. He consults other people, a painter (who is said to know the "Court"), some women, a priest, etc. about his case. But no one can tell him what the charge is and what his sentence will be. The "Examining Magistrate," the "Judges," the "Court," the proceedings/ trial, and even the "Law" itself--they all seem to be unsolvable enigmas.

The Trial

A fast-paced comic extravaganza and from the author of the runaway bestseller and Governor General’s Award-nominated How Insensitive. 		“Noise takes on the kind of high-jinx romantic comedy loved by Hollywood.” — Quill & Quire 		Set in the cynical and celebrity-obsessed world of mainstream media, and alternatively in the stultifying conservatism of suburban sprawl, a failed musician and intellectual nerd has become a freelance magazine writer and unwillingly been cast into the role of fashion arbiter. Reluctantly, and only for the money, James Rainer Willing agrees to interview the reclusive nationalist Canadian poet Ludwig Boben for the prestigious American magazine Glitter. Willing’s insanely busy and competitive life provides glimpses into the world of fashion photography, small-press poetry readings, expensive and fashionable restaurants (he is a restaurant critic), ‘lifestyle’ magazines, and a return to the suddenly-quiet life or non-life of ghostly New Munich, Ontario, where Willing revisits his one-time peers, the People Who Stayed Behind. 		Bespeak Audio Editions brings Canadian voices to the world with audiobook editions of some of the country’s greatest works of literature, performed by Canadian actors.

Noise

A successful businessman who wouldn't dream of accepting 'no' as an answer, Jules Chicot has his heart set on buying his neighbour's farm. He will stop at nothing. This short story follows his quest to obtain the house, by hook or by crook. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a French writer. Famed for being a master of the short story, he also wrote travel books and occasionally dabbled in poetry. His stories mainly focus on the relationships between men and women sitting at crossroads in their lives - whether personal or professional. His dramatic flair is largely influenced by French novelist Gustave Flaubert and is perfect for fans of Anton Chekhov's short stories. The most notable of the 300 short stories that he wrote include 'Bel Ami', 'Une Vie', and 'The Dumpling'.

World Classics

The Little Cask

Nikolai Gogol's novel Dead Souls is one of the best-known pieces of 19th-century Russian literature. Chichikov is a mysterious man, who arrives at a small town with a strange plan of acquiring "dead souls." Marked by eccentric characters and heated town gossip, this story is a social satire that keeps the reader guessing. The writer himself described Dead Souls as an "epic poem in prose" and a "novel in verse." Although intended by Gogol as the first part of a trilogy, the story never saw a follow-up before or after his death. The satiric story has been turned into theatre, opera, radio, television and film productions alike, including the Soviet television miniseries Dead Souls (1984). Ukrainian-born writer and dramatist Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) is considered one of the most prominent figures in Russian literature. His unconventional works are often touched by folklore or a hint of the unusual, providing the reader with surprising turns and characters. Gogol has been attached to a range of different literary styles, including Russian literary realism and even surrealism. His stories include the short story "The Nose" and the famous satirical novel Dead Souls. Gogol's works have inspired numerous stage, film and television adaptations including the movie Inspector General (1949), based loosely on his play with the same name.

Dead Souls

Marquis de Fumerol's death brings with it a serious political scandal. The black sheep of a royalist family - he cannot die without official last rites from the Church. As the rest of the family and the local priest rush to his place, they could never have predicted what would be waiting for them. This humorous satire is a light-hearted read perfect for fans of Oscar Wilde. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) was a French writer. Famed for being a master of the short story, he also wrote travel books and occasionally dabbled in poetry. His stories mainly focus on the relationships between men and women sitting at crossroads in their lives - whether personal or professional. His dramatic flair is largely influenced by French novelist Gustave Flaubert and is perfect for fans of Anton Chekhov's short stories. The most notable of the 300 short stories that he wrote include 'Bel Ami', 'Une Vie', and 'The Dumpling'.

The Marquis de Fumerol

Few things can impart such a feeling of satisfaction as a well-tended garden. As he surveys his roses from the comfort of his deckchair on a warm summer’s evening, Brian Lawless can relax and forget for a while the long struggle with spray gun and secateurs. But soon he must return to the fight. Slugs and snails are stirring. Beneath the ground, weeds are beginning to sprout. Soon the hedges will need trimming and the lawn will need mowing. Before long the leaves will be falling and the gardener’s year, with all its frustrations and delights, will begin again.

The Gardener's Little Book of Verse

*** Premium Ebook *** Written in 1516, Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social, and political customs. The name of the book has given an adjective to our language—we call an impracticable scheme Utopian. Yet, under the veil of a playful fiction, the talk is intensely earnest, and abounds in practical suggestion. It is the work of a scholarly and witty Englishman, who attacks in his own way the chief political and social evils of his time.

Utopia

To every explorer with his map upside down, to every air-traffic controller suddenly receiving Magic FM through his headphones, to every astronomer whose new planet turns out to be a bit of bran-flake on the eyepiece of his telescope, Sod's Law says: you are not alone. Sam Leith tells the hilarious - and painful - stories of the unsinkable boat that sunk, the unbeatable horse that lost, and the fireproof theatre that burned to the ground. Sod's Law demonstrates that the entire universe is actually set up to ensure that your toast always lands butter side down and, what's more, that it lands precisely where the cat has shed hair all over the carpet. In this age of doubt, fewer and fewer of us are able to believe that a higher power takes an interest in our fate. This book reassures us that indeed it does - and that that higher power is hell bent on buggering things up. Only by laughing heartlessly at the misfortunes of others can we make ourselves feel better. Sod's Law enables us to do just that.

Sod's Law

The Beautiful and the Damned - Francis Scott Fitzgerald - Fitzgeralds second novel, a devastating portrait of the excesses of the Jazz Age, is a largely autobiographical depiction of a glamorous, reckless Manhattan couple and their spectacular spiral into tragedy. Published on the heels of This Side of Paradise, the story of the Harvard-educated aesthete Anthony Patch and his willful wife, Gloria, is propelled by Fitzgeralds intense romantic imagination and demonstrates an increased technical and emotional maturity. The Beautiful and Damned is at once a gripping morality tale, a rueful meditation on love, marriage, and money, and an acute social document. As Hortense Calisher observes in her Introduction, Though Fitzgerald can entrance with stories so joyfully youthful they appear to be safewhen he cuts himself, you will bleed.This book has caused an even greater sensation in America than This Side of Paradise. It is a long, searching, and absolutely convincing study of degeneration, that degeneration which ruins so many of the rich, young, idle people. The "smart set" of New York is hurled into the limelight and mercilessly revealed. A witty, pungent, and entirely orginal book. An excellent portrayal of the Eastern elite at the beginning of the Jazz Age.

The Beautiful and the Damned

Whether forming a pirate gang to search for buried treasure or spending a quiet time at home, sharing his medicine with Aunt Polly's cat, the irrepressible Tom Sawyer evokes the world of boyhood in nineteenth century rural America. In this classic story, Mark Twain re-created a long-ago world of freshly whitewashed fences and Sunday school picnics into which sordid characters and violent incidents sometimes intruded. The tale powerfully appeals to both adult and young imaginations. Readers explore this memorable setting with a slyly humorous born storyteller as their guide. Tom and Huck Finn conceal themselves in the town cemetery, where they witness a grave robbery and a murder. Later, the boys, feeling unappreciated, hide out on a forested island while the townspeople conduct a frantic search and finally mourn them as dead. The friends triumphantly return to town to attend their own funeral, in time for a dramatic trial for the graveyard murder. A three-day ordeal ensues when Tom and his sweetheart, Becky Thatcher, lose their way in the very cave that conceals the murderer. With its hilarious accounts of boyish pranks and its shrewd assessments of human nature, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer has captivated generations of readers of all ages. This inexpensive edition of the classic novel offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity to savor a witty and action-packed account of small-town boyhood in a bygone era.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Romanzo comico che narra l'esilarante convivenza della famiglia Otis, i nuovi inquini del castello dei Canterville con lo spettro di Sir Simon di Canterville, per nulla impressionati dall'inquilino gestiranno la convivenza con pragmatismo fino ad esasperare il fantasma stesso... Libro in lingua originale inglese con traduzione in italiano.

Radici

Il Fantasma di Canterville (The Canterville Ghost)

Winner of the Betty Trask Award, Never Mind is the first in Edward St Aubyn's highly acclaimed Patrick Melrose novels, adapted for TV for Sky Atlantic and starring Benedict Cumberbatch. This audiobook is read aloud by stage and screen actor Alex Jennings. At his mother’s family house in the south of France, Patrick Melrose has the run of a magical garden. Bravely imaginative and self-sufficient, five-year-old Patrick encounters the volatile lives of adults with care. His father, David, rules with considered cruelty, and Eleanor, his mother, has retreated into drink. They are expecting guests for dinner. But this afternoon is unlike the chain of summer days before, and the shocking events that precede the guests’ arrival tear Patrick's world in two.

Never Mind

All I want is to be a success. That's all I ask.' Joe fails to sell a single set of the Encyclopedia Britannica in six months. Then he fails to sell a single Electrolux and must eat hundreds of pieces of homemade pie, served up by his would-be customers who feel so sorry for him. Holed up in his trailer, Joe finds an outlet his for frustrations in a series of ingenious sexual fantasies, and at last strikes gold. His brain storm, Lightning Rods, Inc., will take Joe to the very top - and to the very heart of corporate insanity - with an outrageous solution to the spectre of sexual harassment in the modern office.

Lightning Rods

The sexy page-turner picks up where the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollywood Wives left off showing Jackie Collins at her “ultra-celeb, super accessorized, bestselling best” (Publishers Weekly). Power. Sex. Money. Fame. The new Hollywood wives have it all. And if they don’t have it—they want it. And whatever these women want—they get. Ambitious, young, smart, and lethal, the Hollywood wives are back with a vengeance, pushing their way to the forefront. Forget shopping—they’re into achieving everything their famous husbands have and more, and they don’t care how they do it.

Hollywood Wives - The New Generation

One of the great Victorian novels by an author at the height of his powers, Vanity Fair follows the fortunes of the calculating, upwardly-mobile Becky Sharp and her gentle, good-hearted friend Amelia Sedley as they leave their boarding school and embark upon their lives in Vanity Fair – the social-climbing, wealth-obsessed world of Regency England in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Produced by Macc Kay Production executive Avalon Giuliano ICON Intern Eden Garret Giuliano ©2021 Eden Garret Giuliano (P) 2021 Eden Garret Giuliano Geoffrey Giuliano is the author of over thirty internationally bestselling biographies, including the London Sunday Times bestseller 'Blackbird: The Life and Times of Paul McCartney' and 'Dark Horse: The Private Life of George Harrison'. He can be heard on the Westwood One Radio Network and has written and produced over seven hundred original spoken word albums and video documentaries on various aspects of popular culture. In addition, Giuliano is an occasional lecturer at Northwestern University. He is also a well-known movie actor in such films as 'Mechanic Resurrection and the 'Scorpion King' series, among many. Geoffrey is a near lifelong student of Bhakti (Devotional) Yoga and an ardent animal rights advocate. He makes his home with his son Eden in Bangkok and Vrndavana, and Jaipur India.

Vanity Fair

Each of the judges of the Elysian Prize for literature has a reason for accepting the job. For the chairman, MP Malcolm Craig, it is backbench boredom, media personality Jo Cross is on the hunt for a 'relevant' novel, and Oxbridge academic Vanessa Shaw is determined to discover good writing. But for Penny Feathers of the Foreign Office, it's all just getting in the way of writing her own thriller. Over the next few weeks they must read hundreds of submissions to find the best book of the year, and so the judges spar, cajole and bargain in order that their chosen title gets the recognition it deserves. Meanwhile, a host of authors are desperate for Elysian glory, including brilliant writer and serial heart-breaker Katherine Burns, lovelorn debut novelist Sam Black, and Sonny, convinced that his magnum opus, The Mulberry Elephant, will take the literary world by storm. Lost for Words is razor-sharp and fabulously entertaining. It cuts to the quick of some of the deepest questions about the place of art in our celebrity-obsessed culture, and asks how we can ever hope to recognize real talent when everyone has an agenda.

Lost For Words

Two best friends. One big lie. The best bake-off EVER. Bella Bradley is the queen of television baking – a national treasure. Her Christmas specials have been topping the ratings for years and her marriage to Peter ‘Silver Fox’ Bradley is the stuff of Hello magazine specials. But this year things are going to be different. For Amy Lane, Bella’s best friend from school, life hasn’t held quite the same sparkle. And when Amy’s husband walks out three weeks from Christmas, it seems their lives are further apart than ever. Amy has watched Bella’s rise to fame fondly, despite the fact Bella was always a terrible cook. But when she realises that Bella’s latest Christmas book is made up entirely of Amy’s mother’s recipes, the gloves are off... After winning a competition to appear on Bella’s TV show, Amy is going to make sure that for Bella and her viewers, this will definitely be a Christmas to remember... A hilarious, heart-breaking and feel-good read about best friends, baking and the magic of Christmas. What readers are saying about Bella’s Christmas Bake Off ‘I never thought I'd laugh and cry as much as I did while reading this book. I wish I could give it 10 stars! I loved this story and hope others do too.’ The Final Chapter ‘I genuinely laughed out loud reading Bella's Christmas Bake Off. It was a lovely, relaxing read, and one that really cheered me up. It has the perfect recipe of laughter, happiness and a little romance thrown in... I absolutely loved this book, it is a fab Christmas read and I highly recommend it. I give Bella’s Christmas Bake Off 5 Stars.’ Tea Lady Mumbles ‘Within a matter of pages I was (as usual with these books) laughing my socks off and immediately fell in love with the slightly crazy Amy ... Sue Watson has such a knack for the humorous side of characters ... Her humour, writing style and stories never fail to hit the spot and are guaranteed to cheer me up, make me laugh and generally improve my mood.’ Best Crime Books and More Over 31,000 copies sold

Bella's Christmas Bake Off

Bad News is the second novel in Edward St Aubuyn's semi-autobiographical Patrick Melrose novels, adapted for TV for Sky Atlantic and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as aristocratic addict, Patrick. This audiobook edition is read by stage and screen actor Alex Jennings. Twenty-two years old and in the grip of a massive addiction, Patrick Melrose is forced to fly to New York to collect his father’s ashes. Over the course of a weekend, Patrick’s remorseless search for drugs on the avenues of Manhattan, haunted by old acquaintances and insistent inner voices, sends him into a nightmarish spiral. Alone in his room at the Pierre Hotel, he pushes body and mind to the very edge – desperate always to stay one step ahead of his rapidly encroaching past.

Bad News

Heffa Lump is a self-centred seventeen-year-old who needs to grow up and get a life. Fortunately, the Spatula Academy of Fictional Excellence specializes in helping characters from kids' books cross over into adult fiction. Unfortunately, she's distracted from her attempts to leave adolescence behind when she meets Teddy Kelledy - an impossibly gorgeous boy who eats rare meat, is super-strong, and never goes out in daylight. Could he - just maybe - be a vampire? (Hint: totally.) Soon, Heffa finds herself harassed by supernatural forces on all sides: vampire goths peddling the deadly drug 'Emo' all over town, Jacko-worshipping zombies trying to eat her brains, and werewolves lurking in basements reading copies of Wolf Whistle. A fight is coming, and apparently she's involved ... Will Heffa be able to narrate herself out of danger? Will Teddy learn that being with a girl doesn't always have to be about biting? And what will happen when the New Moan rises? New Moan is guaranteed to make any fan laugh out loud with its irreverent and clever take on this popular series, which is brilliantly on the nose.

New Moan

Good things happen when your life is freed from the restrictions of gravity and time. Jake Spinner is a modern-day Don Quixote mixed in with a large dose of Winnie the Pooh. Jake Spinner's life is filled with coffee, movies, buffalo, donuts, tuxedoes, trucks, cedar chests, polar bears, the fiery hooch of the steppes, cold-weather horses, kittens, Parisian circuses, urban rodeo, pizza, Hell's Angels, Buddhists, gunslingers, Scrabble, ZiegfieldnFollies strippers, projection bulbs, cowboy artists, clarinets, opera houses, guitar shops, floods, tightrope walkers, hot dogs, poets, hobos, philosopher mechanics, woodstoves, amorous weightlifters, Raquel Welch doubles, abandoned towns, incendiary acts of malfeasance, Ruby Sauce, pakoras, right-wing vigilantes, post officers, and the occasional flood of biblical proportion.

Bedtime Stories

The debut offering from one of the 20th century's most celebrated and renowned humorists, "Enough Rope" was an instant best-seller when it was released in 1926 and made Dorothy Parker a household name. The poems in this collection range from the satiric to the sentimental; wickedly clever and yet elegantly and expertly constructed. Parker's mastery of the turn of phrase or the cynical or sardonic final line instantly grabbed the reading public's attention and propelled Parker into the national spotlight, which she would not relinquish for the rest of her life. Dorothy Parker - social commentator, political reformer and legendary wit - has enjoyed a special place in American culture for almost a century and "Enough Rope" is an early example of Parker's unique and wry commentary on modern life. It is presented here in its original and unabridged format.

Enough Rope - Poems - Unabridged

Literary cohorts and members of the famous Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker and Franklin P. Adams wrote these two short books to humorously contrast the experiences of both men and women meeting, dating...and then deciding NOT to marry various men and women in their lives. Adams - a renowned wit and celebrated newspaper columnist - helped to launch Parker's career and they enjoyed a decades-long friendship. These two works are presented here in their original and unabridged format.

Men I'm Not Married To and Women I'm Not Married To - Unabridged

What’s the real recipe for happiness? An invitation to tuck in to a feast of friendship, food and finding your joy… Anna Carleton runs the best restaurant in Buttermere, Hesta. Her local food, seasonal recipes and the taste of the wild she offers brings diners from all over the world to this corner of Cumbria. But there’s a reason why Anna works every hour she can – and it’s time she faced it. Rose has spent her life farming the fells. It’s a hard life that’s not for everyone; Rose and her dad run the farm alone, and she can see they need to change if they’re to keep their home – even if change is hard to accept. Olivia knows people patronise her for being an ‘influencer’ – but she makes a living from her videos and beautiful pictures of her seemingly perfect life. As an online star, she’s used to getting things for free – but when real life threatens not to be so photogenic, she realises there are some things money or fame can’t buy. Will the rugged beauty of the Lakes and the delicious food it offers help bring them together, and maybe find the missing ingredients in their own lives?

The Restaurant at the Heart of the Lakes

In this follow up to her best-selling debut collection of poetry ("Enough Rope" from 1926) Dorothy Parker published "Sunset Gun" (1928) her second of three volumes of short verse. One of the 20th century's most celebrated and renowned humorists, Parker once again delivers a biting, satiric and insightful look at love, life and literature in this brilliant collection. Dorothy Parker - social commentator, political reformer and legendary wit - has enjoyed a special place in American culture and "Sunset Gun" is another early example of Parker's unique and wry commentary on modern life. It is presented here in its original and unabridged format.

Sunset Gun - Poems by Dorothy Parker - Unabridged

A fun and colourful book about how everyone can be a unicorn. It's very magical. EPUB3: Fixed format

Everyone is a Unicorn

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Mother's Milk is the fourth of Edward St Aubyn's semi-autobiographical Patrick Melrose novels, adapted for TV for Sky Atlantic and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as aristocratic addict, Patrick. This audiobook edition is read by stage and screen actor Alex Jennings. The once illustrious, once wealthy Melroses are in peril. Caught up in the wreckage of broken promises, child-rearing, adultery and assisted suicide, Patrick finds his wife Mary consumed by motherhood, his mother in thrall to a New Age foundation, and his young son Robert understanding far more than he should. But even as the family struggles against the pull of its ever-present past, a new generation brings a new tenderness, and the possibility of change.

Mother's Milk

At a run-down brothel in Caudal, Spain, the prostitutes are collecting stray dogs. Each is named after a famous male writer: Dante, Chaucer, and Bret Easton Ellis. When a john is cruel, the dogs are fed rotten meat. To the east, in Barcelona, an unflappable teenage girl is endeavouring to trace the peculiarities of her life back to one woman: Alba Camb, writer of violent short stories, who left Caudal as a girl and never went back. Mordantly funny, dryly sensual, written with a staggering lightness of touch, the debut novel in English by Swedish sensation Lina Wolff is a black and Bolaño-esque take on the limitations of love in a dog-eat-dog world. Perfect for fans of Cho Nam-Joo's ´Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982´. What people are saying about ´Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs´: "[A] filmic offering . . . channelling the spirit of Pedro Almodóvar. A thoroughly invigorating novel." - Lucy Scholes, The Independent "Wolff has had enough of the big swinging dicks of masculine literature. [Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs is] clever and challenging and distinctive." - Galen O'Hanlon, The Skinny "Oddly compelling . . . a European postmodern novel steeped in alienation and ennui." - Library Journal "Wolff's prose has a quality of 'otherness' entirely in keeping with the surreal atmosphere of the novel. This strange, provocative debut sits well alongside the work of Roxane Gay, Katherine Angel, Maggie Nelson, Zoe Pilger and Miranda July . . . a cool, clever and fierce addition to the canon of modern feminist literature." - Sarah Perry, The Guardian "The author demonstrates a marvellous command of language and creates characters with real depth, lending the book a sensual vibe and an acerbic wit that force its emotional truths to rise above the grunge of its hard-boiled setting. A poetic, unsentimental drama that offers a meditation on love in all its disparate forms." - Kirkus Reviews "Wolff manoeuvres with great skill through her breathtaking multitude of worlds and an equally impressive cast of characters. Bret Easton Ellis . . . takes the reader on a roller-coaster from the tragic to the comical, with hints of the mysterious and magical scattered in between - it is a testimonial of a dead person remarkably full of life." - The Bookbag, 5 Stars, January Book of the Month "A book that you just want to give people and say: take a look at this, read it, experience it. I would have liked to devote the entire review to quoting sentences and paragraphs from the novel - it is almost as if that were the only way of adequately conveying the gravity, depth and lightness of Lina Wolff's prose, her tender yet pitiless character descriptions, her distinctive but also natural way of piecing together the novel's disparate parts into a shimmering whole." - Eva Johansson, Svenska Dagbladet Lina Wolff (1973- ) is a Swedish author. Having lived in Spain and Italy for several years working as a translator, Wolff arrived on the literary stage in 2009 with ´Många människor dör som du´ (´Many People Die Like You) and won the prestigious Vi Magazine Literature Prize in 2012 for her debut novel, ´Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs´. She has since won several other literary awards, including the August Prize for Fiction and the Aftonbladet Literature Prize.

Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs

Same desk, different days.A post-it note is just the beginning… A must read for fans of Beth O’Leary, Mhairi McFarlane and Sophie Kinsella! Alice loves her job and wants to keep it – whatever the price. But then she’s told the company is switching to flexible working and hot desking…Alice’s desk might look a mess, but she knows exactly where everything is. Or she did. Until she found out she’s going to share it with the most annoying guy in the office. Jamie can work from anywhere. He’s quite happy to sweep his work life into a box at the end of the working day. But can sharing a desk with Alice be as much fun as teasing her in person? With no option but to try it and see, will their relationship turn into open warfare or will it ever progress beyond a post-it note? Readers can’t get enough of Hot Desk:‘Hard to put down so be prepared to binge this book’ Jess ‘A mix of Bridget Jones in 2021 experiencing a hybrid work environment…the perfect light-hearted read’ Estella ‘Slow burn at it’s best…I enjoyed it immensely’ Emily ‘What a fun read!…a lot of funny post-it notes lead to romance’ Janelle ‘Quick and entertaining read, that once you start, you won’t be able to tear yourself away from’ Laura ‘It brought me out of the slump! I couldn’t put this down and really enjoyed the story…100% recommend this to romance fans’ Georgia ‘This book was funny, heartwarming and poignant and also shows that the best things in life are worth waiting for’ Helen ‘An addictive and enjoyable read…Beautiful dialogue, real character growth and a genuinely sweet story about characters you will grow to genuinely care about’ Rubie

The Zara Stoneley Romantic Comedy Collection

Hot Desk

New York Times Bestseller ● Publishers Weekly Bestseller ● Los Angeles Times Bestseller ● Wall Street Journal Bestseller A brilliant, hilarious, and honest essay collection from #1 New York Times bestselling author and YouTube sensation Shane Dawson about how messy life can get when you’re growing up but how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done. From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life. In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done.

I Hate Myselfie

Ethan Frome is a novel published in 1911 by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Edith Wharton. It is set in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, New England, where an unnamed narrator tells the story of his encounter with Ethan Frome, a man with dreams and desires that end in an ironic turn of events.

Ethan Frome

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